Debbie's Chat Corner

Merry Christmas, One and All!

2011-12-23T09:01:00.001-06:00

I had to sneak in here to wish all of my special Blogger friends a very, very merry Christmas. May your days be filled with great food, good memories, and loving fellowship. I hope everyone gets a chance to hold their loved ones near. To those that are faraway, I hope you get a chance to speak to them during this season. I want all of us to have the opportunity to share blessings with those in need of hope and blessings. Keep those that ensure we have a safe and peaceful Christmas in our hearts and minds. Let's say a prayer for those who have lost loved ones this year. And please remember the reason for the season!

Have a prosperous New Year!

Morning Chat

2011-12-19T09:48:00.001-06:00

I'm caught up on my Christmas to-do list. I'm taking a slight break before the chaos of Christmas travel and my usual end of the year melt down begins. I have a cup of coffee and a piece of Mounds dark chocolate coconut candy so I'm all set to sit down for a visit with my favorite Bloggers.

I haven't thought of any particular topic for this morning's chat. But when have you known me to write about anything other than what's rattling around in my head at the moment? Which brings me to my next question? To those of you who have hit the phenominal stage of "late" mid-life; do you often feel like you've been crowned the world's NUMBER 1 airhead? For those of you who may not understand what I'm talking about, let me explain. I feel like half my brain has left the building and the other half doesn't know whether to stay or join it's counter part. And my face? Forget about it! It never saves me any shred of dignity. It melts into a look of, "Duuuhhhh! this woman has checked out!" But the few times that I feel as if I had made a valid, intelligent remark, everyone else was looking at me with one of those "Wow! Are you for Real" stares and glares. The wise thing at this time of life would be to become the silent type. Nod my head when spoken to. Remain quiet and aloof. Appear mysterious and intelligent.~~~~~Yes, that would be very wise!~~~~~But highly unlikely to happen in my situation. In the last 4 or 5 years, I talk, talk, talk and then I talk some more. I bet there were 2 or 3 women that just popped into your mind. You know the ones. The one you see walking your direction in a grocery store or department store. Before she sees you, you make a mad dash down a side aisle to avoid her....not caring about how many people you knock down along the way. Yes, I would be one of the older ladies you would be running from. Chatty, God love her, has become immuned. She loves me so much, she is willing to risk embarrassment. She is still willing to go out in public with me. Although, I suspect she has forewarned people she knows rather well to brace themselves for anything should they meet us out and about. To the rest of the public, she just smiles and shrugs her shoulders. I am blessed to have a daughter with a lot of patience and understanding.

Brain hop (warning: my brain has moved on to another random subject far removed from the last one)........

I'm in need of doilies. I've seen them in antique shops. The prices are outrageous. The ones that are reasonably priced are either badly discolored or stained. In my twenties and thirties, I didn't decorate with doilies because I thought they were out-dated. But now, I think doilies would be a cute touch to my living room furniture and the center of my dining room table. I don't know what kind of stitch you call it but I want the delicate crochet doilies not the thick knitted ones. I call the ones I want the spider web looking doilies. It's not the technical name. I know them when I see them. I also want cream color or taupe...(or whatever they are calling the off white color these days).

My grandma spent her free time crocheting and knitting. That was back in the day when TV watching was limited to an hour of the evening news. The rest of the evening was spent making what we call crafts these days. But to her, it was just a way of life. She had doilies on every table top and shelf she owned. She gave doilies to everyone in the family. I moved a few times when I was younger. During one of these moves, I misplaced the ones she gave me. The rest were sold on auction at my grandparents' estate sale. When I was pre-teen, my grandma tried to teach me to crochet and knit. I thought it was something that older women did in their spare time so I was not attentive. If I could go back, I would pay more attention to what she was trying to teach me. She quilted, too. What a silly child I was. That inattentive silliness caused me to be an untalented adult. There's so much that I could do to improve my wardrobe and home decor if I could sew, crochet, knit and quilt. I guess I'm never too old to learn. This winter when we're snowed in and I have nothing to do, I may try to teach myself to crochet. There is so much access to information on the internet. I'm sure I could find a "'How-To" site somewhere. I wonder if my remaining half of brain will stay focused enough to learn. If not, would any of you nice ladies be needing an extremely long crochet chain?

Gearing up for Christmas

2011-12-09T21:29:00.001-06:00

Yes, the Chat House is getting in the Christmas spirit.

Come with me while I take you on a tour of what I've been up to.

Step up.

Come on in.

This is just something we threw together. I have a very nice nativity set. But we have a lot of little ones coming to the Chat house this year. I don't want too many little pieces sitting out. We have to be careful with those little ones, you know.

Next, we have some of the ornaments that are hanging on our tree. I would show you our tree. I have a picture of it on my camera. But it was taken sideways and without loading it onto my computer, I don't know how to flip it. I flipped it on FaceBook but I can't find a place to do it on Blogger. My computer is getting low on memory...whatever that means. I know it can't be good. I don't want to risk over stuffing it so I'm not taking any chances. You'll just have to look at a few of the ornaments that are hanging on my tree.

And here is my table.

I was going to use a different table setting because this set is missing a plate. But they belonged to my grandmother. I consider it an honor to display them at Christmas.

For a couple of years, my employer gave me sets of Stemware for Christmas. I think this set goes quite well with my table setting, don't you? And I found the cutest napkins to match!!

Even though I can't show you my big tree, I'll show you my table top tree.

Well, that's all I've done so far. I may or may not add more. It just depends on if another wave of creativity hits me.

My town is not doing a holiday home tour this year, so I hope you will be sharing your Christmas decorating pictures.

News from Chatville

2011-12-02T11:40:00.000-06:00

Good Morning, my fellow bloggers! Wait a moment while I dust off the cobwebs. It's been awhile since my last visit.

How's your December going so far? Are you knee deep into Christmas preparations? I have all of my Christmas shopping done, wrapped and waiting for the tree to be put up. That will be done this weekend. I was going to shoot for today or Saturday but that looks to be out of the question due to a lot of family to-do stuff. But it's fun to-do stuff so I don't mind procrastinating about the tree or holiday decorating. As it is every year, the tree will be put up soon and taken down (hopefully Jan.1 or Jan. 2). I don't mean to sound like a scrooge, but about 4 weeks of tree domination is all I can stand. I don't know how those of you who put up more than one tree in your house do it. But kudos to you!! I don't have that much motivation. Maybe one day the whole holiday bonanza will happen at my house. But for now, I have small children that visit who just love to play with ornaments and any decor they can get their hands on. But I love to go to other houses and look at the creativity and holiday splendor. So go on with your creative selves...but don't forget to invite me over for a look-see.

Tonight we're going to a wonderful display of village lights. I haven't been there since my daughter was a tot. We're all looking forward to it. (It never hurts to let the kid in you come out). Then tonight our oldest granddaughter will be playing in a basketball tournament. Yes, I said granddaughter (earlier statement of "kid coming out in me" slowly vanished as I made THAT remark). I have to take a small pause to brag on this kid. Have you ever met a child that can naturally do anything she sets her mind to? That's this child. She's highly competitive. No matter if it's something physical or something as simple as a board game. She sticks with determination until she has it mastered. She's small and wiry. I really enjoy watching her play basketball. She's in and out with the ball before anyone knows she's there. Am I ashamed of myself for bragging?....No, not at all!! You see, she's my step-grandchild. I have nothing to do with her greatness, talent or skill. Therefore, shamelessly brag I will.

Tomorrow night, we will "Walk through Bethlehem". This is something a church in Chatville does every year. It's amazing. They have everything set up in the time of Jesus' birth. Everyone stays in character. You are assigned to a Family tribe. While you wait for other "Families" to finish their journey, you can mill around the pottery and jewelry making market. There are people actually making pottery and jewelry. Children are allowed to make their own bracelets.When your Tribal name is called, you meet the leader of your family tribe at the entrance of the journey. You are then taken outside. The mission is to go with your family to pay your yearly taxes. The path winds around and is realistically staged. You are taken though a market where you can sample cheese, grapes and other goodies. The leader encourages everyone to taste but not to tarry "for we must not be late to pay our family taxes". He then warns us not to talk to the beggars along the way. The path is set up with small tents, huts and outside fires to warm by. There are real animals. Did I mention they have real camels? I told you they make it authentic. Along the way, horse mounted Roman soldier persecute and taunt the Jewish families. (yes, the horses are real). Before we go in to pay taxes, we run into the three wise men who tell us of the Messiah's coming birth. After paying taxes, our family decides to continue the journey to find the Messiah. We stop at an inn to seek shelter for the night. They tell us they have no room. They were so sorry. They explain that because of the large crowd that is in town to pay taxes there is no vacancy in town. Earlier, they were forced to turn away a man and his very expectant wife. Our leader tells them the news the wise men shared with us earlier. We all wonder if this could be the people we are searching for. We leave the Inn. We stop at another roadside fire. A man comes out of his hut and tells us many wonderful things he's been hearing that night. Then up in the sky an angel appears and tells us of the birth. Two more angels appear and sing. We then find a stable to perhaps take take shelter for the night. As soon as we enter, we hear singing. We see Joseph with Mary holding Baby Jesus. The Pastor and his wife say a small blessing and invite us to walk to the church building where the ladies have hot chocolate, coffee and homemade cookies waiting for us. For me, this event ushers in the real meaning and spirit of Christmas. We're meeting my husband's niece and her children. This is their first time to experience this event. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces as they take it all in.

I would like to take a moment to send a prayer to a mother and fellow blogger who suffered such a tragic loss this year:

Lord God, source and destiny of our lives, in Your loving providence You gave this boy to grow in wisdom, age, and grace. Now You have called him to Yourself. We grieve over the loss of one so young and struggle to understand Your purpose. Draw him to Yourself and give him full stature in Christ. May he stand with all the angels and saints, who know Your love and praise Your saving will. Amen.

To my knowledge, this woman does not read my blog. But she and her family have been through so much. Her blog and her son's journey through this life have touched so many, many hearts. As a human, woman and mother; I send warm compassionate prayers and thoughts her way during this emotional season.

To the rest of you I wish a blessed Christmas season. Let us hug our loved ones tightly and never take for granted the blessings we have today.

A MUST Read!

2011-09-26T14:57:00.000-05:00

I suggest you all buy a copy (or lend a copy to someone else if you have it) of the newly released "Heaven is for Real". Here is the link:

http://www.heavenisforreal.net/

Lesson Learned

2011-09-23T11:23:00.000-05:00

I was in such a funk for awhile. I've never been one to be moody or depressed. So I couldn't fully comprehend what was going on with me. Over the last couple of years, I have survived 2 audits for two different companies. Both audits were completed and closed quite some time ago. The outcome was good for both of them. But I suppose that's what threw me into a gloom and doom mode for months afterward. I had such a forebode feeling that I couldn't seem to shake. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. In fact, I insisted on looking for something to worry and fret about. I dug through paper after paper. It was unreal. I was in such deep concentration trying to piece this thought with the last thought that communication with me was nearly impossible. I could see myself over obsessing and not letting go. But for the life of me, I couldn't stop. Whenever I had concrete proof everything was fine on one thing, I'd dream up something else to have the "What ifs" about. Stress, stress, stress!!!! It was horrible.

Chatty works for a very small company. Her boss is retiring from her company and moving his tax office to another location. In the process, he is taking another co-worker with him. Chatty tends to closely bond with people. So losing a co-worker and confidante has been very hard on her. Not knowing what her new boss will be like and possible company policy changes has also had her stressing. She tends to hold everything in and not talk to people about her worries and concerns. I could see it was wearing on her nerves and her health. So being the good mom that I am, I started talking to her about how stress can create major health issues. I told her there were no problems that could not be resolved in a positive way. First, she needed to acknowledge the sadness of not seeing her co-worker on a daily basis. Then I convinced her to express all of the frustration and emotional turmoil she has been bottling up for the past couple of months. That part was kind of exhausting. We discussed every possible scenario. We prayed about it. After awhile, she made positive resolutions about certain negative situations that might arise. She looked like a huge weight had been lifted. I left her room shaking my head. All of that stress and panic over the unknown is utterly ridiculous and unnecessary.

Then it hit me!!! Like mother, like daughter. We were both being plagued by the same demon. That demon's name was "Panic". He was attacking in our vulnerable areas. He was causing constant worry when there was nothing to be worried about. When we could get away from him, he would come tapping on our shoulders and whispering in our ears. A little bit of worry and concern was not good enough, he would say, "You're forgetting about me. You need to pay closer attention to me."

Ah-ha.. Now I had him. I had finally identified him. I went straight to my room. I had a sit-down with my Heavenly Father like the one I had just had with my daughter. Oh what a relief!!! The Lord put all of my past concerns in a healthy perspective. I left my room panic-free. I, too, felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders.

Now I can be the crazy old woman everyone has come to know and love. I also learned a very valuable lesson. Less prayer time and less Bible study can make room for all kinds of demon varmints to plague a soul. I had been slipping in those areas. Without constant communication and firm faith in the Lord, the world is a VERY scary place.

A Great Finish to a Rocky Start.

2011-07-30T23:32:00.000-05:00

After subjecting you to the rantings of a chocolate-deprived lunatic, I thought I would change things up a bit and share something fun.

This afternoon I attended my niece's bridal shower. It was not your ordinary bridal shower, either. This one had a theme. Chatty and two of my nieces are very nostalgic. They love old music. They like most things from the 40s, 50s & 60s. They grew up talking to each other about old clothing fashions, old movies, old cars, etc. When my youngest niece started planning her wedding and asked Chatty to be her Maid of Honor, I suspected things would be a little different from the traditional showers and the usual wedding events. So it didn't surprise me when the Bride-to be's sisters and Chatty announced that they were giving the Bride a 1950s themed Bridal Shower. Chatty is making an album for her cousin that will be full of pictures of every event leading up to the wedding. She left me in charge of her camera for taking pictures of the bridal shower. I was so busy taking pictures with her camera that I didn't have a chance to take many pictures with my camera. But I will pick a few of what I have and share with you.

Chatty applying the Bride-to-be's make-up

The Maid of Honor and the Brides' Maids

The Cake

The Bride-to-Be and her Maid of Honor

The 50s Diner the girls created

The Groom's mother

The girls again

My sweet mom. Grandmother of the Bride

Yes, I had to get my 2 cents in, too.

And last, but certainly not least, this is a prize that I won.. I answered the most questions correctly on one of the games. I got to choose my gift. Of course I picked the Movie Night gift. It has a movie, popcorn, a Coke, a box of some kind of gummy fruit....AND 2 boxes of chocolate. You can rest assured that I won't be having another melt down tomorrow morning! I won another game, too. I was gracious enough to donate that gift to the bride-to-be....but I refuse to give up my chocolate!!!!

I Don't Require Much!

2011-07-30T10:06:00.001-05:00

It's my own fault. Stupid, stupid, stupid! [you can't see me, but I'm hitting my forehead against the computer desk as I say this. {it gives it much more drama and meaning}] Yesterday, I was at the grocery store twice... Count it...TWICE.....TWO TIMES (for an additional visual: put your foot up in the air and point to the second little piggie...except he stayed home...no I was the first piggie who went to the market. Wait, scratch this piggie reference. It's confusing and ruining my whole scenerio). I meandered down the aisles picking up this and that. Yes, not a care in the world. I think I was even humming to myself. It was such a Mrs. Cleaver day. While I wasn't wearing pearls, I was almost certain that Beaver and Wally were following along behind me.

Can you hear the elevator music playing? Listen closely. Lovely, huh? Do you have a smile on your face? Are you gently swaying along as you read this? Wait for it.... wait for it.....SCRATCH!!!! (That's suppose to be the sound of the needle going across a vinyl record). Because that's what it sounded like to me this morning when I discovered that I had no chocolate anything to eat with my morning coffee.

NO, no, no! Do not tell me I'm over reacting! You don't understand.

I have a morning ritual. It does, however, change a tad bit from morning to morning, depending on if I shut the computer down the night before. If I turned it off, I'll quickly run to turn turn it on and let it be warming up while I'm making coffee. If not, I walk straight to the coffee pot. Chatty bought me a Bunn coffee maker a couple of years ago. I love it. The coffee is brewed in 3 minutes and it's delicious. No complaints there. On most mornings, coffee is all that is required. I'm in my paradise when I can sit down with all of you, my Blogger friends, and have my morning coffee. Everything seems good, pure, wonderful and right with the world! (insert elevator music, again)

But then there are mornings when more is required. It's not a slow growing realization or craving, either. No! It has a life and mind all of it's own. On those mornings, I'm innocently sleeping in my bed (because it's no where close to the time I'm suppose to be getting up). Minding my own business, mind you! Then all of a sudden, my eyes fly open and my brain starts screaming ,"CHOCOLATE. I WANT CHOCOLATE. GIVE ME CHOCOLATE!" Usually this is not a problem. It does not interupt or delay the flow of things. In fact, it's kind of slick really. It only requires a slight step to the right as I'm walking through the kitchen on my way to the computer. I hold a steaming cup of coffee in my left hand. With my right hand, I grab the pantry door handle (refer to newly installed handles in previous post). I open the pantry door and bend slightly at the waist. Peering into cabinet...Viola!!!...a wonderful selection of chocolate. 15 seconds later, I'm sitting in front of the computer, munching chocolate, sipping coffee and scrolling through all of your new blog posts. It doesn't get any better than this!!!

Well, that's how it's suppose to work when my brain is fully functioning and I remember to stock the pantry with chocolate. But yesterday, somewhere between all of that humming and meandering, my menopausal brain must have kicked in because no chocolate was purchased. I did buy toilet paper. That's pretty important, I suppose. And I guess in the scheme of things, my family would say toilet paper trumps chocolate any day of the week. But right now, I have NO chocolate. My brain is giving me a good scolding and tongue lashing. I think I even heard, "Let your family use corn cobs. You should have bought chocolate!" To be honest I do have cocoa and enough stuff to make a chocolate homemade something or other. I think I even have a box of brownie mix in the cabinet above the pantry. In the time it took for me to complain to all of you good people, I could have whipped up a batch. But that's too much work for this time of morning. Not to mention all of the extra clean up it would involve. On second thought, the urge has passed. The coffee aroma is lulling me into a calmer mood. Now, I'm off to read what you all have been up to this morning. All is right with the world!

Confession

2011-07-29T13:36:00.000-05:00

I have a secret that I need to confess.

That got your attention, didn't it?

Well, I threw it out there so I had better get on with my confession. When I first discovered Blogger, I was mesmerized by it. In the beginning, I had so much fun discovering and reading what other people had to say. I became a loose woman. I hit that "follow" button as fast as I could and as often as I could. My only conditions to following or not following a fellow blogger were that their sites could NOT contain smut, filthy language or be full of anger. With those ground rules being established, I happily started following site after site. But then I noticed that a lot of my daily reading consisted of the day-to-day activities of young moms and their children. I have nothing against children. New motherhood was some of the best days of my life. However, being 50+, I'm well past that stage of life. So, new mothers unite! I waved a fond farewell and made use of the "stop following" option. I began looking for blogs of people in my own age range, with whom I shared a common thread. I searched for URL addresses containing anything relating to middle age or humor. (Because let's face it, you can't have one without the other. If you try, it's NOT a pretty sight). Anyway, using that method I found my home and my new friends. I've added a few others that have captured my attention because of a circumstance, belief or craft skill. But for the most part, the people that are on my list are people who share a common bond. People who are leaving one stage of life and entering the whacky new age of the latter part of midlife. I will most likely never meet any of you. Those of you who are always faithful to leave comments have become my treasured friends. I, too, have favorite Bloggers without whose daily entries make my day incomplete.

HOWEVER.....

I kept hearing a lot of buzz about FaceBook. At first, I kept my eyes focused on Blogger and avoided temptation. I kept telling anyone who tried to lure me over or break my faithfulness to Blogger that FaceBook was for young people. I had no business over there. After all, I'm not one of those silly women who try to recapture their youth by hanging out with the "cool" kids.

But then it happened! My eyes strayed. I tip-toed over to give it a peek. It looked a mess. I snuck back to to my well-organized world of Blogger, hoping that none of you would discover my indiscretion. I remained faithful for weeks.

But as things of that nature do, FaceBook continuously whispered my name and lured me back. I had gotten away with it once, so I figured another little peek wouldn't hurt. I tip-toed back over. It still looked a mess. My conscience burned and I was in a hurry to leave and get back to where I belonged. But, Wait! I noticed some of my cousins and High School friends lurking about. This changed things a bit. It couldn't hurt to stop long enough to say hi. But in order to do that, I had to start a FaceBook account. After I did that, I had to figure the whole mess out before I could just say hi and make my quick exit. By that time, I was in it too deeply. There was no way I could avoid implication or deny being there. So like anyone who might be caught red handed in a dirty little secret, I had to come up with a story to avoid taking the blame or accepting responsibility for my actions....My best plan of defense: I needed to think of solid ~~excuses~~ reasons why it's alright and completely innocent for me to be there. Such as; I can keep in daily contact with family and friends. I can keep up with current news and events. If I want to play games , there are a wide variety to choose from. YADA-YADA-YADA....

In the beginning, it was a simple, undemanding, uncomplicated relationship. It was new. It was exciting. I didn't have to put as much work or thought into it as Blogger required. And before long I was spending as much or more time with FaceBook. I started neglecting my first love. I spoiled FaceBook. We spent some happy days together. Everyone was happy to "find" one another. We posted, we shared and we laughed together. It was great and entertaining.

But then one day, FaceBook showed his true colors. I started noticing that people were using FaceBook to voice complaints or unkind opinions. The bickering soon began. Family members unfriending or blocking one another. It's becoming a place where I have to over-think or censor what I say. Or I have to avoid comments altogether because a particular status may be referring to a conflict or disagreement between other people or a nasty little dig about something that I'm unaware of.

As is common with most tawdry affairs, my relationship with Facebook has to be handled with kid gloves. It's one of which I am unable to untangle myself with just yet.

So, here I am. My head held low. Confessing my betrayal and neglect. Hoping that Blogger will forgive me and be understanding of my current relationship with FaceBook.

You Are What You Eat.

2011-07-25T11:18:00.000-05:00

The quickest way to have a close relationship with your toilet bowl is to eat half cooked crab cakes. I learned that little tidbit of information after last night's dinner. I hope you'll understand and pardon me while I make a quick exit. It's time to become ONE with the bathroom floor again.

Work in Progress

2011-07-23T11:07:00.000-05:00

My blog has been pretty inactive lately. My excuse...I'm spending my free time being creative. Those who know me, know that requires a lot of concentration on my part.

Because....

1.) I'm not crafty or creative. I've spent most of my life making my house sterile, staunch and easy to clean. So this whole warm and cozy decorating is all new to me. And you would be able to tell if you looked closely and were able to see the different nail holes in my walls. Usually once I see the finished results of my created masterpieces, they look pretty awkward and child-like so I move them elsewhere.

AND

2.) Since middle age has set in, I can't chew gum and walk at the same time~~~so blogging and creating would short fuse this old brain of mine.

Speaking of changing my mind. Do you see the "Fresh Coffee" sign above? I was so proud of it when it was delivered. Originally, it was above the display below. But when my metal sign came in, I moved things around again. It was moved above the kitchen door leading out to the garage. 24 hours later, I decided something didn't look right. It was too heavy or lopsided or something for the room. Then... Bingo! It hit me. We're going to hang wooden shutters on our kitchen window above the sink. This would look perfect hanging over it. And it would be in the middle of the room so it wouldn't look so heavy. That night during supper, I showed Chatty & Mr. Chat what it would look like hanging over that window. They both agreed. It was a much better look. It would be better balanced and would compliment the shutters nicely .....Before I go on, I must tell you that it's been a rough couple of weeks at work and my mind has been on over-load (that's my story and I'm sticking to it)..... Did I sit the plaque down in a safe place until supper was finished? NO! I hung it back over the door. Did I make sure it was hanging securely? OF COURSE NOT! No, not me. That would make too much sense. Half way during supper, we heard a CRASH. It was one of those family moments. We just sat there with stupid expressions on our faces while the plaque hit the floor and broke into 3 different pieces. Most of which I had to rescue from the bottom of the stairs leading down to our basement. Hmmm. Not to fear, though! Mr. Chat applied Gorilla glue. It looks as good as new. After many years of marriage, Mr. Chat is an old pro at covering up my ~~clumsiness~~ genius moves. ANYWAY...I'm ordering vinyl lettering for above this door.

The spaces on the sides need something. I was going to try to get really crafty. Remember...craftiness is a new concept to me, so if I say something novice or just plain stupid, don't laugh too loudly. I was thinking about staining 2 small cheese cutting boards and putting coffee decals on them. But I've found some vinyl wall art that I think would look really cute here. Don't worry. I'm getting the removable kind just incase I change my mind.

This is just a start. I know it needs something. I took the coffee cups off the ceiling. Chatty said it may look better if I add another vase of weeds to the end. Since this cabinet is smaller than the other ones, I'll have to arrange the cups differently. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

This wasn't quite what I was thinking but it will do for now.

A friend suggested a doily or a scarf added here. I haven't decided. It's on top of my refrigerator so I don't think a scarf or doily would be seen. But it would be less to dust and protect the top of the refrigerator from being scratched.

I'll be adding more periodically. With the economy and things being the way they are, I will only add things if they are affordable (or dirt cheap). Some day I hope to show the finshed product. But for now, it's a work in progress.

God Bless America Again

2011-07-11T07:40:00.000-05:00

I am blessed.

Am I rich? Do I have the best of everything? Do I take extensive, luxurious trips? Do I have an unlimited money supply at my fingertips? No, absolutely not!!! But I have a loving family, good health, a steady income, a roof over my head, food on the table and reliable transportation. Yes, I am truly blessed!!!

But as I watch the news, catch other people's conversations, or read different blogs...I hear people talking about the loss of their jobs. This is happening all over and it's not getting any better. It doesn't matter how educated or how much seniority a person has, no one is safe or protected.

I know it isn't as simple as it seems. But something needs to be done to put an end to this. In my simple mindset...I would think the answer would be to quit making debt to other countries, bring all of the businesses and jobs back to America. And for goodness sakes.....give honor and authority of our country back to God!!!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-10T11:26:00.000-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day. I know I did.

First of all...I am truly blessed:

1.) to be allowed to be a mother
2.) to have a truly amazing Mom
3.) the Lord has blessed us with good health and we were allowed to spend the day together.

Chatty and I started the day out attending church with my Dad & Mom. The Pastor delivered a wonderful Mother's Day message. When church was dismissed, the door attendant gave each mother a Woman's Daily Devotional. Mr. Chat didn't attend with us because he was making a 40 minute trip in the opposite direction to have breakfast with his mom before she left for church. Normally, I would have felt guilty for not going with Mr. Chat but we had attended his niece's wedding and reception the night before and I spent quite a bit of time with my MIL.

Later that day, Mr. Chat barbequed and we had a nice family visit......Now for the goodies:

This was delivered while Chatty was at work. She knows I prefer carnations over roses. She was disappointed because she had ordered a red and white arrangement. But I love this arrangement anyway. I'm thinking I need to buy colorful scarves to swirl around the base of future flower deliveries. Mr. Chat and I have been married for over 22 years. We dated almost 5years before we were married. To this day he does NOT know my flower preference. Why haven't I ever told him? Because he never asked. After years of all of the presents of roses, I don't want to hurt his feelings by telling him now. However, I have mentioned it to other people in conversations over the years and he was present during said conversations. But since society says roses are the symbol of love and romance, I guess he didn't relate those conversations to his gift giving.

HOWEVER, he is the master of listening to other kinds of conversations. And he is great at finding true treasures. This is what he brought home from a recent business trip:

This will look great in the coffee theme I'm planning for my kitchen. I don't know if I'll keep it on this shelf or move it to a cabinet display. If it stays here, I'll definitely have to re-stain the shelf because the coffee grinder blends too much with this shelf.

Anyway, Mother's Day isn't about material things. It's about the love, relationships and time spent between mothers and daughters. The material things are just added perks! LOL!

I Won't Give Up My Day Job.

2011-04-11T22:50:00.001-05:00

I'm a very visual person. But I'm not a good photographer. Up until Christmas I didn't own my own camera. When personal pictures have been shown on my blog, it's because I plan a girls' day with my daughter Chatty. I would tell her ahead of time...."Save next Saturday afternoon for a girls' day. Bring your camera. I'm going to need pictures for my blog." We haven't done that for awhile. So I've had to "borrow" pictures from the internet to spice up some of my stories. I was given a camera for Christmas. But I always forget to take it with me. OR I'll take it with me on special ocassions, but forget to take it out of the car or out of my purse while the function is in full swing. Somewhere between the place of action and home, it dawns on me that I didn't take any pictures.

Well, this past Saturday you all would have been so proud of me. Chatty was Maid of Honor in the wedding of a young woman that she attended grade school with. Yes, I remembered to take my camera. Thank you very much. I'll just wait here and bask in all of the praise that I know you all are giving me. I appreciate all of your admiration. I know, I know....I am so wonderful. But hold the applause.....Just because I took the camera, doesn't mean I took great pictures!!!

Oh, I remembered the camera while the wedding was in progress. It was a gorgeous church. A beautiful ceremony. The wedding party looked great. Nobody puked or passed out. The problem??? I have never had a camera at such a special event, so I was camera shy. I mean, when is it proper or allowed for anyone other than the photographer to take pictures? I just knew about the time the flash from my camera would explode would be the exact moment the photographer and the bride had set to get that planned "perfect---never again moment" captured for future generations on film. So my camera stayed holstered and in my purse.

My next chance came when the wedding party was receiving guests. Did I get a lot of great pictures? NOPE! Not one. I was too busy visiting with everyone. If it's any conscellation, the weather outside was lovely. But you'll have to take my word for it because there are no pictures to prove it.

My next opportunity to redeem myself as a great photographer came at the reception. Mmmm...yeah....it almost didn't happen. However, halfway through I remembered to take pictures. Ta-dah!!! Happy dance, happy dance. Don't get too excited. I...uh....uh... well, I'll just show you~~~~

Isn't this just lovely? Why would I decide to take this picture? Most of the wedding party was elsewhere. But doesn't Chatty look lovely? I'm trying to make lemonade here people...work with me!!!

I didn't get the bride tossing the bouquet. But notice Chatty standing in the back? She's in no hurry to get married. Well, I guess she needs a special fellow to come into her life before she starts standing in front of these kinds of lines.

Wait!!! Hold the bus!!! This one is not my fault. This has nothing to do with my timing or my photography skills. This is ALL Chatty!! While she and her dad love each other dearly, they do not have an ooey, gooey kind of relationship. They have more a punch each other on the shoulder, sarcastic kind of relationship. They understand it and they are comfortable with it. I insisted that they share a Father/Daughter dance together. They humored me and danced one (count it ...one) slow dance. When the song was over, Chatty said, "That was weird." And as you can see, she made sure I captured it on film for all of our future generations to see. Can you feel the love?

It's a Good Day!

2011-04-07T18:40:00.000-05:00

Well here we are. It's finally Spring. I don't know about the rest of America, but I was more than ready for winter to be over. I love springtime. I absolutely love, love, love it!!!! Well, except for the severe thunderstorms and tornadoes...but we won't go into that right now. I haven't blogged for awhile and I don't want to make my come back with anything negative sounding. But then, I don't have anything specific to talk about....so who knows?? I just know at this point I feel like it it should be very positive sounding. Why? The audit at work is over. I was not present during the audit. (Note to anyone facing an audit....drive your boss and co-worker crazy with questions. I guarantee you won't be drafted to sit through the audit with them. ....I'm just sayin'). I was told it seemed like it went well. I don't know if there is such a thing as a good audit. And who knows how many follow up questions will be asked or what the final results will be. All I know is that I feel like an elephant just lifted it's big butt off of my chest.

I think this season's American Idol is the best ever! Two season's ago, they started changing some of the rules and adding new judges. I'll have to admit, the show got a little stale. Last year, I quit watching after the first or second show. It seemed as if they were sending the most talented kids home during the auditions. I lost all interest in watching it. But this year is a different show. The new judges knew what they were doing when they picked the finalists. These kids are fantastic! It's tough to say who deserves to win the #1 spot. If they could have 10 #1 spots, I think it would be easier than having to name just 1 person as the winner. I thought the show would be lacking all entertainment value without Simon Cowell. I was wrong. The new judges personalities really compliment each other and the show. I like the way they treat the contestants with warmth, respect and dignity. I mean, some of Simon's flair was what got the show's foot in the door, so to speak. But really, would you want to be critiqued that way? Or worse. Would you want to hear him rip your child's talent apart like he did to some of the past contestants? I still find Simon fascinating. But I think he was wise to move on to other things and let American Idol go in a new direction. If you've read any of my older posts, you know I've never been a hard rocker person. I stayed away from it as a teenager. I didn't know much about Steven Tyler other than he was part of the AeroSmith Band. I just figured he was some mean, hard-hearted, drugged-out rocker guy. But I have new found respect for him after watching him on American Idol. I find his soft-hearted loving words and the respect that he shows the kids on the show very sweet. It almost makes me wish that I lived in a whole neighborhood full of Steven Tylers. HOWEVER...I'm not quite sure that country music is ready for him just yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dining room Update

2011-03-18T14:47:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the changes I have made to my dining nook. I haven't had time to shop for new stuff. I decided to dig through some of the things that I have stored in the basement. I thought that maybe I could get creative and come up with something that would work well on my wall. Turns out....not really. I tore a couple of silk flower arrangements apart and tied some of the greenery together for the wall hanging you see here. You might think I was trying to be very artistic. The truth is...I needed something to cover 3 or 4 nail holes I had made when I changed the spacing of my shelves.

The trouble is I haven't had the time to go browsing through stores. I'm from a very small town. The closest store is a Wal-Mart Super Center. I'm not trashing this store, but in our area, when it comes to home decor....Wal-Mart just doesn't cut it. Not because I insist on more high-brow stuff. No, it's because they are limited in the home furnishing/decor department. And what they did have, they are eliminating or down sizing. And it seems the other stuff like canned goods and paper products are being replaced with a white label brand. What's that all about? You would think since they use less ink for the color of their labels, prices would go down. Not so!!!

Anyway, I found a little Mom & Pop store in the old part of town that carries a few Tuscan wall pieces. I bought the two metal plaques that you see on the one side of the mirror and the stone "10 Commandments" plaque you see beside the door. I may change or add to the wall display if I get the chance to spend time browsing in stores outside of town...but if not, I think I may add a rug under the table and replace the globes on the ceiling fan. Then I'm on to re-do the kitchen into a coffee theme.

So what do you think? I need some suggestions just incase I get to leave town for anything other than work. I'll need your help with this. As far as the kitchen....I've been specific of what I want and I have left hints with Mr. Chat & Chatty for this year's Christmas list. Pretty smart, huh?

New Table

2011-03-07T10:26:00.000-06:00

Now what?

SO....my new table was delivered last week. It may be a little too big for my informal dining nook but I like it. The problem...I decorated my wall to match the cheesy little table that was in there for the past 17 years. Now I have to go back to the drawing board to find a look that fits the personality of the new table. My other table was small so I limited the wall decorations so as not to overpower the table. My new table is counter height. Now the table over powers the wall. And it also looks like I hung everything wrong and too uniform. Any suggestions? (PLEASE)

I'm thinking maybe dark brown shelves with cute what-nots on both sides of the mirror. (Or taking the mirror down altogether) Removing the green scarf from over the French doors and replacing with a creamy beige swag. I'm going to take the green cloth (the one that looks blue in this picture) off of the small desk against the wall but leave the lace doily on it. It may even look better if I remove the small desk. I'm hoping that I can leave it there. I don't want to have to store it in the basement because my grandpa made it for me when I was 14 years old.

Geez!!!!! I'm in need of a decorating tutor! I'm not good at putting a "LOOK" together. I just know what I like when I see it AND this isn't it. It seems all out of kilter and out of whack. For years I had a sterile white house. Oh, it looked clean but it was not cozy at all. We have always planned on selling so I never put a lot of investment into the decor. My thoughts were always, "When we sell this house and get the house we want THEN I will be a decorating fool!" 17 years later, here we are. So, as I've said before I've bitten the bullet and decided to re-do our look. I've started on the living room. I have just a couple more things to do in there before I have the look I want. Once you all help me with ideas here in the dining room, it will be done. I already have ideas for the kitchen. I think we're going to do stone around the bar and back splash. I want to paint the cabinets a darker brown and get a mid to light brown counter top. The cabinet tops will have a coffee theme (maybe coffee cups and old coffee pots displayed on them).

My house needs help. It has about 3 different looks going on. Any suggestions from those of you who have not been putting off showing love to your homes all of these years would deeply be appreciated.

Have Camera...Will Blog

2011-02-18T11:42:00.005-06:00

Surprise!!!! Chatty bought me a camera for Christmas. I promised you that I would start doing more personalized blogs if someone in my family showed some sympathy and added a camera to their Christmas list for me. (I mean, it wasn't like I wasn't leaving strong hints to anyone that would listen. I think I even went outside the box. ~~I grabbed a hold of~~ I may have mentioned to Chatty's best friend that...., "Oh! How I wish I had a camera. I wonder if Santa will remember that I've been extremely good this year? Hmmmm?") But I must warn you...my camera skills are a work in progress. Like all other modern devices I get my hands on, it'll take awhile before I'm able to produce even the most basic of novice pictures. Anything more advanced than point and click is way above my reach at this point. I'm afraid to try using some of the other functions on ~~the contraption~~ my new sleek beautiful camera. Mainly because I don't know where they are or what they are. ~~The contraption~~ my new sleek beautiful camera came with instructions. Hello? You have to understand photography and machinery lingo to be able to understand or follow along with the instructions. I can tell you right now----That pretty well leaves me out!! The chart is pretty handy, though. It comes with pictures. I learned the difference between the front of the camera and the back of the camera. I'm pleased to announce this will spare all of you any close up pictures of my nose hairs. Probably after a year or two of constant use, I'll have that "AH-HA" moment and I'll be able to dazzle any 5 year old with my photography skills. But until then, the rest of you will have to bear with me.

Since I've been busy getting all of my 2010 End of Year and January 2011 paperwork caught up... AND the weather has been just awful this winter, I haven't been able to take ~~the contraption~~ my new sleek beautiful camera on any blogging adventures. Plus, Chatty is usually my sidekick on these adventures. There's no hope there for awhile. She's still knee-deep in tax season. All she wants to do when she gets home from work is to change into sloppy clothes, turn off all phones, grab a cup of coffee and let her brain turn to mush. So until we're able to scoop some life back into her and it turns just gorgeous outside, I'm going to do a Walk-About. Not the kind of Walk-About that John Locke wanted to do in the Outback. No-no! I'm going to do a Walk-About on the inside of my house. I've decided to try my photo cropping skills on mine and Chatty's decorating abilities. We're big on picking different themes for our displays. I'll show you more of what Chatty has on display in her room, because I'm still working on mine. Í just discovered that I LOVE Tuscany decor and colors. Who knew? So I'm in the process of changing everything over. Once our Bistro table is delivered and I have place settings added, I'll share those photos with you,too. I may even show you the WHOLE picture. Before I sound too high and mighty...or like I don't have a clue that the economy is struggling, let me tell you the little dining room table that is being replaced is over 17 years old. It was very cheap when we bought it and we raised and fed 4 active kids while using said table. And as you will see, the decor used in our displays are bargain basement items.

Eastern wall of Chatty's room. Yes, she inherited my love of coffee.

Wall going into Chatty's walk--in closet

On opposite wall going into her walk-in closet (Above What-Not Shelf in an upcoming picture)

Above the computer in her room

Above her bed

Chatty's gift from work a couple of years ago. Everyone who knows her, KNOWS her love of music.

Part of Chatty's childhood toy box. She couldn't part with it. So she kept the top half, bought the bottom shelves and made it into a what-not shelf.

The beginnings of my Tuscan make-over in the living room

I just had to show this. These flowers were from my parents for Valentine's Day. I know..."AHHWWWW", right?

I added this above the mirror in my dining room

And that concludes the tour of my Walk-About. Crude, I know. But, hey! I'm a simple person! It doesn't take much to make me proud.

I'm Just OLd

2011-02-10T12:33:00.001-06:00

I'm old and I know I'm old. And before I go into my rant, I know full well that my age will be showing all over the place. So if you're tired of hearing older women ponder and compare things from modern times to the "Good Ole Days", you may want to move to another blog. You've been warned...so here goes! When did it become acceptable to let children be "In relationships"? I'm not talking about the 16 & up crowd. Oh! I know! When I was in junior high, the boys would give their favorite girl their initial ring or ID bracelet and we would call it going steady. 2 or 3 weeks later the boy would ask for it back so he could give it to someone else. OR the girl would get a crush on another boy which would require her to give the bracelet or ring back in hopes the other boy would ask her to wear his bracelet or ring. Thinking back, it was kind of cruel on whichever party was not ready to move on. But mostly it was an at school popularity thing. Usually, the bracelet or ring was worn at school and left in a desk when the school day was over. Because back then when you were 13 or 14, no one wanted to go home and explain to their parents what "going steady" in junior high school meant. Who wanted that embarrassment? Being the brunt of jokes at the supper table was avoided at all cost. Or having my latest crush discussed was not #1 on my list of family topics that I wanted to sit through on ANY night of the week! Granted, in most homes back then, parents kept abreast of what was going on in their kids' lives. They generally knew who had crushes on whom. As long as it was kept in proper perspective, they let it slide. They knew the school system was very strict. Teachers were posted in all areas of the school. The students' every move was monitored. We had a very strict dress code. Holding hands was frowned upon and was not allowed.

Back when my oldest step-son was in 4th or 5th grade, he announced he was dating a girl. I said, "Dating? Where are you dating at?" But times were a changing. I would hear young mothers with grade school aged children using the SAME expression when talking about their children liking another child of the opposite sex. My mouth would just drop open. And that was 18 years ago!

Now we have a celebrity couple who everyone thinks is adorable. Ages 9 & 10. They're "in a relationship". Oh! How cute!!!

Hmmm....I wonder what's next

???

Be Nice

2011-01-29T01:03:00.002-06:00

It's tax season! Can you tell? Chatty has been dreading it since April 15th of 2010 (the close of last tax season). Tax season tends to bring out the ugly in people. So I beg all of you who are having a professional prepare your taxes this year, please be nice to the people at the tax office so I don't have to come home to this face every night for the next 2 1/2 months!

Dry Spell

2011-01-28T10:29:00.002-06:00

Don't let that title fool you. My home state is just like the rest of the mid-western states. We've had our share of snow lately. But thank goodness! The record breaking inches of snow went around us. New Yorkers have my sympathy. I kind of feel responsible for their pain, though. I guess the next time the forewarn doppler forecasts an avalanche of snow for our area, I really should think about the rest of you! Sorry! It's just a reflex. As soon as I hear the dreaded forecast, I automatically start chanting, "Please.. Don't let it snow.. Don't let it snow.. Don't let it snow!" without any regard for the rest of you. I never stop to wonder if not here...then where? So from now on, I'll try to be more precise with my pleas. (Note to self: add on, "Send it all out to the mountains for the ~~silly~~ skiers to enjoy. Or send it to the sledding hills for the children.") No need to thank me. I will do that for all of you because I'm just that awesome.

Anyway...where was I? Oh, yeah...Strike all of the first paragraph because it has nothing to do with the subject matter of this post. Don't laugh. If you're under the age of 50, one day in the not too distant future, you too shall experience the phenomenal joy of thoughts and conversations wandering off of the beaten path. But getting back to what I was trying to tell you, I've had a blogging dry spell. I'm not sick, depressed, or too busy. Yes, my fall and winter months have been really busy. I'll admit that there have been times, if I really put my mind to it, I could have posted something. Seriously, there have been a lot of blog worthy things that have happened. The problem is, I haven't felt very articulate or creative lately. By the time I reconcile accounts, fill out tax forms and talk on the phone, my mind is numb. Anything that I would create during this time would be as exciting to read as watching paint dry. So while I may be responsible for some of you being buried up to your noses in snow, I spared you the agony of being bored stiff. So therefore, you should be flexible enough to get out there and shovel all of that snow. ~~~~~You're welcome, by the way. (I say as I take my small bows and exit the room)

I Need Suggestions

2011-01-28T01:37:00.001-06:00

I'm trying to design my page so that it will be more appealing to the eye and easy to read. I'm asking for your help and for your suggestions. Am I going in the wrong direction with this one? I can't tell if my Logo is too dark and depressing. Is there way too much green on my post and background? Is any of it hard to read or just plain hard on the eyes? You can be blunt and brutally honest. It won't hurt my feelings.

Now I'm going to bed. Remember, you all have an assignment to do so you had better get some rest so that you can dream of the perfect idea for my Blog Design. Sleep tight!

Iron Jawed Angels Part 1/12

2010-12-02T08:18:00.015-06:00

If you have time, I suggest that you watch all 12 parts of this amazing movie. I'll admit I had never heard of the main characters. I researched Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, Doris Stevens, Inez Milholland and some of the other women mentioned. What incredible women! They sacrificed so much to win a voice for women.

I had forgotten that up until 20 years ago women were not only thought of as the fairer species but they were also classified as the inferior sex. It was stifling and I hated it!!!! That being said, I have to say that in some circumstances maybe the fight was not to our advantage. I've always been for having a voice, fair pay, etc...but I've never been a Women's Libber. In my opinion, the bra-burners of the 60's and 70's kind of defeated and confused the issues that women like Alice Paul & Lucy Burns fought so hard to win. Her character in the movie stated that she didn't care what women did with their votes. She cared only that they had a voice and the right to speak that voice with a vote. I highly doubt that Alice Paul meant for any of us to lose the right to be a "woman". As I watch my daughter try to find her place in society (not to mention her place as a female in the dating world), I realize that today's young women have also paid a high price in order to have a voice. As with most things, some people carry things to extremes. In our quest to have a voice, we now need to apologize for wanting to be feminine. And liberation? I sometimes fear we've liberated men from being men.

My Rock

2010-11-19T08:35:00.002-06:00

I was listening to this song last night Jesus and Gravity . It kind of boils it all up and tosses it out there in the simplest, purest form of truth. Sometimes in the hustle & bustle of this thing I call MY LIFE, things can get a little off kilter and busy. But having a relationship with the Lord and knowing who I am in Him brings it all into perspective and gives me peace. There are all kinds of fancy songs out there and all kinds of sophisticated literature explaining and detailing a feel good philosophy but I think Dolly says it best. I hope the link works!

I'm Back

2010-11-18T12:50:00.002-06:00

After a long hiatus, I'm back. If you read my last post, you already know that I filled in for my boss' daughter while she was on maternity leave. She was gone for 9 weeks instead of the originally planned 8 weeks. It was a win-win situation. She was able to spend more time with her new son and I was able to earn more money. However while she was gone, I found out that I'm not as sharp as I was when I was in my twenties. I'll admit to working in a little bit of a fog for the first few weeks. But gradually, I was able to get this older brain worked into a more comfortable routine and schedule. I didn't feel so ~~stupid~~ unorganized.

A lot has happened since I've been gone: Elections, a new Speaker of the House, celebrity deaths (so sad to lose Barbara Billingsley, Beaver's mom. She was the Mom icon of my generation), and last but not least...short sleeved blouses have been replaced by coats. While I usually try to post positive things, I need to take a small time-out here just to insert this one little bit of negativity~~~~I am NOT a fan of cold weather. There! I said it and I won't take it back!

At the end of August, I went on a meatless diet. Yeah, I know. It sounds awful, doesn't it? I'm from the kind of family that if there is not some kind of meat involved in it somewhere, it's not a meal... it's a small snack. Back in the day, I got caught up in the whole "be unhealthy skinny" idea. So I made sure I stayed at 103 lbs. I'm 5' 6 1/2" tall. I'll admit now that was entirely too skinny. 7 years ago, I went through menopause. 6 1/2 years ago, I quit smoking. What does that mean? 37 added pounds. I tried cutting down on the amount of food I was eating every day. I tried different exercize programs. Nothing! I was completely uncomfortable with the added weight. So I prayed for direction (and help). I was lead to start a diet of only vegetables, salads, and wheat crackers. If I crave a snack, I eat almonds or a small bowl of shredded wheat. I'm proud to say that I've lost 16 lbs. My goal is to lose a total of 25 lbs. But if I can lose 4 more pounds before Christmas, I'll be happy. I'm not quite sure what to do about Thanksgiving...but come Christmas, I'm having some turkey! Oh yeah... did I mention what I did with a little of the extra money that I earned?.....Well, let's just say JC Penney and Kohl's had a huge sale and there were a couple of outfits with my name on them.

I'm beginning to leave little hints with my family about needing a good camera. Do you think Santa will bring me one for Christmas? My daughter bought a new camera several months ago. She gave her old camera to me. I owned it for about a week before it locked up. We can't figure out what happened to it. It wasn't me, I swear!!! She said I could use her new one. Yeah right! She keeps her memory cards so full, it takes forever to see the picture I want to use. Plus her new camera has too many options on it. And you all know how technically savvy I am. That leads me to another question. Is there a way to post pictures on a blog without saving it to a hard drive? Really....they shouldn't allow people like me to play with or to own a computer. I've never taken computer classes on things I need to learn. I half-way figure something out. If it does what I want it to, I go with it, only to find out much later that there is an easier, more efficient way of doing it. I usually wipe the egg off of my face by giving the excuse that when I was in school, we had just begun hearing of calculators. But that excuse is wearing very thin. I've come up with a carefully thought out solution. In order to save my dignity, I'll quietly log into blogland and ask my blog friends for answers to things I'm not familiar with. Viola! Blogland = new cheat sheet. The people in my real life will think I'm quite intelligent, while my blog friends will know the real truth. By the way, the new Zemanta Assistant that's been added to the side of my post page, is that on everyone's page or is that something I stumbled into and added on my own? It looks useful but I'm afraid to apply any of the links for fear it will take over and start posting things that I want no part of. I guess when I have more time, I'll read up on it. Who knows? It may be just the thing I'm looking for that will make me appear really smart to all of you.

M.I.A.

2010-10-02T10:30:00.005-05:00

I haven't retired or quit blogging. I'm currently working 1 full-time job and 2 part-time jobs. And I'm trying to keep up with laundry, household chores and my family. Am I a workaholic, an overachiever, or just plain greedy? Absolutely not! The two part-time jobs are my usual jobs. The full-time job is something that I am doing for 8 weeks. You see, the woman who usually does the full-time job had a beautiful baby boy a couple of weeks ago. All of you moms out there know what this time means to any mom but especially to a first time mommy. She wants as much free time to bond with this little bundle before she has to take time away from him. Also, remember how much you had to learn when you had your first child? A first time mommy can read all of the How-To books ever written on newborns and parenting. She is never fully prepared for the amazing creature that's about to enter her life. I discovered really quickly that my baby forgot to read the books before she emerged into my world of knowledge. Yeah, I threw all of those books away! It seems like it's a full time job just trying to read all of the little aches, pains, running nose, and whimpers the new little one makes. When my newborn cried, I couldn't tell if it was a normal cry or a "something is seriously wrong" cry? Yes, I remember this special time. In fact, wanting to be a full-time mom is why I left this same office position 21 years ago and took on 2 flexible part-time jobs. I remember what it was like, so that's why I'm taking on her office duties while she gets adjusted and bonds with her son.

Meanwhile....This old woman is trying to get organized. My main focus is trying to make sure that I don't forget to pay bills or forget to give someone their well earned paycheck. I'm trying to avoid really stupid over-sights... Like concentrating so hard on the new payroll program...that I put the wrong company checks into the printer for printing. (FYI...I did that). So excuse me while my blog is inactive for a few weeks. I'll be reading all of your blogs. I'll make comments when I have something worthwhile to add. I hope none of you take a break like I'm doing because I look forward to keeping up with all of you.

Does this make me a silent stalker? Gee, I hope not! Over the past couple of years, I've given up reading our local newspapers every morning. It's way too depressing! Instead I sit down with my morning cup of coffee and catch up on all Blogger news. ~~So blog-on, my fellow Bloggers!!!!!~~

Knee Bone Connected to the Leg Bone?

2010-08-31T21:29:00.010-05:00

That title has nothing to do with anything I'm about to write. But then, that's just par for the day that I had today. Let me explain and then you can tell me if I missed the point.

A couple of weeks ago I started getting a gripping pain in my upper abdomen. It wasn't a constant pain. It was more like a muscle spasm. It would come and go. I'm one of those kind of people who does not run to the doctor with every little ache and pain. I like to wait it out just to see if it will go away on it's own. After it had been going on for 10 days, I decided to call for an appointment to get it checked out.

I thought this would be a great opportunity to meet with a new doctor that I have heard so many good things about. I haven't seen my doctor in 5 years. I haven't received any phone calls from him telling me that he dearly misses me. So I don't think his feelings would be hurt because I went to see another doctor. As with any new patient, I was required to fill out the usual papers and forms. I was told there were about 8 pages that needed to be filled out. They said if I was in town I could drop by and get them. That way I could have them filled out before the day of my appointment.

At home, I began the task of filling out the forms. The first few pages were filled with the usual questions. About page 4 or page 5, the questions started getting a little unusual. They wanted to know if we had guns in our house. If so, how many guns, where we kept them, why we had them. Another question was did I have a life insurance policy in place, who was in charge of it and various other details about it. At first I marked my answers....then it occurred to me unless they were going to come to my house and get the guns we may or may not have, shoot me, and collect on my life insurance...it really wasn't any of their business about our gun status or how much we have secured for my death. In my opinion, it's the doctor's job to make sure that I don't have to use my Life Insurance coverage any time soon. So I went and got my trusty White-Out pen. Not only did I erase my answers but I whited-out the whole section.... questions and all. I felt pretty justified about my actions. Until I began to wonder if they would cancel my appointment because of an incomplete form. Was this going to be like school? An incomplete exam and you get a failing grade?

Today, I shyly entered the doctor's lobby. I knocked on the nurse's window. She slid open the window. I handed my forms to her. She told me to have a seat. So far, so good. Then the window slid open and she called my name. She said, "You forgot ......to give me your co-pay." Whew! I guess they really didn't require the gun info.

They then called me into the inner office. A nurse took my weight and vitals and then led me into the smaller examination room. I sat there for a few minutes. Then two of the nicest nurses came in. It seems by 2012, the government will require all medical offices to purchase computer programs to log in all patient info online during the exams. The offices who voluntarily buy and participate in the program now get a 5 % discount. The ones who wait until after 2012 will get penalized. The office I visited today had decided to comply now. The one nurse was training the other nurse on the new program. I had to answer various questions again. The nurse asked me if I'd ever been widowed, if I was divorced, how many divorces I have had, etc... I was so caught up in our conversation (because they were so nice and all)...I answered all of their questions. When they were finished, they got up and left the room. I was sitting there smiling and thinking how nice they were. About 2 minutes later, my smile slowly changed into a very confused look. It occurred to me that none of those questions were pertinent to the pain in my stomach,either. SHOOT!!! They got me again. I felt like sticking my head out of the door and saying, "You might want to bring my forms and an ink pen back in here. There's some gun issues that I need to address."

My question is: what does any of that have to do with a bellyache?

Whirlwind

2010-07-22T18:07:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I wrote or posted anything. The PREVIEW feature has been added to Blogger since my last post. What a nice idea! I wasted a lot of time editing before this feature was added. We'll see if I can get my page to look more appealing with the help of this new application.

The summer is going by so fast. There are so many bridal showers, weddings, & baby showers to attend this year. You'd almost think that we've stepped back to a time when people actually believed in getting married. I've really had a hard time keeping up with all of them, though. My kitchen counter has a section of invitations standing in date order. When I attend an event I take the card down. This system worked pretty well for awhile until I forgot to put a card in the rotation. Oops! That threw the whole system out of order. Yes, I mark dates down on the calendar. But the only place I have to hang a calendar is on the inside of my pantry door. If I forget to check the calendar, my card stack reminds me. You have to live in my head for that to make any sense. But hey, it works...most of the time. ( By the way, the above picture is not mine. I borrowed it from an internet website. My system is much simpler than this one. But this picture has given me all kinds of new ideas).

Chatty will be turning 21 next month. Where has the time gone? It seems like she just turned 16, started driving, and got her first job. Our oldest son's 2nd child will be arriving in December. This will make our 6th grandchild.

The county fairs are in full swing. I don't know that I'll go to as many as I did last year. Last weekend I went to a fair just because Merle Haggard was performing. And before you asked like everyone else I told about it. Yes, he is still alive. AND he did a good job.

Starting in September, I have to fill in for the girl at the office while she goes on an 8 week maternity leave. I'm wondering how I'm going to do her job and my job and keep up with my other part-time job. But I'm not as worried about those things as I am about my house. I live with two people who are use to having clean dishes, clean clothes and no clutter in the house. I have a feeling they're going to find out really fast that there is no magic fairy that gets these things done. And I have a feeling they're going to miss the mild-mannered person who use to live here. Did I mention that I also hate clutter...AND I won't have time to be following everybody around picking up what they leave behind???? But who knows? Maybe those 8 weeks will go by as fast as the summer has. Yeah, right!

The Crabb Family - The Reason that I'm Standing

2010-07-07T23:21:00.002-05:00

Isn't this a pretty song? The Crabb Family always put heart & soul into their performances.

Catherine`s Vintage Style: A Short History Of Gingham

2010-06-28T08:30:00.000-05:00

I'm creatively challenged. But I love seeing all of the fabric and creations. They are wonderful! Catherine`s Vintage Style: A Short History Of Gingham

This Much Change? Really??

2010-06-22T12:33:00.001-05:00

I pride myself in being an un-biased & a NON-racist individual. I am a person that knows America was founded by many ethnic cultures. I believe any person that comes to our country and wants to be an asset to our land, abide by the laws that our Forefathers established and honor our system that so many of our citizens & their children have fought & died for should be welcomed with open arms. I don't believe that any religion should be forced upon any individual. At the same time, I don't believe an individual on American soil should be punished for revering God or Jesus Christ...or respecting the American flag. Those entities should stay in place as the foundation and definition of who & what is the United States. If they aren't, I'm afraid the veil of protection that we've always had will be lifted. Look at the disrespect and dishonor that the American people have been showing God over the last decade...Then look at what has taken place in our country in the last decade. Look at the recent attacks that our land has suffered from terrorists and mother nature. Do you think God is trying to tell us something? If you don't, there's a book that was written thousands of years ago that may give you a hint.

My intention is not to create a blog that is controversial, political, or promoting a certain religious denomination. I love the Lord with all of my heart. I accept Jesus Christ as my saviour. It's that simple OR that complicated...however you look at it. If a person wants to know more, I tell them. If they are insulted by it or simply think it's a waste of time...I don't bother them with it. That's NOT what this post is about.

What's got my tail feathers ruffled, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. There's a small mid-western town in my home state that has made a questionable decision. I don't believe they understood all of the details when they made the deal. From the way I understand it, the town is somewhat panicked now. The town is a small rural community. The population is around 6000. Most of the citizens have to drive an hour to get to work. This small, mostly unheard of town has sold some of it's acreage to the UN. The town understood the UN was wanting the land to build a Teacher's Hall of Fame. Sounds harmless enough, doesn't it? It even sounds like it may bring more jobs to the community, right? WRONG!!!! The UN plans on selling shares to a lot of the Muslim governments. Yes, there are rumors from people that it will be a training center for the One World government & the One World religion. I'm not going to speculate on all of that, because most of what I have been hearing is from other people. I haven't been at their town meetings or read all of the articles relating to the subject. BUT ARE THEY KIDDING???? Do they NOT remember September 11, 2001? I mean, I am NOT talking about American citizens who happen to be of other cultures, religions, or ethnic backgrounds owning a share of this center or working there. Neither am I talking about foreign product being sold in America or foreign company owned industries operating in America. I'm addressing the fact that shares of something operated on US land is being sold to foreign governments for questionable purposes. And not just any foreign governments, but the countries who are not shy about stating how much they despise and hate America. Maybe I'm blowing this out of proportion. But maybe America should start being more skeptical and less politically correct. I mean, the last time I checked we were still at war. Correction....I don't know if we're still calling it a war or if the cool "Powers that Be" are embarrassed by that term and have decided to call it something more user friendly. But whatever it is, I know that there was a lot and is still a lot of American blood shed because of it. Do we really want to hand anything else of ours over to these governments? Especially something that will be operated in a state that is almost positioned in the center of the USA. But then, who am I? Most of my opinions are not of popular belief. For the last 10 years my arm has been getting a lot of exercise from lifting my chin up off the floor. I can't believe how much we've changed. Oh wait a minute!!!...That was the theme of the last election, wasn't it?

I'll leave you with this final thought. If the new ways are more hip, free, liberating and open minded, tell me this, has anyone really done a comparison? Quickly, let's do one:

Old Way= US Constitution: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, right to bear arms.

New Proposed Way= One World Government, One World Religion. Freedom from the hassles of making your own decisions or owning your own businesses, the government will do it for you.

Hmmmm..... sounds like a NO BRAINER to me. But then again, it just depends on how each individual interprets it. I would say we stand a much better chance of survival if we just let "American People" do the interpreting.

Is the Secret in the Root????

2010-06-14T09:31:00.011-05:00

We were able to get away for a few days last week. We had been planning on going to the Smokey Mountains. Just about the time we started making serious plans, the floods came. Yep! The elements heard about it. They got together and said, "Did you hear? The Chats are planning on travelling in this direction for their summer vacation. Well let's just show the Ozarks that the South can do a much better job of it than merely raining on their parade." So the floods came. Did that stop us.? Did we stay home because of it? No. We turned the steering wheel in the opposite direction. Instead of going Southeast, we went Southwest. We headed back to the Ozarks. We had a great time as usual. As much as we've been going down there lately, I'm beginning to think Chatty and Mr. Chat are secretly moving some of our stuff a little at a time without telling me. One of these days we'll go there on one of our quick get aways and when I start packing to come home, they're going to tell me not to bother because..... SURPRISE, we live there now.

(A side note to my Southern neighbors: I want to make it perfectly clear that I find no humor or dismiss the tragedy you have suffered. My heart and prayers are with the families who have lost so much).

On the way down to the Ozarks, we stopped to be examined by an herbalist. Now wait! I know what you're thinking! But no!!! The Chat family has not went "Hippie-freak" on all of you good people. Neither have we lost our minds and decided to try Voo-Doo or visit a Witch Doctor. For several years, some of our nice, decent Christian friends have been telling us about this man who specializes in alternative medicine. They explained it this way: We have grids in our eyes. If a person is having a problem with a certain organ or they have some sort of deficiency, a spot will show up on a certain grid in their eye. My thought has always been, "Mmmm..hmm, SURE!!!" Anyway to make a long story a little shorter, I'll give you a little background information. I have had a hand problem for 25 years. I had Carpal Tunnel surgery performed. Nothing! I spent lots of time and money with medical specialists trying to find answers or a solution to the problem. Nothing. Chatty has spells with pain & etc. There have been lots of medical tests ran. Nothing! Mr. Chat has really been going down hill for the past several months. He has lost about 20 lbs. in 6 months and has no energy. 12 blood tests were ran. Other than high Cholesterol...Nothing! Out of frustration, I bit the bullet and made an appointment to see the herbalist. It was amazing. He didn't ask us what kinds of problems we were having or what our symptoms were. In fact, he didn't want any background on us. He examined our eyes and performed some muscle tests. Now mind you, none of us were having any of the same symptoms or problems. Right away he started describing how each one of us had been feeling. He asked us if we were having pains in certain areas. He was right on the mark with each of us. Needless to say, each of us left with the different herbs he said was needed. I'll let you know when or if there are any improvements.

Now it's back to the work week. There's lots of catching up to do. Just the thought of it makes me tired.

Let me see.... Now where did I put that energy herb?

Yakov's eNewsletter Sign Up

2010-06-03T12:01:00.000-05:00

Yakov's eNewsletter Sign Up

Wedding Day is Over

2010-05-17T16:45:00.006-05:00

They did it! My step-son and his fiance were married this past Saturday. YAY!!!! We have added another girl to the family. We girls are still out numbered, though. 5 girls, 7 boys. But there is another grandchild due in December. Maybe it will be a girl and we will shrink the gap.

They had planned and rehearsed the wedding to be outside in a beautiful courtyard, complete with an elegant water fountain. But as I suspected it might, it rained ALL day and late into the evening. And it was very chilly. They decided to go to Plan B. It was moved into the reception hall (Did I mention Plan B was unrehearsed?) There were a few glitches and ad-libbed things. But all-in-all, it turned out to be a great event!

This is the Bride and Groom (plus the Maid of Honor). Aren't they cute?

Oldest step-son & one of the Bridesmaids

This is the Groom's twin brother with yet another Bridesmaid.

The groom's 1/2 sister..my daughter (Chatty) with the Groom's step-brother.

The groomsmen

The Bridesmaids

Chatty helping the Bride. I guess now that she's part of the family I'm going to have to think of a name for her...hmmm...until I think of something better, we'll call her Chit-Chat.

Me with our youngest granddaughter. Her hair was beautiful just 3 minutes before this...she was extremely hot. Once her clothing was changed and she cooled off, she was up and running again.

Mr. Chat and I tripping the light fantastic!~We may not be Fred and Ginger. But at least we can still keep a beat while NOT falling down.

Welcome to our family, Chit-Chat!!!!

Learning Contentment In ALL Things

2010-05-03T12:52:00.015-05:00

Remember I told you that we were getting out of Chatville for awhile? And remember when I told you in one of my earlier posts that whenever we manage to squeeze some time to get away from the hustle and bustle of the thing we call "our lives" ----it never fails to rain. It doesn't matter if the area that we choose is in the middle of a drought. As soon as we make our entrance, a monsoon is sure to follow. Well this time was NO different! I had been checking the Ozark weather for a number of days. They were having nice temps and mild weather. I booked our reservations about 2 weeks before we planned to be in town. Before we were scheduled to leave, I looked at their 10 day forecast. They were suppose to have rain and thunderstorms in the area during that time but it was suppose to clear up a few days before we were scheduled to arrive. Chatty and I were all excited and geared up to leave. Remember, I told you that tax season had us both frazzled and ready to pop a cork? ! I think even Mr. Chat was anxious to have some time away.

Sure enough! Mid-week before we left, the weather forecast changed. The storms were pushed back to later in the week. That's right! Right smack dab in the middle of our trip. I couldn't change our plans because we had arranged our work schedules to take this time off. Also, I'm cheap. I didn't want to pay the $25.00 re-booking fee. Besides, it wouldn't matter. If I changed our reservation, the weather would have changed too.

By the time April 15th rolled around, Chatty felt like a human puching bag because of the verbal abuse and crankiness that she had to deal with from people having their taxes done. She started getting bummed out and began thinking she had some of the worse luck ever. I think she even thought about throwing a pity-party with a "Woe is Me"' theme. About mid-way through the day before we were to leave, Chatty texted me from her office saying that she had decided to change her attitude...That maybe God had a lesson for us again. And she reminded herself that she was to be content in All things. I reminded her that we have experienced some pretty awesome things because the weather has changed our plans and put us in different places than we would have been if the weather had stayed nice.

This is off the subject of our recent get away. But I have to tell you of a funny thing that happened on one of our other get-aways. My mom, Chatty, and I use to have a "girls get-away" once a year. About 11 years ago, we were shopping the strip at Lake of the Ozarks. All of a sudden it started pouring rain and lightening. My mom popped open her umbrella. We had to cross the street to get out of the rain. By that time, it was raining so hard we couldn't see and the wind was so strong. My mom's umbrella sucked up backwards and broke. Here we were, blindly running across the street, with a deformed umbrella. I led them to a door that had an awning over it. I was hoping the awning would shield us from some of the rain. All of a sudden the door flew open and a deep voice said, "You ladies need to come in out of that. It looks like it's going to get pretty dangerous. A tornado warning has been issued. Everyone's been told to seek shelter." My mom stood in the doorway trying to get her umbrella closed. I grabbed it and threw it in an outside trash can and pushed her through the door. When we were able to finally wipe our eyes and see, this is what our surroundings looked like:

And the deep voice that we heard came out of someone who looked like this:

Can you imagine the looks on our faces? A 60 year old grandma, a 40 year old straight-laced mom and a 10 year old little girl who attended a Christian School. We hovered together in a tight little wad. I think the two men that operated the store could see that we were a little intimidated. They told us we were welcomed to sit down on the tiny couch that was in the center of the room. Then they both disappeared into the back room and left us alone. We realized that these two men (who we were quick to label) had been the only people to offer us shelter out of a bad storm. After we calmed down a bit, we loosened up. Although I would never consider having a tattoo, I will say there are some pretty talented tattoo artists out there. When the storm was over, I yelled out a Thank You, hoping the men would realize how grateful we were to them. One of the men poked their head through the curtain and said, "No problem. You ladies have a safe day!" Wasn't he a very nice guy? We learned two lessons that day---never judge people by their looks or your first impressions of them and never limit God. He will use weather to put you on a different course to teach you new lessons, while allowing you new experiences. If you can keep an open mind and look for the positive, I guarantee you will receive a blessing! Had it not been for bad weather we would not have such a funny memory to share with our family and friends. And you know, I can't remember what we did when the weather cleared up that trip...but I do remember the storm, the tattoo parlor and the nicest act of kindness shown by two complete strangers. Funny, huh?

That lesson and memory sent us on our recent get-away with better outlooks and attitudes. And you know what? Even though it rained and it was pretty windy on our first day in town, we had a fantastic time. We came home refreshed and relaxed!

Now, I'll share some of our photos from this trip to the Ozarks:

The rainbow after the storm. Beautiful, right?

Buckets and Boards.

If you are in Branson, stop in to see these guys. Not only are they funny, they can make music and rythm out of anything.

The Haygoods

7 brothers and 1 sister. A very talented family who put on a great show

Comedians at Clay Cooper Theater

There are no words to describe this show...other than "You must go and watch it". Very entertaining!!!!

Chatty sitting on the porch at the Dining Lodge at College of the Ozarks

This college is known as Hard Work U. I'm very impressed with the college. The students are required to work on campus 15 hours a week in exchange for their tuition fees. There is a grist mill on the campus. They make all of their flour, corn meal, etc. They also have a dairy farm on campus. The butter that comes from the dairy is delicious. I know because I scarfed it down on one of their homemade dinner rolls that they serve at the Dining Lodge. I probably didn't see it all. But I know there was a Jelly Market and a room for basket weaving and crafts. The students work, produce, and run the operations in each of these markets. Every where we looked, we saw students either going to classes or performing some job on campus. There were boys in the barn. Boys and girls doing yard work. Students working in the restaurant, museums, and various stores. They were all friendly, respectful and had great attitudes. They looked like they were enjoying themselves. I talked to a few of the students. They took great pride in explaining the school to me. One of the students said she would never consider going to another college. Like I said I was very impressed.

Well, that was just some of the things that we saw on this recent get-away. Originally we had a different itinerary. We tweeked some of our original plans because of the weather. I'm so glad God is in charge (and He has such a great sense of humor). Otherwise, we may have missed some of the things that we enjoyed so much on this trip!

Thelma & Louise?

2010-04-21T13:45:00.011-05:00

Chatty and I need to get away. This tax season really kicked our rear ends!!! We'll be heading to Tennessee in a few months. But right now we need to get out of Chatville for awhile. The quickest way to do this is to head to the Ozarks for a few days. We plan on shopping, catching a few music shows, sight-seeing, and hitting as many coffee shops as possible. Anything unrelated to paperwork or cranky people will suit us just fine.

We're comfortable in our home town. But I think if we could find good paying jobs in the Bible-Belt area, Chatty and Mr. Chat would be packing up and heading out for good. For now, it's nice to have a place to escape to when things get to be a little too much to deal with in Chatville.

Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Usually when I plan a quick get away it seems the current sunny weather suddenly turns cloudy and dreary. Watch the skies. I'll keep you posted.

Blog Party

2010-04-12T08:25:00.005-05:00

Blog Party

There's an amazing blog party going on. If you want to join in, just click the above link to join. Or click on the banner that I have posted on my sidebar. I think you should join in because there are lots of free prizes and give aways. Sounds fun, right? So take my hand and come with me to this wonderful party. I hate arriving at parties by myself. There's something very intimidating about going to a door alone. I took a glimpse at the people over there and they look quite friendly. Don't wait too long and don't dawdle because I'll leave without you. I'll go alone....I ain't scared.

I'm suppose to introduce myself so I can easily get acquainted with everyone at this party. OK, well....My name is Debbie. Since that's a name from the 1950's and 1960's, you can easily gather that I'm no spring chicken. I have 1 daughter (Chatty) and 3 step-sons. It doesn't seem possible but my daughter will be 21 years old this year. Her brothers are in their mid-to-late 20's and have blessed us with 5 grandchildren. My husband (Mr. Chat) is a delivery driver for a popular foodservice company. He likes to fish, camp and work on landscapping. I'm a bookkeeper for 4 restaurants and 1 recreational dealership. I love to talk, visit old shoppes and historical towns, try to find the ultimate coffee shop, read and Blog. I like to meet new people. Did I mention that I love to talk? Anyway, that's me in a nut shell. As I re-read my intro, my life and I sound pretty boring. But I promise I do have my moments. At any given time AND without warning, I can cut loose and have a good time with the simplest things in life. I'm not a complicated person at all.

Yada-yada-yada. Now that that's out of the way, lets go look at the prizes and see if there's anything to eat.

The Prodigal Son

2010-03-25T12:02:00.009-05:00

When I was between 12 and 14 years old, I listened to bubble gum music. I bought records performed by Elvis Presley, Donny Osmond, David Cassidy, Bobby Sherman, etc... It was fun. And they were cute. I had their posters all over my bedroom wall.

When I entered high school, I had outgrown my boy band phase. My grandparents and parents always preached the evils of most rock music. Although, I thought they were a bit radical, I had to admit there was some truth in what they were saying. I watched as some of my friends started following and listening to some of the edgier, hard rock music. It seemed like they changed over night. The once clean-cut, God-fearing kids became very rebellious and angry individuals. The ones that didn't become angry and rebellious, became empty shells of the people that I had once known. They played their screeching music, burned their incense and zombied out. Their grades dropped. If they made decent grades at all, it was because they arranged to copy off of other people who had not followed in their path. It was during this time that a lot of them were either killed in car accidents or overdosed on drugs. It was at that point that I knew I was at a crossroads in my life. I had to decide whether to follow the majority or cut my own path. My decision was to go in my own direction. I took down all of the posters from my bedroom wall. I put away my record player. I tuned my radio station to the most popular Country music station that I could find. My friends became farm boys and country girls. We didn't hang out at the basements where "pot" was freely passed around. We hit the rodeo circuits. This became my identity. With it came a hatred of Hard Rock. I associated Hard Rock with everything that had destroyed some very good people. My grandparents weren't fond of Country Music either...but to me it was the lesser of the two evils.

Today, I rarely listen to music. My daughter is the big music buff in our family. As she was growing up, I encouraged her to listen to a wide genre of music. Praise & Worship, Gospel, Country, Pop, Blues, Big Band, and yes, even some Rock. She can tell you the names of performers, titles of songs, & some history of various styles of music dating all the way back to the 1920s & 1930s. She LOVES music. While I encouraged her to listen to all types of music, I forbade her to listen to what I called dope music, or Satanic music. Although she is 20 years old, she has always honored this request. She added Heavy Metal, Acid Rock, and Rap to the list of music she didn't like. The funny thing is, the music that I once called hard rock is now considered "the oldies....classic rock". Don't care!!! I still remember the damage it caused.

That being said, I would like to share an amazing testimony from a man who I once considered the Poster Child for "Everything Evil". I invite you to watch his video. He states some of the purest truth that I have heard from anyone concerning faith. This just proves that God can turn anyone around and use them in His ministry!!!!

Click: Alice Cooper and here: Alice Cooper

Happy St. Patrick's Day, My Friends!

2010-03-17T06:55:00.002-05:00

AN IRISH FRIENDSHIP WISH

May there always be work for your hands to do;

May your purse always hold a coin or two;

May the sun always shine on your windowpane;

May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;

May the hand of a friend always be near you;

May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Gravity rules

2010-03-13T09:43:00.003-06:00

Reflecting: I'm remembering a time before I hit 50. AHHH! I remember it well. It was a time when if I leaned over to pick something up, my face and neck stayed firm and fully intact. These days I do my best not to drop anything. If I do have a moment of clumsiness, I like to do what I refer to as the Queen Elizabeth Stoop. I bend my knees while keeping my body stiff and straight. I point my face up high with the air of grace and snobbery, while keeping my eyes focused away from the floor. I do a quick swoop. If I miss the object that I'm trying to pick up. Oh well! It will just have stay there because there is no way I'm going to bend over to pick it up. No one needs to see that sight!. My face and neck tend to do unspeakable things in the downward position. Come to think of it....the people sitting behind me wouldn't have a good view either!

Observationally Challenged

2010-03-10T10:42:00.007-06:00

With each new year, I've noticed that my observational skills have been declining. But until yesterday, I didn't think they had completely withered away. But then again, I could be wrong and wouldn't notice. I'll give you a couple of examples.

My office is in the loft of a huge dealership. The only window in the office faces out into a large showroom. I leave the door open for fresh air. Plus it keeps me from feeling so isolated and closed off from society. There is always activity going on downstairs. But honestly, I have learned to block it out. Yesterday, I was in deep concentration. At some point, my mind registered the fact that I was hearing sirens. I didn't think anything about it. A few seconds later, I noticed that the sirens were getting louder. It sounded like quite a few sirens. It had been raining and it crossed my mind that there must have been a pretty bad accident on the highway. I heard one of the men from downstairs ask why traffic had come to a stop. I thought to myself, "Didn't you hear the sirens? Traffic is probably blocked from the accident." I kept working. I didn't notice that it had become very quiet downstairs. Later on that day I learned there had been a shoot-out on the highway. Sadly, a life was taken. I don't know the full details but it involved a young man wanted by the FBI, the CIA, and several other law enforcement officials.

Another example of my intuitive skills happened last night. You know that part of sleep that you first go into? The part between a doze and a deep sleep? Well, that was the part of sleep I was in when my dog started growling. Again, my ability to tune things out kicked in. I was SO enjoying my sleep. She kept growling. I kept ignoring. After awhile she wasn't content with just growling. NO! She thought it would be more entertaining to growl and to pace. OOOO. Still she didn't seem to think that was annoying enough. She barked. Not a bark as in, "Hey, there's someone prowling around...or there's something here that's going to do us all harm." No she softly growled and quietly woofed. Just loud enough to keep me from going into my long awaited deep sleep. I thought if I ignored her she would stop. She must have thoroughly been enjoying herself because she simply would not stop. I could no longer tune her out. I got down in her face and shook my finger at her. With the meanest look I could muster at that time of night, I said through clenched teeth, "If you don't lay down and go to sleep, I'm going to put you down in the basement!" She grunted a couple more times. I snarled, "I mean it!!!" Then she was quiet. Finally, I was able to go to sleep. This morning I learned that we experienced another earthquake. It occurred in a town about a hundred miles south of us. Luckily it wasn't strong enough to cause any damage. My mom lives 13 miles away from me. She called to tell me that she heard and felt the quake as it was happening. This is the second one that particular fault line has had in the last couple of weeks. My town sits on that fault line.

Clearly, my senses have dulled. At this point, I think if a mugger ever approached me... I would probably reach into my purse, pull out a piece of gum, hand it to him and keep walking. My question is: Is this a blessing or a curse? Am I two hoots and a holler away from being put in a nursing home and having oatmeal scraped from my chin? Or am I being spared from unnecessary worry? What do you think?

Winter-Funk

2010-03-08T09:52:00.003-06:00

I was right! It must have been the weather. Being a person who doesn't mind eating my words, I'll give credit where credit is due. My last post was about the rudeness of people when the weather is gloomy. I'll freshen things up a bit and give the people of my town a big compliment. Smiles are breaking out all over!!!! For the past 2 or 3 days we've been having spring-like weather. It has definitely brought out the grins and giggles in everyone.

First of all, the latter part of the week I was blessed with a new great-nephew.

Isn't he a cutie?

After my last trip around town, I thought it would be awhile before I ventured out again. But the weather was too nice to stay indoors this weekend. I've mentioned before that yard work is Mr. Chat's thing. And sure enough, Saturday after breakfast, he took off for his favorite place to buy topsoil. 40 minutes later he pulled into our drive with a pickup load of dirt and a smile on his face. So that meant the yard AND Mr. Chat were going to be occupied and preoccupied.

Our 8 year old granddaughter, Chatter-Box was spending the weekend with us. She brightens things up even in gloomy weather. What a plus that the weather was nice and we could go outside and enjoy it.

In May, my step-son will be getting married. Chatty is one of the Bride's Maids. Saturday she had an appointment for a dress fitting. I thought since the bridal store was in another town, Chatter-Box and I would tag along. I entered the store with caution. I was pleasantly surprised to find that we didn't have to wait long. I was more surprised to find that all of the women (employees and customers) were nice, polite, and quite charming.

After the Bridal shop, we hit a few more clothing stores. I still haven't found anything to wear to the wedding. Oh, well! Maybe another day. By this time I was getting hopeful. In every store we visited, everyone was smiling, laughing, being mannerly, AND making direct eye contact. The day was turning out to be a good day. I was also killing 2 birds with 1 stone. Chatter-Box's 8th birthday was a couple of weeks ago. Chatty bought her gifts, but Mr. Chat and I didn't. I decided instead of buying something she already had or didn't like, I would take her shopping and let her pick out what she wanted.

We started off at Target. But as soon as we entered the store, my nose was drawn to the StarBuck's to my immediate right. Chatty saw the twinkle in my eye. She knows me too well. She just grinned and stuck her hand out. I handed her the birthday money and said, "Do you mind? I think I'll get a coffee and sit for awhile." I was now in my 7th heaven. I had a French Vanilla Latte, my 2 girls were doing what they love to do best, and I was people-watching. All of the people were happy and in great moods. But the true test came when we left Target and stopped by a Wal-Mart. Yes, even Wal-Mart shoppers were being civil human beings on Saturday.

Saturday proved that people of other towns were very friendly this weekend. That encouraged me to check out the people of my town. Sunday afternoon before taking Chatter-Box home, we took her to the City Park. What better place to test manners and attitudes than a crowded public park? Results.....Everyone played nice and the adults were all friendly and sociable. That makes it official, people are coming out of their winter-funk. Halleluiah!!!!

It Must be Because of the Weather

2010-03-04T11:11:00.024-06:00

Has this felt like an unusually long winter? I know I can't be the only one noticing it affecting other people's moods. Chatty tells me that people are very cranky on a daily basis. I haven't worked with the public in over 20 years so I guess I don't notice it.

I don't know if it's because of the weather or if the American people have just become a society that think their wants and needs are more important than the 500 other people standing around them. And that they have the right to push, shove, or yell at someone else if something isn't to their liking. I'd like to blame it on the weather. But in all reality, I think they needed more spankings when they were kids. Sorry if I'm not politically correct. I'm just saying!!!

Case in point: Chatty and I went to a store last week. Yes, it was Wal-Mart and that fact may have added to the equation. But as I made my way through various aisles, I came face-to-face with frowns, scowls, and grimacing looks. I'd like to say that maybe there was something about me that didn't sit well with them. You know, something like...maybe I wasn't correctly accessorized...my sense of fashion was a disaster...my makeup was hideous...But NO. They didn't make eye contact with anyone around them. They were all just flat having a bad day!!

Some background info: When Chatty comes home from work stressed because she has spent the day being yelled at about things that are beyond her control, I always try to give her a positive, Christian perspective of the situation. She patiently sits through all of my prophetic speeches. When I'm done giving her uplifting examples of the Christian way to deal with stressful people, I feel like the perfect mom. She patiently waits for me to finish so she can go soak in a nice hot tub to ease the stress of the day.

Now, fast forward back to Wal-Mart. I made a comment about how unpleasant the people of our town were being that day. Chatty said, "Mmmm-huh. Now put all of those faces standing across a counter from you, screaming and cursing at the top of their lungs. Would it make you want to break out into a gospel hymn?" At this point I started trying to think of something very inspirational to say. All I could come up with was, "The weather can have an effect on people." Her response was, "Yeah, 12 months of the year." We then headed down the shampoo aisle. I've come to the conclusion that when people have dirty hair, it affects their ability to speak. No kidding! I was there no more than 2 minutes. 3 people came and nudged me out of the way. They didn't say, "Excuse me...Pardon me...or Hey fool, get out of my way!" They just nudged. One girl with a baby on her hip didn't even nudge. She just kept inching toward me. I moved, she inched, I moved, she inched. We danced all the way down the aisle until she finally decided she didn't want anything in that aisle. After she was gone, I quietly muttered, "Geez" under my breath. Chatty just snickered. I didn't look to see if she had an "I told you so" look on her face. By that time, I had enough of my shopping experience. We headed to the checkout lane. I stood there thinking about what I had just observed. I was thinking that maybe the economy is causing most of the bad attitudes. But if that were the case, I don't think the customers' carts would be as over-flowing as they were. My (hoping to find "Good-In-Humanity") thoughts were interrupted by a man standing 2 people in line in front of me. He was a 200+ lb,40 something year old man. He stood there yelling at a 90 lb., 16 year old girl about Wal-Mart policies. I looked over at Chatty. She was red faced and staring down at the floor. I had nothing inspirational to say.

I'm sitting in my nice, comfy home now. In order to stay a member of my idea of a perfect world where everyone is nice, loving and polite to one another-----I've decided to blame that one bad day on the LONG winter. (But if Chatty reads this last comment----I will avoid all eye contact).

I'll leave you all with this final thought: SMILE.....Please It won't hurt ,,,, I promise!!!! And it will certainly encourage me to venture out into the public again.

Youtubing

2010-01-17T09:52:00.002-06:00

One of my Christmas presents this year was getting a High Speed internet connection in our home. Now you all will have to bear with me because I'm years behind all of you. Really behind!!! I've been working with computers since 1987. It was back in the day of DOS. What a PAIN. I'm so glad that Windows was introduced. (Thank you, Bill Gates). However, I only worked with the programs that pertained to my job, nothing high tech. In 2004, Mr. Chat finally decided to have the internet connected in our home.You should have seen me then. I was like a little girl discovering new toys. AND that was just with slow speed dial-up. Last year, I followed my cousin on Blogger. Then I started reading random posts from other people. I thought it would be fun to have my own Blogging space. I had (and still have) SO much to learn but I knew one thing for sure...dial-up internet was just not cutting it.

I'm amazed at some of the things I find on Youtube. I don't know how to get the videos to appear on my page but I would like to share some awesome footage with you. Go HERE and HERE

And the Greatest of These....

2010-01-15T11:31:00.004-06:00

Are those around you making Christianity complicated? Need a lift? Click into the following link. It puts Christianity back into perspective.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wreXolBRAsg

Happy 75th

2010-01-08T22:20:00.003-06:00

I remember watching Elvis movies when I was 5 years old. When I turned 10, my parents gave me a record player for my birthday. As soon as I received enough money for birthdays and Christmases, I bought 3 Elvis albums (not cds....but 3 real vinyl LPs). I loved his voice. And even though he was over a year older than my dad, I thought he was the epitome of what a man should look like.

I was 18 years old when he passed away. I remember the exact spot where I was standing when his death was announced on the radio. My brother and I took a short drive in his Mustang Mach 1 after the announcement. Every 18-wheel trucker on the highway was traveling with their headlights on in observance of Elvis'death and to show their respect for him. A lot has been said about the man over the years. Some good. Some not so good. But I choose to remember him through the eyes of the 5 year old child who watched his movies and the mind of the 10 year old who read stories about a man who gave things to people just to see the joy in their eyes and the smiles on their faces. I'll remember the man who loved the Bible and who could belt out a gospel song that would send chills down your spine.

In honor of Elvis' 75th Birthday go here . If you've ever been an Elvis fan, I think this will touch you.

Blessed!

2009-12-24T10:15:00.003-06:00

Merry CHRISTmas to all of my blogging friends! Have a blessed holiday season!

We always have many homes to visit during the holidays. I use to spend the holidays frazzled and hurried. I rushed through them. Not only did we have many places to be, but I also had to deal with end of the year payroll. If you're a bookkeeper, you know what I'm talking about. If not, I'll spare you the boring details. But with modern technology, new computer programs and my employer changing our payroll period from every week to every two weeks, I now have more time to enjoy the holidays.

Now I wish I could have a do-over. I wish I could go back and take more time with the kids baking cookies and enjoying the magic of Christmas instead of hurrying through it so we could get the next thing done. I wish I could re-watch every moment and movement of my child in the school and church Christmas programs. I wish I could have another Christmas phone call from my grandparents and savor every word and phrase that came out of their sweet lips. I wish I would have made more time to squeeze them into our Christmas travels. But most of all, I wish I could take back every gripe and complaint I made about there being WAY too much to do during the holidays. Because as I look back, I had nothing to complain about. I was a very blessed woman to have so much to do and so many places to go.

The number one thing on my "to-do" list this season is to ask the Lord for forgiveness for being hurried through the times that He gave me some of the greatest blessings of my life. And to thank Him for all of those blessings and the blessings He continues to give my family. I thank Him for not only protecting and providing for us, but also giving us a home, family and friends to share love and laughter with. I also want to say to all of you, no matter what time frame of life you're in; whether it be the hurried and frazzled time of life or a time when the kids are grown and grandparents are gone....I pray that you all have a season of contentment and great comfort. And that we all give thanks for what this season is truly about.

That being said...we had our first Christmas event last night. WOO-HOO!!!!! I got a Bunn coffee maker and High-Speed internet. Yep, that's right! No more dial-up internet for me. I think the phone company can safely delete that feature from their system because I was probably the only one in the state still using it. So anyway! Do you know what I've been doing this morning? You guessed it! I have a fantastic, newly brewed cup of coffee sitting in front of me AND I've been surfing. I stumbled into clips from The Guiding Light, The Partridge Family, Osmond concerts, and Elvis interviews.....Amazing!!! I'll get to the more serious, grown up stuff later. But right now, I have to scoot. I have a million and one things to do. Yes, I'm still busy. But you won't hear me complain. And you won't see me do it as fast as I use to.

Merry Christmas!!!!

The Light has Come on!

2009-12-14T15:52:00.003-06:00

OK. You all know I've been trying to figure this linking thing out for quite some time now. I've tried everything. I even tried the obvious. But it just would not work for me. But today, I was reading a post by a Joanna at The Fifty Factor. She posted a site that would explain how to do this fancy linking stuff. The author even stated that if she could do it, anyone could. Well, guess what? Anyone couldn't! Or so I thought. I tried it about 3 times and all I got was a long formula. But then it occurred to me to save it and view it from my blog site. Sure enough!!! It was doing exactly what it was suppose to be doing. I am now on my way to being fancy! How ever small potatoes it may seem to you, I feel highly intelligent and high-tech now.

Another thought.....Wait here while I check it out.

Remember when I said that I had tried the obvious. Yes, that's right! The little LINK icon in the posting toolbar. It didn't work for me before. But now I know, thanks to Joanna's tips, that I was leaving out a small detail. Let me see if this works. If you want to read some blogging hints go HERE. WOW! Look at me. I'm so proud.

If you're new to the whole fancy computer posting stuff, let me save you hours of confusion. Allow me to protect your ego and pride, while I'm at it. Just hit your link icon in your posting toolbar. Type the word that you want to appear in your post ( for instance....I used the word, HERE), then type the URL of the site you are linking to. It's just that simple.

Now to all of the rest of you high-tech people...You know who you are! I'm speaking to the people who have been rolling on the floor laughing at me this whole time. I've gotta ask......Were you all popping popcorn, taking bets as to when the light bulb would go on for me?

Praying for Abby

2009-12-11T07:44:00.000-06:00

While trying to learn more about ways to improve my Blogging skills, I stumbled upon a site that I think everyone should visit. Yes, the sub-site has hints and things that a person can use on their blogs. But that's not the site I'm directing you to. It's the family blog of that site. It's a site dedicated to a small child who is fighting a high risk, aggressive form of Leukemia accompanied with other complications. Also, there are other sites listed of other children who are fighting cancer and need as many prayers behind them as they can get. I urge you all to go and read their stories. Maybe you could take the time to offer some comforting words. But more importantly pray for each child and their families.

Their last update said it was OK for others to share their story. But since I still haven't learned how to link the proper way, I'll do it the old- fashioned way.

Go here http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/ to read their story.

Bambi?

2009-12-10T10:20:00.001-06:00

Living in the midwest all of my life, I'm use to the excitement everyone experiences over the various hunting seasons. Deer season is a favorite of all hunters in this area. Mr. Chat usually works so many hours during hunting season that he doesn't get to do much hunting, so I'm spared the obsession with it all. But still, I'm not isolated from it. Everywhere I go, people will give me updates on someone's progress that day. And each week there are several bright, shining faces in our local newspaper posing with their current kill. I personally, don't see the glamour or fun in sitting for hours in the cold, being perfectly still and quiet, only to have a chance at murdering something. But hey! That's just me. I won't judge or preach, because I know it's a God-given instinct of survival and food provision. They have their right to kill, I have my right to shop!

Time Marches On

2009-12-08T20:11:00.004-06:00

Now I know why the face that looks back at me in the mirror every morning looks nothing like my 20 year old self. This will give you a clue, too. This is what graced the covers of a few of the magazines the month and year I was born.

On the bright side...at least color film was already invented by the time I was born. So maybe I'm not older than dirt.

Tah-dah!

2009-11-27T20:39:00.003-06:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you! No, really! Hold your applause. Yessiree. That's right! I did it! I fixed a huge Thanksgiving dinner for 14 people. No one died...they didn't even get sick! It all turned out fairly good.

I'll let you in on a little secret, though. I boiled 10 lbs of potatoes. I drained them and started whipping them. I added the butter and whipped some more. It was around this time that all of my guests started arriving. I stopped what I was doing to welcome them at the door. The food was quickly sat out. Yum-yum, right?

The next day, Chatty and I were eating left-overs. I put a big ole spoon full of potatoes in my mouth. Chew, chew, chew....what???? Something was not right. It was then that I remembered that I forgot to put milk in the potatoes. I sure hope my guests used a lot of gravy when they ate the potatoes----Maybe they didn't notice!!!

NEXT....Next...Next

2009-11-19T10:22:00.002-06:00

Ah!! A hot cup a coffee and some warm snuggly socks....I'm ready for an hour of reading. Hmmm.? It seems that my blogging friends are either really busy this time of year or they're just taking a break. There aren't many new posts this morning. What to do, what to do???

Oh, I know!-----It's time to start hitting my new found option...the good ole Next Blog button. That option hasn't been very productive for me, but you never know! And besides, I want to read something before my coffee gets cold.

It's almost Thanksgiving. Maybe I can find something new and unusual to serve with my turkey. Yes, you heard correctly! I said I was baking a turkey. This year, we're staying home for Thanksgiving Day. I'm fixing dinner for my parents, my family and whoever else shows up. And the Sunday after Thanksgiving, we're going to a big family get-together. I have to come up with a food item for that, too. Should I get creative with that one? Or should I just go skipping down the frozen food section at the local grocery store? Such global decisions to make. My life in a nut-shell..... To bake or fake.

For the past few days, the Next Blog option has been taking me to Recipes blogs. That really wasn't the reading that I was looking for. Walking Butterfly (a blogging friend) suggested it may be because I mention pastries on my side bar. (Oh...hmm....probably!)

Until today, I haven't jotted down any of the great recipes that were listed on these new found sites. But now, I ~~want~~ need some new ideas to conjure up the image of a Happy Homemaker. This way, I can kill two birds with one stone. Drink my coffee and surf recipes. Maybe before I go to the market later today, I'll find a "to-die-for" recipe .

Wait! Let me go warm up my coffee. Woops! I forgot to get a pen and paper. (At this point, I know you're wondering why I don't turn my printer on and print from there. Well, it's because the ink is running low...and I'm cheap. Did I mention that I have to go to the store later?)

I place the Cursor on "Next Blog" button. Click. WHAT?...Breweries and Beer advertisements. Next---How to make beer...Next....Great lagers.

Now wait a minute!!!!! I kind of understand about the Food blogs. BUT what is there about me or my blog that screams that I have anything in common with this? The strongest thing that I drink is Espresso.

Think, think, think.....Oh, I bet I know! This summer, I blogged about some of our travels. I posted pictures of a winery that we had toured. I also mentioned the fact that I love Tuscan decor and all of the ambiance that goes with it.

Now that I've cracked the code of the "Next Blog" option, you know what this means, don't you? Think about it. ---Re-read this post....Got it now? Yep! For the next few days I will be taken to sites that will have the best alcohol recipes known to man!!!!

My solution-----Comedies...funny stories....travel pictures...funny stories....friends (Come on, help me think of things to jot down here to turn this thing around)!!!!

Question?

2009-11-16T07:35:00.001-06:00

There are reports and speculation that the Federal government may purchase a prison in Illinois. They say it would provide much needed jobs for US citizens. The purpose of the purchase? To house the terrorists now being held at Guitanomo Bay. My question is why would any state on American soil want to house and feed anyone who may have been responsible or want to do anything like this:

????

Trip around Blogland

2009-11-15T10:01:00.001-06:00

I've already explained that I have little to no extra time the last 2 months of every year. However, I do keep up with all of the blogs that I follow. I grab a cup of coffee, sit back and visit each site that has posted something new. I get so caught up with everyone's current news, that most of the time I forget to leave a comment. I feel like I know most of my blogger friends. But I guess if I don't leave a comment, it's hard for them to get to know me. But I can't help myself. I'm in such a hurry to visit every site that I just forget to comment.

Anyway, the other day I was reading a post about the "Next Blog" Option. I have never tried that option. I always thought it would take me to the next Blog that I follow, which I thought was odd because all current posts are listed on my dashboard. It just always made more sense to enter from there. But this other woman explained that the "Next Blog" option takes a blogger to other blogs that have common interests with their blogsite. I thought it was an interesting concept. Really, my exact thought was, "Goody! More blogs to follow and people to get to know!!!! Now it won't take so much time finding new people to follow."

This weekend, after reading all current posts from my list, I clicked the "Next Blog" option. I was taken to a cooking post. OK. The food looked interesting. Next! ----Another food site. Next.--- Another food site. Next.--- A travel post. OOOO! That was interesting and very pretty!!!! Next.--- Food. Next.--- Food.

Now I know you're wondering...."SO?" (If you are wondering that....you don't know me well and you have not been following me for very long). I outgrew the serious cooking stage in my middle to late 30's. When I was in my 20's, I scoured cookbooks. I prided myself in cooking everything from "scratch". I wanted to WOW my relatives with new creations. But did I mention that I outgrew that? I still cook. But I cook the bare minimum basics. If there is a social function or a family gathering that requires a everyone to bring a dish...and I can get away with it....I visit the bakery or frozen section of the market. It makes my life more simple. Of course I know when everyone goes through the food line, they are diving into all of the homemade items first. But when you think about it, I'm providing a valuable service and a pretty smart strategy. I tend to look at my items as reinforcement. You know, when the homemade items run out, they have mine as backup. This way everyone is served something and no one goes away completely hungry.

Knowing this, can you give me any possible reason that the "Next Blog" option would take me to Recipe blogs? Next, they will be taking me to Sewing blogs. Don't even get me started on my talents there!!!!

I need 13 months in a Year.

2009-11-08T20:06:00.004-06:00

Yes, yes, yes. I'm my usual basket-case self. It's November already! Where did 2009 go? There's Thanksgiving to think about and Christmas. Which would be great...That is, if I didn't have to deal with W-2s and end-of-year paperwork. It's less hectic since our company went to a 2 week pay period. It gives me more time. I don't have quite the tight deadlines that I use to have. Did I say LESS hectic? What I meant to say is: it should be less hectic. But given the age factor....YIKES! I'm crazy as a loon and I drive the 20 something year old girl at the office bonkers this time of year. But she's a sweetie. Every time I nag her with reminders, she smiles her patient smile at me and either says, "Yes, it's been taken care of." or "Thanks for reminding me....again." Everbody my age needs a co-worker like her.

ANYWAY. I've stumbled into a couple of things that I would like to study and learn, but I don't have time right now. One is the Mcklinky thing. I know you all are old pros at it. I know because I have read your blogs where you talk about it. Oh yes, you link here and here and here and here. But for the life of me, I don't know how you do it. It looks cute though! All of these months I've been trying to figure out what you geniuses are talking about. I figured out the concept but I could never figure out how to do it. Ah-Ha! BUT yesterday one of my blogger friends posted helpful hints and a link to the Mcklinky site. I joined the Mcklinky site. YAY! Now I just need time to play around with it and figure out how in the world to use it. But I think I'm on the right track because this site will explain everything. Give me until March...and I , too will be able to link here and here and here and here. And pretty soon when you put your cursors on my heres, you'll get a cute little hand taking you to another article or site. Won't I be special, too?

Here's the other thing I would like to have time to explore....I was told that you can join a site to get discounts and all kinds of savings from over 400 stores. A woman sent me a link to the site. (No, I wasn't lying. I can use a link...I just don't know how to leave one unless I copy a URL from a particular site). I joined and created a site. But like I said I don't know much about it. But if it's true, it'll come in pretty handy for Christmas. If you'd like to browse around and try to figure it out, go here: http://myblastoffnetwork.com/ If you figure anything out and you like it...Let me know. PLEASE!!!! Because I don't have time to figure it out right now.

Halloween

2009-11-02T11:12:00.004-06:00

Every Halloween has been pretty traditional in the Chat house. Chatty has never been fond of masks. I don't care what kind of mask it is....she does NOT like them. Not one ounce, not one iota, not even a little bit. She felt that way about masks when she was little. Even at 20 years old, she still hates masks. When she was younger, this always worked as a plus for me . It let me off the hook. Being a Christian, I never had to choose between the guilt of participating in a questionable holiday or depriving my child of a fun, harmless childhood activity. One year, I let a few people guilt me into letting her go trick-or-treating. I think she was about 4 years old. Mr. Chat walked her up to a door so she could trick-or-treat. A lady wearing a witch costume answered the door cackling and laughing. In 2 seconds flat, Mr. Chat was the only one standing there with a silly grin, holding a plastic pumpkin. Chatty was running down the sidewalk crying. She refused to ever go trick-or-treating again.

But she always loved to dress up as long as it didn't require masks of any kind. Since I was an older mother and her brothers weren't here full time...I had to think of creative ways to make her childhood seem less sad or lonely. So we started a tradition. She would dress up. I would take her to her grandparents house so she could get candy and let them see her all dressed up. Then we would come home. She would stay in costume and hand out candy to all of the kids that came to our door trick-or-treating. Although, I'd have to monitor the crowd. If I spotted any kids in masks, I'd hurry up and grab the candy bowl, toss a few pieces into their buckets and hurry them along. Crisis diverted!

As Chatty got older, we started new traditions. She still dresses up and hands out candy to all of the little ones who come to our door trick-or-treating. (Have you noticed some of the trick-or-treaters aren't so little? And how about the adults who stick out a bag or bucket and say they have little ones in the car? Makes you wonder, doesn't it?) For quite a few years now, we have invited family and/or friends over for a night of games and lots of food. It's really fun. Us older people have fun visiting and eating. The younger adults love having an excuse to be silly and kiddish for the night.

This year, we changed things up a bit. Last week, my sister-in-law invited us to a chili supper/bonfire at her house for Halloween. It was a last minute thing that my niece had talked her into. I had previously invited some of our close friends over for dinner for the evening. Chatty left her candy duty to us and went on to my brother and sister-in-law's house. We were kept really busy while she was gone. About an hour before it was time to turn out the porch light, there was a fast trip made to the store for more candy because our supply was running low. All in all, it turned out to be a pleasant evening. We had a nice dinner with our friends. We played Rummikub. It wasn't as noisy and crazy as it usually is here on Halloween, but we still managed to be up late enough to turn our clocks back for daylight savings time. But it probably means an end of an era. Most likely, Chatty has officially retired the candy-giving business. It will probably be up to Mr. Chat and I to hand out candy from now on. We're not as creative as she is. We don't dress up. Maybe it's just as well, though. At least we don't scare the little ones like the witch lady did. LOL!

Chatty has almost as much fun deciding what she's going to wear every year as as she does actually wearing the costume. Last year, she was Lucille Ball. This year she wanted to be an Oompa-Loompa from Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. But she couldn't find any white sweat pants or green hairspray. While we were at Wal-Mart I spotted a black Halloween wig. I told her that if she bought the wig, she could also buy a pair of false eyelashes to make a moustache. With some creativity she could dress up as Sonny Bono. She thought that was kind of funny. And funny is what she shoots for. We went to the sunglass department to try to find the most 70-ish pair of wire sunglasses. I told her I thought that I had a bluejean vest we could modify for the whole "Sonny" look. Now mind you---- we did all of this the night before Halloween. After we got home from Wal-Mart, she took the wig out of the package. TOTALLY NOT SONNY BONO. Panic set in. She didn't have time to come up with anything else. She had to work the following day, which was Halloween. Which meant, she only had a couple of hours after she got off work to come home and get ready for the party. I said..."Oh well! Go as Diana Ross from her Supremes day." I don't know if she liked the idea or she had no other choice, but it was finally decided that Diana Ross was it. She went through my clothes from the early 90's to try to find something that would make the costume. (I can't believe I actually wore this dress!!!! Or come to think of it, I can't believe I wore any of the outfits that I wore back then)!!!!

She didn't exactly look like Diana Ross. But for a last minute effort, it wasn't bad. What do you think?

For a girl who hates masks and haunted houses...she has the most fun at Halloween!

Vacation Highlights

2009-10-20T21:54:00.003-05:00

We just got back from Branson. We had a great time. Now that we're back home, I'm feeling it. I'm tired. But I would go again if I had the chance. We went to 3 music shows and 3 attractions. We even rode a train to Arkansas. I've been on plenty of kiddie trains at places like the zoo, etc.. But this is the first time I've ever been on a real train. It was a Zephyr. I felt like we stepped back in time. We went to a house of Mirrors. I'm glad Mr. Chat was leading us through the maze, because if I had been leading, we would probably still be there trying to get out. I was wanting to go to a Haunted House, but Chatty went to a Haunted House with some friends the weekend before and she vowed to never step foot into another Haunted House.

The scenery in Branson was spectacular. The changing colors were beautiful (even if it means that the temperatures are getting colder....yuck!)

If you like Country Music and you ever get the chance to watch Neal McCoy perform, you really must see him. It is well worth the price of a ticket!!!!

Sorry, I forgot to invite you to my daughter's wedding. But you know, we had to be very discreet. Maybe at their next party we can slip you in via the back door. (Because you know----I'm good to my blogging friends that way)! A fun time was had by all. May I introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Depp. LOL! (This was at the Wax Museum. Don't you love the way Chatty's brown sleeves compliment the wedding dress?)

We stopped by to help the Idol crew decide who would make it to Hollywood. Chatty, Paula and Simon were very indecisive on this contestant. They debated over it FOREVER and decided to crush this poor person's dreams. Randy and I found the contestant quite charming and we liked the performance. But a vote of 3 against 2 does not win a trip to Hollywood. So if you auditioned and didn't make it...blame the 3 on the end!!!

Jackie Chan did not agree with Chatty's American Idol decision. (Did I mention he was the one auditioning?)

I thought maybe Jeannie and I could blink up a new house with all of my belongings moved in.

Chatty joined this crew on their trip to Oz. She figured if they could ask for courage, a heart, a brain and a trip to Kansas, she could ask the Wizard for more height.

I'm thinking about doing something like this on my front porch (minus the wine bottle and the wooden menu).

Down on the Landing, every hour on the hour, water and fire dance. The song "Around the Bend" by Creedence Clearwater Revival was playing when these pictures were taken.

Isn't it pretty amazing?

I didn't take a camera to the music shows. The pictures that were taken on the train were not all that good. But the important thing is that we had fun. We didn't watch Bubba perform. There was so much to do, we just ran out of time. Maybe next time. He is moving into the Osmond Theater next year. (I wonder if that means the Osmonds are leaving Branson)? Wayne, Jay and Jimmy were performing at their theater while we were there. That's another show I'll have to see another time. If for nothing else than for my own personal nostalgic reasons.

Well there you have it...our 3 day vacation. It was back to work today. I'm ready for another vacation. LOL!

Here's a Shocker!!!!

2009-10-09T09:09:00.003-05:00

I'll admit that I'm going through a stage in my life right now where I like to talk. In fact, I talk WAY too much! And while it keeps me occupied and thoroughly entertained, it's ocurred to me that I may not be as entertaining to others as I am to myself. (Imagine that!) So today, I'm going to be a lady of few words and just say that I pray that all of you have a blessed day!

Procrastination & Chitter-Chatter

2009-10-08T10:26:00.001-05:00

I should probably always keep things to myself until I know for sure they are going to happen!! I want to make up a great story about how we have found our dream home and how, "Oh, by the way, we sold our house for more than it's worth." But neither of those things have happened.

We found a couple of houses that we really liked. One was a fabulous house for half the price. The day we found it, we were drooling all over it. Mr. Chat and I had decided to throw caution to the wind...we were not going to be our usual selves and discuss all the pros and cons of buying it. It had only been on the market for 3 days. On our second drive by, we noticed people walking around on the property. I thought one of the men was a real estate agent showing the house. As soon as we saw the "agent" alone outside, we stopped and asked him about the house. It turns out that he wasn't a real esate agent after all. He, in fact, was the man who had just purchased the house. DRATS!!!!

The other house was not quite as spectacular as this house was but it was really nice and a whole lot cheaper in price. It was the type of house that we could have put a few of our own touches to and made it OURS. But it was so far out in the country that it wouldn't be feasible for us to buy. It already takes Mr. Chat an hour and 15 minutes to get to work each day. We don't need to add any more time or miles to his daily drive. It was an easy drive when he was younger, but I can tell it's not a party for him now. As far as us selling our house for more than it's worth---Well----That would be kind of hard to do since we haven't put it up for sale yet. I know we should since it's a slow market. But I don't want to be tempted with an offer before we find something that we want to buy. I don't want to move twice AND I sure don't want to rent until we find something. Who knows??? At this rate, we may still be in this house for another 16 years. But don't worry, I'll keep you posted.

On a lighter note....It's that time of year again. Our autumn trip to Branson, MO. I'll try to remember to take plenty of pictures to share with you. Neil McCoy will be performing while we're there. I'm hoping to get tickets. He performed at a local fair a few years ago. It was one of the best performances that I've seen in a long time. Of course, we'll be doing other things. Mr. Chat wants to go to the Dixie Stampede because we've never been. He always talks about going, but we always seem to run out of time before we get a chance to see it. And we can't leave Branson without seeing Bubba Gumm. It's a tradition. My mom, Chatty and I use to take a yearly trip to the Lake of the Ozarks. It was a chance for us to have some "girl" time. I think Chatty was about 9 years old when we started taking our 3 Muskateer trips (as we use to refer to them). We discovered Bubba Gumm on our second trip. I think he was all of 19 years old at the time. The boy has talent!!! He can sing, play alot of different instruments, and his comedy sketches are ~~kind of corny but~~ very funny and Christian-friendly. He kept Chatty in stitches throughout the whole show. So we kind of made going to his show a tradition for 6 or 7 years. Since then, my Dad has retired. My mom doesn't like to travel too far away from him these days. So our 3 Muskateer vacations have been put on a back burner for now. But Mr. Chat has started the tradition of going to Branson once or twice a year. Guess what? Last year we went to a Branson show and who do you suppose had joined the cast? That's right, Matt (Bubba) Gumm.

And the tradition continues.

To Zip or Button?

2009-09-30T09:47:00.001-05:00

I taught Chatty how to dress herself when she was 2 or 3 years old. It was me...no one else. She, like myself, always leaves the house fully dressed. I've never questioned my ability on how I get dressed in the mornings. But last night, after 50 years of dressing myself, I was informed that I have been doing it all wrong. According to Chatty (remember the girl who I taught to dress herself) and Mr. Chat, I go about it all backwards. Which brings me to this morning's post. I want to know if they're right or if it's just a matter of preference. So I have 3 questions for you:

1.) When you put on jeans, do you button and then zip? OR do you zip and then button?

(They tell me it's proper to button and then zip. I zip and then button. I'm suspicioning most people do it their way. Which explains all of the little boys who run around with opened flies-----My way, you never have to worry about your fly being opened unless you have a defected lock on your zipper!!!!)

2.) When you put on a pull-over shirt, do you put your arms in first and then your head? Or do you put your head in first and then your arms?

(They put their arms in first. I put my head in first. But there is no specific reason for this. It's just the way I've always done it. But I will admit that their way of doing it would prevent getting as much makeup on a shirt as I do when I put my head in first. I may re-think my way of putting on a shirt!!!!)

3.) Do you put on both socks before you put on your shoes? Or do you put on a sock and a shoe and then the other sock and shoe?

(I didn't ask either of them how they do this. Because it doesn't matter. It won't change the way I do it. I put both socks on before I put either shoe on because the other way just feels WRONG!)

How about you? Do you have any ways of doing things that's completely opposite from everyone else but it works better for you the way you do it?

I Need a Little HELP from my Friends!

2009-09-25T09:16:00.009-05:00

UNCLE, UNCLE.....I'm crying UNCLE! I give up! I'm wiping the egg off of my face and asking for help.

For months now I have been posting blogs. I've enjoyed my blogging experience. I like stumbling into new sites, learning new things and meeting new people. You all have added quite a bit of spice to my life. Even though my summer has been busy and I have not posted as often as I had been during the winter, I have been keeping up on all of your daily posts. Thank you! It's been a whole lot more inspirational and entertaining than reading the local newspaper---not as depressing either, I might add!

Evidently, I'm not as computer savvy as I thought I was...which is pretty ignorant on a dummy scale because I don't proclaim to know anything about the silly things. Once a week I receive a site meter report listing how many people are viewing my page. It seems as if there are a lot of people passing through....which just tickles me pink...especially since I'm not as entertaining or quite the talented writer that most of you are. I tease about not having followers, but it really is OK. I understand completely. When I search for people to follow, I try to look for writers who I can relate to and I can identify with. I really have no theme to my site. Here's my dilemma; A blogger left a comment saying that they were my #10 follower. They seemed so excited to be #10 and I was just so ecstatic to have them join me! But when I looked at my list of followers..there were only 9 followers listed. I figured maybe this woman was following me anonymously. Which is alright by me. Some people like privacy. I was just glad that she let me know. And I really do like reading her blog. I would have followed her even if she chose not to follow me. Her posts are really interesting. THEN I had another women leave a comment. When I went to view her blog, I noticed that I was listed as a blog she was publically following-----still only 9 listed on my page (and none of my original followers have deleted me). My question: Why is my page not listing the new people who are following me? Is there a secret club or something? LOL! What am I doing wrong?

A September Journey

2009-09-09T15:45:00.015-05:00

Just so I don't seem ungrateful, I'd like to welcome my new follower. This proves that there is still some compassion left in the world. It also proves that if you throw a big enough pity-party, people will do what you want just to get you to shut up. But which ever side of the fence you were on when you hit my "follow" button...----Thank you!

A seasoned blogger will advise a newbie not to write for their followers. They will tell them to write from the heart and to write for themselves. But for the life of me, I can't think of one thing to write about. My head is usually full of all sorts of thoughts, ideas, and opinions. Anyone who knows me will tell you that if there is a thought in my head, I will quickly voice it or write it down because I think everyone needs to know it as soon as I think of it. Because, you know,.... one of my thoughts or ideas may be the answer to world peace. But Obama will have to sit on the edge of his seat for awhile, because my head appears to be empty. It's like having dry-mouth, only farther north. But since I swallowed my pride and begged for more followers, I'll have to come up with something to write about to keep any one of them from deleting me.

What's in store for you from Debbie's Chat Corner today? I think we'll take a quick tour across my home state of :

That's right, good ole Missouri. I have the tour bus running and the doors opened for you. Come on board and find a comfy seat. We'll start at the eastern part of the state in the city of St. Louis. Ah!!!! St. Louis. Home of the St. Louis Cardinal baseball team, St. Louis style pizza, and the gateway to the west---the Arch

We'll continue up north to Hannibal. If you've been a follower for very long, then you read my post about my visit to Hannibal. If so, you will already know that it was home to Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). The town and it's people is where Mark Twain got the ideas for his characters in the Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn books.

Missouri has many rivers

and caves

My favorite Missouri cave is:

Meramec Caverns was said to be one of the hideouts for two of these famous outlaws

Jesse and Frank James ( Jesse was killed in St. Joseph, MO and Frank worked at a hotel in St. Louis, MO)

We'll continue our tour going west. Missouri houses Bagnell dam on the Lake of the Ozarks

and Silver Dollar City in the Ozarks

I know that you are all starting to get weary from our long trip so I'll hurry west to Independence, Mo. Independence was the home town of our 33 president: Harry S. Truman.

That concludes our September 9th tour of Missouri. Keep checking my site for visits to other famous Missouri sites and other famous Missouri people. (Yes, Missouri has been home to some very famous people such as: Walt Disney, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Scott Joplin, General William Harney, Omar Bradley, Yogi Berra, George Washington Carver, Walter Cronkite, Redd Foxx, Betty Grable, William Lear: inventor of the Lear Jet, Rush Limbaugh, John Houston, Vincent Price, Ginger Rogers, Dick Van Dyke, Dennis Weaver, John Goodman, and Calamity Jane...just to name a few). You just never know where I will take you next, so don't stay away too long!

Catching Up

2009-08-24T08:52:00.000-05:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been 23 days since I last posted or blogged about anything. I guess I had better post something before I lose the 8 followers that I have. If anyone has randomly crossed my page by mistake ...Don't laugh!...I have worked very hard to get the 8 followers that I do have. I am really surprised and delighted to have more than 1 follower. I guess I shouldn't reveal the fact that half of my followers are related to me. I don't know if they added me because I am such a fun, interesting person OR out of loyalty and obligation. Either way, I'll take it.----It's always good for my ego when I glance over and see that I have not lost any of the 8 people who have added me. :-) Although, I try not to notice the fact that when I visit their pages they have oodles and gobs more followers than I have. I'm not a betting person, but if I were, I would wager that most of their followers are not related to them at all, but are people who are generally interested in what they have to say. (Have I made any of you that may accidentally be reading this feel sorry enough for me to add yourselves to my list of followers? No????? {Hangs head in shame and sticks out bottom lip for a short pout}). OK! That's fine. Just enjoy yourself while you're here. I'll try not to bore you too much.

It's been a very busy summer. A lot of irons in the fire, so to speak. We've been busy trying to get our house ready to be put up for sale. Mr. Chat is trying to get the new patio finished. He's shoveled and leveled the rock but he hasn't poured the concrete. He's been working long hours at his daytime paying job. When he does have time to work on the patio, it either rains or there are "family" plans getting in the way. (It's summer, you know). I need to put a fresh coat of paint on the deck. I know most people stick to a natural wood look for their decks...but I color coordinate with the house. I never claimed to be a fashion expert. I just go with what I like.

20 years ago today, I gave birth to a 6 lb. 15 oz., 19 inch long bouncing baby girl. She's been a true blessing to me. If the Lord would have let me hand pick a daughter, I couldn't have picked one more suited to me than the one He chose to send me. She's been a delight. She's not only my daughter but she has grown to be my best friend. But she's still a runt! She stopped growing at 5'. She can thank Mr. Chat's mom and my dad's side of the family for that one!

Moving right a long. I'll skip some of the other summer activities that we've been doing. It's been fun but probably wouldn't make a good read.

----Fast forward to this last weekend---We went to the State Fair.

I have never really been a "Let's go to the Fair" kind of person. Oh, I'll go if they have a good concert or a special event that interests someone in the family. But generally speaking, I don't go to many fairs. This year has been the exception. I guess every summer we kind of have a certain theme. This year's theme has been fairs. Go figure! I went to 3 small fairs and then to the State Fair. Mr. Chat literally hates fairs and usually refuses to go to any. But this year, he went to all but one of the fairs that I went to. I think Chatty hit all of the local fairs. I've decided to share some of the highlights of the 2009 Missouri State Fair with you. Bear in mind that when we got there, Chatty discovered her battery was low in her camera and she had not brought a charger with her. So you'll get a limited glimpse of what we saw at our State fair. (I really need to start remembering to take my camera every where I go).

This is my dad and my mom. We decided to take the tram because the fairground looked awfully far away. The tram filled up quickly. There was no room for anyone else to get on. The people who had parked their car beside our car did not wait for the next tram to arrive. They took off on foot walking towards the main gate.The tram circled the parking lot. We we were so proud of ourselves for saving energy to enjoy our day at the fair by taking the tram. When the tram pulled up to the main gate, we quickly got in line to enter the fair. It was then that I noticed the people who had parked beside us...you know the ones who had walked from the parking lot?....were about 5 people in front of us in line. That night, when we left the fair, we walked to our car. I think it took us all of 3 minutes to get there.

See that silver haired man wearing the cap? He was the man who had parked beside us in the parking lot.

This was inside the Home Ec building. There were so many crafts inside this building! Rows and rows of quilts. A lot of sewed, crocheted, and knitted items. And delicious looking food was displayed every where!

Here are some of the doll clothes and baby clothes. This was just one of the many exhibits like this in the Home Ec Building...Chatty was trying to conserve her battery, so she didn't take any of the rest of the exhibits in this building.

This event really surprised me. We actually went into the Coliseum just to humor Mr. Chat. But once the show started, we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The end of the show was really spectacular! They said it is hardly ever done this way. They put all 13 wagons into the arena during the judging of the 6 horse wagon team,. That's 78 horses with 13 wagons. It took skillful driving to get the teams in and out without having any major problems. But they did it! We stayed for the whole competition. It was fun to pick our favorite teams and root for them. These people put a lot of time, money, training, and pride into their sport.

I'm not embarrassed to say it! This was my favorite thing at the fair. This robot was 8 or 9 feet tall. He sang, danced and talked. He would ride around the fair on his scooter singing and dancing. He sang original artists songs. No, I mean the original artists voices were coming out of his mouth (or somewhere from his body...or speaker).

We caught him off of his scooter signing autographs & drawing pictures. Singing, humming, and shaking his booty a little while visiting with the crowd who had gathered around him. I could have watched him a lot longer. He was that entertaining!

I walked over to get a Fair Map from the info stand. There was a very distinguished, well- dressed man and his wife coming through the entrance gates. I thought I recognized him, but I couldn't see with my sunglasses on. As he was passing, I lowered my sunglasses to get a better look at him. I realized I was staring and I quickly put my shades back on. It dawned on me that it kind of looked like I was "checking" the man out. I looked back to see if Mr. Chat had noticed. I don't think it mattered to him because when I walked back to where he was standing....Chatty was saying, "Mom, Mom!!!! That was Ronnie Dunn." (of Brooks and Dunn. They were performing that night). Whew!!!! I hope anyone who may have seen me gawking at this man understands my situation. And if that was really Ronnie Dunn...I'd like to say to him "Excuse me for being so uncooth!" If it wasn't him, I'd like to say to the total stranger's wife, "I was not lusting after your husband. I just wanted to see if he was Ronnie Dunn."

There were so many other things to see. We saw only a portion of it. I guess that's why there were so many campers in the RV lot. I've heard that a lot of people (not just the exhibitors) camp and stay for several days to see every thing at a State Fair. Hmmmm? Am I getting old or what????? That kind of sounds like something we should consider for next year. Shocking, I know! We'll see. I've got 12 whole months to try to sell Mr. Chat on the idea.

This is a side note to the parents of the 12 or 13 year old boy who loves to stand in the middle of a seated crowd during a whole show: Would you mind asking your son to move to the back of the audience? All of the people who missed the visual part of the comedy show would deeply appreciate it.

To the rest of you who have stayed to the end of this post...I will show you some mercy and close for now. Thanks for visiting!

County Fair

2009-08-01T15:01:00.000-05:00

I'm either: A.) getting old, B.) insane, C.) have great hearing, or D.) all of the above.

I'd prefer to think the answer is C. but I'm fearing it might really be D. Cast your vote as I explain what brought on this particular revelation.

This week we bought season tickets to attend a neighboring County Fair. Mr. Chat's family lives in that county and his family is actively involved in some of the events. The first night was Demolition Derby night. Mr. Chat's niece's husband competed in the 4th heat. Chatty had friends who had 7 cars running in different heats. I'm not one for destroying automobiles. When you think about it, it really doesn't make a lick of sense. But when there's someone you know competing...it makes it more interesting...EXCEPT for the time Mr. Chat rode as co-pilot in one of the cars. I did not like that at all. I had to walk away to keep from throwing up. He looked like a rag doll when another car hit the car he was in. But he hasn't done that since then and he wasn't in any of the cars this year...so it was interesting. By the way...niece's husband took 3rd place in his heat. He didn't push it as hard as he normally would because he is saving his car for another derby that is taking place in a few weeks. So all in all, he did really well.

Last night, Mr. Chat didn't feel like going to the fair because we had been in St. Louis all day and he had to get up early this morning to go to work. Besides, he is trying to get a dump truck load of gravel shoveled so he can get the concrete poured for the new patio that he is putting in the back of the house. I figured if he preferred to shovel gravel to going to the fair, I'd let him have at it. Chatty and I decided to use our tickets and not let them go to waste.

My first indication that I should have stayed home was when we got to the fair grounds. There was absolutely no place to park. Cars actually looked like they were parked on top of each other. I know that when some of those people were ready to leave, they probably had some pretty fancy maneuvering to do to get out of their parking spots. I decided it would be better to park in town and take a shuttle to the fair. After we got off of the shuttle, we went to the Diesel Truck Pull. There's no other way to describe that event other than to say it was Extremely loud and there was no place to sit. As if that wasn't bad enough, it was so crowded that we could barely turn around. It seemed every where we went, the people who were shoved up against us were apparently big fans of beer and foul language. I hate to sound like a prude, but it was disgusting! The smell was making me nauseous. The way they were sloshing and throwing their pitchers around, I was afraid that I was going to wind up wearing beer for the rest of the night. After about 5 minutes of that...we had had all the fun there that we could possibly stand (saying sarcastically). We left that area. (We did not pass GO and we did not collect $200.00. We just vamoosed!!) We walked around to look at some of the exhibits.

The exhibits were pretty good...but remember...it was so crowded that we were more or less pushed along with the crowd. I finally ran into Mr. Chat's sister. That was the best part of the night because I rarely get a chance to visit with her. We sat at the bleachers to wait for the concert to start. Everyone had their chairs crowded close to the stage so we had plenty of room to ourselves in the bleachers. The music started---Oh my goodness! My chest vibrated and it sounded like there was an explosion in my head. I could not understand any of the words the lead singer was singing. This was not a rock band or a rock concert!!! This was a Country music singer...but you really couldn't tell it. It sounded more like a war zone. I figured it was just me. But when I glanced at my sister-in-law and most of the people around me, they had pinched expressions and were all gritting their teeth. We couldn't talk to each other. I tried to make a comment to S-I-L. I leaned in pretty close to her ear and screamed my words, but she couldn't hear me. It became less about enjoying the concert and more about the challenge of who could endure it the longest. I caved. So much for my endurance power. I finally told my sister-in-law that I was giving up and going home. I was never so glad to see anything in my life as I was when I saw the lights of the shuttle bus approaching!!!

Now, you tell me! Am I A., B., C., or D.? Bear in mind that I am going back tonight. The feature is a tractor pull and a well-known country music artist. Am I a glutton for punishment or what? BUT...I haven't left, yet. I may come to my senses and just stay home.

Update

2009-07-30T09:57:00.000-05:00

Yes!!! I am doing the Happy Dance!!! Remember when I was sulking a few weeks ago because our town was losing it's one and only coffee shop? Well, in this week's edition of our local newspaper there is an ad announcing that a new business is going in the location of the old coffee shop. When I saw the name of the shop, I decided right then and there that no matter how great the business was or how nice the people were...I was simply not going to like it. OK..... So, I have loyalty issues and I can hold on to a pouting session longer than most adults. Everybody has flaws...this tends to be one of mine.

I skimmed over the ad. Yada, yada, yada. But wait!!!!! It's going to have a coffee bar. Now that drew my attention! Be still my heart. Does anyone know if a coffee bar is the same as a coffee shop? So much for my claim of loyalty. Not only are they serving coffee...they will be selling resale furniture. I've heard from a reliable source that the woman who owns the shop buys old furniture and fixes it up to look brand new...Or one of her best known talents is for buying old things and making it look like the new "distressed" look. You know, the kind of furniture and decor that the rich will pay top dollar for? I've heard that she will be selling her stuff at reasonable prices. I'm thinking this will be fun. I can go sip a cup of java and browse through her creations to get new ideas for my home. It will be even better, if we buy a bigger home to decorate.

I've never fully explained my attachment and deep love for coffee. Before you think I'm one of those crazy old women, let me tell you that I don't have 99 cats locked up in my house. In fact, I don't own a cat. I don't just socialize with you people on the Internet or totally seclude myself from the outside world, either. I like people (I will admit that some of them need some work in the rudeness department. But generally, if you are nice to them..they are nice to you). Most of the time I talk too much and share way more than I should. Just ask my family! So in a human way, I'm just as normal as most. Whatever normal is!

I began my journey with coffee when I was about 20 years old. It wasn't a big deal. It was just what I chose to drink in the mornings. It later spilled over into my work life. Still not a big deal. When Starbucks started getting popular in my home state, I thought it was ridiculous to pay that kind of money for a cup of coffee. I tried their regular coffee and I hated it. I poured it out after one sip. It tasted like a really burned piece of charcoal. I could not see what all of the hoopla was about. I figured it was just this generation's way of having a "new" nostalgic thing. If you're old enough to remember, back in the 60's the beatniks opened up coffee houses where the younger people played folk music, recited poetry and drank coffee. However, I was not buying into it.

One weekend, while we were staying out of town, on one of our walks around the local area, Chatty wanted to stop in at a Starbucks. Mr. Chat and I went in with her while she placed her order. Let me tell you, right here and now that Mr. Chat thinks coffee is disgusting. He likes to smell it brewing but he can not stand the way it tastes. He is strictly a sweet tea kind of man. After Chatty placed her order, the guy behind the counter asked me what I wanted. I told him that I didn't want anything. He asked me if I was the kind of person that didn't like coffee. Before I tell you what I said, let me remind you of the previous statement I made about sharing WAY TOO MUCH! I told him that I liked coffee but I just didn't like Starbucks coffee. He asked me if he could fix me a cup of coffee. He told me that if I didn't like it, I didn't have to drink it and he wouldn't charge me for it. I told him it was just a waste of his time. He insisted so I told him to go for it. He fixed me a French Vanilla Latte with a shot of hazelnut. Well folks, after the first sip I was hooked! So here is an important lesson; If you want a decent cup of regular coffee, make it at home or order it at a regular restaurant. But if you want a great cup of specialty coffees (Lattes, cappuccinos, mocha's, etc...) order it from a coffee house. And I found out later...through many visits to non-franchised coffee houses...that there are even better places to go for coffee than Starbucks.

I still have not explained my fondness of coffee houses. I don't know if it's the same for all of you as it was for me...but when I married and started raising a family, I threw everything I had into it. I tended to lose the "old" me. I'm still a woman...but there are very few times that I feel really feminine or pampered. I can't explain why a small town girl enjoys some of the same things women from big cities enjoy...but there you have it. I like museums, plays, and coffee houses. I like to browse through places like Pottery Barn. But I live in an area that is very limited. If I want to partake in these things, I have to drive an hour to get there. That's the catch! I hate to drive in city traffic and I can't stand the drivers who try to push you along at 90 miles an hour. Also, most of my friends these days don't enjoy those kinds of things. I'm not about to drive 90 m.p.h., through the traffic, by myself to do the things that I like to do. So to make a longer story shorter, that's why I'm addicted to coffee houses. I feel kind of feminine and pampered when I'm in one. You all have your nail salons to make you feel "special"...I have my coffee shops. And YAY! We're getting one again. (hopefully)

Have I Lost My Mind???

2009-07-23T19:13:00.000-05:00

For those of you that don't know how old I am...I will tell you...I'm 50. I'm not bragging or complaining. I'm just stating fact. The last time that I attempted doing what I've been doing for the last few days, I was quite a bit younger. That sounds kind of mysterious, doesn't it? What was your question? NO! I'm not trying to have another child. Not only because of my age (DUH!) but also because my step-sons are increasing the size of our family quite well on their own. They need no additional help from me WHAT-SO-EVER!!! NO, I'm not dating, because I'm VERY married to Mr. Chat. What's that???? Have I been tearing up the streets driving a motorcycle? No, No, No. Those days are over, too! Although, I still have a valid motorcycle license. I got it when I was 16 years old. We lived in the country. That was back in the day when people didn't watch as much TV in the summer time, but spent more time outdoors in the fresh air. My dad thought it would be great if we had motorcycles. My brother and I had twin Yamahas. We put a lot of miles on those country back roads. Who knows? When I go through my mid-life crisis it may come in very handy. I wonder what gray hair, knee-highs, and a midriff bulge will look like on a Harley?

What??? Oh yeah. I got off track for a moment. I'll fill you in on why I'm convinced that I've totally lost my mind. It's because no one in their right mind would consider selling their house and buying another one at my age. But that's what Mr. Chat and I have decided to do. We had our house built 16 years ago. We had only planned to live here for 4 or 5 years. But here we sit 16 years later. From time to time, we drive around looking at houses that are for sale. But the thought of going through all of the research and paperwork...(not to mention the actual packing and moving) has always made us shy away from the subject and put it on the back burner. Besides, we could never find a house that suited all of our needs. Or when one of us liked a house and it's location, the other one of us didn't. Sometimes it brought on some very unpleasant debates and disagreements. I learned not to put too much of my personal opinions or vocals into the conversation so that maybe the subject would just go away. But this weekend, we found 3 houses that we both liked. We even went so far as to make an appointment with a real estate agent. She took us to look at 4 houses last night. It was 9:00 pm before we were through looking and were able to come home. One of the 3 houses that we liked has a contract on it...so that marked that one off of our list. That narrowed our choices down to 2 houses. We liked both of them. Mr. Chat kind of liked one more than the other. Chatty and I sort of liked the other one more. We liked it for different reasons. Of course, the one that Mr. Chat liked better is a lot prettier and a fancier home...but the other one is a lot bigger and closer to Chatty's work. After sleeping on it...Mr. Chat and I decided on the one that he liked the best...Because it is more practical and a much better house. The one that I was leaning more toward looked kind of like Graceland on the inside. YES! It was that outdated. No one has lived there for a long time. What was I thinking? What woman in her right mind wouldn't want the more practical, newer, prettier house? Let's just chalk it up to the excitement of getting to tour different houses. But in my defense...Chatty, the real estate agent, and I were having a lot of fun talking about different ways to decorate the Graceland house. I guess I got carried away. If we look at other houses or look at these two houses again...I better look at them with the idea that we may actually have to live in one of them!!!

After I got home from work today, I called a well known Mortgage Company to find out about the different rates and payments. I didn't like what they were offering at all! So naturally, I fired up my computer to do a little nosing around. I have spent the last few hours researching. I found out that certain companies price gouge with additional costs at closing. But thankfully, I found 4 different financial institutions that seem to have more to offer. You know, the kind that is more affordable at a low fixed rate for fewer years. I want Mr. Chat to have the yard & acreage that he's always wanted. And I wouldn't mind having a few more square footage of living space. As long as we can have the house paid for by the time we retire. So that's where I will start my quest tomorrow. A pen, paper, phone and a Latte will be my companions on my journey through it all. In the meantime, I've asked the real estate agent to keep her eyes open for other properties that may better fit our needs. Because I'm all about finding better deals...even if it takes a little longer.

Looky, Looky!

2009-07-14T18:53:00.000-05:00

Back in 2007, I signed a guest book on a web site that had family pictures of a family who had the same last name as my maiden name. A few months went by. I never thought any more about it. In fact, I had forgotten that I signed the guest book. Then about this time last year, I received an email from someone who was unfamiliar to me. This woman explained that she saw my signature on her guest book a few months before but she had been very busy and hadn't had time to respond. She told me that her mother had the same maiden name as my maiden name. She referred me to a genealogy web site. After I filled in all of my family information, we found out that we are 5th cousins (I think it's once removed---In genealogy, they don't count cousins as I was always taught...you know...1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc...). Anyway, we have been corresponding for close to a year. Even though I have never met her in person, I feel like I have known her all of my life. She's taught me so much about the Internet and different computer functions. She's actually the person who introduced me to the world of blogging.

She's a great seamstress and quilter. How do I know? Because I have seen some of her creations on her blog. She stays really busy with all of her projects. I really don't know how she gets all of them done. Not only does she sew and quilt, she plants beautiful plants and flowers out in her yard. See, I told you she stays busy! Since it's summer, she spends a lot of time outside. Does she run in and out of the house for things that she needs? NO! She just whips up an apron to carry her phone and supplies that she needs to carry from the house to the yard. Isn't that smart? I told her that I usually keep running from room to room to get the office supplies that I need to do my book work. So, guess what? Yesterday, I received a very pretty package in the mail. Not only was the package pretty, but the item inside the package was gorgeous. Yep! Now I have my very own "cousin-made" apron. She calls it a cobbler's apron. But I think a "cousin's apron" sounds more fitting, don't you? This is what it looks like:

And this is what it looks like on me:

Yes, I have a head, shoulders, more legs and feet...but I wanted to show the apron...isn't it very pretty and very modern looking? I think most aprons look old ladyish...but I think this one has a younger look to it, don't you? Chatty fell in love with it. I may have to share with her. What I love about it is the pockets are really deep. It looks like there is only one pocket...but it is divided into 4 sections, making 4 pockets. The two middle pockets are smaller than the two outside pockets. The little brown patch on the front is actually a pocket, too! It's great for putting a pen, pencil, or ear phones in. I am so proud of it! It's more special to me because she took time away from her other projects to make it for me!!!

Thanks, Eileen! I will be looking for a vintage "Thank You" surprise for you!

The World through Chatty's Eyes

2009-07-05T10:28:00.000-05:00

I know this is my 2nd post for today, but I'm on a roll!!! Being that it's been a couple of weeks since my last post, I hope you'll forgive me for being piggish and gabby today.

If you've read any of my posts, you know that Chatty is my (almost 20 year old) daughter. I LOVE teasing her. I tell her it builds strong character. But in all reality, it's just plain fun for me. hehehehe!

Anyway, Chatty is the photographer for most of my blogs. I always tease her and tell her she is fired when she misses opportunities to take pictures of the main points of interest for my posts. But when she is photographing for her own personal pleasure, she takes some pretty amazing pictures. She points her camera at the things that most people take pictures of... but her eyes and hands will slowly gravitate away to something else that grabs her attention. Her focal point is usually slightly to the left or to the right of what most people would shoot. When she tells me what she wants to take a picture of...I always roll my eyes....but when I see the results, I am amazed. I guess I have no imagination.

I mentioned in the previous post that we went to our friends' house for a barbecue for 4th of July. Well, I would like to show you what Chatty saw as she took a stroll through their yard.

Pretty amazing, huh?

A Late Holiday Post

2009-07-05T09:06:00.000-05:00

I didn't get a chance to wish all of you a Happy 4th. So I will say it a day late. I hope everyone had a fun, safe 4th of July. In the midst of all of the celebrating, I hope we all remembered to say a prayer of thanks for our freedom and a prayer for those who are fighting to make sure that we keep our freedom. I say a prayer for our military people and their families every day. But this year, the words and the meaning of what I pray were put into reality. Just a couple of weeks ago, our home town streets were lined with flags and hundreds of people as they waited for a hearse to bring one of our boys back from Afghanistan. So as I look at our country's flag, I not only feel pride and honor, I also shed a few tears. Because to me, the flag represents more than a piece of cloth with stars and stripes. It symbolizes a couple of hundred years of human sacrifice and the many citizens who worked hard to make this the country what our fore fathers envisioned. It also symbolizes a great land that up until recently, ALL Americans wanted to be "one nation under God".
We went to friends' house for a barbecue and a quick swim in their pool. Well, actually for Chatty, her friend, and me it wasn't quite swimming. They floated and I stood. This has been a tradition for me for years. The girls just started doing this since they have been old enough to wear makeup. My friend swims. She has a perm that she just fluffs up and she wears no makeup, so for her it's not a problem. I bet you're wondering why it's such a problem for me, aren't you? Well, right after the swim, we always go to the public fireworks display in town. You still don't get it, do you? Well let me put it in terms you will understand. My hair is not the care free kind of hair. It requires a curling brush and some maneuvering. And let's just put it this way, if I went straight to town right out of the pool....I would look like a raccoon from all of the mascara running down my face. Get the picture? So I don't swim. I just stand and do my favorite thing....TALK.

Even though our kids are grown and Mr. Chat's hair is thinning and some of his blond hair is being replaced by silver, he still has a lot of kid left in him. He disappeared while most of us were still eating. I knew where he went. And it was confirmed when I heard the big bang go off in the yard. He does love 4th of July and he still likes playing with fire.

And what better way to end the evening than to be with friends sitting in a safe country!

So I hope all of you were able to celebrate in a way that brought you peace and joy! May God bless you all!

What's a Girl To Do?

2009-06-24T15:33:00.000-05:00

The only coffee shop in my home town is closing. I know that this is not life threatening news. I know, too, that I will survive! But come on! This is not good. Not only, are the owners forced to give up their family business because the economy has made a cup of coffee low on every one's priority list...but this is one of many businesses in this town that has been forced to close OR to lay people off. This town will not survive much of this. We are a small town. When economy was better, we were starting to see a little growth. Now businesses are failing and utility rates are rising. I'm sure it's no different in many towns across America. But this town will become a ghost town if we can't figure a way to help the local businesses.

I said all that because I didn't want anyone to think that I'm shallow enough to believe it's all about me. WHAAAH!

That being said, seriously, what am I going to do? I hear there is a coffee shop in a town that's about 15 minutes from here. I don't go to that town often...and I have never tried the coffee...so I'm not sure if it would be worth the trip. Oh sure, I can go to any restaurant or fast food chain and order a cup of coffee......BUT girls, you know what I am talking about----it is JUST NOT the same, is it? And besides, you can't get a Latte at those places. NO, don't even suggest McDonald's or the 7-11-----Not even close to the genuine coffee experience!

There are 2 coffee shops that Chatty and I always go to when we visit our river town. It's great! I love it! I will continue to go there when we are in town. But that's a 40 minute drive from here. What happens when I crave a Latte in the middle of the week? I have a schedule to keep. And really, with the price of gas, it would be ridiculous to drive 40 minutes for a cup of coffee.

If any of you have a desire to open a coffee shop...my town is competition free...open market. And if you would like someone to work there or would like someone to manage it,,,,I have some free time and my taste buds would offer their services. I'm just sayin!!!

Night Time Stories

2009-06-14T22:41:00.000-05:00

When I was a little girl it was always a thrill to go to my southern grandparents' house to spend the night. I loved everything about it! Every thing, except one thing. Usually at night, someone would start telling ghost stories. Then as we would head for bed, my grandpa would tell us kids to be good and stay in bed, or RawHead & Bloody Bones would grab us and pull us under the bed. Before you get the wrong idea about my grandpa, I want to make it very clear that he loved us all and he was very protective of everyone in the family. That being said, I don't know how to explain why this was one of his favorite things to say to us at night. As I got older, I figured it was one of two things...either he didn't have enough entertainment throughout the day and this was his way of getting a chuckle. OR he wanted to make sure none of us kids wandered outside after everyone was in bed. But one thing I know for sure, it worked! We always made sure we made a stop at the bathroom before we went to bed. Because there was no way after the lights went out that any of us would get up...Not even for a trip to the bathroom...Not even if we had to go so bad that our eyes were floating. One time as I lay in bed thinking about this thing that was under my bed, I started daring myself to put one foot on the floor for just one second. I wanted to see what would happen. I uncovered my foot. Then I eased it to the side of the bed. Just as I was about to swing it over the side of the bed, someone in the next room started snoring. Not only did my foot go back under the covers..but my head and the rest of my body did, too.

Now I'm older and my grandpa is gone. My mom, my brother, uncles, aunts and cousins still talk about grandpa's ghost stories and his way of keeping us in bed. Now it's not so scary. Inevitably, someone will mention it at family gatherings. There is always a lot of loud laughing when we re-tell his stories. When someone even mentions RawHead & Bloody Bones, 2 of the 4 generations that are there will all break out in a smile. My uncle came to visit me the other day. He has an eight year old daughter. She said, "Dad, tell her what we read about RawHead & Bloody Bones the other day." It seems like RawHead & Bloody Bones is a real Missouri folklore. We always thought grandpa had made it up. According to what I've found on the internet, there are 2 versions of the story. One from the south and one from Ireland. Neither of them are like grandpa's version. But I'm guessing that southern kids and Irish kids all possess strong bladders, too!

"Good night! Don't let the bed bugs bite!" That was another one of grandpa's favorite nightly sayings that freaked me out. Not only was I busy making sure that my foot did not fall over the side of the bed, I also had to keep an eye on the sheets to make sure there wasn't anything crawling on them. I guess that's why when I came home, my mom always let me sleep late the next morning-----She knew that I had a few hours of sleep to catch up on.

It's getting late. I'm heading to bed. That is...after a quick stop at the bathroom.....I wouldn't want to have to get up in the middle of the night, you know!

On the Road Again!

2009-06-08T13:05:00.000-05:00

Another weekend and we hit the road! This time I had the whole family---my immediate family, my parents, my brother's family and spouses & my great niece----in tow. We loaded up and headed for a town that's about 2 and a half hours northwest from here.

My aunt had a family get-together for everyone who has birthdays and anniversaries in June. Believe me when I say that June is a very popular month for my dad's side of the family. His mother (my grandma) had 3 children. They are each 8 years apart and each born in June. Talk about family planning! She was precise, wasn't she? I would say she could teach the modern day girl a thing or two, wouldn't you? Not only are their birthdays in June, but there were 2 other birthdays and 3 anniversaries. So there was a lot of celebrating to do. Mr. Chat was back from Texas in time to go with us. He gathered the younger people together for a lively game of volleyball. I'm not sure who won. But they all had fun. We played the White Elephant game but that sort of fizzled out. It seems as if everyone on that side of the family is too polite to steal from each other. My niece and I were the only ones bold enough to swipe what we wanted from someone else. I wonder what that says about our character?

Well, I've finally decided I'm going to break down and buy new batteries for my camera and fire Chatty from her photography duties. My aunt has a beautiful yard. Her roses, plants, and yard foliage looks like it came ordered straight from a catalog. But I'm afraid that there are NO pictures of it. From what I can tell, Chatty was more intrigued with getting pictures of trees from different angles. Since I can't show you any of my aunt's creative yard talents, I will share a couple of Chatty's tree shots with you. It's amazing how the younger perspective of nature differs from someone who is 30 years older. I guess, maybe when I was younger, odd looking trees would have caught my attention more than a yard that someone had carefully planned, planted and cultivated, too.

It's been a very busy weekend. Yesterday, we had another birthday to celebrate. One of our dear friends celebrated his 60th birthday. We had a day of barbeque and plenty of sun. Now it's back to the work week. I'm going to try to catch my breath because this weekend there will be 2 more birthdays. At the end of the month, my step-son will be celebrating his 27th birthday. Oh! I forgot. We have to squeeze Father's Day in there, too. I'm thinking that I really need to get a third part-time job.....especially through June.

A Relaxing Sunday with Nature

2009-05-31T23:45:00.000-05:00

It was time for another girls' day out. Today we were lucky enough to have another girl join us...my mom. My dad retired 7 years ago. Before then, my mom went on all of our adventures with us. We were always the 3 Musketeers. But now, my mom likes to stay pretty close to my dad---which is pretty amazing considering tomorrow they will be celebrating their 52nd wedding anniversary. Anyway, Mr. Chat wasn't home today, so I threw some ham sandwiches & chips into the cooler...grabbed my two girls and we hit the road. My mom can never go any where empty handed. When she climbed into the front seat, she tossed a few sodas and some home made cinnamon rolls into the cooler. And off we went. Destination: A natural spring.

And we had some company on our stroll around the springs.

The weather was great. The park wasn't overly crowded. It was one of those days that was just right.

A Quick Walk Through Our Yard

2009-05-29T15:36:00.000-05:00

I know this post is going to leave you wondering why I'm making such a big deal out of my yard. I know a lot of you have A LOT more things going on in your yard. But if you are new to my blog, I will catch you up. For the past 16 years, Mr. Chat has done a lot of landscaping on our property. His efforts paid off, because it was always so beautiful. People would stop and make comments about how pretty our yard was. Mr. Chat even got offers to do landscaping on other properties. He would love to do landscaping for a living, but he has a full time job and just doesn't have as much extra time to devote to it as he would like.

I never get attached to a particular land scheme he has created from year to year, because he gets bored with it. The man moves plants, bushes, & trees around in the yard like a woman moves furniture in her living room. I was accustomed to the look and the personality of the yard constantly changing from year to year...but two years ago..I was SHOCKED and a little embarrassed. The ditch beside our property started to create a flooding hazard. Mr. Chat stripped our yard. He hauled in a lot of dirt so that he could build the yard up. It never failed, every time I saw a little green twig of grass peeking through, he would get on his mower and rake it down. Then he would have more dirt hauled in. I'm sure our neighbors weren't happy with us. First of all, our yard was hideous looking. But also, he created a lot of dust every time he ran his machine across the dirt. I guess doing all of that put him in a pretty destructive mood because he took down some of our Willow trees along that ditch. Of course they had been killed from the ice storm that we had 2 winters before. Then he had the nerve to go to the front yard and take some of our trees down there. We had two trees that he had planted side by side when they were saplings. He twisted them together. They grew and formed together and looked like a spiraling tree. I loved that tree! But he said the roots were going to break up our driveway. He promised that he would replace them with a tree that's roots grow straight down. But after 16 years, I'm use to seeing full grown trees, not little shrimpy looking things. This is going to take some getting use to. Anyway, I will show you how a few of our plants are developing. Remember, everything out there is a work in progress, so I'm only going to show you a few things.

Smoke Tree

Dwarf Chinese Red Maple

Various plants in the front garden

Hibiscus Tree

That's all for now. Mr. Chat has planted some new bushes along the sidewalk, but they are teeny-tiny so I won't show them. I was going to show some of the plants in the back yard, but the neighbor man was out in his yard. He's new to the neighborhood and I didn't want him to think he has a stalker. I'll let him live here for awhile before I let him know just how weird the neighbor lady is.