I scrap 4 love

Anyone miss me? New Blog announcement

2010-07-19T20:12:00.003-04:00

Seems like forever since I wrote on my blog. Probably because it has been. This post is to let anyone out there know that I am going to create an new blog to share what I'm up to now. Please join me on my new blog called: I wll have decorating tips, the latest colors and trends for your home, and the opportunity to see the fabulous products WILLOW HOUSE has to offer.

I hope you will join me on the blog, my Willow House facebook page and even on Twitter.

Facebook is evil

2009-12-18T21:23:00.003-05:00

Facebook is taking over the world. That's my excuse for not posting or even reading blogs for almost two months. Since no one has emailed me to see if I'm still alive, I guess I am the only one reading my site. No worries. It's always been my place to speak my mind and keep track of stuff.

Quick wrap up...............

Effective 11/12/09....I finally got a full time job with the State of Florida. After almost 8 years and then 3 months of unemployment, a Temp to Perm postion with another company....I finally got a job 15 minutes from my house....and with the STATE. WAHOOOO. It has been keeping me very busy, learning new stuff, trying to keep up with my family....not enough time to blog. Apparently I've missed some stuff on other sites, really out of the loop. I've got enough of my own stuff to deal with so guess they will carry on without my input.

Thanksgiving was really quiet. The kids were with their dad in SC so we had a super quiet day. I didn't cook anything..ended up getting a cooked chicken from the store and ate on it for several days.

BIG NEWS from the girl...she has been offered an internship from MTV in NYC starting the middle of January. Really excited and happy for her but very sad at the thought of her being so far away. I expected her to move away after graduation but this is 6 months sooner than that. Guess I'd better save my $$ for flights to visit her.

Christmas is a week away and I haven't gotten a single decoration up. ME, the Queen of Holiday decorations. My DH wanted to mow the grass before the outside decorations got put out and he has been sick so it didn't happen. I redid the garage to get to the decorations and then had to move a bunch of crap back in the way of the boxes so they didn't get into the house. Tons of excuses but I am determined to get some up this weekend. They may stay up still Easter after that.

My sister has been loosing a bunch of weight. Saw some pics from her Stiocking party the other night. Looking really good. Hope to see her in person soon.

There you have it....a bit of updating from a litle bit to tell.

Go back to Facebook and check out all the real news.

Til Later...................

,

Sailor Doll and the Karate test

2009-11-09T21:37:00.004-05:00

I went to some yard sales on Saturday before my sons Karate test. Not really alot of stuff or time so after awhile I started heading to the Dojo. I turned down a street to get back to where I needed to be and I came across a sale. I figured I'd take a look around before I drove on. I found this little Sailor Doll on one of the tables.

He called to me.

My dad was a Merchant Marine. I know this isn't a Merchant Marine uniform (or maybe it is, I never saw a uniform and my dad wasn't an officer anyway)but I knew I had to have the doll. I asked the seller if she knew anything about it and she said it was old and she'd bought it at a yard sale or auction. I told her that my dad had been a Merchant Marine and that the doll was "calling" to me. She said, "AW, that is sweet that he reminds you of your dad". I surprised her when I told her :"No, actually my Dad was an SOB"....and then I started crying.

Crying, standing in a strangers yard, holding a dirty-old Sailor Doll.

I paid for the doll and left, probably leaving the woman to wonder about the freak that had just been at her sale.

Why did I have the reaction to the doll? The hat looks like one my dad had. It's no secret that my dad and I weren't close. He died in September over 14 years ago. My little sister and my niece loved him and mourn his passing.

Me, honestly-not so much. Maybe the tears are from that part of me that still wishes I did care more. Wished we could have had the kind of relationship Fathers and Daughters should have. Wished my kids could have had a grandfather from my side of the family.

His birthday is tomorrow (the 10th). Rest in peace dad.

Green best testing on Saturday went OK. My son made fun of me when I suggested he wear a certain item to protect a certain part of his body...until the Black belt instructor asked each of the guys if they had theirs on....LOL It came in handy during sparing later. Mother, DOES know best. We will not have the results until later this week. In the mean time, here are some pictures :

Surprise

2009-11-01T00:18:00.003-04:00

No, it is not Friday again. Thought I'd drop by and make another post. It's after midnight on the 31/Nov 1st and I should be in bed. Since we get an extra hour, I figured I'd share my day.

You are welcome.

I had a pedicure appointment this am. I BADLY need my hair cut/dyed but my hairdresser and my schedules haven't been matching. We made several appointments over the next few weeks to get everything done. I wanted it all done today since it is my only Free Saturday for awhile but she was getting wisdom teeth out and wasn't going to feel up to it.

Fortunately for me, she didn't realize you can't eat before you have extractions. Appointment canceled! She called me last night to see if we could rearrange our appointment for next week since she is going to try her tooth issue again-then. She agreed to come into the shop this morning to cut my hair before my pedicure.

As soon as she started cutting my hair and saw the amount of grey....aka WHITE ...showing instead of the blond I pay her for, she agreed to stay and do the color today.

I ended up at the hairdressers from 8:30 am until 1:30 pm but I was a new woman when I walked out. If they had done make up and wardrobe, I really would have been.

Now I'm all set for another 6-8 weeks on my hair and a month on my toes. My credit card took a hit but it was worth it! As soon as I wash my hair a couple times and the real color comes through, I'll be happy again.

Tonight the Boy and I sat outside at our neighbors house to give out candy. The boy decided he was to old to go around begging for candy and agreed to sit outside with the old folks. He was the most talkative he's been in a long time. He really likes our neighbors and their dog so he was having a great time. He started missing the candy begging about midway through the night but the neighbors had GOOD candy and they kept letting him eat it so he was happy. I also bought him a few bags at the store today so he won't be deprived.

BTW, what is wrong with giving out small "tombstone" erasers with your candy? I'm just asking, not that I would buy them on clearance and save them to give out tonight. Just asking your opinion.

(I have a couple of them left if you are interested)

Til later....................go turn back your clocks in case you forgot.

Welcome to Friday again

2009-10-30T23:29:00.003-04:00

Seems like the only time I can blog is on Friday night. Another week flew by!! Don't feel bad, I read a weeks worth of papers while waiting for the boy at Karate tonight.

Guess what was waiting for me when I got home tonight? Never mind, I really HATE that game.

I'll tell...It was my Pioneer Woman Cookbook. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you do not know who Pioneer Woman is, what rock have you been under for the past few years.? Check out the link on my side bar and get caught up. Soon the entire world will know about her and her fabulous Cookbook. This is no ordinary cook book, it is one that may actually make me start cooking. The food looks fantastic and the photography is stunning.

I had to force myself not to lick the pages!

I also got my copy of the Cookbook by the lady that used her crock pot everyday for 365 days. She is the reason I have two crock pots now. Her cookbook is not nearly as beautiful but the recipes sound delish!!

The best part about the cookbooks? They were FREE....including shipping. SWEET!

How you ask? I used my Swagbucks to buy Amazon.com gift cards. When I got $30 worth I cashed them in on the books. When you ordered $29 worth, shipping was free.

Excellent.

Don't know about Swag Bucks? You really have been under a rock. YOU can find out the details on my side bar. Sign up, use me as a reference and we both win. Use the Swagbucks search engines and win. Save your bucks and buy great stuff for FREE.

I'm going to go lick my cookbook again and then get some sleep.

Have a safe Halloween. Don't forget to turn back your clocks on Saturday/Sunday.

Til later.................

DRUM ROLL

2009-10-23T21:49:00.003-04:00

The boy got his first report card as a High School er. His first report card of his permanent record that will help him get into a good college or one that is for Juniors...not that there is anything wrong with those colleges.....

If you have been reading my blog for awhile you remember the drama we've gone through with him and school. He's spent more time on restriction than off over the years.

Having said that....he made....all A's & B's!!!!!!

WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I told him I was going to frame it.

He thinks I'm kidding.

I'm not kidding.

Lots of news around the blogging world. I'm trying to get caught up. If I've missed something I need to know, email me.

Set your tape/dvr for The Bonnie Hunt show for Monday...PW will be on there.

I'm hoping to have some news of my own soon.......

Til later..

Miss me?

2009-10-19T22:15:00.002-04:00

Who would have thought that working for a living would be such a crimp in my blogging world? I really miss being able to update during the day. 15 minute breaks, 30minutes lunch...ARG!

Enjoying the cooler weather? Nice. Wish I could spend more time outside to enjoy it. I have a VENDOR event next Saturday nut by then it is suppose to rain. Darn!

My DH had a birthday since last time I checked in with you. Very low key..we went to the movies and dinner. The new Bruce Willis movie was pretty good. Depressing but good. I love Bruce movies so anything would be great. After the movie we went out to dinner at Ruby Tuesday Endless fries....should I say more?

Took the boy out to the movies yesterday. We started to see "Zombieland" but I chickened out. I really do not like gore or scary movies so we say a kiddy movie called " Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs". Shared a large popcorn and had fun.

Super exciting right? What do you have to offer?

Til later...............

Not paid by the word

2009-10-04T21:19:00.002-04:00

Good thing I am not making my living as a Blogger. On the other hand, If I was, I'd have time to Blog.

Work is going well but it makes me exhausted by the time I get home. Monday and Tuesday after work are the only time I have to run errands so I usually don't get home til 7-8pm. WED-Friday I have to run home to get the boy to Karate and by the time it is over, it's 8-9 pm. Between that schedule and leaving the house at 7-7:15AM I don't have time to post. I can barely get on Facebook either so if you are a "follower"---you must be bored by now.

This weekend was the last free one for over a month. I have Southern Living at Home vendor events fr the next 5 Saturdays. (I have Sundays and some week nights available if you are interested in having a get together with your friends). Since we are approaching the holidays, I image my weekends are going to be quite packed for awhile. At least I got my Scrapper room done so I can scrap/craft if I ever have any free time.

My DH "ordered" me to take this weekend to rest and get ready for my up coming schedule. He brought me coffee and breakfast in bed on Saturday and I enjoyed catching up on some of my recorded shows. (Another problem..super busy and now ALL the new shows are on. Our DVRs are packed!!! LOL. Really sad isn't it?) About mid afternoon I started feeling guilty and headed outside to power wash the front walk.

Yes, POWER WASH the front walk ....which then turned into power washing the driveway...or at least half of it. Our front walkway was practically black with places of green. Really depressed me every time I got home. Now it is all nice and clean-grey again. I even got the front door wreaths changed from Spring to Fall. Finally!! I picked up some flowering vines from Lowes to put on the trellis's (spelling??) that have been sitting on the side of the walkway for months. I didn't want to plant them until after the sidewalk was clean so I did it. The plants didn't get planted but the walkway & front door look nice. It's a start.

Today I was spoiled again by my darling DH. I finally came out into the living /dining room area about mid afternoon to watch the Bucs with my DH. I finished straightening up the desk area and got the rest of the stuff out of the kitchen for the first time in 3 months. I checked another thing off my list so I don't feel too guilty for being a slug. My DH doesn't mind if I take time to rest so why do I feel bad?

I hadn't read any ones Blog for awhile and was amazed to see what had been happening around the cyber world. HI Everyone.

The fabulous Gail Pittman sale is over but they have announced another sale on our Gallery & Tuscan line. Go to my website and check it out....

www.southernlivingathome.com/hinton and let me know if you want anything. As always, things sell out so don't delay.

Til later..................

TGIF again

2009-09-25T21:10:00.002-04:00

When you are unemployed Fridays don't mean the same. Everyday is Saturday. Not having Mondays makes Sundays more fun.

Today is my first TGIF since starting work again.

WAHOO!

I can't believe that my first week is over. Went really fast. Had a lot of boring parts but that's to be expected. I've been observing and that can be boring. I'm sure I'll miss these days soon enough.

I still don't have a badge to get into the office or other parts of the building. Think I should be alarmed? I would be except none of the new kids have badges yet. Maybe next week.

Looking forward to my first "weekend" in three months. Spending it with my boys. Gonna have fun.

What you doing?

Til later...................

Getting back in the groove

2009-09-22T21:00:00.002-04:00

Did I mention I rearranged two rooms on Sunday? LOL. Seriously, what an interesting last two days I've had. Being out of work for three months definitely spoiled me. So far it's been all Orientation and getting to know the lay of the office. LOTS to learn. The office is very crowded but is much quieter than you would imagine with that many people. Let me share alittle.....

I didn't sleep well Sunday night. I felt like a little kid getting ready to go to a new school. 6:30 am came really early. I figured I needed at least an hour travel time to be safe so that gave me 45 minutes to get ready. I've got to tell you, it was much easier to jump out of bed, into the shower, get dressed and run out the door back in the days when I didn't care about my appearance. I'm trying to finally be a grown up so that means-new clothes (dressier), makeup, hair dried and jewelry to match the outfit. Takes much more time but I do look good! LOL.

I got to the office right when I wanted to and was surprised to see several other people waiting to start orientation too. By the time it started, there were 15 of us. We learned all about the company, got lots of information and then they fed us lunch. The afternoon was more information, a tour of the office and some other details. Got out at 5 and then ran some errands.

Today was spent learning about the phone system. It is all done through the computer/internet. Very little actual touching of the phone it's self. Pretty cool system from what I could see. This afternoon we were put out on the floor to sit with someone and see exactly what they do. My gal was fairly new herself but really quick on the systems. Unfortunately, quite a few of her calls were in Spanish so I didn't understand what was going on. Tomorrow I'm supposed to sit with someone else and get another prospective. The girl today said we will have several more training classes and alot more side-by-side listening. She said it took about a month before she was put on the floor alone.

The office does have a "community" computer that you can check your private email/banking-etc. With only 30 minutes for lunch and 200 people to share the computer time, I'm not sure how often I'll be able to check things and certainly can't blog or go to facebook. I'll do my best to keep in touch.

How you doing?

Til later......................

The week in review

2009-09-19T15:54:00.003-04:00

I know some of you think I have been in hiding all week because my beloved Patrick passed away. Not entirely true. I was, and still am, sadden by another life lost to the horrible cancer but I've actually had a very busy-exciting week. For those of you that do not follow me on facebook, I'll try and bring you up to speed.

Monday I had an interview with a staffing agency. I'd never heard of it before but was told they were the hiring agency for a company I wanted to apply to. I had a 10 am appointment and ended up being there until almost 1pm. I filled out tons of paperwork, took MANY on-line aptitude tests and then took their drug test. (they asked if I wanted to do it while there and I said that since I'd needed to pee for several hours-it was as good a time as any). After we were all done they scheduled an interview at the company I was interested in for the next morning.

I treated myself to lunch at Sweet Tomatoes near by (Greek month-had to go before to late though I wasn't really impressed with their idea of "Greek"...no Baklava? What the heck???). Ran some errands and then finally went to IKEA since I was near by and STILL hadn't been there since they opened. I sped through but it still took an hour. I know where I am heading when I have some spare money and a truck with me!

Tuesday morning I had the job interview. Seemed to go well even though it was with a different person than I had been expecting. He asked a bunch of those "Mental" questions about how you handled things in a past job. YIKES. He even said he was looking for specific answers. Well....why don't you tell me what you want to hear and save us both time and stress? LOL. At the end of the hour interview, I asked when I might hear something and he said by the end of the week or even later that day. I called the recruiter and told her what he'd said and she said she'd call me as soon as she heard anything.

I decided since I had an appointment on the same side of town as the interview later in the afternoon, I'd stay on that side of town and "play". I had an eye doctors appointment and then I went to several of my favorite thrifts in South Tampa. I found something at one of the stores and ended up going to the "fancy" mall to see if it could be real (it's not) I quickly remembered why I do not go to MALLS and especially the fancy one. $700 for sandals and $400 for a tank top.

Seriously? Why? Even if I could afford those prices, I'd rather shop like I do now and take nice trips, help out other people, save for retirement....

After I calmed down from the sticker shock I headed to my Tastefully Simple hostess appreciation dinner/taste new stuff party. It was fun and the stuff was yummy. I finally got home 12 hours after I'd left that morning.

Wed I kept waiting to hear from the recruiter and was getting nervous. I sent her an email and didn't hear from her. FINALLY at 2pm she called. At first she sounded like she was going to give me bad news but then I realized she was saying they offered me the job. I start MONDAY.

WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I'm a bit nervous and trying to wrap my head around having a job again after three months of looking. The location is a bit further from home than my last job but that will be OK. It's near some of my former co-workers homes so I'll be able to meet them after work sometimes so we can keep in touch. The job is in a call center so that will take getting used to as I haven't done that kind of work in 8 years. I used to be really good at it so I'm sure it will be Ok.

Thursday I took the day and went looking for some new work clothes at my favorite thrift and then at Kmart. I was very pleased to find 4 blouses at the thrift for a total of $10. At Kmart, they were having clearance and 40% off the clearance price. Sweet. I got four more blouses, a swim suit for next year, and a night gown for $16. I was also able to get my DH three pairs of his favorite kind of shorts for FREE. They were on clearance w/ the additional 40% off and I had a $10 rebate credit card from his Swiffer deal last month. I ended up paying .17 which included a drink for the boy.

I almost forgot my "exciting" event on Thursday...I finally went to a Storage Unit Auction. I've seen them advertised but have never been since they are usually during the week at Midday. I saw one advertised at my local place and went. I didn't buy anything but it was interesting.

Friday, I decided to treat myself alittle and use a bit of savings to get ready for the new job. I went to my hairdresser and got my hair cut...looks cute. Need to get the roots done but didn't want to spend three hours in the chair that day. After the hair cut, I splurged and got a pedicure. Haven't had one in years so my DH was very excited to see the little toes all painted again.

Next I went and got the oil changed, hit a local estate sale where I spent 1.25 and then I headed back to my old work place to have lunch with some of my peeps. I got to see several other people and they were all happy to hear I'd finally gotten a job. There were a couple people that had been trying to find me a job back at USF but it wasn't to be. I thanked them for their efforts and promised to keep in touch. While we were having lunch my DD dropped by the restaurant to say hello. Always so great to see her, especially with her busy schedule these days.

After lunch I filled up my car with gas, picked up a RX for DH and then took the car to the shop to get a Squeal checked. It had been making really scary noises for a few days so was afraid of what it might do. Turns out it was a loose belt from when they replaced them all many months ago. A few minutes and the car is back to it's quiet self.

Ran home to see the boy before he left for the weekend. Next up....back to Kmart for more shorts for the DH and then to Beall's to check out the Clearance and 40% off clearance and $10 off a $50 purchase. SEVERAL hours later, I had a new pair of pants, 4 pairs of earrings to match neclaces I got FREE from Premier, three new bras and a new pair of shoes for $40---out the door.

Funny (though not at the time) story about checking out at Beall's. After several hours in the store, a problem with the $10 coupon because ONE article was NOT included in the coupon and going back in the store to get different pants and another pair of earrings to make the needed total......my Debit card was declined.

Really? I've used it all day and I know there is still money in the account.....The manager suggested that it was declined because of the number of transactions in one day.

Could be. I know the bank probably said.."hey, this chick hasn't spent any money in three months and now she's had 5 transactions in one day, someone must have stolen it." Thankfully I had some money in my SLAH account and used that card.

Today I have been doing a little cleaning of the boys room and as soon as I finish this will head back to work on the rest and then the scraproom. Only one more day of free time. Sure wish I could have sat back and done projects the last three months instead of spending 12 hours a day, 7 days a week applying for work.

So, that is my week. What have you done? EMMYS tomorrow night. New shows have started. Football is in full swing and Nascar is down to the CHASE. Hope everyone is well. I'll try and post Monday night to tell you about my first day.

Til later.....................

BTW, just in case you remembered my new closet and the fancy hangers...yes, I know I've never shown you....patience.....anyway, my new rule is-when a new item of clothing comes in, an old article has to leave to make room (I only have so many special hangers and NO OTHERS can go in the closet). Thankfully I had items that should not be worn by a woman trying to impress her new boss and look like she is serious about her career. They were fine before when I really had no care about my appearance, but not now. I have $700 worth of FREE jewelry that I try and wear everyday (not all of it at the same time), I've been wearing makeup almost everyday (you can't go on an interview with my face and no makeup). I am trying to dress better. Really, you should see my new closet. Don't hate me because I have an entire new wardrobe for approximately $150 (including shoes).

See why I can't stand the thought of people spending $400 on a tank top. Foolishness I say!

Very sad

2009-09-14T20:41:00.002-04:00

I usually don't make a big deal when a celeb dies. I'm old enough to remember when MANY famous people died or were killed before their time. I was saddened to hear about MJ but not surprised. I cried when Diana died. I was going through a divorce at the time so I may have been overly emotional, but it was very sad to see such a young woman die just when she seemed to finally be getting her life together after the "Prince" thing.

I am very saddened to earn that one of my all time favorite actors has passed after a brave fight against cancer. I'm not saying he was the best actor ever, but he starred in two of my ALL TIME favorite movies.

Patrick Swayze dies at 57.

I'll be in my room if you need me.

til later.........

Remembering 9-11

2009-09-11T19:00:00.009-04:00

I'm way behind on my posts...sorry..and am rushing to take the boy to 9-11 ceremony but wanted to share a couple pictures I've owed you for awhile.

Me and The Girl on my birthday....

The boy on his first day of High School...............

Til later.............................

Working the coupons & Sales

2009-09-05T11:10:00.002-04:00

I'd forgotten what a rush it is to do deals!!!

I finally hit Kmart for Double coupon days. I called my coupon supplier (on my way to her house to pick up last weeks inserts) and she was at the local Kmart. She told me not to bother going there as it was cleaned out and what ever was left, she was taking....that made it more of a challenge!

"her" Kmart:

4 HUGE bottles of Pert- $2 off each
4 trial size Degree- .75 off each
4 Sauve Body Wash $1 off each
Fixident $1 off (the cashier couldn't get this coupon to scan. She studied the box then the coupon and told me it was the wrong item. She pointed at the coupon where it said for 1.1 oz and my box was 2 oz. I calmly showed her the NEXT line of the coupon that said, "Or LARGER". She still c/n get it to scan. She said, "I'm going to have to void this item and you will have to go to the service desk to get it to work." I sweetly told her, "No. I've already waited in this line. It's the right product for the coupon. You need to make it work or call your manager over here." She finally went to the service desk, got the manager who came and punched a button to make it go through. GOOD grief. The EASIEST item gave me the biggest trouble!)

$33.90 before Coupons
$8.20 after ($1.26 of tax)
PLUS got $5 off next visit

Next I went to Target. Gave them two, One dollar off, ALL coupons that I had forgotten earlier in the week. Got my $2 and went back to the laundry aisle Got more ALL. (my DH"S favorite)

1st transaction:
2 bottles of ALL $1 off each
5 personal size First Aid kits $1 off each (.97 at Target)

Total $22.83 before coupons
Used $10 GC from last shopping trip
$6.89 after GC & Coupons & tax // got $5 Target card

2nd transaction:
2 bottles of ALL $1 off each
4 personal size First Aid kits $1 off each (.97 at Target)

Total $21.86 before coupons
Used $5 GC from transaction#1
$11.89 after GC & Coupons & tax // got $5 Target card

3rd transaction:
2 bottles of ALL $1 off each
Total $18.89 before coupons
Used $5 GC from transaction#2
$11.89 after GC & Coupons & tax // got $5 Target card

so now my DH has 8 bottles...should last a few days)

Next..went by Winn Dixie and got $4 back for 2-$2 coupons forgot on last trip

During son's Karate ran to my local Kmart for an HOUR power shop.

4 HUGE bottles of Pert- $2 off each (on sale 4.49)
4 Pert for Men $1.50 off each
4 Visine $2 off each
4 trial size Degree- .75 off each
4 Sauve Body Wash $1 off each (sale 2 for $4)
1 Nivia Lip balm $1 off (on sale $1.99)
Milk
Captain Crunch (clearance)

$71 sub Total before coupons
used $5 coupon from earlier trip
$8.74 after (1.67 tax)got another $5 coupon
AND I picked my son up on time!!

Sweet!!!!!~

til later..............

Happy Birthday Sis

2009-09-05T10:14:00.002-04:00

Today is my little sister's Birthday. She is Nine years younger than me so if I tell you HER age, well......never mind.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHELL!!!!!!

Hope you have a wonderful day. Enjoy the pool and the "boys".

Til later.........................

September

2009-09-03T09:54:00.002-04:00

WOW. How did it get to be September already? I've been unemployed for two months now. Seems like two days. Looking for work is a full time job. I can't believe that I've been out of work for two months and my home projects are no closer to being finished than when I was working.

My youngest sister doesn't like September. She feels it is a "bad luck month". She (we) have had several bad things happen in September but I try not to hate the entire month because of it. Our dad passed away 15 years ago... a few days after my sister had a serious car accident..a few days before her birthday. Yeah, that would make you not like the month but I've always tried to have a positive attitude, even when life was hitting me upside the head.

I've been reading a book called "The Energy Bus". It is about a guy that is forced to ride the bus to work when his car gets a flat tire. He ends up having to take the bus for awhile due to other issues. The bus driver is a POSITIVE person that teaches her riders that you control the energy around you. She teaches that if you put Positive energy out there, it will create positive energy that causes great things to happen. I agree that a positive outlook helps every aspect of your life. I also believe that there is a higher power in charge of my life. I can take all of life lessons and make them a positive or a negative. I've had things happen to me that could have made me a bitter-mean person but I decided to not let the butt heads get me down. Granted there are alot of people that have had horrific things happen to them that were a thousand times more awful than anything I've been through. Many of them used the experience to make the world a better place.

I'm not preaching so don't get all up in arms. This blog is my life and my opinions. If you disagree or feel that the world is an awful place, I can't change your mind. I suggest that you take the experiences you've had, learn from them, decide what the lesson was and try and move on. Try to be on the Energy Bus of positive thoughts and send the negative ones out of your mind. It doesn't always work but it sure can't hurt.

Changing the subject, have a great trip Kip. Happy Birthday. Don't worry about bringing me back a T-shirt.

Going to go get ready for my day. I got up early to see the boy off to school, I've read emails, checked FB, checked my bank account (ouch), now I'm eating my left over birthday pancakes that were in the freezer, will get dressed and ready to run some errands as soon as the pharmacy calls, have an eye dr appointment later........just another day.

Til later......................

Date afternoon FInally

2009-08-30T19:56:00.002-04:00

My birthday was 10 days ago and my DH and I finally got a chance to celebrate. We decided to head to our local theatre and see a movie. Our choices were limited due to the schedule but we decided on "Taking Woodstock" and are glad we did.

It was really cute and the fact that we were two of the FOUR people in the entire theatre made it even better. The other two people were teenagers and they sat in the last row. I never looked back to see if they were actually watching the movie. We enjoyed ourselves and laughed out loud alot! We were to young to go to Woodstock but appreciated the history of the time.

SPOILER ALERT............................

They really didn't show the actual concert, the movie was more about the act of bringing the event to the area and the people of the town. If you are going to hear and see the concert, rent the original Woodstock movie. If you want a nice, sweet little movie-go. It would make a really cute rental if you don't want to spend the $$ to see it in a theatre. WARNING.....several scenes of nudity-frontal-MALE nudity so I'd make sure you use judgement to take young kids. There is some language and LOTS of drug use (pot-acid) but appropriate for the theme of the movie.

After the movie I dropped my DH at home and headed to Subway to redeem our FREE meal. Can't remember if I shared my experience with our brand new Subway but it involved STALE-HARD bread, contacting the Subway website, getting a call from the owner-manager of the local Subway and an email promise of TWO completely FREE meals. I finally went and redeemed the email. $20 worth of free food for an original $5 investment.

The boy just got home so I need to go bug him. Hope you had a great weekend. My SLAH party yesterday was fun. Great group of women. Had a great time at my jewelry making class later yesterday afternoon. Made a cool necklace. Between all the free Premier Jewelry, the stuff I've scored at the thrift stores and the one I made yesterday, I'm all set.

Till later..........................

Gail Pittman Sale starts September 1st

2009-08-28T17:39:00.003-04:00

Southern Living at Home announced an amazing sale on many of their Gail Pittman pottery items starting September 1st. Sale items are limited so check out this link and contact me ASAP. These would make great holiday gifts.

Til later..........................

UPDATE.....we just received an email from our CEO telling us more information about the GP sale....

We won't be going forward with any Provence pieces or Sienna dinnerware in spring, but we will continue to carry almost all of the Sienna accessory pieces. Gail feels it's time to move on to new and exciting concepts, and we agree....

SO, if you are interested in completing your sets or want these great items before they are GONE...contact me to place your order.

September 11th is coming soon

2009-08-26T11:20:00.004-04:00

My DD and I took part in a celebration/memorial service September 11, 2002 in downtown Tampa. The sky's opened and the parade-etc was cut short but while it lasted, it was very moving. My DD said the rain was the victims crying.

She just returned from a trip to NYC and got to go to ground Zero. All she had to take a picture of was the empty space where a memorial should be. The least we can do is fly our flag to show our support to our country and it's people that risk their lives everyday. (Picture is one of the buildings they left unrepaired after the attacks)

I received the email below and wanted to pass the word.

On Friday, September 11th, 2009, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States.

Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this eighth anniversary of one of our country's worst tragedies. We do this to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds.

Action Plan: So, here's what we need you to do . (1) Forward this email to everyone you know (at least 11 people). Please don't be the one to break this chain. Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you. (2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11.

Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day. Thank you for your participation. God Bless You and God Bless America!

Til later...............

School starts and I had tests

2009-08-24T17:35:00.002-04:00

Man, 6am comes early when you haven't gotten up before 8ish for two months. Since it was the first day of school for the boy, we decided to all get up at his "wake up" time to see him off. When the alarm went off I was having a strange dream and wasn't really sure what the racket was all about. The DH got up immediately and I waited a few minutes to take stock of the upcoming day and then joined him.

The boy was up and ready without much fuss. I decided not to bug him on his first day and try and take a picture. I figured he had enough stress with all the instructions he'd received about what was expected of him now that he was a high schooler. Since it was also-still dark, he was safe from his photo op....at least until he got home. I made him reenact his leaving so I could get a 1st day picture.

He said things went ok, he liked his teachers and his lunch account had money so all was good for the first day. He was a good lad and brought me lots of papers to fill out. His AG class list of dangerous equipment was my favorite. Lets just say that if they use all the equipment listed, he will know more about the privates of a cow/bull than I'd ever want to experience.

Speaking of tests, I had a meeting with a Staffing Agency today. I figured, any resource is a good one. I met with the Staffing manager and then took some Aptitude Tests. I did pretty good on most of them but failed the Excel test like a looser. I knew I had and told them why before they even had the results. I know how to use Excel but the test was not user friendly. I kept trying to click what I knew was the right answers but it wouldn't take the information. As a result I kept clicking other things to make it go to the next question and it would show as an error. Finally, about 2/3rd of the way through the test I noticed a button at the bottom of the screen that would have allowed me to do what I'd been trying to do to make my answers work. DUH!!
They said I could do the test again another day if I want to improve my score. I asked them to tell prospective employers that I really could use the program and to please ignore the current score.

That was my day. How about yours?

Til later........................

Otherside of the Hill

2009-08-20T11:35:00.004-04:00

Since I am celebrating the 30th anniversary of my 21st birthday today......I thought I'd pop in and say THANKS for all the wonderful Birthday greetings I've received so far. I've gotten lots of love over on Facebook and via email and phone. Still feeling subpar but the love makes me feel a little better. Wanted to share this great greeting from my corporate office:

Supposed to have a nice Birthday lunch with my former Co-workers and current peeps so better get moving. Hope you all have a wonderful day. Take a page from my beloved niece J and tell people you love them. It will make their day.

Til later..........................

Out of Touch

2009-08-17T15:09:00.002-04:00

Am still in bed, still not up to snuff. Got up this morning and decided I was not up to going to see Dr. J-my Chiropractor. Called and left a message with the answering service. Don't you know, the office called and woke me up at 10am because I hadn't come for my appointment! ARG!

Just how out of touch am I? Saw the list of new contestants for Dancing with the Stars and only "knew" four of them. Good. Means I can save myself weeks of torture trying to tape and watch the shows.

Luckily it is raining so I don't feel so guilty staying in bed again. Just read there is a Tropical storm somewhere. Since no one has called to set up an interview, I guess I'm ok to try and get better. Sure hope all this Cold/flu meds don't mess up any drug tests I may have to take for employment. At the rate we are going, they should be out of my system by the time anyone sees me.

Hope everyone else is feeling better. I'll sign off now before I spread my germs.

Til later................

Run down and poopy

2009-08-16T19:41:00.003-04:00

Guess my decision to stay in bed on Thursday was getting ready for what was to come. Friday the boy and I went to the YMCA for our first co-workout. The boy got his orientation and I went and tried the Beginner Yumba.

I love to dance. I miss dancing. How hard can it be?

For those of you that have tried Yumba, STOP LAUGHING.

I almost died and only lasted 30 of the 60 minutes. Actually, I didn't almost die but only because I didn't go full out. My calves were screaming.

I left class and joined the boy out in the equipment area. We walked the treadmill, used the bikes and then I gave him a tour of the rest of the Y. As we walked by the place where I'd had my class, I noticed the "older lady" that had been Yumba-ing in front of me was in the next class.

Seriously, we just (ok-she just did) an Hour Yumba class and now she was in the "seated yoga" class. Yikes. I felt bad enough and then we walked back to the front an read a newspaper article about the "older seniors" that took the Yumba classes.

Girlfriend is 83 years old!

OK, so then I felt even worse.

Later Friday I started feeling really bad. Stomach hurt, felt awful. I headed for bed and hoped I'd feel better on Saturday as it was my PARTY SWAP day.

Saturday morning I awoke to a bad cough but determined to make it through the day.

Ended up having a nice Jewelry party. Earned another $200+ in free jewelry. Had a few neighbors come over and one of my "oldest & dearest" friends. HI G!!!!

Took a brief break after the party and then packed to go to my SLAH party. Took some of our "Yard/patio" items as well as some Christmas items the Hostess had requested. Met her Mom (in law??), her two daughters, a friend and another friend plus two adorable grand babies. Had a rather quick party as she wanted to drive to Orlando to look at a RV for a trip later this year. Thankfully the nice family helped me pack and transport to the car as a bad storm came up just as it was time to leave. I ended up getting soaked but it felt rather good since I was burning up at that point.

Founds lots of Cold/Flu meds in the cabinet, thanks to my previous bargain shopping. Started slamming meds as soon as I got home. Have spent all day today in bed and feel a tiny bit better.

Could be worse, apparently my DD's friends that she just traveled with have been diog. with Swine flu. FUN! My oldest Grandnephew has a cold or the flu and is feeling poorly. Hopefully my DD doesn't get sick and I'm hoping that the meds I have here will help me.

Speaking of meds and sickness, I really must ship the COBRA payment tomorrow. Still be under our deductible but it's better than nothing. Thank goodness for the stimulus package or COBRA would be a real bear!!

Til later.....................

Posting from my bed

2009-08-13T14:22:00.002-04:00

I decided last night that I was staying in bed most of the day.

Because I can.

I made it till about 10am and then started feeling guilty for not "doing something. The boy, who had made the same decision last night, came into my room about the same time and I asked him to go get my computer. Thankfully he also brought the plug so I've been on line ever since.

Checked BOTH email addresses, checked Facebook, sent reminder emails about the Jewelry Party (are YOU coming??), talked to my Director and learned a valuable lesson about my FedEx account, semi watched MANY hours of HGTV and now am updating here.

What are YOU doing?

The boy has his school orientation this afternoon so I must get moving soon. Looking forward to checking out the new school but still freaked out by the fact it is HIGH SCHOOL.

Have a busy day on Saturday with my double PARTY SWAP day. Hoping to meet some new people and make some new business connections.

No news on the Job front. Still submitting resumes and waiting for the right position to appear. I hate being in limbo. I really would like to get hired, have a few days before starting so I could finish some home jobs with no guilt.

Speaking of home jobs, I took the disposable camera to be developed. If the closet pics turn out, I'll scan and post them soon. It's amazing how happy looking in the closet makes me now. It is still not finished but the "Jewelry shelf" arrived and the DH will be installing it soon. I want another dresser unit for my "undies/Pj's" but am not in a hurry. I also would like another storage unit for the rest of the "Stockpile" but am willing to wait until I find another one at a yard sale/thrift store. Big lots has one on sale this week but not ready to pay $20 when I've gotten the others for under $5. I must say, when your clothes are organized, it's amazing how easy it is to get dressed. I also realized an "Over- shirt "was missing because of the organization. I found it in the Garage (don't ask) and now it is in the wash and will be matched up with it's undershirt soon. Would never have noticed without the new closet organization.

Now if I can get the garage and scrapbook/office back in gear I'll be really happy.

So, if you are nearby and can come to the BLING party on Saturday morning, let me know and I'll give you directions.

Til later........................

While we are on a roll.................

2009-08-08T14:13:00.002-04:00

Thought I'd do another exciting post about what is happening in my neck of the woods.

Well, my chair, at my kitchen table, where I have been sitting most hours for the past almost 40 days.

But, I digress.

Had my Southern Living at Home party on Wednesday night. Just like riding a bike. If the wheels turned really fast and you ran off the road a few times.

Kidding. I was probably more nervous than I should have been. It didn't help that there was a HUGE mirror right in front of me. I kept catching my reflection and it would throw me. All the years of drama classes, performing in live productions and I DO NOT like to watch myself speak to a crowd.

Is it just me?

Anyway......................I have another party on Saturday the 15th and am really looking forward to meeting new people. Now that I have the main part of my "presentation" prepared, I'm sure things will go smoother. One of my "Baby consultants" wants to come to watch since she hasn't done a show yet.

YIKES.

Kidding again. It will be fine. Good grief ,when will I learn some confidence? I'll be a year older in a couple weeks. (HINT-HINT). It's about time I get over the butterflies.

SPEAKING of parties....I'm having another Premier Jewelry party on the 15th. This is my second-party trade and hope we have another nice turn out. I've never tried a Morning party before. Hopefully it will mean gals can leave the kids with someone and come have some fun without stress. I have several friends that couldn't come last time because they didn't have a sitter.

If you are in my area and want to come play with some beautiful BLING...contact me for details.

The boy is home and back on schedule. It is so strange to see him as a "full fledged Teenager" and hear the difference in his voice. We just got his first High School newsletter. Hope that is a good sign that this school can get information to the parents BEFORE the events.

The girl is in NYC. Having fun with friends, seeing the sights.

Yes, I know she owes me money.

Yes, SHE knows she owes me money.

Yes, she still had the nerve to text me this morning and ask FOR MONEY.

I laughed my A** off and texted her back "Thanks for the best laugh I've had in awhile".

Unemployment, the best way to avoid guilt when you say NO to your child.

How has your week been? My dear niece sent the last of her babies to School this week. (yes-they are early..must be in case of snow days??) She was sharing her experience on her Facebook page and Thanked "the people at ABC for their help that morning" coping with the pain of her little one going to school.

Not knowing that school had started, I naturally thought she meant the LIQUOR Store.

It was an honest mistake and in no way reflected my need for a drink. I'm just tired.

Think I will go check the web and see what my peeps are up to. Check back and see how the job hunt is going. Or maybe you can just check to see if I've lost the remaining sliver of my mind.

It can go either way.

Til later........................

PS, my closet is FINISHED. Don't hate me but it looks fabulous. Now to get the disposible camera processed. But on the bright side, I found the BIG camera so I can take pics of the AFTER if need be. You can just image the before. It was Bad!

Great idea for a Father to be

2009-08-08T14:10:00.002-04:00

I do not get any kick back from this and I DO NOT know any expectant fathers. I saw this and thought it was pretty cool and decided to share.

That's just the kind of gal I am.

Go here and see a really cool-no one else will have one-gift for anyone you know that is expecting a baby. Well, someone who's wife or daughter is expecting. If THEY are expecting, that is a whole 'nother website.

Til later....................

Tuesday?

2009-08-04T17:06:00.002-04:00

One disadvantage of being unemployed is apparently you never know what day it is. How did it become TUESDAY the 4th of August. I have to tell you that I'm a million times busier now than I ever was when I was working.

Seriously.

It's hard work looking for work. Not to mention that the end of July was CRAZY!!!!! I was staying up until 1-1:30AM and on the last night of the month I finally got off the computer at 3:20Am. It takes awhile to close out hundreds of orders and make sure they are perfect before the deadline, especially when the catalog is changing and the ALL YOU 24 issue deal was ending.

WOW.

So, the boy is home--except he goes back to his dad's tonight until Friday night. We've had fun getting back in gear with having him around. I made him try on all the jeans in his closet yesterday. ALL the pants that I bought right before school ended before summer break.

He ended up with TWO pairs that are not to short. Thankfully I'd bought a couple pairs we thought would need hemming. Since I DO NOT hem, they were still long. At least four pair are "Jethro Bodeen" short. Anyone need size 16-18 boys jeans that apparently fit a boy SHORTER than 5'8"?? NO, the tags got taken off when we bought them. They fit then. Plus my DH insists on WASHING all clothes as soon as they come in the house. Rats.

Took the boy to Beall's for their 70% off clearance with a $10 off $50 coupon. Don't really have the $40 due to the work situation but he can't wear two pair of pants all the time. We ended up getting three pair of shorts. One clearance and the other two reduced but not clearanced. Still got to use the coupon. I bought myself a shirt to get to the total needed. Didn't try it on and it ended up not fitting. Will take it back and get the $ BACK. Since I bought a Dressy shirt and pants for a total of $6 at the SALLY yesterday, hate paying $15 for a shirt---even on sale.

BTW, did you know that the apparent Shorts style for a 14 yr old boy looks like my Grandpa would have worn...had he worn Plaid shorts? Hysterical but the boy was THRILLED. Got him a pair of "South Pole" ones that he is wearing today. Wish I could take a picture but I have misplaced my digital camera.

If you could see my Scrap/office you'd understand. That is my next project.

Speaking of Projects, I redid my master closet over the last several days. (Another reason I haven't posted). I got those special hangers they sell on HSN..(they had a HUGE -get 50% more free sale, NO shipping and 5 easy payments..I have a CC for those occasions). Anyway, it looks so nice to have ALL the SAME hangers..all color coordinated with the Master bedroom/bathroom. All the clothes are hanging neatly. I still have the rest of my DH's side to do but it looks really nice so far. I took a Before picture but it's on my Disposable camera so we'll have to wait to see them. I weeded out and got rid of clothes that I will never wear again. I have a HUGE box of hangers to share with the food bank/thrift store nearby. Wish I could have afforded to get hangers for the Boys room. Wonder if they still have the anniversary sale on line? hmmmmmmmmm?

Working on my SLAH business. Really want to meet new people and start having regular parties again. August is a fantastic month to have a get together so I'm trying to let everyone know. They already announced at convention about the FREE $130 value Savannah Beverage Server for a $500 party and then Saturday they added DOUBLE HOSTESS dollars. WOWZER!
Check out my website for details here.

Almost forgot...ALWAYS ask questions and see if you can get a better deal especially in these times.

I've been needing a replacement cartridge for our fax machine. I priced them at Office Depot and decided to check Staples as I have their membership card for Cash back. When I was looking at the cartridges, the Asst. Manager happened to be near by and asked if he could help me. I told him that quite frankly, I was thinking about going back out to my car to call Office Depot to verify a price on their fax cartridges. He said, "lets go check on my computer". We went and he brought up the Office Depot website and we discovered that OD was cheaper. As it turned out, the box I was holding was the Entire cartridge and I actually just needed the "ribbon". We checked those prices and then walked back to their section where we saw that Staples was OUT of the ribbons. At that point he offered to Order a box of theirs, give me the Office Depot price and have it delivered to my house at no extra charge, and it counted towards my Rewards. Sweet!

Working on printing a lot of stuff I need for my August parties so will close. I just wanted to say hello and check in with my blogger peeps.

Prayer request: Tim and Melanie. He'll know why. Thanks.

Til later...................

Sold some stuff, made some new friends

2009-07-25T22:18:00.004-04:00

First an update on the boy.....took him for his Dr. appt on Thursday for his pre-high school, yearly checkup. He was 5'8 and 140. WOW! Where has my little boy gone? He is now officially 4 inches taller than his mother.

Spent Friday getting ready for the Scrapbooking yard sale. Pulled stuff out that I've been dragging to the last three or four Scrapbook yard sales. Went into my scrapbook room (can you still call it that if you haven't scrapped in at least two years?) and pulled out some "new stuff" to add to the pile.

Sale was today and if you missed it, you missed it. There appeared to be great deals. I can only discuss what was on my table. My friend L. was there and she was my guardian all day. She wouldn't let me even think about buying anything. Just the sort of friend I needed. I did meet a lot of nice people and made some new contacts. Looking forward to touching base and see if we can't get together and actually USE some of our craft stuff.

Spent the afternoon with a dear friend and former co-worker. She has an adorable house and it is decorated exactly the way I love. Had a nice visit and then I headed home and spent some time with DH.

Finally watched Slumdog Millionare. Guess I had no idea about the plot except for the obvious-TV show. Reinforced my feelings that I do not want to visit INDIA. No offense meant. It was very depressing. Glad we finally watched the movie and did enjoy the love story of it. Our favorite line was when the main character asked his brother about a "Girl" (if you've seen the movie you understand) and the brother says, "Still?". We could relate.

Doing some work on the computer while DH watches his Nascar. Going to send some emails to the people I met today and then will call it a day.

Hope you had a great day with your friends/family. HUGS to all my friends and family that are under the weather or recovering from surgery. Hope you feel better soon.

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.....I almost forgot......I got to see my favorite little man today. Hi ROOOOOOO!!

Til later..................

Scrapbook YARD SALE

2009-07-22T11:05:00.002-04:00

If you are a crafter, or want to be, and are in the Tampa Bay Area...check this out:

SCRAPBOOK/CRAFTS Yard SALE

When: Saturday, July 25th
Where: Messiah Lutheran Church
14920 Hutchison Rd Tampa, FL. 33625
Time: 10am-2pm
Cost for entry: FREE

There will be at least 13 vendors set up with TONS of stuff for sale.

Hope to see you there. Feel free to share this information on your blogs/websites. We have enough stuff to sell to make everyone happy.

ALL YOU magazine changes coming

2009-07-20T20:23:00.003-04:00

I've been offering the ALL YOU magazine subscription for almost a year. It's a FANTASTIC magazine in content, plus the $30-60 a month manufacturer coupons each month.

As a Southern Living at Home consultant I've been able to offer 24 issues for $19.95. I donate $2 a subscription to our charity, CUT IT OUT. Well, I'm sad to say that all great deals must change.

Effective August 1st when the new SLAH catalog comes out, the number of issues we can offer goes from 24 to 12.

Don't get me wrong, 12 issues at $19.95 is still a much better deal than WALMARTS $2.24 (or more-I haven't checked lately) an issue or the $23 for 12 issues that ALL YOU offers.

BUT....

24 issues for $19.95 is a MUCH better deal.

To get in on it before it ends, go here:
https://www.southernlivingathome.com/wbslah/skins/s05/catalog.aspx?repid=389581
2. Click on:
"How to Purchase"
"Hostess page:: Type in your Hostess/Click "continue:" (Use Cheryl (first name), Hinton(last name)
Click on "name"
Type "40776" in the Product search field/click "GO"
Click on Item #
Select this item

3. Finalize/Continue to Check out
4. Fill in your address & information.

*** There is no additional charge for the magazine to be delivered directly to your home. The $10 charge mentioned is only for the direct shipment of PRODUCTS. PLEASE do not click that box! (unless ordering products too. See information below)

*** The confirmation statement about stuff being shipped to the hostess only applies to Products, not magazines.

*** Orders will be submitted to SLAH on the 30th to be sure to get the great deal. I can not submit without payment so make sure you follow the payment instructions or email me for assistance.

You should start receiving your issues approximately 6-8 weeks after the order is submitted to ALL YOU.

**********If you would like to take advantage of the SUMMER SALE specials before they are gone, go here:
www.southernlivingathome.com/hinton

and check out the flyer. You can add those to your magazine order but will need to pay Shipping & Handling as described on the invoice for products.

If you are local, I will make arrangements to meet for delivery. If you are out of the Tampa Bay area, please add the additional $10 for the Direct Shipping fee to your home. If your order is $75 or more, I will pay the extra $10.

These subscriptions would make great gifts for the person that has everything.

Email me if you have any questions about anything.

Til later.................

Time to head home

2009-07-20T18:26:00.003-04:00

Sunday morning came MUCH to early. I didn't really go back to sleep once the first alarm rang. I had a couple of hours after the last roommate left to get myself ready and check emails before the big day-o-travel.

Caught a ride to the airport with a consultant I met at the convention. Had a short wait and then on to Atlanta.

Thankfully, my fabulous Step son was able to meet me and take me away for a hour. Got to grab lunch and then swing by his cool loft apartment to check out the "Man cave". So cute and hip and such a great place for two young, single, college age guys. Great view of Midtown/downtown ATL. Got a picture of the boy for his dad, threw down some food and then ran back to the airport.

This next part is the best part so WAKE UP...................

I made "friends" with the Flight Attendants for my ATL to TPA flight. They are based in Tampa and were happy to be heading home for the final leg of the weekend.

I won't bore you with all the details but lets just say, Someone ended up getting bumped up to First Class on the flight.

SWEET!!!!

I made friends with the gal next to me, who had also been bumped up for offering to fly on a later flight, and we acted like the Beverly Hillbillies in First Class. So true. We even had our new best friend, HI VICKI, take our picture.

True. I'll show you when Holly sends me the picture.

Arrived in Tampa, was FIRST one off plane, FIRST bag off the conveyor and as I walked outside my DH was just driving up to get me. Home by 10pm. Perfect end of my trip.

Exhausted but excited for the future. Don't you wish you could have gone with me? You can. I'm going to be actively looking for team members.

Did I mention that next June, they are sending qualified consultants and directors to the ATLANTIS in the Bahamas????? For 5 days? All inclusive? I'm sooooooooooooooo there!

Til later.......................

Winding down in the Big D-Day 3

2009-07-20T18:19:00.002-04:00

Saturday was a very full day with meetings, training sessions, a HUGE lunch and then more training.

Guess who I ran into, outside the lunch venue?

If you said "the Director that was in charge of the team meeting that I DID NOT attend" the night before, you score 10 points. She asked where I'd been and said that they had missed me and.............................I'd won a trophy.

WHAT????? Apparently, once they took out the directors from the mix, I was 5th top Salesperson for consultants in our line. Sweet.

Saturday night was a MAJOR dinner and awards event. I went, had a fabulous meal, got my trophy from the Director, stayed for some award announcements and then headed for the room.

My roommates got back a couple hours later and we were up talking for AWHILE. Since they were needing to get up at 4am on Sunday, we finally stopped talking and got a couple winks of sleep.

Til later..............................

Dallas day 2-Big announcements

2009-07-20T17:46:00.005-04:00

After a rush to get three "High Maintenance" gals and me ready (just kidding peeps) we went down to the HUGE ballroom for our meeting. Imagine 1700 women, LOUD music and flashing lights first thing in the morning.

After a long day of travel, three glasses of wine and a tummy full of sugary snacks.

Fun.

Serious, it was ok. They started out with a big production number (we always have Broadway performers) then our Director of Marketing and Field Development (Gary Wright) came out on a Bucking Bronco ala- Gillys and Urban Cowboy. (if you didn't get the reference, you must know Bonnie--LOL--Hi PEEP!!) He made some announcements and then introduced the NEW owner of our company. We had known the company was for sale but they didn't finalize the deal until 2pm on Thursday. I won't bore you with the details but the new owner is someone that worked for SLAH back in the beginning of the company. He talked about new incentives that will be very exciting. Sounds like now is a good time to join my team if you have been on the fence.

Several more people spoke and then Gary came back out and started announcing the top 10 consultants for Magazine sales for the past year.

*
*
*
*
*

If you read my facebook page you already know that, yours truly was announced as the 5th highest consultant.

I screamed and went into the UGLY Cry!!!!! Seriously. Check it out....

After I got down from the stage and finally stopped crying, I went out and called my DH. He was so happy and proud!!!

The rest of the day was spent attending more meetings, trainings and then I was supposed to go to a Team recognition party.

I ended up doing my own thing instead. I've never been to Dallas, I wanted to check things out, so I took a free shuttle to Grapevine--Texas. It's a cute little town with OLD buildings that have been made into shops. I walked around and was trying to decide where to eat cheaply when I discovered a vendor faire going on with Artists and best of all.............FREE FOOD from local restaurants.

SCORE.

I ate my fill and then walked down the street to the trolley station to wait for my ride. Once back to the hotel, I walked across the property to the top of the parking garage to wait for the fireworks show. It was shot off across the lake from the hotel and was beautiful.

Next stop.....my room and sleep.

Til later...................

Southern Living at Home-Dallas-day 1

2009-07-20T17:31:00.002-04:00

When I scheduled my flight to Dallas, it said I'd have lay-overs in Atlanta going west and coming back. At the time it seemed ok since I have family in ATL and parts North.

Never put your eggs in a college students basket.

Actually, it's not the Poodle headed boys fault. His car decided to act up and he had to get it fixed. On the day I flew to Dallas. Darn.

I ended up with a 5 hour layover.

To cheap to pay for Internet in the airport.

Laptop bag, CPAP machine and Pocket book (why didn't I empty that thing before I left??) were to heavy to lug around. Thanks to our Post 9-11 world, you can't leave stuff anywhere and they have removed all the lockers. I sat and stared at a restaurant across the terminal from me for several hours, debating if it was worth it to drag the 50 pounds.....plus my big-o-butt over there.

Nope.

Finally arrived in Dallas at 5pm their time, found a ride to the Hotel, located my room, ran up-dumped my stuff, ran down to the convention registration, then ran across the hotel to my first "Meet and greet".

Let's just say that by that time I was glad to see free wine. Three glasses in fact. Quickly. Chased down with some appetizers. Feeling much better.

An hour or so later, it was time to run back to my room to change into my PJ's for the next event.

Yep. PJ's, Pajamas. About 30 of us in a Directors suite. So cute!

Changed to Coke Cola and candy at that event. As you can imagine my tummy wasn't really happy with me at this point.

Stayed about 90 minutes and finally retired to my room. My roommates were there and we finally got a chance to "meet" and get to know each other.

What a sweet, adorable three gals they are!!! HI PEEPS!!!!!!!

Laughed and chatted until much to late then time for sleep...at least for a few hours.

Til later....................

So much to tell you #1

2009-07-20T17:19:00.003-04:00

I've been updating my facebook account so I'm going to assume that's why no one has missed me here.

My feelings, my story, sticking to it.

Rather than bore you all at once, I'm going to spread the love over a few posts.

The mystery shopping trip to the local restaurant was good. My DH really enjoyed the food. I submitted the information and faxed the receipt. They said I didn't answer all the questions but I don't believe it. I went back over the form several times before submitting it so I'm really confused as to what they think I missed. I got 9 out of 10 as my score. Guess I'm getting alittle anal in my old age. I want a 10! They sure better pay me my $25.

I had a job interview last week. Faced off in front of 5 people. YIKES!!! I decided to go for broke and tried to use humor. Some seemed to get it, some looked at me like I was crazy. The really ironic thing, one of the interviewers had worked with my DD's & DS's dad back in the day. What are the odds? I asked her not to hold it against me. LOL.

Left for Dallas Thursday morning......

Til later......

Mystery Shopping & daily report

2009-07-13T18:16:00.003-04:00

Shhhhhhhhhhhh. Getting ready to leave in a few minutes to enjoy a nice dinner at a local restaurant as a Secret Shopper. I've done this a couple of times and it is fun but stressful. You get reimbursed your meal costs but you have to fill out a detailed form and you can't take notes at the restaurant (at least not where anyone can see you). Hope I remember all the details. I'm taking my DH but he'll be no help. LOL. Not an insult, he'd agree.

Spent the better part of the day on line submitting resumes, updating my resume, updating my profile on a Network site (sorry if you got an email to join" me and were bothered by it. I tried to send it to my business contacts but a few may have leaked through), dealing with my Healthcare company, working the SLAH sale.....btw..if you haven't placed your order yet....WHY NOT????? Don't you like to save money?

Better run. Supposed to be at the site between 4-9. It's time!

Til later..................

Public service announcement for the Unemployed

2009-07-10T22:08:00.002-04:00

In the interest of keeping it real.

Helping my peeps.

Educating you on things you may not be aware of.....

I bring you tips I have learned while seeking employment for the first time since 1998.

Those of you that were in grade school in 1998 can kiss my grits and disregard these helpful tips.

If you are to young to recognize the phrase, "Kiss my grits", you may also disregard these tips.

1. If a company contacts you saying they saw your resume on XYZ website and think you are PERFECT for their organization. They are probably looking for a SALES person.

2. If you arrive at an "interview" and there are already 10+ people in the lobby and a steady stream of people come in while you are waiting, they are probably looking for SALES people or are a multi-level organization and you should run.

3. If they inform you that you will be attending a "Session or Presentation" that explains their company and or the position, they are probably looking for SALES people.

After several of these experiences, my DH taught me key questions to ASK when being set for an "interview" to avoid falling into one of these traps. These may seem logical to you but as stated above, I'm rusty at this stuff. Cut me some slack.

1. What exactly does this position require, ie: what will I be doing? The ad/job posting can be tricky.

2. How is the position compensated? NOT the same as asking what does the position pay. If they tell you COMMISSION, it's a sales job--NOT Customer Service like the ad claimed.

3. Where will I be located? If they say, In the Field.....it's SALES.

Like I said, most of this may be obvious to most of you but I've discovered the ads can be tricky and I didn't feel comfortable asking questions BEFORE the interview.

I now know better.

Trust me, when you are unemployed-you need to save gas. Don't go-if you don't know. Even if they represent themselves as a well known company, they could be a "Marketing company"...hiring SALES people for the "well known" company.

Marketing....another Buzz word to avoid.

You're welcome.

Til later.........................

Dinner and a movie

2009-07-07T23:07:00.004-04:00

It was brought to my attention that I was fuzzy about the Dinner and a Movie plan. Add to that, the fact I never shared what we ended up doing and I'm sure you are all on pins and needles to be brought up to speed.

Are you sitting down? You may want to grab a bite to eat. It's a fascinating tale.

Seriously.

Well, not so much but it's a story my DH says will age well.

As you may recall, we had 2 tickets for a FREE movie and a BOGO for Ruby Tuesday. Well as it would turn out, the movie we wanted to see, Star Trek, has apparently left most theatres for a Galaxy far, far away. On July 4th it had limited seating/theaters where it was being shown. None matched our time schedule.

We decided to go to our local theater, PAY to see a movie and that resulted in us deciding to use a $10 off coupon I'd received for my birthday at a local restaurant.

Yes, those of you paying attention may realize that my birthday is actually in AUGUST not July. I'm not sure why the restaurant thought I had a birthday in July but I wasn't about to argue. Besides, we don't have a Ruby Tuesday near us or the local theater.

Hold that thought.

Soooooooooooooooo, we decided to go to the Matinee of our local theater and see Public Enemy. At the risk of offending some readers that I know have already seen the movie and LOVED IT, let me just say....Johnny Depp--great actor. Christen Bales--Ok actor.

Movie.....full of holes. At one point the woman behind us actually said--very loudly..."Oh come on!!". I must admit the same scene had seemed ridiculous to me too. I have a very high threshold for entertainment so was willing to let it slide.

Over all, I gave it a 3 1/2 stars out of 5 and my DH wanted his money back. LOL. If you knew his recent track record in picking rental movies, you wouldn't hold his opinion very highly so judge for yourself.

After the movie we went to the restaurant. My DH had his reservations when we pulled up and it actually said *****Restaurant and LOUNGE. He looked at me like--are you kidding? I offered to go somewhere else but he said, "No-It may have great food."

We walked in and as we were being seated we had to walk by the people getting ready to:

wait for it........

SING KARAOKE.

OMGoodness.

Now again, those that know me--know that wasn't a problem for me. My DH looked like he'd been shot. LOL. Not that he was afraid they would ask him to sing, just that he was going to be in the same room as people that were going to be singing.

Yes, this is the same man that LOVES the audition shows of American Idol but he doesn't enjoy Karaoke of any sort.

I know.....we are VERY different.

So once again I offered to leave before we ordered and he said no...he'd be alright. We ended up being there for at least an hour and he didn't fall out of the booth.

I'm not saying he will admit he enjoyed himself but at least his eyes didn't start bleeding. Of the four people that look turns singing, 1 was good...the others made us laugh behind our napkins. The best part was at the end when a 80+ year old blind man (I only say that because the waitress kept bringing it up. Didn't she ever hear of Stevie-Jose-Andre?) got up and sang two songs. He was really good. BTW, the food was good!

After surviving the restaurant we drove up north a bit, to the same parking lot as last year, and watched the local Fireworks. Nice!

Remember when I told you to "Hold that thought"? Guess what we passed on the way home from the fireworks?

Extra points if you said RUBY TUESDAY. Poop! The same Ruby Tuesday that we have eaten in before. Yes, I lost my mind.

There you have it,the fascinating-true story- of our 4th of July.

You may now resume your lives.

Til later....................

Butterfly Project

2009-07-06T14:52:00.005-04:00

Just when a hint of worry crosses my mind, God sends me a reminder that I have a wonderful life and that this latest "situation" is just a bump in the road.

If you haven't already heard of the Butterfly Project, please go here. It's ironic (not really considering the source of ALL knowledge) that my DH is watching "Defiance" which is about the Holocaust, just as I became aware of the project.

I've always been touched by the stories of that awful time in history. I visited Auschwitz in the mid 70's and I swear the buildings that housed the ovens still smelled. I became so overcome with the "souls/presence" of the murdered, that I had to leave the tour and return to the bus. Last year I dragged the Boy to the museum in St. Petersburg. I tried to get him to read The Diary of Anne Frank but he never would.

Please consider contributing to this project or support your local museum. Go, take your family, discuss and help those events never occur again.

Til later................

If you need more proof that your life is precious and never as bad as you think, read this. (read all the comments too-you never know who you will see there..HI Loretta!!!!)

Another beautifully written post by the CF husband. If you still have not read his blog, you MUST go to the link on my side bar, take a few minutes (hours) and read the story of Gods love in these amazing people.

Happy 4th and other thoughts

2009-07-04T13:02:00.003-04:00

So I said, when I was laid off, that it would mean more time for blogging.

Apparently, I lied.

It's not that I don't have alot of "time" now, it's just that I feel like I should be spending my time seeking employment.

I enjoy having a roof over my head.

I have spent time running errands and visiting with former co-workers that are still my friends. I went to CVS yesterday and enjoyed getting $30 worth of products for $6 OOP. Just like the old days. I've watched TV with my DH. I haven't really slept in, I still wake up when the sun comes in my windows

I've spend hours getting my resume updated and posted on various "employment" websites. I'm hoping the non-responses received is due to the Holiday weekend and not my lack of appeal.

ON paper , I'm very appealing.

I found a great "interview outfit" at my favorite thrift yesterday for $6.25. Best thing is that it was half of that because it was "Red". It fits nice and will also make a great outfit for my SLAH convention.

Today we are going to keep our "tradition" of seeing a movie-having dinner-then going somewhere to watch Fireworks. We'd planned to do it for super cheap as I have a coupon for BOGO dinner and 2 free movie tickets. Problem is, the movie we want to see isn't playing very often near the restaurant we have a coupon for. Our quaint little local theater has another movie we are interested in but no free tickets for that location. The BOGO coupon is for a restaurant we don't have near that theater. I did get a FREE meal coupon (for my upcoming birthday) to a local restaurant we've yet to try, so we'll use that. We'll end up playing for the movie but it will be OK. That leaves us tickets for another night.

What are you doing today? Take a moment to thank your stars (I prefer to thank God) that we live in a country that is FREE. I may not have a job at the moment but at least my country is a billion times better off than most. I will find a job or figure out a way to legally make enough money to cover our needs.

God Bless the USA.

Til later.....................

End of Catalog Sale has started

2009-07-01T13:45:00.004-04:00

Southern Living at Home has two catalog a year. When one ends, they have a great sale. The new catalog starts in August and the sale was just announced. Check THIS out and if you see anything you want, email me ASAP. Items sell out quickly so act soon!

Taking today to run errands and will be seriously looking for a new job soon. If you hear anything, let me know.

Til later....

*****I have set up an on line order to save time. If you see something you want and are local, go here, click on Our Products, How to order, Hostess and type in Cheryl H and you can order on line using the item numbers on the flyer. If you are out of the Tampa Bay area-place an order of at least $29.95--in NON SALE items and then you can order as many sale items as you want. If your order is over $75-I will pay the $10 Direct shipping charge to have it delivered straight to you. (Regular shipping & tax charges still apply)

More time to blog

2009-06-30T19:19:00.002-04:00

Well it looks like I will have more time to blog.

I became a statistic today.

I was laid off.

Budget cuts and all that.

Nothing performance related.

Last hired.....first to be cut when money runs out.

Fiscal year starts tomorrow for the state so they had to swing the ax today.

I'm still in shock.

Not really sure what to think.

I'm trusting that this is a window to a new opportunity.

Anyone know a job opening for an Age experienced, English speaking, quick learner with a strange sense of humor?

Call me.

Til later...........................

What day is it?

2009-06-27T20:05:00.003-04:00

Quick run down of the past week. You'll understand why I've been silent.

Monday.....Chiro appointment in the AM

Tuesday....Baseball game..between storms

Wednesday...Took the day off as the Boy had a appointment to check out his funky ankles. Apparently his ankles "Pronate" (stick out from his feet-on the inside), he is VERY flat footed and his toes turn inward as a result of the flat footedness. They said to try and buy shoes with arch supports but nothing else needed unless he starts having pain.

Karate

Thursday....Karate..learned about the death of two figures from my childhood/young adult life. Sad in so many ways.

Friday...........Chiro appt in am with a FREE MASSAGE. Sweet! They said they had a cancellation and were told to give it away to the first person in the door. Luckily I didn't sit in the car and read.

Game in pm...actually the first game of a JV tournament. It was STORMING all around the field but not at the game. Well, it was raining but not really storming. Well, it did start storming a little but they kept playing. What a dedicated mom, sitting in the POURING rain watching her son play. We won.

Saturday..today...game two of the tournament. No rain when we got there. It started sprinkling but luckily my DH called and said my hairdresser had called looking for me. (they won)

???? I had the appointment as in July before my SLAH convention. Apparently we'd changed it to today. Arg. I called and confirmed the boys dad was on the way to his game and once he got there I left to get my hair done. Touch up on the color and a cut. Much shorter but not all the way short. Looks good, I think.

A little SOCKS shopping....really hard when your DH wears size 12 shoes.

For the rest of the afternoon I've been reading magazines, watching Nascar and playing on the computer. Home shows tonight.

How was your week??

Til later..............

Games, Father's Day & birthdays

2009-06-21T22:41:00.002-04:00

Remind me again why I'm sitting at the ball field in 110 degree temps?

Oh yeah, I love my son. Man, I MUST. It was hot as Satan's b-hind on Saturday. Even under an umbrella. Thankfully the coach spared us and only played one 7 inning game instead of 2-5 innings like usual. I am convinced I would have died.

I did sneak some pictures but never got around to loading them and forwarding them to the laptop. Must have been the heat stroke.

Father's day....what did you do today? My DS was at his dad's so the DH and I decided to take ourselves to see the "Body exhibit" at MOSI. In case you are reading this out of state, MOSI is our local really cool Museum of Science and Industry. They have been featuring one of the touring exhibits of the bodies that have been preserved and cut apart so you can see all of the "insides". We saw a different exhibit last year and really wanted to see this one before it left town next weekend. It was really cool. It included animals this time and I must confess the Full size..cut apart Camel was a little freaky. Funny, the people don't really bother me but the camel freaked me out and made me a little sick to my tummy.

We had reservations to see a IMAX movie and decided not to wait the two hours between the exhibit and showtime. Thanks to our membership we were able to leave and come back for the show. We ran to a local restaurant and while ordering our food, who should drive up at the window next to us but my Sister and Mother.

What are the odds? It is my Mother's Birthday (Happy BD again mom) and my sister and I had discussed taking her to dinner tomorrow night. My sister called this am to say she couldn't do it tomorrow because of a "obligation". We decided to try again another day.

Imagine ALL of our surprise when they showed up at the same restaurant we were having a quick bite. I ran outside to tell them that, YES..that is my car you see. LOL. We ended up changing tables so we could sit together.

Nice surprise.

We went back to MOSI for our movie. It was the DH's first time at an IMAX movie (I still think we'd been before but he says no). We saw a movie about Vincent Van Goeh. It was very interesting as they had someone narrating it like he was speaking to you about what was happening in his life as he painted. When he "Spoke" about his suicide, it was very sad. I was almost depressed when it was over.

On the way home, the two "college" kids called DH to wish him a Happy Father's day.

They are so sweet.

Hope you had a great day. My week ahead is even busier than normal. Ill try to keep in touch.

Til later.................

The boy & girl

2009-06-19T13:46:00.003-04:00

Short post about my amazing kids. They drive me crazy...the girl more so than the Boy (kidding J, you know I love ya) but they are basically great kids. I wanted to share a couple things I discovered yesterday about them.

Did you know my DD GRADUATES in May'10? ARG!!!! I knew that but yesterday I was talking to someone who's son starts her school in the fall. I said, "My DD will be a Junior this fall.". My DS who was nearby said, NO-she will be a Senior.

!! NO WAY.

I actually had to call her to confirm as I just couldn't rap my head around that. Not sure why but hey, that's me.

WOWZER.

Now for my BOY story. You may want to get tissues.

I'll wait.

Ok....so as mentioned above, I met the step-mom of a school friend of the BOY yesterday (finally..we hadn't met yet and I was starting to worry that the BOY had done something to offend them as he hasn't been invited over lately) and before I could ask she says, "M is welcome here anytime. He is always so polite and well mannered when he is here, There are other boys that I really don't want hanging out over here but M isn't one of them. He can come over any time. As a matter of fact..............

(wait for it)

One day, she continues, he was here and when I asked him a question or called to him, he said...Yes Ma'am? MA'AM??? Says his friend. Yeah, said M. ....if I don't say YES MA'AM my mom will hit me upside the head."

Now before I get angry letters or someone reports me to child welfare, I wouldn't actually hit him upside the head but the fact that he thinks I will and therefore is Polite and respectful.....good!

I was so proud!!!

Til later.......................

I got a new sleeping partner last night

2009-06-18T21:02:00.003-04:00

Say hello to my new friend.

The first night was alittle rough as I tried to adjust the mask, harness and chin strap but I expect tonight to be better. I must have finally fell asleep and then had a dream that got really interesting. In my dream I had a woman that got into my face and my personal space. I tried to tell her to back off but she didn't so I yelled at her and started to push her away. Apparently when I "yelled"-- since I had the chin strap on--I couldn't open my mouth like I normally would during a dream. As a result I swallowed a huge gasp of air. I ended up "choking" and woke myself up coughing and threw off my air supply.

Good times!

Looking forward to see if things go better tonight. I'd love to be able to sleep on my back, without snoring so my shoulder may have a chance to heal.

What have you been up to?

Til later..............

I remember why I didn't encourage Baseball sooner

2009-06-14T17:01:00.004-04:00

The LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG hours spent at the ball field.

As if I didn't have alot of free time to post before, now I am a Baseball MOM. We had a game on Tuesday that turned into a double header. That meant that we got to the field at 4pm, first game started at 5ish and then they played a second game. The boy finally got play time in the last inning of the 2nd game. He played Center field and held his own, I thought. He finally was supposed to get his turn at bat when his team came up. He was "ON DECK" when his team got their 3rd out. ARG!!!!

But wait............since this isn't an official league, the coach asked the umpire and other team to allow The boy to take his turn at bat. He ended up striking out but at least it wasn't three swings and a miss. He made it to a full count. Pretty good I thought. Considering it was pitch black dark by then (apparently we don't use lights in the summer), I thought it was a wonder he could see the ball at all.

When I told him that he said, "Mom, it's a big WHITE thing coming at you, of course you can see it!"

Excuse me Micky Mantle!

The rest of the week went by quickly and then it was time for their first "Away game". The other team apparently hasn't been told it isn't an official league. They had their kids at the field 2 hours ahead of time, treated the field like a pro ball park, CHARGED us to attend the game, and then made their players run laps..............after A DOUBLE HEADER. We were at the field from 9am till 2:45. YIKES. NO Shade. Thank goodness I had my umbrella and seat. I used sunscreen and still got tanned.

We got home just in time for the boy to shower and get ready for his Karate sleep over.

Then this morning, after I picked him up at 8am..he informs me that the guy who agreed to coach him in exchange for the boy giving his son, Karate tutoring, wanted to practice THIS MORNING.

The boy wasn't crazy about that thought but I bravely informed him that if he was serious about playing next year, he needed all the help he can get to catch up on the YEARS he didn't play. We met them and they spent 2 hours going over the fundamentals of hitting. It was a really good lesson and you could tell the boy got alot out of it. If only the kids could stop laughing long enough for the Karate tutoring session to be as successful.

SO, if you don't hear from me much-you can always find me at the ball field.

What a mom!!!

Til later........................

PS: I totally forgot to share THE BOYs final grades. A's & B's with a final year grade in Algebra of a B. wahooo! Restriction is a beautiful thing when used for the greater good.

No longer on restriction in case you were wondering.

PSS: At his Sports physical last weekend, he was officilly 5'6 1/2" and 134. WOW! He also had his first "Hernia check". Not his favorite.

Free Toilet Paper Baby

2009-06-05T16:48:00.002-04:00

Those of you that have known me or been reading since 2006 may remember my GARAGE FULL OF TOILET PAPER and paper towels. I managed to score enough toilet paper to last for TWO YEARS.

Sadly, I finally ran out of Toilet paper and have had to buy some since my family got spoiled with all the fluffy softness.

Today I ran across a post that made my heart sing..........go here and check it out but DO NOT ENTER. The Paper is MINE....ALL MINE !!!

Til later...............

Baseball

2009-06-04T21:57:00.002-04:00

The boy mentioned the other day, as we were doing "outside" stuff together, that he wanted to try out for baseball when he starts High School in the fall. (ARG..I still can't believe that word..High School..not baseball)

Anyway

He has mentioned interest in baseball before but so many things have gotten in the way, nothing has ever come of it.

Keep in mind, this is an INSIDE child that played t-ball (he claims actual baseball too but....) MANY years ago and nothing since.

Since he voiced interest and he is so much taller and thinner than he's ever been, I figured it was time to take his desire and run with it. I contacted his future High School, spoke with the Athletic Director and got the name of the baseball coach. A few phone calls later and he informed me that they were actually starting TODAY.

Today? I was thinking later in the summer. YIKES.

I told the boy what I had done and that he was starting right away. He grumbled alittle but I convinced him to at least give it a chance.
*
*
*
*
I have to tell you that there was nothing better than seeing my boy in a baseball uniform.

No pictures yet.

So far so good. He said it was FUN and he knew most of the JV age kids that were there.

Stay tuned.

Til later......................

Boys

2009-06-02T23:15:00.003-04:00

One special boy in my life turned 5 today. I don't get to see him very often and he wouldn't know me if he saw me but..I love him dearly and hope he has a super Birthday week. He's having a party this weekend and can't wait to see the pictures.

My other boy..The Boy...has his last day in Middle school tomorrow. How is that possible? I'm so freaked out that he will be in High School next year. YIKES. I can't even deal with that right now. I asked if there was any "graduation ceremony" he said no..he had an award celebration today ..he got a science participation ribbon..so cute. Hopefully his final report card will reflect the grades he claims he will get. He said he thinks he did well on his exams..hope he's right.

They did have some excitement at school for a end of the year memory, they had to lock down the school because of a couple men/boys that had gotten into a fight near by and one of them had a knife and there had possibly been a stabbing at a nearby house....Yikes! The boy was mainly upset because they were locked in the gym for over an hour and it is not air conditioned. Sounds like no fun to me. I'm glad the school acted quickly and protected the kids even though it turned out to be ok. Better safe than sorry. He's at his dads tonight so we won't get to see him for his final day. We made sure to give him ton's of advice before he left.

Til later....................

How

2009-05-31T17:27:00.002-04:00

How do you dig yourself out of a funk that seems to have no end? My life is wonderful compared to many others but I'm so seriously funked...it's not funny.

Let's just say that the right to the Freedom of Speech has once again been challenged. This time it has caused issues that may not be easily resolved.

Poop heads.

Til later..........................

Happy Birthday J

2009-05-28T11:08:00.001-04:00

You so pretty!

Til later........................

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T13:25:00.002-04:00

I wish I was some where celebrating with friends on this day off. Wish I could shake the hand of a solider and thank them for making our country free. Thanks to our brave soldiers I live in a country where I can bit&& about my day. In the grand scheme of things I really do not have it bad. I'm just tired of doing "computer work".

Yes, if I did things as they come in I wouldn't have to spend my weekend entering information.

Yes, I really have a rough life.

Let's review what I have done today:

I got a box ready to send to my youngest Grand Nephew for his B-day.

Got another box ready to send to my oldest Step son. Got him a hat. It's kind of a joke.

Got a card ready to send to my other Step son, with some stuffing's still to be added, for his B-day this week.

Put together 30 goodie bags for a charity function that I am supporting.

Pulled out the purse I have decided to start using. Have my stuff gathered to go through and get ready for the transfer to the new purse. Have a big accordion thing that I hope will hold all the crap that currently are filling up 4 smaller things. Hope that will make my new purse not such a mess.

Have gathered a ton of things that need labels so that I can hand them out at the vendor event I am supposed to take part in next weekend.

While I am sitting here with a ton o-crap surrounding me I am:

Wishing that I was on a beach, under an umbrella, with a large-cold drink, having a cool breeze blow over me as the waves lap at my feet.

Or

that I could sleep for 10 hours and not feel guilty for wasting time.

Man, what a whinny baby.

How is your weekend going?

Til later.......................

Mission Accomplished

2009-05-23T22:12:00.004-04:00

Sort of.

I said I was going to sleep most of day 1 away. I did manage to sleep until 9am. (thanks to a nice glass of wine. Man, I'm a cheap drunk. One glass of $3 wine and I'm out like a light)

Watched several Oprahs and then decided to get my tail up and do some SLAH work.

I've spent the last 8 hours going through all my emails, adding names and addresses to my Newsletter site, cooking dinner, making tea, checking out some stuff on Face Book and You Tube-thanks to PW, and printing some stuff I need to deal with tomorrow.

I just ate the three bites of Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream we had left and now am going to get off the computer and either watch Nascar or give up and go to bed.

Pretty exciting stuff.

How about you?

Til later.....................

AI wrap up & some thoughts

2009-05-21T13:00:00.003-04:00

Another season has come to a close. In the event you are one of the few people on the planet that does NOT know who won, I will not share that information here. (read my rant below if you wonder why). I do have some thoughts I'd like to share:

David Cooks song for his brother.....RAW emotion, wonderful song.

All of the "Up with People" song and dance routines with the top 13.....ARG!!! Please stop.

Kris with Keith Urban.....Brillant! I hope the rumors about him following Carrie U to Nashville are true. He was so natural in that vein of music. Yes, I'm biased as a Country music fan. So??

Steve Martin, the Bird girl and the Oil driller......why?

Adam with KISS.......Love Adam but I beg you.....When your chest hair turns snow white, it is time to give up the V-spandex outfit. Gene Simmons, you have a long tongue. We know it is your trade mark. Please, STOP. At your age it is one phone call away from the authorities coming to investigate allegations.

Lionel Richie & Danny.....All night long! Love the duo.

Black eyed peas......why???

Tatiana...You won me $1000 (not really but it was a "bet" she'd be on and she was)

Bikini girl.....did they take your small amount of talent to pay for your new girls?? You used to be able to sing alittle. Last night you were out sung and Kara proved you should wear clothes. Nuff said.

The winner......Appropriate.

Thanks for another great season. I'll be trying to download some tunes if I'm not to late ASAP.

Til later..................

Waiting on the weekend & some rants

2009-05-20T16:00:00.003-04:00

Three day weekend!!!! WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Would you believe a co-worker just discovered that? This is the same woman that was CRYING yesterday because she found out she will get a 2% pay cut starting July 1st. While I appreciate that is a pisser, I not so kindly explained to her that it was difficult to be sympathetic when I make HALF what she makes. While I agree it is a poop to get a cut in pay to help the State budget, I suggest you not complain in front of people that WISH they had your problem. Making half what she makes and not having a husband that is able to work like hers....and apparently makes a NICE living...it's kind of hard to listen to her woes. I agreed I'd be upset too, if I were in her shoes. I just recommend you show some sympathy for those around you that would love to be in her shoes.

American Idol finale tonight. Both deserve to win. We've been Adam fans since the begining but like Kris too. Once again, the "song writers song" Stunk up the place. Why do they do that to the contestants? On the night that they are fighting for the AI title....not a good time to give them a song that NO ONE could sing well. Simon said it best, Don't judge them on that song...judge them on the entire season.

DH FINALLY finished watching Greys. OMG!!!! I didn't get to watch it until last weekend and was forced to avoid most forms of media until then. WHY people post opinions and give away things when there could be people that haven't watched the show yet, drives me alittle batty. I try very hard NOT to disclose any spoilers in my posts. Not everyone can watch the show on the night it is on. That is why they invented DVRS and other people should be sensitive to that. In the event there are still people that haven't caught up I will just say.....OMG!!!!

Speaking of season finales, is it just me or was that a LAME finale to 24?

Watched an old CSI last night where Sara left the show. MAN...I miss Gil.

Rain. Glad we've been getting it but am really tired of the people that are still running their sprinklers...while it is RAINING. Seriously!! The only complaint I really have about all the rain is that the pond is rising dangerously high and soon the gators will have a straight shot to walk onto my front yard. Yikes!

Did I mention I'm going to a Chiropractor? He's trying to kill me. Not kidding. He says it's Tough Love. I'm paying him to hurt me? I think there is a name for that and I'm not crazy about it. LOL.

My Step sons B-day is coming up. Yikes. Got to get something in the mail.

Ok, is that enough of a ramble??

Til later...................

Idol finale

2009-05-19T20:25:00.001-04:00

What's gonna happen??

Til later....................

Learned a new trade

2009-05-18T14:20:00.002-04:00

I normally do not go to "Home parties". As a consultant for Southern Living at Home, I belong to several networking groups. Alot of people will say, "If you have a party for me-I'll have a party for you". Since I have a hard enough time getting my friends and family to come to my house for my own stuff...I don't want to ask them to come out for anything else.

At the networking meeting this past Wed., I met a woman that turned out to have a son with Special needs (my DAY job) and his nurse is a friend of mine. She taught herself to make jewelry and is now teaching others. She was having a "Jewelry making class" at her home on Sunday.

I went.

I made two pairs of earrings.

They look nice.

I've gotten compliments.

Since I've also gotten compliments on my hair & make up and all I did was NOT wash off yesterdays makeup and didn't wash my hair this morning......not so sure how to trust the people's judgement but.......

She also had a Tastefully Simple lady come and feed us at least 20 samples of her food stuff. I did something I also never do, I agreed to have a catalog party. If you know what TS is and are interested in anything, let me know. Orders go in Friday. $6.99 and they can direct ship anywhere in the USA.

No pressure. I want a bottle of Spinach dip spice. I'm not afraid to use other peoples money to get it. LOL.

Til later..........................

All You coupon insert update

2009-05-15T16:35:00.002-04:00

I was not aware that the home delivery issues did not include a coupon insert. To be honest, I haven't had a chance to even open my magazine I received this week. Thanks to a great group of gals that have WAY more time than I do, I read this today:

If you subscribe to All You and would like to get the insert of coupons that is included in the store version you now can!!

Email All You and have them sent to you!subsvcs@allyou. customersvc. com.

Please include in your e-mail:
1) Your account number, found on the mailing label just above your name and address. It is nine digits and is usually located between two asterisks, for example *123456789*
2) Your name and address as it appears on the mailing label
3) Your e-mail address
4) A specific mention that you are looking for the "Coupon book from the June issue of All You."

Go to All You's Blog for more details.

Not getting ALL YOU? What are you waiting for???? There are over $100 worth of coupons listed in the latest issue. Not sure if that included the "missing" coupon booklet or not. I'll have to check out my issue and find out. Click on my button on the right side for details how you can get a fabulous deal on this magazine and help a wonderful charity at the same time. ***You can also EXTEND your current subscription using this deal so.....what are you waiting for??

Til later....................

What a week so far

2009-05-14T20:46:00.002-04:00

Monday night we had company.

Tuesday I had a SLAH meeting with one of the corporate trainers. It was very interesting. If you know anyone looking for extra money or their own business, now is a great time to join my team. People are staying home more and adding a beautiful product will make people happy.

Wed. we got a TON of rain and some of it was damaging. In the middle of it, I was driving to a meeting. I go to a Networking meeting once a month and it's a great group of women. We always have a charity of the month and last night was an animal rescue.

Speaking of the storm/rain....our cable went out so we missed part of LOST..then it came back on in time to record the IDOL results show but then at 10pm....BAM...the power went out until midnight. The bad thing about the world we live in is that you can't go through a day and NOT find out the results of something. I know the final two but I still want to watch the show to see how they did it. The power BETTER not go out next week.

Started my Chiro "program" and yesterday they started my exercise routine. Kinda rough but I'm sure eventually it will get easier.

Trying to watch some recorded stuff off the list as our cable box got fried last night. It still works but they are going to take the box on Saturday so we have to watch as much as we can. Sad, I know.

I have some great deals to offer you so keep reading........til later.......

SLAH is having a BOGO sale

2009-05-14T16:51:00.008-04:00

Check this out!!

Here are the new May promotions for customers – who doesn’t love BOGO’s??? You don’t need to attend a party to take advantage of this offer – you can order on my website or call/email me!

If a you place an order worth $29.95 or more, you can buy ALL FOUR of the customer specials and/or get one of the FREE customer appreciation items . That would be up to $213.70 retail (depending on which free product you chose) for $79.75; which is a 63% discount. That’s SIX products for an average price of $13.29 each – do you have a gift closet? The set of three flowerpots can be split into THREE gifts, which would make EIGHT gifts at an average price of $9.97 each – outrageous!!! FYI – you can gift a flowerpot with a bottle of wine in it; they can be used for a wine chiller OR a flowerpot!

Customer Specials:

Montcrest Glass Container: $19.95

Gail Pittman Salt/Pepper: $9.95

Southern Sippers Serving Bowl: $9.95

Estate Napkin Holder: $9.95

With your $29.95 order choose one of the following for FREE:
Ruffled Glass Bowl: worth $27.95...

3 Signature Flowerpots: worth $39.95

or the Cinnabar Baker: worth $37.95.

If you’d like to have a Virtual -on line party you will qualify as a Hostess and besides all the fabulous products you will earn, you will also get to chose one of the above FREE products!

Southern Living at Home has released a sneak peak of three new products that will be available in our Fall catalog. They are allowing you to purchase them before the catalog even comes out! I guarantee you’re going to want the new kids art portfolio!
Royal Street Urn: $54.95

My Masterpieces Art Portfolio: $24.95

Montcrest Adjustable Hurricane: $99.95

If you know someone that is looking for extra income we have a great deal.

For new consultants, the $99 Mini Starter Kit has been extended through the end of May. So there are three ways for someone to join this month:
Pay $199 for the regular Starter Kit;
Pay $99 for the Mini Starter Kit; or
Host a party and use up to $100 of their Hostess Dollars to apply toward the $199 regular Starter Kit.

To place an online order, just go to http://www.southernlivingathome.com/hinton and click on ‘Cheryl’ as the hostess. Deadline for orders is Saturday, May 30, 2009. If you are not local you will be charged an additional $10 direct ship fee. Even with that fee, this is a heck of a deal!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Til later................

Thankful

2009-05-11T19:13:00.002-04:00

I'm thankful today for several things.

My DD was in an accident yesterday when she was on the way to my house for Mother's Day. She's fine. Car not so much. She was in a multi-car crash on the interstate. Fortunately the cars weren't up to speed so her air bag didn't even deploy. The front is all crashed/smashed but she is able to drive it.

She came by the office today and brought me flowers and a very sweet card. I was glad to see she is ok. Really ticked off because she got the ticket as the last one in the line. I'm just thankful she is ok.

Secondly, I'm thankful that my gift arrived in time for my Grand nephew's Birthday party. I didn't think it would arrive in time but it did. His mom said he was surprised. Hope that means he liked it.

How was your day?

Til later.................

Mother's

2009-05-10T17:03:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all my fellow saints. No matter if you are mothering a human or a furry baby...you deserve more than one day a year!

Waiting for my DD to get off work and she will be coming by. So far it's been a slow, quiet day. Just what I needed.

Hope you have a great week. LOTS of meetings, Chiro appointments, etc so it will be the weekend again before you know it.

Til later..................

Chiro Care

2009-05-08T14:22:00.002-04:00

Anyone have experience with Chiropractic care? I've been in the past but it's been a VERY LONG time since my last appointment.

Last Friday, at the vendor event, I met a rep from a local Chiro office. He was offering Free evaluations including X-rays. Usually I decline such offers but this time I agreed to come in and let them take a look. Goodness knows, with all the aches and pains and stuff that other doctors can't figure out about me, I figured it was worth a look.

Fast forward to today and I am now the proud "owner of NINE months of Chiropractic care scheduled. If they didn't switch X-rays, the ones I saw today were all messed up. Most of my stuff was out of alignment. It even showed level 2 degeneration on one of my vertebrates in my neck.

I will be going three times a week for the next few months and then several times a week after that. Hey, if it helps even alittle, I'll be happy. If I can loose weight maybe I'll feel even better.

What do you think?

Til later....................

Insurance and Idol chatter

2009-05-07T18:28:00.002-04:00

I used to work in the claims/member services department of a Health Care insurance provider.

I say that before I share the following so you know Ive been there...however.............

My DD is having her first experience with Medical Bills, insurance & collection agencies. It seems she had an office visit that left her with a balance due.

Unfortunately it appears the Doctors office failed to put her apartment number on the bills they sent her.

She claims she never got anything.

One day she gets a call from a collection agency. It's about the "Never received bills".

She calls me for advise and I suggest she call the doctors office and see if she can get things straightened out. She trys for over a week to speak with the woman in the doctors office billing department. When she finally does, the woman tells her, "I can't tell you anything because it has gone to the collection agency"

!!!!!

She calls me and I agree to try and call the doctors office for her. I call and get put on Hold...for a long time. I decided to try and look on the Insurance's website and verify that they received the original claim.

It appears that they did and that the visit fell under an 80/20 coverage after her deductible.

I tried to call the insurance company to verify everything I was looking at since even through the bills shows $$$ going towards her deductible, when I look at the deductible information it doesn't have anything listed there.

I call the Member Services number. I don't pay good enough attention so I miss the number to press for Medical. I push -0- several times....the universal way to try and get a human...and finally a gentleman comes on the line.

I briefly explain what I need and he said I had reached the "Pharmacy department". I apologize and ask if he can transfer me to the proper department. He says , Yes, and asked for my phone number. I offered my account/member number and he said, NO...I need your phone number.

I give it to him and wait.

A man voice comes on the line and here is the conversation:

Mans voice: Hello?

Me: Hello?

Mans voice: Hello?

Me: Hello?

Mans voice: Hello?

Me: Hello. Can you hear me?

Mans voice: Yes

Me: I'm trying to reach XYZ Insurance. Who am I speaking with?

Mans Voice: Is this Cheryl HXXXX?

(finally realizing that the voice I thought I was hearing was in fact the voice I was hearing)
Me: Baby?

Mans voice: (Laughing) Yes.
*
*
*
*
Are you Kidding me? Seriously? The insurance rep transferred me to MY HOME PHONE NUMBER!

My DH & I had quite a laugh as I tried not to scream at the stupidity of the situation.

So guess what I have to do tomorrow? Yep, try to deal with the insurance company/doctors office/collection agency.

I've already warned the DD that she may owe the $$. No help from me as I just got a bill for $500 for the CT/MRI/Doctors visit about my shoulder. Apparently it fell under my Deductible/80-20.

*********************************************************************************

Idol watchers.....what did you think about the results show? I'm no sure who looked more shocked, Chris or Alison.

Should make for an interesting final three.

*********************************************************************************

The boy is finished with his Karate class and I get to go home!!!!

Til later...........................

For those keeping score..

2009-05-05T20:05:00.004-04:00

On restriction AGAIN.

Yes, the boy.

Yes, he just got off a short time ago.

Yes, he is back on restriction because of the SAME REASON.

He lied.

Not once.

Not twice.

Not even three times.

I think it ended up being 6 or 7 times over the course of a couple hours.

That's not counting the lie he told me last Thursday when I asked if he had gotten his Progress Report. He told me NO.

He had.

He finally came clean after repeated chances.

ARG!!!! Why does he continue to lie about STUPID stuff and think he is going to get away with it? He is a BAD fibber. He ALWAYS gets caught. He always gets in trouble for it. He gets in more trouble for the lie than he would have for the original offence.

Help!

Til later.............

Benign

2009-05-05T19:41:00.001-04:00

What a great word. That was the result from my Dermatologist test last week. WAHOO!

How is your week going?

Til later............

Torn

2009-05-03T15:47:00.002-04:00

I was invited to participate in a Mother's Day vendor/shop this afternoon. It was very last minute and I would have been a substitute for my Upline since she is out of town. I haven't unpacked the car since the Friday night event I did so it would have been easy to go. The more I thought about it, the more I didn't want to be away from my DH.

Not very professional of me but sometimes you have to make choices. I decided to stay with my DH, snug in our little home, miss the opportunity to meet new people, possibly make a sale, book a party.....

Seeing the happiness on my DH's face when he looks at me, totally worth it.

Til later................

And I was doing so well

2009-05-02T21:53:00.003-04:00

I tried to be better but then the week got away from me. The end of the month is really busy for a SLAH consultant. That pretty much took up all my spare computer time. Lets see what you missed.

When last we spoke I was commenting on Adam. Then Wed. he almost went home. YIKES. Actually, as we have learned from Chris Daughtry--Jennifer Hudson.....etc, it is not the end of the world to go home early from Idol. We would miss the entertainment value. I know he is not everyones cup of tea but he amuses my DH and that makes him worth a million bucks in my book. You can't deny he can sing. Well, I guess you could but we find him entertaining and that's what matters...to us. We do like the rest of the top 4. We just like the eyeliner, nail polish wearing, slash voice singing straight/gay/bi boy. Should be interesting this next week when they do rock & Chris comes back to Idol.

I took a bunch of stuff to the Food Bank today. I realize I could never use all the stuff I get free/almost free. I love the rush of the deal but the bottom line is that it gives me a chance to give stuff to people that need it without breaking my budget. I tried to get more free razors today but apparently I came late to the party-knowing about the BOGO deal at Publix. I did manage to get a total of 4 packages and 2 rain checks for 16 more. I have a trunk full of Diabetic meters and will be passing them on to the food bank next week. When I dropped the stuff off today he verified that they can use them. Is it wrong to get them free and get $5 rebate on each one I bought today? I just call it, smart shopping with "a cause".

Wed. the boy and I joined DD for a viewing of a short film she and her Media class put together. Two friends of mine went too and we all really enjoyed the event. First they showed a film about the history of music by Black Americans in the Bay area. It was very interesting but the DD said it was boring because it wasn't her film..LOL. Today the DD had a byline in the local newspaper. She sent me a text about the article and I had to call my neighbor to get a copy. (we don't get both papers anymore and her article was in the one we don't subscribe to--of course) The article was about the recent USF graduation. It was exciting to see the DD's name in the paper as a by-line. Great Job J!!

I had a Dermatology appointment Thursday. I go every 6 months because of my history of skin cancer. This time she asked about a spot on my chest (actually between the "girls"). I told her I'd been watching it and wondered what she thought. She ended up removing it and sending it out to be tested. I'm trying not to be freaked out but it does scare me alittle because of it's location. It also made me a little angry at people that need to see a doctor and won't go. I lost 6 months with someone because I wanted them to get checked. I have someone now that is doing the same thing. Fear is not an excuse. Sticking your head in the sand will not make things go away. It could make things worse. If you have a lump/bump/spot/funny spot.........GO TO THE DOCTOR!!!

I am very excited to announce that I had a "baby" this week. Not an actual baby but someone that joined my SLAH team. She contacted me after seeing the $99 special and we talked all month until we convinced her hubby. LOL. She is very excited and I am so excited for her. She loves the products and it will be fun to help her earn TONS of free stuff for her home. If you are interested, let me know. They extended the $99 special. Click on my SLAH website and take a look at all the great stuff they are offering right now.

Did anyone watch Private Practice this week? WOW. I missed it the other night and my BFF C told me I had to watch it before Monday as she was busting to talk about it. We watched it this afternoon and I immediately had to call her. I won't give anything away but GOOD GRIEF. She didn't realize it was the Season Finale. ARG!!

Ok, Jenna....I've posted. Your turn. Love you and HATE the stupid people that continue to bug you. Just remember ---we love you!

Til later.................

Adam is singing

2009-04-28T20:55:00.001-04:00

OMG!

Til later..............

Monday post

2009-04-27T10:21:00.001-04:00

Post.

Til later....

All You offer

2009-04-26T14:04:00.006-04:00

I've mentioned my dealings with other bloggers to offer 24 issues of ALL YOU magazine for $19.95. We have been raising money for wonderful charities while saving blog readers a ton of money through the $20-$60 in value coupons offered each month in the magazine.

I decided to add a permanent offer here on my blog. Each month I will donate $2 from each subscription to either the CUT it OUT charity (Southern Living at Home's home charity to educate and help victims of domestic violence) or to help cure Breast Cancer through several friends that are taking part in the 3 day SGK events in October.

Feel free to refer your friends to this offer either through my site or through the partners that are listed on the side bar via their blog buttons. Thanks!

Ordering Instructions:
Due to contract issues with Time Warner, effective immediately we must take orders and enter them ourselves. If you are interested in this great magazine, email me.

You can expect your first issue to arrive approximately 6-8 weeks after the order is submitted to SLAH. I will submit orders on the first and 15th of each month.

28

2009-04-25T18:27:00.004-04:00

If I was clever and/or not tired, I'd write a post listing the 28 things I love about my niece Jenna. Today is her birthday and she is 28.

That is NOT possible.

I remember the day she was born.

I remember the drama that went with it.

I remember Richard Gere.

LONG story.

I wish I still had the Surgical gown I "borrowed" from the hospital the day she was born.

It was COLD. We had a LONG wait. Did I mention it was Cold? Did I mention I was only 22 at the time?

Good grief. That just made me feel really OLD.

Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the greatest 28 year old niece anyone could ever have. Until next year, when you will be the best 29 year old niece anyone has. Then we are going to stop counting because the thought of you turning 30 makes me need a very strong glass of chocolate milk.

Yeah. Chocolate milk. That's what I need.

LOVE YOU fer fer.

pisssssssst....keep reading below. Someone posted a bunch o-crap.

What I would have said if I'd posted this past week

2009-04-25T16:51:00.013-04:00

Let's pretend that you came here each day since last Friday and this is what you read:

Saturday:

Took the boy to meet up with my niece, sister and mom as they drove north to take her half way back to Georgia. Her friend was nice enough to volunteer to meet them someplace near Gainsville since my Sister is still feeling crappy. It makes me sad to know that my boy really doesn't remember Jenna. He only gets to see her once in a blue moon. Look how much TALLER the boy is than Jenna since she is shorter than me. So funny! She tried to tell him about holding him as a newborn and how much dark hair he had. He just looked at her like she was an alien.

Sunday:

The boy wasn't happy but we had to move things in the garage so the AC guy could finally get to the unit to check it and clean it out for the season. Thankfully we didn't have to move as much stuff as I thought we were going to have to. It ended up only taking a couple hours instead of all day. While we were moving things, I looked out at the pond and saw a smallish alligator swimming towards us from the opposite bank. Looked to be only about 5 feet long. After we finished with the rearrange I carefully walked out to the pond to see if the gator was sunning her/himself. I didn't see that gator but out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I looked over and saw this:

(When I thought I'd get my post on the day I saw this I was going to title it....

Cuter by the Dozen?)

Yep. As I watched, 10 more little gators popped up and started swimming towards the other bank.

YIKES. 12 babies. That we can see. How many more we didn't see? What happens when they grow up? Where are the babies from LAST YEAR?

Monday--

I have no words for how I feel today. I started to go to work, even left the house and got almost a mile away when I read the headline about what day it was..a 10 year anniversary of a horrific event and the 14th anniversary of an equally horrific event. I tried to keep driving but my stomach revolted and an over whelming feeling came over me. I tried to ignore the feelings but then Oprah's voice came into my head about listening to the small voice...I made a u-turn and went home. I didn't explain why I came home. I told my DH I decided I needed a personal day.

I ended up taking the Boy to school and then decided to drive to Kmart and try and take advantage of the Double coupon week. Here is a picture of what I got:

My total before coupons was $216

OOP after coupons $31.55

Taxes included in OOP $6

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you spend three hours in a store!

Retail therapy without blowing the bank.

Tuesday:

American Idol. Disco week. I lived through the original Disco. Kind of. Didn't really love it then so was not looking forward to hearing kids, that were 10+ years away from being born during the disco era, sing the songs of that time. Some of them did a good job. Loved the "Santana" style disco song that Chris sang. REALLY hated some of the others. Discovered that Adam IS human when he left a couple words(letters) off during his song. We replayed it to be sure. Still, he can sing no matter what the theme. Was waiting for Lil or her momma to "come across the table" when Simon started his dissing of her song. She truthfully wasn't good. I'm not sure why but she just never got it....

Wednesday:

Lil & Anoop are history. Predict that Matt will cruise next week to the bottom of the pile. Not sure what the theme is so will be interested to see what Adam does. Always interesting.

Thursday:

Day before Friday!

Friday:

Hit up Kmart again during lunch. Scored .24 Graham Cracker crusts (found .30 coupons today-darn!!) Got some Kraft Parm. Shaker cheese for $1.25. Sweet!

Tried to go to the local store while the boy was at Karate but it is near impossible to work deals in under an hour, especially when the cashier looks at the Internet coupon you took time to print and says, We don' take IP's. Yes you do, it says so on your own RECEIPTS. Then she says well we can't take that one because it says Available at Walmart.

Yes, it says that but....it is a coupon printed from KMART.com and it says so right on the coupon.

She calls over the manager who repeats the same misinformation about the Internet coupons and then says I can't use the WALMART coupon.

Seriously.

At that point the store was closing and the boys class was ending in 10 minutes. I asked the cashier to put all my items into a bag/box and let me come back in the morning. I gave them my name and phone number and left.

When I got home I went back onto the Kmart website and printed another copy of the "disputed " coupon and left the paper uncut so I could show them the Kmart.com part on the ENTIRE page....not just on the coupon.

Saturday:

Watched some Oprahs while DH slept and then got up and talked to the boy. He had gotten himself up and had already taken a shower. WOW. His dad was due to pick him up at 10ish. We decided Cinnamon rolls sounded good for breakfast so I headed off to make them while he played his game. He ended up eating FOUR rolls before I could remind him to leave some for his buddy.

After he left for the weekend I got ready and headed back to Kmart, ready to do battle. I got my stuff from the service desk and went back into the store to finish picking up what ever I could find to use my coupons on. When I walked into the store I had taken a look at the cashiers and was very upset to see that the same "biddies" that had given me a hard time on Friday night were the ones working.

Great. This should be fun.

Thankfully when I got ready to check out, the cashier I ended up with was SMART and NICE!! First thing, as I was putting my stuff on the counter, I showed her the "infamous" walmart coupon and she saw right away that it was a Kmart.com coupon. She even told me that they DO take Internet coupons. I blessed her heart and we checked out with little trouble. The only thing that didn't work was the $5 off $50 that the Head cashier wouldn't let her use. She claimed it was for Groceries. I disagreed but decided to let it go. I usually don't "leave $5 on the table" but decided for once to let it go and move on. I ended up getting :

$67.09 worth
$14.44 OOP
($2.20 tax)

Not as good as Monday since they wouldn't let me use the $5 off and I got a couple things that were more than the amount of my coupons and I spent $2.50 on a "file" for either my business or to hold a ton of coupons.

I actually went out to the car and then came back in to get more free Deo, cat treats and candy. That order was:

$25.72....OOP came to .77 of which .77 was tax!

**********************************************************************************
So there you have it. My week in a boring nutshell. I've loaded pictures onto a disc that I can use with my laptop so maybe I can get some Ebay items loaded. I've been super busy managing all the ALL YOU deals that I have working with various blog friends I've partnered with. I'm going to add some buttons to the side showing sites I'm working with. Check them out. They all are really great at making you aware of deals coming at all the stores we frequent.

Hope you are all having a great weekend.

CONGRATS to my dear niece who got a wonderful job offer this week. They called her while she was in AZ and she interviewed when she got back. They offered her the job late this week and we are all thrilled for her. It means full time w/full benefits. Just what the family needs.

By the way, if you want to read a well written, funny, clever blog...check out her blog here. She has been sharing the tales of the AZ adventure and it's almost like you are there.

Til later..............

Friday again. Are you sure?

2009-04-17T16:41:00.003-04:00

They are really cracking down on Internet usage while at work. I've been super busy at night.

Sorry.

Last weekend is a blur. I got to see my darling neice on Sunday before she shipped out to AZ with my sister. They haven't had Internet access so are waiting to see them tomorrow to get the details. I've heard through my mom that J is having fun. M, apparently not so much as she's had a cold & other ailments. What a drag.

Saw the kids for a short time Easter night. Love to hang out with the Girl. She is super busy with end of the school year stuff.

I did get to see her Thursday am. Well, actually I saw her face as the rest of her was buried under her covers. She let me drop in to use the shower after my second sleep study.

Follow up sleep study. Fun!! They had me come sleep with the Cpac machine. The first one lasted about 3 hours before a horrible headache woke me up where the mask was digging into my skull. They changed it to a set of "Nose balls" with a strap. Seriously, they were two tiny tubes on the top of plastic balls that set into your nose. Since it didn't dig into your skull it actually worked much better....for the 3 hours I had left to sleep. I'll talk to my doctor in about a week and see what I'm going to do.

What did you think of ADAMS performance this week? So fun to watch. What about the "SAVE"? Since they only had one more week to use it, it was a bit of a surprise but made an interesting twist. 2 go next week. Who will it be? Lil?? Matt??

The boy has had a rough week. Report card wasn't as good as he claimed it would be. Not bad but since the grade was based on NOT turning in work...again...he got a long lesson in doing what is expected or going beyond. Stressing the importance of doing your bet even when you don't feel like it.

Thanks to his "situation" I'm going to use him to clean out the garage this weekend. Or so I think. Kind of depends on how I feel.

What have you been up to? Lots of reports of young children loosing their lives this week. So sad. Locally 4 teenagers were killed in a accident that gave use another lesson for the boy. ALL of your actions have results. It could be a bad grade or it could mean your life.

Have the DVR "Twilight" at home that has been waiting for me since Wed. night. I saw it at the movies but my DH hasn't and promised to watch with me. Should be interesting to see his reaction. I'm sure he won't like it. It's really not that great of a movie...but I liked it. Looking forward to seeing it in Blue ray.

Till later...................

All You magazine

2009-04-10T20:25:00.003-04:00

I'm currently working deals with several bloggers to offer the ALL YOU magazine to their readers. The best part is that we are giving $1-2 per subscription to a charity. One blogger is raising money for Mental Health and another is supporting Susan G. Koman

If you have seen the magazine in Walmart, you know it normally sells for $2.24 an issue. All You offers a 12 month subscription for $20-23. We are offering 24 issues for $19.95.

If you'd like to get a great deal on a wonderful magazine AND support a worthy cause, contact me.

Til later........................

Wordless Wednesday**Jenna don't look

2009-04-08T12:44:00.005-04:00

Mad World indeed.

(link from Givememyremote.com)

Actually, it's a tie this week.

RESCUE ME is Back!! Love that Michael J Fox is on this season. It's gonna be fun!

Til later...........

The Boy's Big Day

2009-04-07T10:35:00.004-04:00

14.

Wow.

How did that happen? Actually he was born at 7:07 pm so it's not official yet.

He had his choice of any restaurant to have dinner.

What did my 14 year old select?

Village Inn.

Seriously.

We had a great meal and I didn't embarrass him to much. I told them it was his birthday but apparently VI isn't a Birthday singing kind of place. They even made me pay for his dessert.

He is spending the day playing his new Video game. Yes, he got another Video game. As long as his grades stay up and he doesn't start talking like a sailor, he's golden.

He doesn't read my blog but if you want to leave Birthday wishes, I'll be sure he gets them. I'll try and take a new picture of him before he leaves for his dads tonight. He's so cute!

Til later..............

BTW, anyone see HOUSE last night? !!!!!!

Girls Rule & Monster are cool

2009-04-06T09:23:00.002-04:00

Date night with my boy was fun. The movie is really cute. Our theater didn't have the 3D version but it was still good. The boy did say that I laughed to much and at times was the ONLY person laughing. Sorry.

He also decided that he was to full from the popcorn and Dots he had at the movie so our Dinner was delayed until tonight.

****

How about the young girls of Country Music? !!!! Way to go Taylor & Carrie. Any time someone beats out Kenny Chesney, it's a Great night. Ask me sometime about the time I met KC in Vegas when my sister & I went to the ACM's a few years ago. A**H*le!! And he's shorter than me! Want to bet when Carrie Underwood won Entertainer of the Year, what he whispered in her ear was "Enjoy it B*****, I'll get it back next year!"

Til later................

Date with the Boy

2009-04-05T14:42:00.002-04:00

My DS and I are going to the movies and dinner later today for his birthday. He decided on Monsters Vs Aliens. LOL. First he wanted to see Mall Cop or anything with Adam Sandler. When I told him neither were available he decided on MVA. How cute is that?

Sorry I didn't update you on the sleep study. Friday was a bear at work and then we had Karate that night. Yesterday I took the boy to the Library event and then dis some coupon sorting so I could go the the store. Ended up saving $105 and spending $27. Not bad. TONS of cereal and crackers in the deal. Thanks to my sister for giving me the crackers heads up.

Today I've been going through papers/coupons/junk. I'm actually looking for a missing bill and am convinced now it must be in the car. ARG!

The sleep study was interesting. I had wires attached to every part of my body from the waist up. There were leads glued onto my head (made for interesting time the next morning trying to shampoo it out), wires attached to my face, neck, chest, lower leg, and my finger. It wasn't as bad as I expected since it made me sleep on my back. I prefer to sleep on my back but that makes me snore so I usually get forced onto (gently suggested) my left side. Without needing to worry about snoring, I just stayed on my back. I tried turning on my side but the wires were attached to a box on a table next to my bed and I couldn't really turn over very far.

I got woke up a couple times as the tech came in to change leads that stopped working. Other than that, I slept about as much as I do at home. She woke me up about 5:45 and I got to my DD's a little after 6am. Her apartment security gate was closed so I drop over to a local Wendys and sent her a text to call me when she woke up. I took alittle nap and she called me about 15 minutes later,. After I got upstairs we went back to sleep for about 30 more minutes.

THANKS J for letting me drop in and use your shower.

I didn't get any results. I thought since they didn't come in and put the CPAC on me, that it meant I didn't need it. A friend from work that just went through this and has a machine said, they didn't wake her up that first night either. Darn. Guess we'll wait and see what they say.

I have an appointment with the Ortho dr on Wed and should get the results of the MRI. Joy!

Time to run see if the bill I need is in the car and start getting ready for my date with the boy. Hope you are all having a great weekend.

Til later...........

Sleep, per chance to Snore?

2009-04-02T12:04:00.002-04:00

So excited about my sleep study tonight.

Not.

My sister says that everyone has a sleep disorder when they go to these things because they CAN'T sleep in that environment. LOL. We'll see.

Apparently I scared my niece with my Wordless Wed. picture. Sorry J. We like your choices too but appreciate the "entertainment value & voice" of AL. The fact that he looks like a cross between Teen Wolf, Edmond the vampire and Elvis makes him a little creepy but he's MAN Pretty as Kelso used to say on the 70's show. He amuses us.

No results of my MRI. I figure I'll get them next week when I pay the $40 co-pay for the Ortho Dr. to tell me I need PT. Since I can't afford the $40 a pop PT visits, not sure what I'm gonna do. A co-worker brought me her "Pully" system that she used for PT on her shoulder. If he says that's what I need, that's what I'm gonna use. Doubt he'll suggest surgery and not really sure what I'd do it he did.

I'm avoiding a TON of work on my desk so guess I better get going. Hoping for rain without the bad weather my niece and her area have been getting. Just a nice soaking would be nice.

Til later...

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-01T16:36:00.001-04:00

Play that Funky Music!

Til later.......................

Rainy Sunday

2009-03-29T18:24:00.003-04:00

Got a surprize visit from my DD yesterday during the Vendor event. The event was quiet but my lap top worked so I was able to conduct business, made it ok.

Had a blast last night visiting with my scrapbooking buddies. I didn't really do any scrapping, just a chance to eat, talk and laugh. Got to see my little mad Andy. Got home before my DH fell asleep. Always good!

Spent all day, today, sitting on my butt on the couch with my DH. The weather is cloudy, some rain, some sun, good day for being lazy. Heard my neice had some scary weather on Friday. Glad they are OK.

MRI of the shoulder tomorrow. The new bed pad is helping my ribs but my shoulder is still bothering me. Can't wait to see what the MRI shows.

Count down to my DS's birthday. Gotta plan something special, especially since it looks like the Boy has A's & B's coming on his report card.

Hope you have a great week.

Bull frogs and the weekend

2009-03-27T11:33:00.002-04:00

My beloved DH looks like a bullfrog.

His words, not mine.

I think he looks like The Godfather, only cuter.

He called the doctor and described his appearance. She told him it would be ok & call her Monday if it is not better.

I got a Mattress pad for my bed to try and help my shoulder/ribs. DH-even in his time of sickness-put it on the bed for me. Tried it last night for the first time. It will take a little getting used to since it is softer than the rock that is my bed.

My ribs didn't hurt at all. Shoulder is still tender from the shot I got on Wed. so can't tell the benefits for it yet.

I have an appointment for an MRI on Monday for the shoulder and my Sleep study is Thurs.

Fun, fun!!

Vendor event tomorrow and then am supposed to go to a friends new house for a crop. Since I'll have the car loaded with Vendor stuff I doubt I'll take much scrapping stuff. Since I haven't seen the gang in forever, I will probably just go & visit for awhile. One friend is supposed to bring her baby for a little bit but he will probably be gone before I can get there.

My niece is due down in two weeks. She is going on the Employee of the Year trip with my sister . Hope to get a chance to see her before she goes back to GA. I have a box-o-stuff for her to take back with her. I'm not to proud to bribe her with gifts to get to see her.

What's new & exciting with you?

Oh yeah...the BOY will be 14 in a week. ARG! Suggestions? Sticking my head in the sand is already being done so don't bother with that idea.

Til later..................

Getting better, kind of

2009-03-25T15:06:00.002-04:00

I finally started feeling somewhat human on Sunday. I even managed to leave the bed and move out to the couch. I even went to the grocery store. Others that have been sick ended up going to the doctors but I never went. Between the round the clock care my DH gave me, tons of meds I had thanks to my couponing freebies and my Sinus irrigation system, I bi-passed the medical route.

BTW, I won't get graphic but if you haven't heard of or tried a "Nettie Pot" or Sinus irrigation system, you should run to your local drug store and buy one. I've had mine for at least 6 months and it had never been out of the box. Early in my illness last week, I read the box again and decided it was worth a try. How much worse could I feel? I did it several times a day for three days and it really helped clear out the gunk. I really believe it kept it from getting worse. Don't get me wrong, I felt like crap but really think it would have been worse had the sinus stuff been allowed to "grow".

Back to work on Monday-ARG. Tons of stuff waiting for me.

Day long meetings and a luncheon yesterday-tons o-crap still needing to be done.

Went to the Orthopedic doctor this morning as my left shoulder is still killing me. Got a shot and he decided to send me for an MRI. Have an appointment next week. Will be curious to see what that shows. A co-worker said she had the same thing and was told it was a "pre-Menopausal" thing. Gee =swell! Another co-worker suggested I get a pad for my bed and new pillows to relieve the pressure from the hard mattress. Claims that stopped her shoulder pain. I need new pillows so may try that anyway.

My sleep study is also scheduled for next week. Found out the facility doesn't have a shower so they will wake me up at 5am to go home and shower before work. Joy. I think I'll drop by my daughters apartment since it is closer and use hers. I figure she will probably just be rolling in at that time so will be up. LOL.

Speaking of the DD, I got a visit from her today. I was feeling bad that I hadn't seen her in several weeks when I found out about a co-worker who's daughter had flown in to see her for her birthday-today- and they hadn't seen each other in 5 years. ARG!!! Had a nice visit with DD and she was wearing the running shoes I'd gotten her to replace the Christmas shoes. SWEET! Glad she really does like them and is using them.

Now that I'm "on the mend", my DH is sick. Poor baby. He looks like the Godfather. Swollen glands, puffy eyes...poor baby is a mess. He called the Dr. today and was told to let it run it's course unless it's still there Friday. We need to air out the house and get rid of the germs we're all sharing. ENOUGH already.

So, how you doing?

AI tonight.

til later...............

No light

2009-03-21T13:40:00.002-04:00

at the end of the sick tunnel. I still feel really crappy. I hate being sick when I have a thousand things that need to be done. My DH is taking excellent care of me. Poor baby isn't getting much sleep thanks to my coughing and snorning.

Hope you all are having a better weekend than me.

Til later..............

Sick dogs feel better

2009-03-19T16:25:00.003-04:00

than me today. I started feeling "different" yesterday morning. I've had a sinus headache for the last week but yesterday my head felt different. Stuffy. Sinus infection instead of just pressure.

By this morning I was sure, I'm sick. I called in to work to let them know. Apparently that didn't go as planned as my BFF Peep, Carol called and woke me up at 9:30 because they didn't know where I was. I'm afraid I was short with her. SORRY PEEP. I just felt so bad and knew I was now going to be awake. Darn.

Sure enough. No more sleeping today. MY DH has taken great care of me. My DS is staying away since he's been sick and we don't want him getting it back.

I've watched TV and even watched "Changeling" (sorry not sure of spelling) with AJ and Jeffrey Donovan from Burn Notice. My DH watched it yesterday to be sure it was ok for me. He protects me from really bad stuff that he knows I don't like. He liked it and so did I. It was very disturbing to know that sort of stuff went on but still a good movie. Have you seen it?

So sad for the tragic death yesterday of N. Richardson. Just unbelievable that something like that can happen. I haven't heard all the details so won't speculate any thing. I just feel so sad for her family. Makes you want to hug your loved ones extra tight. Once again, you just never know what can happen.

Til later........................

Public Service Announcement

2009-03-17T09:18:00.002-04:00

The following information is from History.com via Hooray for Freebates:

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day andthe anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed thisday as a religious holiday for over a thousand years.""The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in theUnited States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched throughNew York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped thesoldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen servingin the English army.""In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a religiousoccasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closedon March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a nationalcampaign to use St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to drive tourism andshowcase Ireland to the rest of the world. Last year, close to one millionpeople took part in Ireland 's St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin, a multi-daycelebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions, andfireworks shows."

Personally, I do not like today. In 2001 I was involved in a Head On collision on St. Patricks Day night. I ended up being Medavac to the hospital where they discovered 3 broken ribs on the left side. Unfortunately you can't "Set" broken ribs so they healed "Naturally".

Crooked

They stick out.

I sleep on the left side.

Our bed is ROCK HARD.

It hurts my ribs.

I try to sleep cocked alittle and that has thrown my left shoulder out of wack.

Sleep on your right side you say?

My sinuses do not work if I sleep on my right side.

Sleep on your back you say?

I SNORE.

I have an appointment with an Ortho for my shoulder (again) and I am working on getting into a sleep study about the snoring.

Other than that.....Happy B-day to my dear Peep, Colleen. I'd rather celebrate your birthday than the wear-in o' the green.

Til later...............

Birthday Greetings to my BIL

2009-03-13T15:11:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure my BIL reads my blog but I wanted to post here and wish him a very Happy Birthday. ( I sent him an email too so hopefully he'll see one of them) He recently suddenly lost his loved one and I can't imagine how difficult today will be. I hope he knows that he is on our minds and wish him a day surrounded by people that care about him.

HUGE HUGS D.

Til later................

What?

2009-03-11T13:08:00.002-04:00

A post.

During the work day?

Don't tell anyone.

Something must have updated.

In my favor.

Don't know how long it will last.

I'm going to run over and see if this means I can check my bank account again.

Later................

Take Out

2009-03-10T22:58:00.003-04:00

When your Sweetheart tells you to pick a restaurant to celebrate your anniversary, what do you do?

Me?

I sweat over it and can't make a decision.

I hate making choices. Dinner location, what I'm going to eat. ARG!!!

What did we do?

Ordered Take Out Chinese.

Yum.

Spent the night, on the couch, eating take out and watching a 2 hour AI.

Perfect.

Til later...............

2 down

2009-03-08T12:13:00.003-04:00

50 to go. Well, we hope so. Today is our 2nd wedding anniversary. We have decided to wait until Tuesday to celebrate when the boy will be at his dads. For today we are going to do what we always do, spend time together-thankful for the chance we took and the way it turned out.

I love you L. Thanks for never giving up on us.

Til later............

BTW, it's also my MIL's birthday. She doesn't read my blog--heck, she doesn't even have or use a computer so we will be calling her later.

LOVE you too Mom. Thanks for your support.

Almost famous

2009-03-08T12:03:00.003-04:00

My DD started off in college as a Pre-Med, gonna be a Pediatrician. She soon decided that spending the next 10 years devoted to that study was not what she saw herself doing. OK, what now? To be honest, she has explained her new major to me several times but I'm apparently to stupid to understand or retain what she tells me. I know it is in Media and she has spent alot of time making short films (still waiting on that dvd-J), interviewing people and other things I don't understand.

Over a week ago she alerted me to an article that was going to be in the local paper and said she was in it. Well the article came out and she did not have a bi-line and was not mentioned. I was confused. She explained to me that she had helped research and write the piece. A few days later she sent me a link to a TBO story and told me to watch it. She asked me again yesterday if I had watched it and was not very happy with me when I told her no.

I made a point of watching it this morning. I'm sorry that I didn't get to it earlier as she is actually narrating the video and appears on camera several times. She told me that it will be on Channel 8 sometime in the future. For now you can watch it here.

WAY TO J!!!! You looked and sounded Great. I'm really proud of you. Sorry it took so long to get around to it.

Til later..............

We thought the day would never come

2009-03-06T23:18:00.003-05:00

but the boy had a "Play date" today. Well, I guess at almost 14 it really can't be called a play date. He went over to a boy's house that he goes to school with. He lives one street away and so the boy rode his bike over. He checked in several times and came home when the family was ready for dinner. Not only did they play video games (hopefully he didn't yell and scream like he does at home) he said they played baseball in the kids back yard.

WOW. It would be so great if he finally has made a real friend. It sounds like the kid is smart, as he is in the boys Algebra class and he is in 7th grade. Cool.

My sister is leaving tomorrow on a cruise with her HT friends. She got her haircut today. Looks really cute. You can check out her blog for a picture. They also finally announced that she had made "Employee of the Year". It's about time. She's know for about 2 months. She gets to go to a Spa in AZ in April. Good for her. It is long over due!!

Did you see the rocket go up tonight? A Kepler rocket that will be taking "digital pics" of "ET's home. It was a much smaller flame than the Shuttles usually have but it was really bright. The clear sky made for a great view. Love living where it is dark enough to see these things.

Finally watching 24 from this week. Jack really needs my help so better run. Hope you have a great weekend. I got my new stamps from my sis and hope to get quite a few cards made to take to a vendor event I'm doing next week.

Oh, Sunday is a very special day. It's my beloved MIL's Birthday and our 2nd wedding anniversary. Not sure what we are doing,maybe just dinner as we have the boy with us. No matter. We are together and that is all that matters to us.

Til later............

Surprise & great opportunity

2009-03-03T21:29:00.004-05:00

No, it's not Sunday already...I'm posting!! I'm watching AI and thought of you all so jumped on here to say hello.

HELLO!

If you or someone you know is looking for a part time job I MUST tell you what Southern Living at Home has come up with this month. They have added the BEVERAGE Server to the Kit you receive when you sign up in March. I am sooooooooooooooooo jealous! I really want that. I seriously considered quiting just so I could sign back up.

Take a look at my website and see what I mean about this fabulous offer. Link is on the side bar.

Going to go finish watching AI.

Til later...................

Only on Sunday

2009-03-01T14:56:00.002-05:00

Maybe that's what I should rename my Blog. Yes, Michele & Kip...I know you are tired of the Clean Car post. If you have ever ridden in my car you would appreciate how important that fact is to some people. No matter...I have been asked and begged and teased into posting so here I am. I'm supposed to be doing my taxes but if you don't tell my DH...

Another week gone.

Another month in fact.

Wow. In a few days it will be another YEAR gone.

No. We haven't sped to the end of December. I'm talking about my 2nd wedding anniversary. WOW.

Before I get ahead of myself, lets review the week. Hmmmmm, maybe that is what I should re-name the blog. "A week in review". What do you think? Just post more often? Easy for you to say. Some of you still have blog access at your jobs, or you are SAHM's or you have more than 24 hours in a day. Or you just manage your time better. What ev.........

So, Monday. I know I was busy but can't remember why. Anyone?? I did find out that the oldest sister of my oldest friend died ..well, I've know her the longest...actually she is 2 months older than me...hmmm...see why I can't post more often. My brain farts take to much time.

Tuesday night I went to the memorial celebration of my affore (???) mentioned friends sister. It was interesting to see all her relatives that I haven't seen in YEARS. I used to take my kids to my friends house for cookouts and pool parties and knew her sisters/family from those gatherings. It was a trip to see all the kids I knew as little kids that now have grown kids of their own. The family put together a slide show and I got the chance to watch it with my childhood friend. We laughed over the awful 70's hair. I almost was in one of the pictures as it was of my friends wedding. I was a bridesmaid but the picture they used was of the "Family".

Wed. night I went to a networking meeting/dinner. It was "catered" by the hosts son-in-law. The food was very good. If you know anyone that needs a caterer, give me a buzz and I'll hook you up. I had to leave the meeting early because I'm involved in a "Leadership" building group that has conference calls every Wed. night. After looking at my sales this month they may decide to kick me out of the group!

Thursday & Friday nights are Karate nights with the boy.

(BTW, the boy is feeling much better and has gotten over his "Shopping marathon" illness.)

Saturday (yesterday) I got up bright and early to hit the local church Yard Sale. It wasn't as good as last years but I still scored a few treasures. I left the church sale and Yard Saled and Thrift stored my way to West Tampa to meet up with my friends & sister at a crop they were attending. The hostess of the crop allowed me to pass out flyers about the ALL YOU magazine and I have offered to donate $2 per subscription to her fundraiser. There were a few faces missing as they had other things to do but I did run into a fellow "Home based business" friend of mine. I'd forgotten we discussed Scrappin the first time we met.

Speaking of friends, two of mine had Birthday days this week. HI NIC!!! Hope your toe gets getter soon. HI CARI...Hope you had fun with the mouse. Missed both of you at the crop. It's been way to long.

Before I forget...CONGRATS to my DD, J for running in her first Gasparilla yesterday. Haven't heard the entire tale but she did it in a commendable time of 31 mins (I think..I could barely hear her when she told me). Brings back fond memories of when I was a runner. I did the Gasparilla race at least once. Man, that was a LONG time ago...many, many pounds...I mean years ago.

Speaking of way to long...I really must get to work on the Taxes so will sign off now.

Til later.....................

A Clean car

2009-02-22T16:25:00.003-05:00

it's a beautiful thing. Actually it's not clean by most peoples standards but if you've ever been in my car, it's spotless compared to usually. Well, it's not spotless but you can sit on the seats without having to shove newspapers or coupons out of the way. The very back doesn't have 100 lbs of bundled newspapers stacked up to the roof. It has some wooden boxes I picked up yesterday for my friend J. I have some Fall Southern Living at home catalogs that I'm going to give out or leave in office lobby's to advertise back there but they are neatly contained instead of spread every where.

I was going to have the boy help me and even wash the outside but he isn't feeling well and is also running a bit of a fever. He complained of not feeling well yesterday while we were shopping but I thought it was just his way of trying to get out of it. Guess not as he started feeling bad after we got home. We've been giving him medicine (seriously-do you have any idea how many bottles of medicine I have from all my shopping/deals?) and he even slept for a couple hours earlier this afternoon.

While I was cleaning out the car I took pictures of things I want list on Ebay. My auctions from last week are ending and since I haven't received any emails I'm assuming they did not sell. Hopefully the next group will do better. I also need to check my Paypal account to be sure it's working correctly and to see if I got my $$ from the Secret Shopper thing I did last month. I didn't tell you about that? Hey, it was a secret. LOL.

til later.........

Savings update

2009-02-21T20:02:00.003-05:00

How is your saving plan going?

You didn't make a savings plan?

Why not?

I'm trying to be better and have opened several savings accounts and have set up direct deposits to them. I'm using ING. Have you heard of it? I'd seen the commercials awhile back but didn't know to much about it. It's strictly on line but is supposed to be as secure as Brick and Mortar banks. My thinking was an on line account would be out of sight-out of mind and I won't touch the money. That's my plan.

I've gotten a few rebates lately.

$18.50 from CAREGIVER. Last years rebate was $73 but we didn't use as much stuff on their list this year.

$6 refund for buying a Cookie mix on clearance at CVS after Christmas. You were supposed to get a free subscription to Better Homes and Gardens but you could request a $ refund instead. I requested the refund since I get most of my magazines FREE these days. Considering I only paid $2 for the cookie mix it was a great deal to get $6 back.

Free Bottle of Sauve coupon. Used that this week at CVS and doubled it with the Sale/ECB deal to make it even sweeter.

You can see my shopping trip savings in the post below. I wish I could do like another blogger I just found that takes all the money she "Saves" with coupons, refunds, rebates, store discount cards-etc and adds it to her savings. She's saved over $3000 with little effort but my savings just mean I can buy more stuff without going over draft in my checking account.

My yard sale money for today came mostly from the change that I've been dropping into the bottom of my purse every day. I took out $35 to use with the change and came home with almost half of it. Since I'll get $10 back from a friend I was shopping for and I bought a purse I hope to sell on Ebay, I feel my spending wasn't to bad. Now if I'd just SELL the stuff I have for ebay I'd be all set.

If you have any questions about some of the stuff I've mentioned, email me or leave a comment. I was "saving time".

Til later.....

Saturday again

2009-02-21T19:19:00.004-05:00

Man I HATE not being able to update while at work. How rude that they won't let me waste state time. LOL. My mother suggested I get up earlier and post in the morning like most bloggers do. Sorry, I barely can get out of bed early enough to take a shower, get dressed and get in the car by the time I need to, to get to work on time. Seems like my nights are really busy now too and I'm not getting done nearly as much as I need to already. Thanks for hanging in there with me, I'll try harder.

My mind is mush right now so I won't try and fill in the missing days..how about I just share my shopping trip with DS today. Bealls was having a sale where when you buy a clearance item, you would get the second clearance item (of similar value) for only $1. Since DS and I both needed jeans we headed out after I went junking this morning. Approximately 4 hours later we finally left the store with 2 huge bags plus another one that held a pair of new tennis shoes for the boy. The shoes weren't on clearance but since he hung in there for four hours at the same store he got rewarded with a pair of non-clearance shoes. They were on sale at least. We ended up SAVING $464. We got:

The boy got:
2 pair of jeans
5 cool shirts
4 sweatshirt style "jackets"
His tennis shoes

DH got:
Bucs Golf/Polo shirt
Bulls Golf/Polo shirt
Rays-t shirt
Nike T-shirt

Me:
3 pairs Jeans
2 Tumblers w/lids

I had also bribed the boy with an A & W root beer float after the shopping trip since I have coupons. We drove across the parking lot to the restaurant and the cashier told us NO ICE CREAM today. What??? Thankfully there is a Sonic right next door so we hit the $1 menu for a mini sundae and a half price Slushie. Yum!

Now we've had a good dinner of Spaghetti with meatballs and are settled in to watch Nascar.

How was your week?

Til later............

Is this thing on??

2009-02-14T20:00:00.003-05:00

To quote my friend Nicole when she had been away from her blog for awhile. It really stinks that I can't post to my blog while at work. How Rude! Let me try & bring you up to speed...

My DD is feeling better and seems to have survived her wisdom teeth experience.

My DS got his progress report on Thursday and has a reprieve for awhile on his video game restriction. All A's & B's!!!! Speaking of the boy, he is getting so tall we needed to buy him a new pair of pants. Monday we went to dinner together and then to Bealls to exchange his sisters sneakers from Christmas and to get him some pants. I ended up getting a sweet deal on the shoe exchange and it all but paid for the DS's pants. I LOVE getting Nike t-shoes on sale and getting a $30 pair of pants for $3.

I was offered an opportunity almost a month ago that sounds really fun but I'm not sure I have the extra time it would require. Let me ask you, would you pay to go to a workshop to learn how to save money using coupons, etc? Most of the people I know already use coupons and shop the CVS deals.

Speaking of deals, do you know anyone that doesn't have a subscription to ALL YOU yet? I'm still taking orders to support Mental Health America of Eastern Missouri.

No coupons in tomorrows paper. Good & bad. Good that I can get caught up with the ones I have to file but Bad that there are no new deals. What great deals have you done lately? I got three bags of items at CVS last night for .33 cents. That was fun.

Did you go to Dennys and get your free breakfast two weeks ago? If not, you have another chance for free pancakes. Check out the post at my friend Kims blog STLmommy for details on this weeks freebie.

What did you do for Valentine's Day? Since we are celebrating our MONTH-O-ANNIVERSARY..and we think V-day is a Hallmark holiday, we didn't do anything crazy. I got up early and went to some yard sales and to the new Sally in the area. I found a bunch of stuff and have the delusion that I will sell them on ebay. I found a couple of wooden boxes to add to my DH's collection and the 1st two seasons of LOST so he can go back and try and catch up (yeh-right). I also found the second season of his fav-The 70's show on DVD. He got me a "Snuggy" (as seen on TV). That is actually a joke, I bought it myself but told him it was my V-day gift. LOL.

We also decided instead of trying to go out to eat "just because it's V-day" we'd eat at home. I bought some steaks and now we are making some cookies. Yummy! The cookies were part of a purchase I made to earn a Publix gift card. Double sweet!

Guess you are up to speed. Oh.....I almost forgot.....NASCAR is BACK baby!!!!!!!!

Til later................