Merry Christmas!

Ok, I know that Christmas comes the exact time every year. It should not be any surprise to me.  So why am I always running around at the last moment getting stuff done?  I had big plans not to procrastinate this year - but I put that off until next year!  We barely got the tree up, I put out a few other decorations and called the house done.  Sunday I was Betty Friggin' Crocker.  I made caramel corn, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter fudge and Bailey's fudge.  I have absolutely nothing wrapped.  Late Monday night I was wrapping a few things that I had to take into the office.  One of my spare bedrooms looks like Santa's workshop - that's where all the gifts are.  Tonight I will start sorting and wrapping.  C's family celebration will be Christmas Eve, so I will need to get all of their presents wrapped.  I am still relatively new to that family - so I better not try and get by with just putting each item in a WalMart bag.  Somewhere there is another unwritten female rule about that. 

So, wanna see our tree?  We got it up last weekend.  One of the cats has eaten all the garland off the bottom.

Most of the ornaments on it are either handmade, Hallmark Keepsakes, or antique.  So we are careful not to put too much around the bottom because shiny things hanging down are just too much for little cat paws or they don't faire too well when a dog decides to plow through between the tree and the table.  So we make it easy on everyone.

Remember This?

Gee, they don't make commercials like this anymore.


I remember this. It's not loud enough or flashy enough for commercials nowadays.  It's simple, yet effective.

Tiger

Even though I am tired of the whole TigerWoods thing already - I can't stand it -I have to offer an opinion.  Our local paper sends emails out occasionally when something big happens.  Yesterday they felt compelled to send out a "breaking news" e-mail to announce Tiger's one sentance comment about his situation.  One stinking sentance!!  It  said something to the effect that he was sorry his transgressions hurt his family.  Did I really need a breaking  news bulletin on that??  I'm thinkin' not!  I'm not really interested in all the fine details of his trysts.  I say it's bullshit anyway.  If he truly sorry was he wouldn't have done it in the first place.  What he's sorry about is that he got caught.  Did he really think that it could go on forever  You can't be fucking around with.... not one... not two...but possibly THREE other women and it not be discovered. For Christ sake, Tiger, you've only been married for 5 years!!  I hate it that we tend to put famous people up on such high pedestals and then are so upset when they fall off.  And they usually do!  We are all human and no one is perfect (I'm certainly not). They have all the money and fame anyone could ever want, yet they do the dumbest things.  If you are going to be in the public eye - don't be a MORON!!!!!

The Holiday Season

Like it or not - the holiday season is upon us!!  For all the hustle and bustle that is involved, it really doesn't last all that long.  I know I have had all year to prepare, but still here I am with nothing done and wondering how I am going to get everything completed that I need to.  Even so, I love the holidays! I think I got that from my mother - she loved Christmas.  I miss her everyday, but I think I miss her more during the holidays. Everyone just seems to be nicer to each other during the holidays.  I hope this week I can begin to get my decorations and tree up. 

End of the Rainbow!

Just My Luck!!!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time for togetherness... it's an occasion to be spent in the warm and loving company of family and friends. Thanksgiving is also an opportunity to renew the ties that bind us with the ones we love... it is a time for remembering, cherishing and being thankful for all the things you have been blessed with.  I am SO thankful for the life that I now have.  I have a wonderful BF, fantastic friends and a job that I love.  Who could ask for more!?

May your stuffing be tasty 
May your turkey plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I Love My Naills!

While I'm not the prissy type to always look like I just stepped off the  runway, I work ina field where I am out in the mud (or worse) sometimes.  But, I do try to do the best with what I have most of the time.  I'm not very high maintanence. However, since I was a young girl I have always loved pretty finger nails. Before you could buy a wide range of colors, my friends and I used to put past food coloring in white polish and make our own bold colors. Once I made a green that my mom said looked like mold. But I digress... There are 2 things I refuse to do without - my hair dresser and my nail tech. For many years now I have fallen slave to the nail technician I have always gone every 2 to 3 weeksto keep my nails looking nice. And I love slut RED nail polish - I figure if I am gonna pay all that money - I want them noticed!! I found a nail tech, DJ, that I love, she gets me and we have lots of things in common. She has turned into a good friend. DJ has been going through all sorts of issues. So imagine my panic reaction when she announced earlier this summer that she was going to leave the shop she was doing nails in and get a fulltime job. But the good news was - she really wanted to keep doing my nails. So, for the past several momnths I have been living the lyfestyle of the rich and famous - my nail tech comes to my house to do my nails. About a month ago she got a new job, but it was going to require her to work 3rd shift. Not good - that's not an easy shift to adapt to. But while I was waiting for her to adjust to her new work hours my nails were becoming a disaster. I can do a certain amount ofrepair work myself - but they were going beyond my abilities. So, here's how desparate I was and how crazy the two of us are... Since evenings are hard for her because she is so tired, we decided how about she come when she gets off work - at 6:45am!!!!! Yup, when I want something bad enough I am willing to do anything. So yesterday morning I dragged my ass out of bed at 6am (anyone who knows me very well knows I am NOT much of a morning person - I HATE to get up). I showered and got dressed (so I wouldn't mess my nails up). I made strong coffee and I got my nails done before I went to work. We decided it wasn't so bad - it was kinda fun. And I felt great going to work because my nails looked good again.

A Little Funny

Woo Hoo today is the day that we work on our mystery quilts.  I promise I will have some pictures to share.

I have been having an issue with one of my knees lately.  I hate to admit that I am getting old, not to mention that there is far more weight bearing down on that knee than should be.  But needless to say it has been bothering me, swelling up, and I have been walking funny. A friend of mine sent me this cartoon - I really shouldn't open things like this at work - I howled with laughter.

Have a wonderful day!

I'm a Genius!!

I'm back after a little lapse in blogging - I have returned. 

At the bottom of the blog you'll see a new feature - a game.  Well, hey, Thanksgiving is right around the corner (ugh!) and I LOVE games, sometimes the sillier the better.  So this game was perfect!  If you have a few moments and you want to do something mindless - here ya go - it's fun!  That's part of the reason I'm a genius - I figured out how to add this all on my own and I didn't have to go running to anyone (I'm looking at you Julie) to help me! WooHoo!

AND remember a couple weeks ago I ran those pictures of that really pretty kalidescope quilt that my friend had made.  I was bound that I was going to figure it out???  I'm a fricken' genius - I figured it out!!!!!  Without much direction and only a few hints from MaryAnn - I did it.  I had a piece of fabric that fit the qualifications - it had medium to large, bright print and I had enough fabric so that the pattern was repeated at least 4 times.  I barely had enough fabric - but this is my practice piece. I just wanted to see if I could do it and if so I have another piece of fabric I'd like to make a bed-sized quilt.

So here's what I came up with:

This is the fabric before I cut it. Of course it has cats in it - did I ever tell you that I LOVE cats? 

And then.....LOOKY!!!!!!!

These are two of the blocks.  I am soooooo excited.  I think they are very cool.  I have 16-5" squares.  I sewed the squares together yesterday. Today I am going to cut some of the coordinating fabrics and see what I can make from that - I think I will only have enough for a little lap quilt - but that's OK.  This was only an experiment anyway. I just wanted to see if I can do it.YAYAYAYAYAYA!!  This quilting technique is sooooooo addictive I want to do more and more.   Wednesday is Veteran's Day and a holiday for us government types, so MaryAnn and I are going to do our mystery quilts.  I will take lot of pictures - I can't wait to share our creations with you.

Boo!!

A friend sent these to me - I thought they were cute!

Happy Halloween!!!!

Beautiful Quilt!

My friend MaryAnn and I known each other for well over 20 years. We work in the same field. But over the years we have discovered that we have many common interests.  (I have her to thank for getting me into the jewelry making thing.)  But, she is a master quilter and I am constantly in awe of her work.  She makes all sorts of quilts and always has a few in the works.  She has entered many of them in shows, with positive results. 

Whenever we get a chance we like to get together and sew.  We have made a couple projects together (I'll share those in detail on other posts).  When we do work together, she is the ying to my yang.  I am the sort that just kinda throws things up in the air and they come out kinda gal.  She brings precision to our projects.  I can't be bothered with the precision that some things take (or I don't have the patience for it).  She also has a eye for color and patterns in fabric that work best together (in that department you'd think I was color blind).  Thus a couple very good reasons that she is a master quilter and I am not.

We also ike to share pictures of projects we have made or patterns we have purchased.  E-mail and those fancy-schmancy phones we have make sharing so quick and easy.  We are gettin ready to do a project together - a mystery quit - you don't know what it is unti it is done - I'll post about it later as we are going to work on them Veteran's Day.  But the other day she sent me a picture of her latest quilt.  She picked up the technique on a recent trip to Hilton Head (even though it was a vacation with the famiy - she always takes her sewing machine and works on some projects).  I beieve it's called a kaliedescope technique (that's what it looks like).  Anyway it is absolutely gorgeous!!!!  I wanted to share it for her.  hahaha  It is very beautiful and I wanted y'all to see it.

MaryAnn, my dear friend I hope you are reading this!  hahaha (and not kill me for posting your quilt, but it is just too beautiful).  You're an inspiration and a true friend.

I am aso bad about looking at someone's project and figuring out how to do it mysef. So I have been trying really hard to figure this out. I think I have it and am gonna try it and see.

Kitten on the Keys

I sure wish my kitties could do this.  They run across the piano keys occassionally - but nothin' like this.

New Digs!!

Have I ever mentioned that I HATE moving?  I'm pretty sure that I have somewhere along the line.

I have whined for several weeks now that we were moving offices.  Well last Friday was M-day!!!!  And much to my surprise it wasn't all that bad.  There were professional movers who moved everything for us.  All we had to do was have our items for them boxed up, slap a sticker on it and they took it to the appropriate place.  All in all I think it went pretty smoothly.  Prior to the move we purged files and got rid of a lot of crap that we no longer needed.  So it lightened the load a bit.   As far as I know everything that was supposed to come over did and most of us have our individual cubies unpacked, as well as our common shared areas.  I left last Friday with my computer and phone still disconnected.  But when I came back in on Monday; *poof*; it was all back up and working.  Though I *still* haven't figured out how to connect to a network printer.  But that's a minor problem for the moment.  Needless to say I am pretty happy in our new office - it's clean and everything is new (it's all been renovated).  The funniest thing for me about all of this is that the building and the floor we are on (even the area) is the exact place we were located when I first started here 20 years ago.  Needless to say the next time they move - it will be without me!  :-)

Here is my old cubie (but remember this was about 3 days before the actual move - I was still sorting):

And here is my new one!  I have vowed not to junk it up.

Be Good...

Sometimes we forget this:

Be Good to Yourself

Who's one of the most important people you know?

You are. That's who…

So be good to yourself.

Come alive to all the happy things there are.

Do something for yourself every day…

Something you really enjoy.

Make your own kind of music…

After all, you know best what means the most to you.

Say what you think.

People nice as you should be seen and heard, too often.

Don't keep your worries to yourself - let a friend in on them.

Is there something you're always meant to try?

Now's the time to try it.

Is there something you've always wanted to buy?

Be impractical - buy it.

Spread joy wherever you can…

But be sure to keep some for yourself.

And when love comes along, welcome it and never let it go.

Let the sunshine in each morning…

Let the starlight in each night…

You're a very special person - so be good to yourself.

Author Unknown

The Nosey Neighbors!!!

Does this look like a junk car to you?

Me either!  But apparently to my nosey neighbors it is.  Granted, it's not the newest car (it's my old-new car I mentioned a couple weeks ago) in the world - but junk!?!?!  Now, I'll have to go and enroll it in car counseling, it's poor little car ego has been damaged.

Yesterday was a day off for me - I work for the government and it was Columbus Day.  As my favorite guy and I were enjoying a weekend breakfast before he had to depart for work, we saw the Police Impound Unit come into our neighborhood.  We live in a pretty nice neighborhood, so it's rare to see them.  He pulled across the street from where the car is parked and sat for a while.  Then he backed up.  I went out (in my pink fuzzy bathrobe noless) to see where he had gone- and he was talking to my neighbor!!!!! So, I went back in and waited for him to either come back or leave.  He came back and sat and looked at my car again.  Known for my meek, mild nature (yeah, right) I flew out the door and across the street (still in my pink fuzzy bathrobe) and asked the cop if there was a problem.  He informed me that there was.  And I asked him why the nosey neighbors didn't come and tell me - why did they have to call the police.  The pink fuzz on the back of my bathrobe must have been standing up, as he told me to calm down and he would explain it.

Well, it's a city ordinance that a car can't continuously sit on the street for longer than 72 hours. And mine has been sitting there longer.  Since we have had it back we have been driving it on Saturdays. He claimed there had been lots of complaints about it.  I must say I'm not surprised - one neighbor did ask me if it was mine.  She said that "someone" (meaning they had been gossiping about it) had said it might be stolen.  Then she informed me that I might want to move it, as the tags were expired (and they aren't).  I wish if these damn people were going to help me mind my business they would at least get the facts correct. Or mind their own damn business! 

Well, now I understand that the car has to be moved every 3 days (I didn't know what the time limit was before) and I understand that I have a bunch of nosey neighbors who would rather call the police than come talk to me (I haven't bitten a neighbor here yet). So, they'll get what they ask for. 

I did have all this room to park the car in front of my house to park and keep the car out of everyone's way.  But that doesn't seem to be good enough. 

I will be a good law abiding citizen and move the car every 72 hours. I was trying to keep it back out of everyone's way.  But, gee, I can't do that anymore, so I guess it will have to be parked in various places, so the impound guy has no doubt that it was moved.  Wonder how the lady that was talking to the impound guy will like it parked in front of her house?  Because that's where it's going to go for the first 72 hours. If she doesn't like that I think I'll park it in the side yard - that's always a neighbor pleaser.

I can't wait to go fuck chat with the neighbors and make sure I am doing everything I can to make their little lives happy.

I HATE Moving!!

I don't care what it is - I HATE MOVING!!! We are moving our offices in another week (it was supposed to be this week, but it got postponed) and does it really look like I am ready??

Last year, I packed up and moved my residence.  I had been entrenched living in the same house for 12 years.  And I loved that house.  I thought I would never move from it.  But fate had something else in mind and I had to move (don't worry it was for the MUCH better).  But because I lived for so many years thinking that I would never leave it, I didn't give much thought to what I accumulated and how I stored it.  I wasn't going anywhere, so what difference did it make if the basement was about to explode and spew many of my worldly possessions I hadn't looked at in at least 10 years all over the neighborhood?

But I digress...What was the topic?  Oh yeah - moving - but I wanted to talk about my office.  Well, at work I live in cubicle world (I am a nobody and like it that way).  I have worked at my present job for 20 years (seriously, I didn't think my attention span was that long).  We did move offices once before but I can safely say that was about 15 years ago. I applied the same logic to this cubicle that I had to my previous residence - I've been in the same place for a long time - I'm not going anywhere.  So now I am reliving moving hell of last year all over again!  Apparently it is more cost effective to hire a moving company than to have our own in-house movers do this.  So we are being issued tubs and rollers to pack in.  Only thing is, we are limited to 4 tubs per cubicle.  WTF?!?!?!?!?!  4!?!?!?!?! What's up with that?  Do they know anything about historical records?? I mean there might be something important in my files about a facility that was built 100 years ago. It could be relevent today (it could be!) and I know just the moment I throw it out, I'm gonna need it. 

Well 4 tubs is just a good start for me.  Over the years, I have brought in lots of personal stuff one piece at a time and now am suddenly faced with having to pack it all up and move it. Even worse, I have had to gather up all my personal stuff and take it home until after the move is complete. So far I am at 6 boxes.  Needless to say, I am getting the funny "where is that going to go" look at home too.

I still have lots of important stuff in my cube.  Normally, my cube doesn't look like this - I am much more neat and organized.  But, we are moving to a newly renovated building with new cubes, and we will be held to a certain decorum (what? no more boxes stacked under my desktop?).  So I have to sort through all this stuff - not everything can go with me (but I like my boxes and notebooks and stuff).  The sorting and packing process has really disrupted my organization.  the good news is that when we go to the new digs - I can redecorate a little.  I will bring back my beloved rat collection, but this will be a good opportunity to change some things too. 

Something I learned last year - a person should really move every few years, just to keep them organized.  It's either that or just pour lighter fluid on it and burn it.  Nothing like a fresh start!

Last Week was Some Week...

Whew and I am glad it is over!!  I had a headache that lasted the whole friggin' week!  Last Monday evening I kind felt like something might be coming on, so I took NyQuil trying to fend it off.  I spent Tuesday with a NyQuil hangover and Tuesday evening I napped at every opportunity.  Wednesday and Thursday were average.  Thursday I still had the damn headache and needed relief.  When I got home from work I made a trip to the pharmacy see what I could find to make it stop.  I came home with a bag of Tylenol, Head-On and Tylenol Severe Cold.  Well I took some good old Tylenol - it didn't help.  I thought that Head-On stuff that the advertise would be something of a miracle.  They make the same stuff for sore joints that you glide on your skin.  Turns out that the Head-On stuff was just the joint stuff only in a smaller tube.  It only heated up my temple and forehead.  Yeah - that was helpful. 

So, by then my cheek was hurting a little - giving me the hint that maybe the headache had something to do with my sinuses.  So thank goodness I bought the Tylenol Cold stuff too.  I took some of that before I went to bed.  Well during the night someone turned a faucet on in my head!  I blew and blew during the night til I finally had to get up so I wouldn't wake anyone else up and sit in the chair upstairs.  When I woke up in the morning I still had Niagara falls in my head.  I felt like shit at work all day - but plugged through because we are getting ready to move our offices. 

But when I came home Friday - I took some NyQuil and was soon fast asleep.  i was determined that I wasn't going to get really sick.  So I stayed liquored-up on NyQuil all weekend and managed to sleep my way through health disaster.  Whew!!  I got up this morning was my usual chipper self!

What a Week!!!

It's been a rough one! 

We are getting ready to move our office, so things have been chaotic there.  Since I am a nobody (and I like it that way!) I have a cubicle at work.  There is only so much crap that can go in one of those 8 x8 spaces.  But me being me - I managed to cram all that I can in there.  My cubicle represents me and looks much like my home in that I have to have things I love all around me.  So I have the usual family pictures, but I also have cups, cans of water passed out during a flood a few years ago AND my prized rat collection (I have squeaky rats, talking rats and other kinds of rats).  They make great conversation pieces. (yes, I did say rats - remember I am in public health).  Normally, the cubicle doesn't look too bad.  But this past week - ugh!  I have boxes all over the place.  I have already brought home 2 boxes of personal stuff, but have more to bring before the big move on October 9th.

Sunday night I got a headache that has never gone away...yet.

Monday night I felt like I was getting the crud that is going around.  When I feel even the slightest tinge of a cold or something else - I take Nyquil. So I did. I slept great.  Though I think I snored ike never before.  I get sooooooo aggravated at myself for snoring.  It's not very ladylike and I just hate the thought that I make such noises.  I know I make other noises when I sleep, because I have woke myself up making noises but they are so strange I can't duplicate them when awake. 

Early, really early, Tuesday morning I got up to let my dog out. (Remember, it's early enough I am still hungover from the NyQuil).  I went upstairs to let her out and I do this most every night and I know how many steps there are between the bedroom and upstairs.  Well, I got up to the top and took one last step.  One that wasn't there - at all.  Yep - I stepped right into the air.  I realized it as my foot was on it's way back down to a step that wasn't there.  I fell flat on my face!!  Well almost I was flat on my face after I landed square on my dog and she shimmied out from under me.  *Then* I was literally flat on my face.  I laid there for a few moments and then I shook each limb one by one to see if anything was hurt.  Nothing seemed to be.  So the dog went out and I returned to bed and to snoring.  I did twist my knee a little.

At the regular time I woke up with a twisted knee and a NyQuil hangover AND a headache.  I dragged myself into work and managed to get through the day.  But when I got home I couldn't keep my eyes open.  Everytime I sat down - I snoozed.  Thus, no Blog on Wednesday - I was sleeping through it.

The good news is - I think I fended off the cold or whatever (this time)!  The bad news is - I STILL have this damn headache!!!

This is too Funny!!

This is one of the funniest things I have seen in a while. But I do feel sorry for the poor guy.  He obviously didn't want to be where he was and then a bug flew into his mouth.

***Language may not be suitable for everyone's ears***

Source: www.youtube.com

Guy shows his true side after swallowing a bug on air. Goes from Dave Chappelle's white reporter to Chris Tucker in an instant

We Love Our Animals

As you know by now - I am a public health person  - I have worked in the field my entire adult life.  So I can't let today go by without a post about this... Today is World Rabies Day!!

Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The vast majority of rabies cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year occur in wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes. Domestic animals account for less than 10% of the reported rabies cases, with cats, cattle, and dogs most often reported rabid.

Rabies virus infects the central nervous system, causing encephalopathy and ultimately death. Early symptoms of rabies in humans are nonspecific, consisting of fever, headache, and general malaise. As the disease progresses, neurological symptoms appear and may include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, slight or partial paralysis, excitation, hallucinations, agitation, hypersalivation, difficulty swallowing, and hydrophobia (fear of water). Death usually occurs within days of the onset of symptoms.

Over the last 100 years, rabies in the United States has changed dramatically. More than 90% of all animal cases reported annually to CDC now occur in wildlife; before 1960 the majority were in domestic animals. The principal rabies hosts today are wild carnivores and bats.. The number of rabies-related human deaths in the United States has declined from more than 100 annually at the turn of the century to one or two per year in the 1990's. Modern day prophylaxis has proven nearly 100% successful. In the United States, human fatalities associated with rabies occur in people who fail to seek medical assistance, usually because they were unaware of their exposure.

If you love your pets make sure they are vaccinated agains rabies.   Thanks to CDC for the information about rabies!!

New Old Car

Or old, new car. Hell, I dunno. But what I do know is that I have another car in front of my house and I think that I own it.


Well here is the whole story... One of my friends at work recently fell on some hard times... When he needed someone to keep his beloved dog because of a nasty divorce - we took in the dog (for over a year) and when he needed a car, during this time I loaned him one of mine. So when he was having some major issues with his car - I loaned him one of mine again. That was 2 years ago!!!!

I am a SUV kinda gal now and usually drive a Jeep. But I also have a 1998 Pontiac Grand AM that I bought new. It's now paid for and in excellent condition, so I keep it around - just in case.

My friend and his wife only have 2 cars.  His was having some major problems. So when he came to me and asked if he could borrow my car, I didn't hesitate to help out.  He was looking for another car.  He told me once he found a car and had it checked out I'd get mine back. He did find a car - but ya'd just have to know this guy... He wanted to have his "new" car checked out, drive it a while, make sure it was OK.  That process took a good six months.  THEN, my car blew a head gasket - not a good thing to have happen to a car!!  My friend has a friend that is a decent mechanic so he talked to him about fixing the car.  Problem was by then the weather ws getting cold and the mechanic can't do a lot in the cold weather because his garage isn't heated.  Early spring comes - still no car.  Now the mechanic is in Florida, because over the winter he go laid off from his real job, he can't work in his own garage because it is too cold.  So finally in July the weather must have warmed up enough, the mechanic came home and my car was towed to the mechanic.  The mechanic only works nights and weekends because he does have a real job (which he'd been called back to). Along the way I got progress reports and just knew I'd get my car back soon.  Finally about 3 weeks ago - I got news that my car was done and back in my friend's possession. But now he wanted to clean it up before he returned it.  So this past Friday night was the night!!!  I was sooooo excited - now we'd finally have a spare car.  My friend returned my car and I must say I think it came back in  better condition than it left.  He replaced the head gasket, the serpentine belt, the battery, a tire, a sensor of some sort, replaced the transmission fluid, all of the coolant, windshield washer fluid, vacuumed it, cleaned out the trash, gathered up all the change I had spilled all over AND washed it!!!!! Wow!

Wonder if he wants to borrow my Jeep for a while?

Button, button

Earlier this week I did a post on my infatuation with craft supplies, in particular jewelry making items (though it doesn't stop there).  Anyway....

My friend Mary Ann likes to show me things that she has made.  So on one of our quilting dates she showed me this bracelet she had made.  It was gorgeous!! - looked almost like a charm bracelet. She explained that she had made it from some buttons (who knew!), but they were special buttons she had gotten them from her aunt and the aunt had recently passed away. hhhhmmmmmm..... so, it got me thinking....

One of my fondest childhood memories was going to my grandma's house.  In one of her closets, she had a big glass jar that was full of buttons.  Where she acquired all of these buttons I don't know (but trust me - I inherited the hoarding gene somewhere) - many of them she cut off clothes that had long since worn out.  That jar was a source of fascination for me.  I often asked her to get the jar out of the closet so I could play with the buttons.  I would dump the entire jar out and sit on the floor and play for hours with these buttons.  It'd try to match them up and find as many of one kind as I could, I'd even make up games with them.  I'd pick out the pretty ones and just spend time looking at them.  I'd run my fingers through them just to feel them. There were plain ones, sparkly ones, even ones that looked like flowers. For some odd reason I loved those buttons. 

When my grandma passed away in 2000, I asked my grandpa if I could have the jar of buttons.  I brought that jar home and have used it as a door stop for the past 9 years.  But it has always been out where it could be seen.  Right now it is proudly displayed in my craft room.

So, that very night after I saw Mary Ann's bracelet, I hauled out that big ole jar and I started going through the buttons, finding ones that I could use to make my own bracelet.  OK, so I'm a copycat - and pround of it!!  It took about 30 buttons in all, but I now have a button bracelet of my very own:

I really love this bracelet - I wear it frequently. All of the buttons I used in the bracelet came out of that jar. So all of the buttons are antiques - well I played with them over 40 years ago and I know that may of them are older than that.  But everytime I wear the bracelet I think of all the fun I had playing with them at my grandma's house and I just think of her in general.  I am sure she would love it knowing what I did with some of those beautiful buttons.

Marietta, Ohio

I am in lovely, historic Marrietta, OH for a conference!

For the past 20 some years I have been on the planning committee for my professional organization's fall conference.  This week it's time for the confernce again.  Woo Hoo!!  I actually look forward to it every year. In all the years I have been doing what I do it has never stopped being fun.  This meeting is the same way.  We put a lot of work into the conference.  But it's like old home week too.  We get to see friends we haven't seen in a while, hear good speakers, and enhance our professional growth. Oh yeah and when the day is over there are the hospitality rooms to enjoy (all I can say is Thank God I don't have to present anything)!  I am looking forward to spending sometime in historic Marietta.  Southeast Ohio is beautiful in the fall.  Tonight we get to have our dinner aboard the Valley Gem Sternwheeler as we cruise the Ohio River.  I am hoping that the weather co-operates and that it will be nice.  After dinner, I hope to just relax after a long day of conferencing.

It's Fall!

Today is the first day of Fall!!  My very favorite season.  I am lucky enough to live in Ohio, where we see the dramatic changes in the seasons.  The changes have already started.  Kids are standing on the corners and the big yellow school buses are out in force.  Soon the leaves on the trees will be changing to the vibrant orange, red, gold and brown colors.  The morning air will have that fresh, crispness to it and evenings will once again have that familiar nip. For that transition period we can shut off the AC and open the windows and air out the house before winter sets in.  My cats love the open windows.  I am off to Marietta, OH today to attend a conference for the next couple days.  Marietta is beautiful anyway, but southeastern Ohio in the fall is spectacular.  I'm so excited!!

The first step is admitting it...

Hello!  My name is LeeAnn and I am a hoarder. (OK whew! Got that off my chest) 

If my background doesn't give it away, my profile certainly does.  I am a creative type person and I love crafts.  I love to shop and I spend my money on clothes (a topic for another day) and my craft habit. 

I owe my creativity to being an only child.  Since I didn't have brothers and sisters to harass play with when I was younger I had to learn to entertain myself when my friends weren't available.   So I learned to sew, draw, paint and do a myriad of other things.  I was always spending my allowance on fabric and drawing books whenever I had the chance. 

One of my BFFs and I get together periodically to quilt.  She knows how I am about crafts.  So she's always showing off these necklaces and earrings she has been making.  Then she made me a cute bracelet for Christmas.  She knows how I am about jewelry too (dangit Mary Ann!!)  So, she tells me how easy the things she had made were and that I should get into it - I would enjoy jewelry making. What she didn't know is how obsessive I really am (though the 5 bags of fat quarters should have clued her in).  To make matters worse my VBFF also was starting some jewelry projects (but hse is always much more motivated than I am and actually finishes stuff).

Well I love crafts and I REALLY love jewelry.  So it seemed like a natural progression. I decided to dive into jewelry making. But in my obsessive little mind I think that I have to have everything that I might ever need and have it on hand - just in case I have a brain storm and want to make something in particular.  I can just go to my supplies and find everything I need.

So every chance I get I buy beads, findings and other jewelry supplies.  I go on vacation, I seek out the bead stores and buy beads.  Everytime I make a trip to JoAnn Fabrics for something I have to look at the beads and buy beads. To make it easier to deal with all these beads I have been trying to organize this stuff, because in order to make things, you have to know what you have and where to find it.  After all summer of organizing and drafting my VBFF to help organize when she was visiting (Susan I know you are out there - THANKS!!) I STILL don't have these damn beads organized and put away.

So I threw them all in a pile the other day, just to see what it looked like.  Mt. Bling!!! This is what it looks like.  

I would hate to think how much $$$ is in that pile!  Not to mention all the really lovely pieces I would have if I actualy did something with this stuff.

In the 3ish years that I have been buying jewelry supplies here is what I have actually made:

So, I have come to the conclusion that I am a hoarder - I like to buy beads and collect them - but I don't actually do much with them. They sure are pretty though!

Weekend Yard Sales

Why do we have such an affinity for other peoples junk???????

OK, maybe it's just me!  I love yard sales, flea markets, tag sales, thrift stores, and "antique stores".  Anywhere you might find someone else's used junk for sale - I am so there.

Our routine most weekends, is to get up on Saturday morning, go to Waffle House for breakfast and then begin to seek out yard sales.  Nothing better than doling out hard earned money for something someone else was getting rid of.  We do get some items that are just too good (and are cheap) to resell on eBay.  Hey - if the original owner is too lazy or too dumb to utilize eBay - I'm certainly not too proud to invest a little time and effort (it pays for those trips to Waffle House and then some).

Admittedly I do keep my fair share of stuff. Never mind that we moved last year and I donated at least 5 truckloads of shit miscellaneous to the Kidney Foundation.  I got rid of all that stuff - now I need some new!!  And who can pass up a bargin??? 

A few weeks ago we went to a yard sale where they had clothes - lots of yard sales have clothes, you say - yeah but these were nice plus-sized clothes (and sometimes they are hard to find).  I ran over to the line where the textile treasures were hanging, I was almost giddy, and sorted through them and  began yanking items off the hangers as if I had won a shopping spree at Saks.  I wound up with 4 tops and a pair of pants.  As I carried my trophies away - I kept muttering about the good deal.  And everytime I wear one of the items I can't resist telling whoever will listen - I got this at a yard sale - I paid $0.50 for it!!!

Now, sometimes we don't do so good.  Last Saturday we hunted around at some yard sales and came up empty handed.  We had all but given up and went to run the other errands that we had to do.  We were on our way home, late in the afternoon, and we spotted a church that had table set up outside - Yes there is a God!! and He brought us to a sale at one of His houses.  We shopped like that was the last sale of the season.  Here is a picture of our bounty:

It is September and soon it will be too cold for yard sales.  But we have our contingency plan in place:  We hit the Thrift Store circuit!!

This Registers High on the ICK! Scale

***If you don't like the mention of bodily functions you might want to close your eyes today.***

I have worked my entire life in public health - no I'm not a doctor or nurse.  But before that, I learned at a very young age about the importance of handwashing.  Handwashing is one of the single best things you can do for yourself to protect against germs.  This fall, as the Swine Flu (oops I mean H1N1) reappears with a vengence, you will be reminded over and over again about the importance of, among other things, simple handwashing.

But my attention, via another board I read, was brought to the fact that there are people who don't wash their hands.  But, whats worse is  that some of those people actually FAKE it!!!!!!  (OK - There are certain things that just invite faking - but handwashing??) EEEeeeeewwwwww!  Is it really worth faking?  It only takes a minute and isn't all that difficult.  There is at least one website dedicated to those who partake in "Fake Handwashing".  There may be more but after reading the posts at this one site, my 50 year old heart just couldn't take anymore and I didn't look any further.  (If you're interested in seeing it I can send you the link - I do't want to post it here because I really don't want to promote it in anyway)

By reading the posts, it sounds like teenagers who think it is funny.  Apparantly there is some sort of sport to it - they go to the bathroom and then leave without washing.  They brag about going through the motions by running water and rumpling up towels to make others think they have washed.  OMG!!  I get the whole "pee is supposedly sterile" thing but there is other stuff down there that isn't and no matter how clean you are or how careful you are - there is a potential for contamination.  And I get that your hands get dried out in the wintertime - that's what hand cream is for! What bothers me is that they aren't just putting thierselves at risk - but those around them because other people may touch the same surfaces (like the bathroom door handle).  I have never been one to be particularly bothered about what a person chooses to do to themselves - but when it affects other people - then I mind (thus the public health regulator in me).

Over the years I have constantly been amazed at the lengths people will go to get out of doing certain things things.  But this one takes the proverbial prize!!  I just had to rant about that somewhere and get it off my chest - I feel better now!  Thanks for listening!

Meet the Kitties!

Something you will learn quickly about me is that I really like love cats!  Real cats, pictures of cats, figurines of cats, basically all things feline.  We are fortunate (to hear them tell it) enough to live here with 3 of the little furry critters.

We have:

AJ - He is a sweet 11 year old tabby. His mom was a persian, so he has semi-long hair.  He is every bit a cat, but is the only cat I have ever owned who truly acts like it loves me.  He follows me around and he sleeps by my pillow every night.  He is always willing to assist with whatever I am doing.  As a matter of fact he is the Chief Supervisor on this Blog project!

Barney - Originally, his name was Bad-ass Barney when he was a kitten because he seemed fearless.  But his name morphed into Barney Boo because he is scared of everthing.  Only thing we can figure is that is he so gorgeous that he is afraid someone will catnap him so he is just a big coward about everything.  Barney is a full-bred silver chinchilla persian and has beautiful, long silky fur. 

Harley - He is a big orange tabby and though he is the youngest of the bunch he pretty much bullies the others around.  He is the typical alley cat! He was rescued from an alley behind the local Post Office when he was about 5 weeks old. Though he would not want the cat union to know about it - he acts like he is truly greatful to have been given a home and taken in from the alley.

I had a really long weekend over Labor Day, taking extra time off work to do some things I that I wanted to do.  One of those chores was giving all 3 of the cats a bath.  Yes! Cats do need an occasional bath - they smell like cat food and their fur gets all separated looking.  So they went from what you see above to this: 

Harley - after he came out of hiding - he yelled - nnnnnnnnooooooooooooo! through the whole bath procedure.

And YES - that thing that makes its way around the internet about giving a cat a bath is all true!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

Hi!!  ::tap:: ::tap::: ::tap::  Is this thing on?

Today is my 50th birthday.  That in itself is an amazing accomplishment.  I look back on my life and wonder how I managed to make it this far. After all I grew up in a time when cars didn't have seat belts, we didn't wear bike helmets, and ritalin wasn't readily prescribed.  So, I'm thinkin' it's been by a sheer miracle!  But the truth of it is probably because I had a wonderful mother and grandparents who helped point me in the right direction.  I have fantastic friends who have seen me through the good, the bad and the ugly (and not necessarily in that order).  I share life with a guy I absolutely adore.  I have a career that has never stopped being fun for me (even after 27 years).  So maybe it is luck and I am one of the luckiest people on the planet.

But seriously, 50??  That's a half century!!!!  My mortgage will probably outlast me.  And, oh yeah, I got the AARP membership app in the mail last week - very funny. Ugh!!!  Someone recently told me that 50 is the new 30.  hhhmmm  that has some appeal.  I always considered my 30s to be the best because by then I knew who I was, what I wanted, i was responsible and grounded. So if I could just maintain that it won't be so bad. 

I also keep hearing that it's certainly better than the alterrnative.  Since there is only one alternative that I know of - that's probably right.  Afterall, it could be worse - I could be a teenager again! Therefore, I won't cry, I won't whine, I won't go back to bed and refuse to get up.  But I do, however, refuse to just embrace it without a fight.  I will hide the gray hair (I forget what color my hair is supposed to be anyway), I will fight the wrinkles, and I will buy only cute reading glasses.  I will face this 50 thing with as much courage and grace as I can muster. 

If all else fails there is comfort in knowing that Geritol has a high alcohol content.