Cruise Photos

Yikes, I can't believe I am posting a photo of me in my bathing suit! But here it is....
This is on the beach at Punta Sur on Cozumel Island. It was absolutley beautiful. David went snorkeling with the group. I sorta fizzled out on that activity! I ended up spending my beach time sitting in the sun and swimming there. It was lovely. We both hated for that time to end.

Oh and don't think you won't get to see more photos... I just haven't gotten around to getting them all together to post here, there or anywhere. In the meantime, if you want to peek at the best of them - you can take a look at my Picasa album by clicking here: http://picasaweb.google.com/thejeannefiles/CruiseDecember08

F A M I L Y

Look at these beautiful people...just one side of our family!

A wordless Wednesday...

Hmmm...wonder if any of these are for me?

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

A gingerbread man made all by herself!

2008 Christmas Card...

Taa-Daaahhhh!!! I have finally finished our 2008 Digital Christmas card!

You get to be the first to see it. I haven't gotten my Christmas e-mail ready yet, but I am putting a link here just in case you want a chance to check it out a bit early. I have it posted on my website.

I LOVE making this every year. I think this is the 5th year we have done this type of card. Either with the photo video format or powerpoint presentation format. I search and search for the right music to fit the year's card. I search and search through the photos for the entire year to get just the right ones included. Of course, I end up having to take about half of the pics I want to put in out - or the thing would end up being 30 minutes long. And well while I might enjoy watching it, others might think that was just a bit obsessive. Ya think?

Hey and by the way, if anyone out there in cyber land wants a digital card like this? Send me an e-mail, there's still probably just enough time that I can help you out.

So when you get a chance, take a peek and let me know what you think. I have the comments section of my website up and running once again. Hopefully it won't get spammed this year like it did last year!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It's looking more and more like Christmas at my house! I have all of the "inside" decorating done - Yippee! The tree is up and looking quite lovely. The Santa collection is displayed lovingly on the bookshelf. And "the stockings were hung by the chimney with care"...

I am really in a Christmasy (is that a word?) mood this year. I do love this time of year, but for some reason this year I am really into it. Now last year I went a little overboard on gifts. I swore that that would NOT happen again. Well, as Brittney says "Ooops I did it again". I plan on getting all the gifts out of the closets and my other hiding places and checking to see exactly what there is. Then I will climb up in the attic and find my wrapping and bows. If I remember correctly I got some absolutely wonderful paper at Target last year at the after Christmas sale. I can't wait to see what I bought!

With things being so busy around here, it's hard to post something every day. But maybe I will be better this week. Better run though, I've got presents to find and wrap!

What I Know For Sure...

So while I was browsing the internet today and watching the beloved "Oprah" (which I don't get to do very much), I came across this question on her website.

What do you KNOW for sure?

Hmmm....talk about food for thought. That is quite a question and not one that can be answered in full in just a very few minutes.

But here are a couple of things that show up on MY list.

1. YOU (and only you) are responsible for your own happiness. You can't rely on anyone else to make you happy. Doing that only leads to the opposite - unhappiness. I firmly believe you need to make that a daily decision. "I will be happy today." And yes, I have posted about this before.

2. Stop trying to be like somebody else! If you give up being who you are in order to become like someone else, you'll just end up being something God doesn't need one more of. He made you in a precise way for a precise purpose, and only you will do. So just be you.

3. Don't know how to pray? Questioning your life? If you feel a deep hunger, but don’t know what you want. Ask God to order for you. That way you will get whatever is best on the menu.

4. Never miss a good chance to shut up. (really - sometimes I just have to shut my mouth and not say anything) I use to tell my kids, "if you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all". THAT particular quote is straight from Bambi or should I say Thumper to be exact. I try to listen to my own advice, most of the time.

Oh, I can add to this list if I stop and think about it. And I am absolutely certain I have left off some very important things that I do know, but those are thoughts to be added at another time.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Count your blessings!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

One of my all time favorite songs -

it's been running through my mind all week long.
Hope you enjoy it.

Great is Thy faithfulness,
O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not,
Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been,
Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness,
Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter
springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness,
mercy and love.

Pardon for sin
and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence
to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today
and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine,
with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

He has provided everything I need, given me strength and hope. He never changes. Look around at our wonderful world, have you noticed how beautiful it is? Look at the blessings in our lives. Wow! And even though I fail, every morning I can start over. Thanks!

For Geneva...

What a privilege it has been to be your friend....

Happy Halloween

Here are the best things about my day...

Cheryl, a friend I work with, made this herself! It is fabulous! And her hubby's costume (which she also made) was out of this world! Maybe I'll get a picture later. Another friend also sent me the funniest Halloween joke in e-mail. I laughed and laughed...and then proceeded to send it to more people (which I usually don't do).

Joe, our sweet dog, was so happy this afternoon. He likes having everyone all in the same place. The pack is together, his job is done.

Look closely at this picture. See all those dots? We had a ladybug INVASION - right in time for Halloween. All of those dots are ladybugs. There were hundreds and hundreds of them everywhere. In my hair, on my clothes, all over the ground, flying in the air. And later this evening, even a few had found their way into the house. It was almost creepy, but then well, they are only ladybugs.

Do you recognize this face. If you have a 2 - 6 year old I would almost bet that you do. This is our Dora the Explorer jack-o-lantern. She looked much cuter in person. I like to look at the pumpkin shape and find a character that matches. Fun.

Look at this sweet, little witch! Is she not just the cutest thing ever? But then of course, I am just a little bit biased. Alyssa is growing up so fast. She was so excited to show us her costume and of course, to get her bag of candy from her PaPa and NeNe. Her momma dressed up as "Doc" (of the Seven Dwarfs) today. Maybe I will get a pic of that too.

It was a full and happy day. Happy Halloween!

Hey Ya'll - Get Out and Vote!

This is NOT a political statement and I'm not a Catholic - but this was awesome... Just a great reminder how important our "voice" is in every election.

Tired Tuesday...

Hey, maybe I will start a new fad - Tired Tuesday. Want to blog. Too tired. So here's a couple of things that make me laugh. Enjoy!

So corn dogs were born huh?

OK, some days we all need a little Sarcasma

and finally - next season on
Dancing with the Stars...

Now that's funny - no matter what your political views...

A different kind of post

This is going to be a different type of post for me. But you HAVE to hear about this. It's a pretty awesome story. Our son-in-law's client sent this to him about his BIL who was hunting in Wyoming with his dad...this is his e-mail.

*****************************
Many of you know that my brother-in-law (Bridgett's husband), Ron, was attacked by a grizzly bear last weekend in Wyoming, while bow hunting elk with his dad.

Ron amazingly came through with non life threatening injuries. Ron, who is an experienced hunter and used to be a guide, was calling an elk for his dad, who was down hill 40 yards. The elk suddenly spooked and then Ron heard a noise behind him. He turned around and a grizzly was 15 feet behind him. He tried to shoo it away but it proceeded toward him. He went behind a tree and the bear kept coming, so he took off on his "death run" down hill towards his dad. With the grizzly just feet behind his son, and running full speed, Ron's dad shot one arrow. Ron saw the arrow fly by his leg, unsure of whether it hit the bear, and within a few more steps, Ron was on his back with the grizzly on top of him. With is arms shielding his head, Ron kicked and punched the bear with all he had.

Ron said it all went too fast and he was so full of adrenaline, he could not feel any pain at the time of the at tac k. When the bear continued to attack, Ron's dad, could see that the bear was bleeding badly from the arrow, and he went over and started beating on the bear with his bow(You can not carry guns during bow hunting, so he had nothing to shoot it). The bear continued to attack Ron, biting clear through his left hand and glove, and down to the bone of his right arm just below the elbow. Then the bear, stopped, looking at Ron's dad, walked away several yards, and rolled over dead.

The bear was autopsied and showed that it was well over 500 lbs(the grizzlies in that area average 350lbs) and 11 years old(which is in it's prime). Following the path of the arrow, the autopsy showed that the arrow went in, hit a main artery, then bent, and hit the heart!
A one in a thousand shot they said.

Another important fact to mention and that gave me chills is that Ron's dad had had surgery on his arm, because he had injured his arm and was not even able to pull the bow last season. This was to be his big hunt, and before the day of the attack, he had already missed two elk that were standing still. The morning of the attack, Ron's dad (also named Ron), prayed "God please guide my arrow today". Little did Ron Sr. and Ron know how God would guide his arrow that day!

These are the pictures of the bear and the area that everything took place in. Please enjoy at my expense. Ha ha. Ron

**************************
Now I am only going to post two of the photos.


This is a photo of Ron with the bear.


And his Dad (the hero of the story)....

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

Now for those of you who may be skeptical. It has been checked out by the DOW and was shown to have truly happened as related above. I have also seen the same photos and story posted on several "hunting" sites as an AMAZING story. WOW!

How's that for a story of God's grace!

Six Things...

Thanks JJOFAR for the tag! I love your blog too!

So here's my list of six things that make me happy. DISCLAIMER: OK, well now some of these things are very trivial in the grand scheme of things - so don't judge me harshly. I was trying to have some fun..

1. BOOKS.

Yup, I am basically a nerd at heart. I love to read and read and read and read. It's like taking a mini vacation in my mind. Check out my booklist on the right side.

2. FAMILY.

How could I leave them out. They are just awfully special. (Bet you think your family is special too!) This is my sweet granddaughter - just one member of the best family around...

3. FRIENDS.

WOW - where would we be without our friends? As Bette Midler sings, "Ya gotta have friends..."! And since I couldn't get EVERYONE's pic up here, I just went with this cute little graphic.

4. DR PEPPER.


Where would I be without my lovely Dr Pepper? So stop laughing - it's my only vice in life. I don't drink, smoke, gamble, run around much, etc. Just give me my DP.

5. MUSIC.

Music plays a big part in my life (get it...plays...). OH that was really bad. But alas I am a music nerd too. I love it all - from classical to hip hop. And that leads us to number 6!

6. IPod


Ahhh, the wonderous IPod. One of mankinds most fun inventions! I have two...a small IPod Shuffle and a fancier IPod Nano like the one pictured above. One of the things I would choose to have on a deserted island (along with some miraculous way to charge the little sucker...).

So there you have it - my list of six. Now don't go and try to take any of the above away from me or you will be in for a fight! If I'm in a bad mood - turn on the radio and get me a Dr. Pepper and things just might turn around. And it's time to get off the computer and read my newest book!

Timber!

We finally got the last of our dead trees cut down over the weekend. It was a little hazardous and a whole lot funny.

Check out the video I took. And yes - I am basically nuts.

TIMBER! http://www.thejeannefiles.com/videos/timber2.wmv

You'll never look at sticky notes the same way...

This was so cool - hope you enjoy it....

And it's finally finished!

Whoopee! I finally finished the guest bathroom... I think it turned out really nice. Those who have seen it in person seem to think so too. Take a look for yourself.

I think it looks pretty good for the small amount of $$$ it cost to get it to this point. More elbow grease than anything! Wow - when I look at the "old" pics - YIKES! It really needed this redo in a bad bad way.

Now I am back to normal, non-decorating life for a while. I have just a few final decor items I want to add in to the bathroom. Then it will be on to the bedroom!

What I've Been Up To Lately

I've been gone from the blogging world for a few days. Been spending my time working on our "guest" bathroom! Making lots of great changes. Well, at least great to me. David said it looks "grown-up". I'm posting a couple of before and after photos - just a sneak peak.
Let me know what you think...

Before - dark cabinets.



After - painted cabinets with a glaze over.

I really like how they turned out. It gives a much "cleaner" look and feel to the bathroom. Removing the old striped wallpaper and painting a lovely sandy beige helped too! I will post more photos of the whole thing when I finally get done. I still have the floor to do and then the decorating.

Now for the lighting:

Old Light

New Light


Love the new light! It was perfect for the "feel" I want the bathroom to have when I am done. Going for a calm - relaxing look. With the suggestion of the beach. Can't wait to get the floor down, the mirror trimmed out, new floor moldings down, shelf hung, and decorating done! And can't wait to be finished - I am pooped...

Heroes

No blog tonight! Heroes is finally back on...

Ambrosia artemisiifolia

Ahhh Ambrosia. Definition: The delicious food or drink of the Gods in classic mythology. A fragrant liquid, often used as perfume.

NOT!

See this. This is "Ambrosia artemisiifolia". Commonly known as RAGWEED. How warped is that.

This goofy weed that is giving my body so much trouble right now is named Ambrosia. I wonder if the scientist who named it ever came through Oklahoma in the late summer - early fall and spent any time outdoors. I do believe he would have rethought the naming of this plant that accounts for more allergic reactions than all other plants put together.

According to the University of Tulsa ragweed season peaks every September 10. So maybe thing will begin to clear up and out soon. In the meantime, anyone have a kleenex?

Some of my favs

I've been just a bit under the weather lately. So I haven't played much on my computer. My head is fuzzy and I am having trouble completing my thoughts tonight. So if you see a misspelled word - forgive me. Allergies/Sinus stuff making me goofy!

Anyway, thought I would post a few of my favorite websites. Now most of these are something just to waste a bit of time on. Hey, by the way - isn't this a cute picture - the Internet does contain lots of nuts doesn't it. Me I am a little round filbert...

So here goes:

http://www.ajoyfulheart.com/
This site has a bit of everything. But lots of great digital stuff. Web designs, digital scrapping stuff, linkware sets, etc. Explore a bit - there are surely some treasures to be found.

http://www.fullmoongraphics.com/
Another site just full of lovely designs for digital use!

http://www.allmyfaves.com/
This is pretty cool. Click on it and you will see why. Short and sweet.

http://www.komando.com/
The "digital" goddess. She's great - she has lots of free downloads and tons of info on her site. She puts out a fantastic e-newsletter.

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/
I LOVE SCIENCE! I know, I know. Yes, basically I am a geek in disguise.

http://www.pointlesssites.com/
Just what it says. Pages of pointless sites.

http://www.onceuponafont.com/html/resources.html
Lots of great fonts - most of them free.

http://aholyexperience.com/2008/08/every-day-learning-links-for-life-long.html
Lovely Links for Life Long Learners. And some very relaxing music. And boy if you are a blog reader - this woman can flat write circles around most. She is very inspirational and I visit this site often. Check her blog out by simply clicking on the title on this page.

http://www.atoptics.co.uk/
Beautiful natural photos of out amazing world!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/
Now once you start reading this woman's blog - you won't want to stop. She is the wife of an Oklahoma rancher. She has a bit of everything - photos, recipes, stories, advice, fun, etc. I guarantee you will find something you like.

Well that's it for now. Hope you get a chance to check some of these out when you have a few minutes to play!

Never forget

Nothing to say today other than this: Never forget.

A night visitor

We had a visitor late last night... Here's his photo.
In case you can't tell quite what it is because of the darkness - it's an ARMADILLO! Technically he is a nine-banded armadillo. They are interesting little creatures, BUT

This one has visited us before. Yes, probably the same one. You see they have quite a large "territory", they can wander for several miles. And
surprise, surprise. They are fast little buggers! As I found out last night...

Here's my crazy story. I had taken the dog out right before going to bed and spotted him in the yard. Took the dog in and got Daniel to come out with me. I thought maybe we could scare him away. So we decided to throw something at him. Hmm...what to throw? So Alyssa's soccer ball was handy and Dan threw it at him. Well, he missed. But I guess it got close enough to startle him. Next thing I knew the armadillo jumped STRAIGHT UP into the air! Man, he must have jumped straight up about 2 feet. Then it took off running - RIGHT AT ME AND DAN standing on the deck! Yikes! I started screeching and jumping around thinking that it was going to come right up there with us! Well, it stopped ran another direction, stopped ran towards us, stopped and then ran right under the deck... I
was laughing so hard - I've never seen anything quite like it.

My hubby, Dave had told me that this happened to him and Joe last year when the dillo was making his rounds and causing problems. The thing jumped straight up in the air and hissed at him. Kind of hard to believe until you have seen it! Honey, I believe you...

So hopefully I didn't wake the neighbors. And in the meantime, we have a live trap set in the yard trying to catch him (once again...). Last time we ended up catching a skunk. But that's another story for another day.

So in my research about how to rid ourselves of this little guy who is diligently tearing our yard to shreds, I came upon these unusual facts about armadillos and thought I would share them with you.

1. They can jump as high as four feet straight up!
2. They can cross a creek by two methods: puffing up and floating, or sinking and using their claws to grip the bottom and walk across.
3. They can hold their breath for six minutes.
4. The females can delay their fertilized eggs from implanting for up to two years, until their environment is more favorable for pregnancy. (Now...how handy would that be!)
5. They are originally from South America and have continued to migrate North over the years.
They were first reported in the U.S. in Texas in 1849.
6. They have been used in medical science in the study of leprosy.
7. Armadillo means "little armoured one" although the largest species of armadillo can grow to be 140 lbs. (Glad he wasn't in the back yard!)

So there you have it. Some non-useful information about a weird and wacky creature who roams in the dark....next time maybe he will come to visit you!

Family

Here's a little video I did on Animoto. We had a family get together last Saturday night so I tried to get lots of photos of everyone. Hope you enjoy it!

Decisions Decisions

Well, the striped wallpaper has been stripped and the walls are down to sheetrock. The paint colors have been chosen and the paint has been bought. A new light fixture is waiting to be hung. BUT....

Ahhh there's the rub. I am having a hard time making a "I am 100% positive that I want to do this" decision on what
in the world to do with this bathroom countertop. Let me explain. The cabinet is custom built for the bathroom - lovely when it was constructed - worn looking now. It will be receiving a nice finish. A caramel color paint with a chocolate brown glaze. The countertop. THE countertop. The COUNTERTOP. THE COUNTERTOP! Yikes. Since this is a custom sized cabinet - you cannot find a stock bathroom countertop that will fit. To special order one would cost me around $500 - not in my budget right now.

Here are my choices.

Choice #1 - Leave this countertop alone. It's not that I dislike it completely. It is in pretty good shape - I could polish it up nicely with some heavy duty clear coat car wax. (I've done this before with GREAT results!). And then just replace the faucet. I am just not loving the "shell shaped" sink anymore. Which is kind of funny because I am using what I call "beachy" colors. Soft beige, warm tones, and cool blue accents with some "oceany" decorative accesories. Not all kitchy - just enough to give it that weekend at the shore feel.

Choice #2 - Pull this countertop up and replace it with a tiled countertop. I am liking this idea. I've looked at using large tiles (so there would be less grout space) and then I have also looked at using smaller tiles. This would also include a nice tile backsplash and a new sink.

Here is what I present for your opinion. Is tile a choice from the past? Does anyone have tile countertops and HATE them? Oh and believe me if $$ was no object I would have granite installed. But I have several house updates to do and need to spread my decorating dollars around the best I can.

Hmm...shell shaped sink - Too 80's???? Though when I looked through the custom order books at Lowes - guess what I saw? A shell shaped sink that you can order right now today!

Now regardless of the decision I will be installing a new faucet. And I have also decided that I will be replacing the old floor (which I wasn't going to do when I started).

So there you have it. My current perplexing problem. (I did purchase a sample tile to lay out to see how it would look and I still can't make up my mind.) Really, I would appreciate any thoughts from any of you that happen upon this crazy post. Really....

In the meantime, I am going to go hang the new mirror in the entryway. (If you happen to remember I asked opinions about that in an earlier post.) I await your thoughts!

Wordle

OK well by now you all probably know that I love all these wacky things you can find on the internet. So while just goofing around and passing the time I came across a blog that had one of these things called a "Wordle". So of course I had to try it - here's how mine turned out.

This is pretty cool. You can type in a url (example: your favorite website or your blog address, it explains it at the site, etc.) or you can just type in sentences or words. Then create! You can change the type, colors, etc. and how many words display. Here's the link: http://wordle.net/. It just takes a couple of minutes. Hope you give it a try.

When I grow up

Well this is just a silly little post. Think you know what it is about - you probably do! I Dream of Jeannie! Oh how I loved (really LOVE) this show. When I was little, it was neat (yes I am dating myself again) that this beautiful woman on television had the same name as me. And I wanted to be just like her. She was funny. She was cute. She had a cool bottle. She had a handsome master / boyfriend / husband. She was just about perfect in my eyes. OH - that's right we are talking about a tv show.

When she would "smoke" (or go in and out of her bottle), she had PINK smoke. How girly was that. She dressed in a cute little outfit and I loved her blonde hairdo. I would STILL one day love to dress as her for Halloween. But now that I am old enough to not be embarrassed by dressing up for a kids holiday - alas, I don't quite fit into the Jeannie genie costume!

This show had cool contest gimmicks. Anyone else remember that? I remember trying to guess what Jeannie's birthday was...April 1. And trying to find out where Major Nelson was when he was in a bunker in an undisclosed location (don't remember). And then Jeannie went and got locked into a safe and we the audience had to figure out the combination to let her out. It kept me in suspense. Would Jeannie be happy - safe - still have Major Nelson? Ahhh the simple joys of childhood.

Years ago, when this show went into syndication I was one happy girl. And promptly resumed my infatuation with all things Jeannie. Including having the theme song on my cell phone as a ring tone. Well, after all, hopefully, my hubby still dreams of Jeanne. Oh and on my first visit to Florida in 1984 where did I want to go? Cocoa Beach.

Thanks for letting me take my little walk down memory lane or maybe I should say - Thanks for letting me take the bottle out for a spin.

A Short Guide to a Happy Life

WARNING: This is a contemplative post. Sorry - I was just in that kind of mood.

First of all if you have never read this short and simple book - you should. I have a copy you can borrow. It will take you all of 15 minutes to read. But you will come away with so much for the small investment.

One of my favorite things in this book is this: "You are the only person alive who has sole custody of your life. Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at a desk, or your life on the bus, or in the car, or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your heart."

Great words. That reminds me of something else I have heard (and learned by experience). You are not responsible for the happiness (or lack their of) of those around you. And even more so, you are not a failure if someone around you is unhappy, sad, depressed, etc. You are not responsible for their reality - ultimately they make a choice. "A serial pleaser, pleases none."

Now since it is my blog, I am going to give you my opinion. Take it or leave it...

Happiness is a choice we make. I can get out of bed every morning and make the decision for that day. Will I be happy today? Or will I mope around and choose to not count my blessings, love the world around me, thank God for all he has given me, etc. etc. Sure I could get up and just go about my business and not give it any thought at all. But you see, I have gone through a period of depression (even took meds for a while!) and came to realize that only "I" can make that choice. Those around me can encourage, talk, preach, to me all they want but only I can decide how I will face my day. Yes, meds can help if you are clinically depressed. But I do feel that eventually it is a battle in the mind. You can try your best to talk someone out of their depressive state, but in the end, they have to decide how they will live their life. I choose happiness. Note: See one of my favorite sayings at the bottom of the blog!

I have migraines. When I get a bad migraine I can choose to stay in bed and moan and groan; or I can get up out of bed, take my migraine meds and try to go about my day. In my opinion, I can feel bad either place. In bed, or out in the world living my life. SO I TRY to get up and go even when I don't always feel like it. And there are those days when I would much rather just roll over and stay in bed.

I will step down now from my soapbox. You know life is just a busy, crazy, thing. It goes by way too fast. My family has lost several loved ones to various illness that stole them away slowly. It makes you realize how unimportant a lof of things are. I will close with this paragraph from the book:

"Learn to be happy. Think of life as a terminal illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion, as it ought to be lived." The book ends with these words, "Look at the view." And like the author of this book, that is what I want to do - every day - Look at the view. Try it some time - You won't be disappointed.

Back to School

Brand new crayons. I think that is one of the things I miss the most about my kids growing up and not needing school supplies. Every August I feel compelled to run to the store and buy new crayons, new pencils, a new pink eraser, spirals, and folders!

Something about holding those freshly sharpened pencils, and the crayons that haven't been broken or used until they are stubby. I don't know... maybe I will never outgrow that part of back to school time. And I must confess, I go down the school supply aisle every fall and gaze at all of the new and wonderful things.

Have you seen school supplies lately? Oh my... they are coordinated, cute, bright, and absolutely wonderful. If I were buying supplies I could get matching folders, spirals, pencils, and binders. Too cool! AND they have them in such great patterns. I am almost jealous that I don't need them.

What about you? What do you miss or what do you NOT miss about back to school time? Let me know if I am the only crazy about school supplies lady around or not... Anybody want to go to Wal-Mart?

Life in the fast lane

Life in the fast lane.
Surely make you lose your mind.
Life in the fast lane.
Everything all the time.
Life in the fast lane.
(THE EAGLES)

Things have been sooo crazy since the first of July. This is such a busy time of year at work - everybody wants everything right now! Take a look a what I found searching the net. Very interesting...

Rate how well each of the following sentences describes you--perfectly (2), somewhat (1), or not at all (0)--then add up your answers to find out if you're moving too fast for your own good.

• I always eat too fast.


• I talk rapidly.


• I often put words into other people's mouths.


• I find it frustrating if people speak too slowly.


• I almost always feel pressed for time.


• I don't like to linger over a meal.


• I often feel harried at work.


• I often push the "close door" button on elevators.


• I can feel my blood pressure climb in slow checkout lanes.


• I follow the car in front of me closely when driving.


• I sometimes push the "walk" button at intersections repeatedly.


• I get very frustrated when people are late.


• I often do two things at once to save time.


• I get restless if I have to sit still.


• I feel as if I am wasting time if I do only one thing at a time.


• I get crazy when people ahead of me are walking too slowly.
  
  Scoring:
  24-32: Your fast ways are very likely compromising your health and well-being.
  16-23: You're a borderline speedaholic. You'd enjoy life more if you dialed back.
  0-15: Bravo! You're taking life at a moderate pace.

Hmm....I do believe I just scored a 22. What about you?

Joe the Wonder Dog

Just a couple of shots of my cutie patootie dog - Joe. Joe the Wonder Dog, Psycho Joe, Joe Joe the Dog Faced Boy. He's got lots of names.

He is probably the smartest dog we have ever had and we've had a couple of dogs that went through formal obedience school, etc. I think he just comes by it naturally. Well, really and truly I think he thinks he is a person. Maybe it's because he is an American Eskimo (well there are people who are Eskimos...see what I mean?).

I could go on and on. Here he is singing. That's the nice way of putting it. He is howling at the top of his lungs because the phone is ringing and no one is answering it! Doesn't he look cute?

I will only brag about him one more time and say this: He has a huge basket of toys. He knows the names of all his toys. Yes, knows their names and will go pick the one you tell him to out of the basket and bring it to you. He goes through periods of choosing a favorite toy - right now the toy of choice is "punkinman" - although the "bone pillow" is running a close race. Currently there are no less than 5 toys laying in the living room. Guess I need to teach him to pick his toys up and put them away when he is done with them - put then he is never done with them.

Ohhh...and guess what Joe LOVES fireworks too! Ask anyone who has been at our house on 4th of July. Maybe he should have his own page on Dogster? That would be a riot!

My Life as a Mosaic

This was something cool to pass the time. (You can click on it to view it larger.) Search your favorite photo uploading spot with tags of a list of questions or simply words that describe you. Add those things to the program at bighugelabs.com and it creates a "life mosaic". Very interesting... What do you think - is it me?

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

"Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. And since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."

There now. Are your cooled off a bit?

Not really having much of anything worthy of a posting today, I thought for about the 50th time in 24 hours, "Mercy, it's hot!" So, here's an icy blast from the not so long ago past!

Remember, December 2007? All those snow days from school. Which in reality should have been called ICE days. And the fact that it was so darn cold and you were stuck in the house for many days because the ice covered EVERYTHING! And you had no electricity for several days or was it a week for you?

Well, now. Maybe 102 doesn't seem so bad... I'm feeling cooler already.

Vacation

Ahhhh vacation. What a great word. This lovely shot is the sunrise over Fort Lauderdale beach last week. Ain't it grand?

I had the opportunity to attend a conference there and was able to add a couple of extra days for a little personal time. How fortunate for me and my hubby.

I love, love, love the beach. The sand, the sun, the trees, and the wonderful sound of the waves crashing into the shore. I think I could just sit there for hours and hours just watching and listening. But alas, my nose gets too red - even with sunscreen. So I had the chance to love the beach and ocean in small doses.

The hotel we stayed at was literally across the street from the beach. We stayed at the BahiaMar. A great resort hotel. The conference was held there so that made it even better! We would attend sessions from 8:00 to 3:30 or 4:00 every day - then we had evenings free. I think I swam in the ocean every day we were there (except one - I had to rest my poor sunburned back!). My idea of a great time.

David and I took a little bit of time on Saturday and drove to the closest part of the Everglades and did something EXTREMELY fun. We rode on one of those airboats. I always think of Flipper when I think about airboats... Seems like I remember the dad on that show being a ranger or something and riding around on one. Hmm...

We also accomplished something else I wanted to do. See alligators in their natural environment. Our guide took us out in the swampy glades and sure enough there they were. So cool. Personally I could have just riden around on that airboat all day long. It rode so smooth and the landscape was just so different from everything in Oklahoma! THEN as you can see by the photo I got to hold an alligator! It was a small one. And yes, they had taped it's little mouth shut so it wouldn't bite. (Do you think I would be holding it any other way?) It was amazing. Just like the first time I held a big snake, I was amazed at how soft and smooth it was. The guide said stroke up under it's neck and feel how soft it was there. Simply amazing. And I just realized I have used the word amazing or some form of that word way too many times in this last paragraph. But it was.

It was time to come home all too soon. But then we turned right around and went to Branson for 4 days. Ahhh vacation. This time we didn't try to jam a lot of stuff in and we were staying with our daughter and her husband in his bosses' condo that is right on the golf course. Very relaxing and such a beautiful place. Dave loves to go out on the patio and watch the golfers.

Jamie and I shopped a lot and the guys played golf. We found a cute set of kiddy golf clubs at the Disney store there and Alyssa had a blast playing around with them. She thought she was really something rolling her little bag around with the pink and purple plastic clubs and yellow golf balls.

And then back home we came. I must admit I was ready to get back home. We really only had a pit stop between trips - long enough to wash the necessary laundry and then pack it back for round 2!

It's back to work for both of us this week. Tonight I am taking a quiet rest - no one here - Dave at work - Dan gone on vacation with Ryan. So it's just me and my buddy Joe. I think I may get to bed before midnight tonight! Sweet dreams everyone.