Drivin' 55

Migraines…they can be debilitating to those that are prone to the nasty headaches.  Migraines are so much more than a headache.  They can bring your life to a complete halt with light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, spots before eyes and even the psychedelic auras.  Up until recently, I  never experienced the auras, but I am sure that is what I saw yesterday.  Wild stars of many colors all around me.  I guess you have guessed by now that I am in the middle of a nasty migraine headache.  My best relief is bed rest, quiet surroundings and darkness.  Until tomorrow, my friends, or perhaps the day after…

Why? Just tell me WHY? Click here for more nonesense! Kitty Wigs

As I drove to the Office Depot on Saturday, I was going over in my head how to handle this situation. I had two choices. One, I could be Evil Crazy Deb and rant and rave...or...I could be Sweet and Apologetic Deb and hope for the best. Here's how it went.... After walking into the store, I proceeded to the shipping department. In a soft voice and a smile, I ask for the manager. Over walks Ben, Manager in charge! I explained to Ben that I shipped this package on Thursday from his store. "Imagine how surprised I was to find it at my door on Friday." "No problem, let me look it up." He asked if I filled out the information on the screen. "Yes, I did. And I realised that I transposed the information. Was there anything you could do for me because I really cannot afford to pay double shipping." Ben says, "I will refund your money and ship this for you." Five minutes later, all paperwork completed. Ben goes over to the register, hands me...

This post is a recount of the perils of shipping a package and took place on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, I was headed out to find my Staples so I could finally get the Give A Way mailed to Mental Pause Momma .  When I had my business, I always dealt with Staples mainly because they were knowledgeable, kind and accepted responsibility when matters went wrong.  For some crazy reason, my husband said “hey...there's Office Max.”  OK, it's right here, so I turned in the parking lot and went in leaving hubby and Jack in the car.  The gal over in their shipping department was well qualified with 2 full days under her belt.  She didn't have a clue as to how to run the computer nor even how to tape a box.  I waited as she timidly asked for help.  At this point, I'm now in the store so long that my husband calls me on my cell phone wondering if I was robbed.  (you know how he is!)  I calmly try to tell him that I'm still inside...and I...

Rainy days always get the creative juices flowing.  My den/office/craft room/Jack’s toy room was quite the mess.  If you remember, this is what it looked like when we moved in. Ghastly, I know.  Many of these boxes are gone, but the level of scrapbooking and rubber stamping supplies were astonishing.  Really.  Even on a good day, the door to the room needed to be closed. And as of Thursday, the room looked like this.  My very talented husband build this free standing window bench for not a lot of denero.  The amazing man I married managed to create this masterpiece in less than 6 hours…and 3 trips to Home Depot.  Now it’s my turn to decorate.  I am envisioning a 4” foam cushion along the length of the bench.  These pillows were purchased on our last trip to Hawaii.  I love them.  Truly.  I want to use them at all costs.  So out of the closet and onto the bench. Here’s a close up of the pillows.  I ...

It's just not fair that the establishment with the best coffee in the entire world... also sells evil Boston Creme donuts filled with delicious creamy center. How can one refuse the delicious creamy center? And now this offer? I must stay away...far away.

Sometimes, you just want to get together with new friends…   And nosh  a bit with some necessities in life….good cheeses, a bit of vino…   And then comes the decadence….chocolate covered strawberries…made by me What says friendship more than hand dipped chocolate strawberries? Served on one of my favorite platters… Add a fresh pear and the appetite is over whelmed….  Umm, this wall is screaming to be painted!  

Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity. ~John Ruskin This photo was taken last year in Manitou Springs, Colorado. The town itself is very charming filled with galleries, restaurants, cafes, Pikes Peak, mountain vistas and gift shops galore. I particually remember "The Mona Lisa" fondue restaurant and wine cellar. Ahhh...good times.

Drum roll , please... Random Integer Generator Here are your random numbers: 3 Timestamp: 2009-03-22 22:32:08 UTC Congratulations to Mental P Mama!!!!

Who knew that I would still be here going strong with my little blog site after one year? Time certainly flies when you are having fun! And guess what? I plan on having a little give a way which I know you all will love. Something crafty. Something springy. Something useful. Something made by me just for you! Something inside which will remain a surprise! You know how it works. Leave one comment, get one chance. Pimp my blog on your blog and leave another comment Get two chances to win. Contest ends Sunday evening at 6:00 PM Eastern time. Winner announced Monday morning! PS...a little secret to what's inside. It is something that requires stamps.

There are worse addictions.  Lord knows I have had many. Peanut butter Fountain drinks To name a few I have to say that this addiction is at least healthy. For the last 10 days, I’ve had a salad every night for dinner. I guess the obsession began when shopping at BJ’s a few weeks ago. I picked up a very large bag of garden salad for around $3. And the obsession began… I had to build the perfect salad. Red peppers Some fresh peas Red onions Cukes….gotta have cukes! Chunks of cheese…but not a lot And then there are the anchovies… Anchovies and me go back a long way I craved them when I was pregnant with my first child   Sometimes I add a little meat Chicken breast perhaps Here, I’ve added left over pork loin roast from earlier in the week   and one cannot forget lady spinach I spinach! There’s that pork again and you cannot forget the beets these are the home made kind second batch of the week! those...

Can you guess what I am doing? No, I am not bleeding profusely. No, I am not attempting dying something naturally… Today, I attempted to make fresh beets. All members of my family happen to love beets of any kind. Pickled. Sweet and sour. In the glass jar… Or out of the can… Last summer when we visited family outside Nashville, Mary served us fresh beets. I was so impressed with this simple dish. So here’s how she does it…I’ll be happy to share. I picked up a fresh bunch of beets for under $2.50 for 4 beets. Fill up a pot with water and just a pinch of salt. Clean the beets. Cut off the stems. Add to the pot and soft boil until you can insert a sharp knife and it comes out clean. Like boiling a potato. My beets boiled for about an hour. Drain the beets. When cooled, you will take your beets and cut them into slices or cubes. However way you prefer to eat them. I guarantee, your hands will look like this. Place them in a pretty bowl, I’m using my Polish stoneware. Isn’t ...

After the rains yesterday, I was afraid all of the blossoms would fall to the ground and I would have been a day late and a dollar short again .  However, I was very pleased that the rain did not take the flowers from the Bradford Pear trees.  We live another day to enjoy God’s beauty abound. The Bradford's are always the first to strut their stuff.  Sassy little trees they are! Then…presto…the cherry trees begin to sachet their color.  On the property of my old house, I planted two cherry trees in glorious pink.  One was stuck by lightening (happens to us in every house we live in) but the other, I am sure, is thriving and revealing its beauty.    Yes, the sky was actually this brilliant blue today.  The air is so clear and clean that I wish I could bottle it up and sent it to Asthma Girl when the air in the North West gets funky. This last photo reminded me of Mental Pause Momma today.  I wished she would find contentm...

It was just last week that I learned my friend had some potentially serious medical issue.  Learning this news, I began praying immediately.  Then the thought crossed my mind, why not ask my blog friends to take part in a prayer chain.  If two heads are better than one, than four are better than three heads and so on.  Prayers hold mysterious powers and it is my belief that if tens of prayers, hundreds of prayers, thousands of prayers are heard by our Maker, He can make a difference.  I want to express my deepest appreciation to all of you who took a moment to say a little something on my friend’s behalf.  Admittedly, I was a bit nervous to call her after her appointment basically because I’m a chicken shit  it would be awkward.  When we spoke, I asked her to let me know how things went.  She said to me “I’ll call you if I’m dying.”  Great.  She thinks this is funny.  Honestly, my husband loves to talk on the phone, so I a...

We all know from time to time that some bloggers give away freebies on their blogs.  Well, ladies, Kate from Chronicles of a Country Girl is having a give a way.  So go over to her blog right now and take part.  But if you win, you must forward that delightful little mug to me!  Just kidding…well, not really. And oh, I almost forgot, Friday, March 20th is my blogging anniversary.  Stay tuned to see what surprise I intend to give a way!  Ya’ll come back now…ya hear!

One little photo of a budding rose bush outside my window. Later, if it stops raining, I will photograph the breathtaking Bradford Pear trees on the block near by.

That’s right, I am an avid fan of The Tudors.  Give me men in tights and I am in, baby!  What will Henry VIII do this season? Will he sentence anymore wives to death?  Will he accept his illegitimate children?  You’ll just have to watch. Watch the first full episode of season 3 and you will be hooked. Just click on “Watch Now” and enter KING as the password. Enjoy!

I often feel as though my blogging friends and me are connected on many levels.  No one knows how many people actually read our blogs without making comments.  Sometimes we may get tens or hundreds of visitors a day.  And it is my hope that if half of you who read this complies with what I am about to ask, certainly those words will be heard by Him. Today, a dear friend of mine, one that I have known for about 12 years, has a very scary doctor’s appointment at 3:00.  She is one tough cookie (smile) but very kind, loving and compassionate.  I would not be lying to say she is a driven woman as she has a very successful business.   With all things said, she needs my prayers and the prayers of as many people as I can muster.  It is with this blogging connection that we can create one mighty prayer chain, ladies.  For me and for my friend, please send up a prayer for her good health and that she has no medical issues.  I couldn’t bear to ...

I likey likey… … with the eyelet dress?  I have the perfect turquoise purse…

What a surprise…Crystal Palin dumped Levi… What was supposed to be a cloudy day today has developed into a sunny, cooler day… Today is Respite Thursday, and we are outta here! What happened to the Man from U.N.C.L.E.? I have to clean my oven … it’s really gross… Am working on my Etsy site… Still contemplating about that eyelet dress…Gosh, it is cute! Am now using sugar free coffee creamer…I have to start somewhere I have 4 leads for a job going on…one of which is with a circuit board company (my background) I really wish Oprah would get a new hair style…she looks like her cocker spaniel My favorite feather pillow is shedding everywhere It is what it is and I am dealing with that   Must watch ER tonight…all of the old stars are coming back Cannot wait until The Tudors comes back in April…yippee! Saturday is pedicure day 3 cats have been bathed this week…now it’s onto my daughter’s 3 (only one scratch thus far)

Walking out of the grocery store today, I walked behind a woman. She was in her late 20's, well presented. My appreciation of the day was quickly interrupted by the sound of "splat". Coming back into consciousness, I looked around. Where did this sound come from? Much to my shock, I noticed spit on the pavement. My mind was reeling. Did this woman actually spit on the pavement knowing she wasn't alone? Have you ever wondered if what you were thinking actually spilled out of your mouth? Much to my total disbelieve, the woman spit on the ground again as if to say "yeah, I did it". Grossed out? You better believe it. Since when do women who drive a Lexus SUV spit on the ground. Since when does any women spit in public? Or in private for that matter? Spitting is considered rude and a socially taboo in many parts of the world. Although I guess spitting is acceptable in the Republic of China. (thank you Wikipedia) I am appreciative that the wind wasn't blowing...

I love eyelet as previously addressed Here .  This little ditty appeared in my inbox. However, I don’t think a 50 something woman could pull this off.

This weekend, my son hosted our monthly family gathering at his house. Any man or woman would be proud to have these four faces as a member of their family. Everyone is smiling except for that baby of mine. He had his eyes on the trout in the fish tank. Yes, you heard me right. Trout in the fish tank. Mr. Trout is an ornery little fish and is the reason he lives alone in this tank. All other inhabitants are ingested as nourishment. Tim, Jack, Uncle Steven, Samson and Matt I’m sure you can tell that I have been in a blogging funk of late. Inspiration has escaped me. Perhaps if I take a few day sabbatical, I can find my mo-jo. Has anyone seen my mo-jo?

On our first trip to Hawaii, we were fortunate enough to travel to three islands, Oahu, Hawaii, and Maui.  All of Hawaii is like paradise but I grew especially fond of this particular place.  It is on the road to Hana along about mile marker 11 and a good 3 miles off the highway.  It is because I purchased the CD “On the Road to Hana” at the sandwich shop that we even discovered this little hide a way.   A quaint little church lies at the bottom of a twisty road.  Looking towards the ocean, black lava rock clutters the beach front.  Drift wood scattered everywhere yours for the taking.  I didn’t need to go further.  This tree stands so strong against the elements, perhaps that is why I am so drawn to this little tree.  I am c ontent.   Serenity is heightened.  If the good Lord wanted to take me home at that very moment, I would have been happy to leave Mother Earth because this is my heaven on earth.  As we sat o...