HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!

Today my little Mamma turns 70 years old. What an accomplishment! My brother is coming over on Sunday and we're gonna grill up some burgers and love on her a little bit. She'd rather have a grilled hamburger than most anything on the menu, so we're delighted to provide her favorite. She has for sure been a life-saver for me in so many ways over the years. She has virtually hung a sign on her door that says "Bring me your tired, your weary..." Well, maybe not exactly that... but she has sure gone far above and beyond in her support of me and my little family, including having Whit and I move back home on two occasions. When Whitney and I moved back to town, she was Daycare, Taxi-Mom, Cook, Cheerleader, Homework Monitor, Cupcake Maker, all rolled up into one little stick of dynamite. She absolutely spoiled me rotten... when I would go by to pick up Whitney after work, my dinner would be on the table waiting for me, and she wouldn't even let me help clean up. (So it is all HER fault that I now have a reputation of not being able to cook... it was all those years of not having to cook.... I just got out of practice...) Later, when we needed a short-term safe place to stay, she cleaned out her closets and moved us back in. She has cleaned my house, cooked for us, sewn and shopped for us, and been Grandma Extraordinaire for over two decades. And now that she's a Great-Grandma, her legacy has continued, and again she has been a life-saver. During all of Leyland's sicknesses and hospitalizations, she and my dad have accompanied and driven them to so many doctor appointments that the nurse recognizes her when she sees her at the mall! She has rocked crying babies and changed dirty diapers for more years than most would ever think about. She and Pop have baby-sat thousands of hours on end, and never once complained about having to chase babies and clean up poop and vomit.

While occasionally generous with unsolicited advice (but don't you think she has deserved that right???), I have found, as I have grown older, that she really is a pretty smart gal. We're lucky, my mom and me, in that we found our way through the turbulent teenage years when I convinced myself that she was the most horrible creature on the planet (and she probably felt the same way about me), and have come out on the other side the best of friends. We don't always agree even now, but have learned to respect our differences, and each other. And it is so funny... during those turbulent years, I always said "I will never be like my mother".... but now having been a mother and grandmother my ownself, I am surprised to find that... I am turning into my mother! Maybe not as "bad" in some ways, but certainly not as good in others. At any rate, today is her special day, and I am so blessed to have had her as my mom. Happy Birthday Mom!! I love you!! cat

WSBTV... Actually Responded!

Imagine my surprise when I found in my in-box a response to my dorky letter to WSBTV. When I saw they had replied, I fully expected to find a canned response, but someone actually took the time to respond to my "vent". Unfortunately, I don't believe my point of view is going to change the way they report severe weather. However, I am impressed that they acknowledged my thoughts. And while I will continue to complain when they pre-empt my favorite shows (I only have three or four shows that I watch on a regular basis, so it's not like I'm glued to the tv all the time), I'll probably tone it down half-a-notch or so, simply by virtue of their acknowledgement. That will make it a little easier to tolerate. Kind of like when I have to transcribe a doctor who is a really nasty dictator... but if he's a nice guy, it makes it a little easier to work through the garbled dictation.

I'm delighted to report that my back, while still a little tempermental, is much better, and I was able to work on the back porch project yesterday after all. It was early evening before I felt up to tackling it, but that just meant that I had extra help. Mary and Leyland were on hand to help me rake and sweep away the leaves that have been fermenting on the patio since autumn. Most of the time I was reminding them to push the leaves that way, not where I just swept, but we got the job done.

This took place immediately after my trek to Wal Mart, where I hobbled around the store for half an hour or so leaning on the shopping cart for support. Finally I made my way to the check-out, and as I reached into my purse I realized that I had left my wallet on the kitchen table after paying the carpet man. So, I was driving without my license, and I had no money to pay for the things in my cart. ..........sigh.......... After a few phone calls to Whitney, it was decided that I would just go have a sandwich at the Subway, and she would bring my wallet, since she needed to do some shopping herself. I didn't want Subway, I wanted Zaxby's. But I settled for the Friday special, and ended up enjoying it enough to try it again some Friday. It was pretty much a miracle that I had cash to even by myself a sandwich. Normally I'm just a debit-card person and don't deal with cash. (Shhh... don't tell Dave Ramsey) I had just returned something (with a receipt, no less!) and had a little cash on hand.

Okay, ya'll... time to get serious about this hand-washing thing. Nasty swine flu is on the scene again. And not only wash/sanitize your hands, but when you cough or sneeze... bury your face in your sleeve... don't sneeze/cough onto your hand. That's a good practice any time, not just during flu season.

The fat-bottomed chair has arrived! It's a rather intimidating piece of furniture, now that it's set up in my room. I am a little bit embarassed by it, actually... and whenever anyone comes into my room, I'm going to be sure to sit down in it... just so they will see that my butt really isn't THAT big. Granted, a might bit larger than I'd like, but certainly not requiring Wide Load Furniture. I'll remind them that it's called a "snuggle chair" for a reason. Whitney sat in it and her comment was... well I guess this is what skinny people feel like when they sit in a regular chair. haha. I think I'll go sit in it for a while. And console myself that there's still lots of empty space in the seat. Happy Saturday!

Thank You Glen Burns!

I must admit that I was holding my breath late yesterday afternoon, when a little rogue thunderstorm started multiplying and it appeared that bad weather would head our way. I'm such a dork, I even sent an e-mail to WSBTV (and copied my "Vent" blog post below) and implored them with great sincerity and pitiful-ness to please take heed to my plea and not pre-empt GA and PP last night! Looks like yours truly wields far more power than I realized (haha.. just joking), but I do want to say Thank You to Glen for talking to us during the commercials, and running the banner along the bottom of the screen. Now see... that wasn't so painful, was it... and your viewers got the information just fine. GA and PP fans all over north Georgia are saying "thanks, ya'll!"

I'm having an eventful day today. My carpet, which was so nasty that I literally got ill each time I vacuum it, is now sparkling clean! YAYYY!!! That dirty carpet has been the source of much grief for me. I was so excited when I moved here, to be able to paint and put down new carpet-- to make the house "mine". It wasn't difficult to keep the carpet clean with just me and the kitties, but once the rest of my family moved in, it has become a challenge indeed. So.. today I am happy! I have the house to myself (no offense, Whit et al) and a long list of things to do. Unfortunately, some of my chores will have to wait, as while having some strange dream, (maybe I was trying to escape from the Evil Dust Bunnies or something) I moved in such a way that now my back is "out". Not as bad as it has been in the past, but bad enough that it is painful and I am moving slowly and very carefully. Today I'm missing one of the perks I had while working for Dr. M: Access to a steroid injection that usualy cleared me up right away. So much for cleaning off the back porch, and trying to get rid of some of the debris that gets tracked into my house. I don't think I'll be undertaking that project today. The ultimate plan is to build a deck out back, but that's probably a few years down the road yet. In the meantime, I hope to at least get some stepping stones or pour some concrete between the driveway and back patio, to eliminate having to walk through the grass/dirt to come in the back door. When it's time for that project, I'll just call 1-800-ALEX. The neighbors have been keeping him busy this spring!

Mary is coming this weekend, which is always fun. She hasn't seen her Easter loot yet, so she'll be pretty wound up about that. Maybe she'll get to go to church, if she doesn't have to be back home too early.

And speaking of loot... I haven't posted about this, but... last Friday while we were at the church scrappin' Whitney called and said my package from Noel had arrived! She couldn't stand to wait, so she brought it to me and we all had fun opening the box. Can I just say... Mother Lode!! I will post a pic later of the stash... but there were so many suprises inside it was like Christmas. And the neatest card with a note! What fun! Check out her blog for some really beautiful photos and inspiring ideas. Thanks again, Noel! You Rock!

I'm not planning to hold my breath, (because I don't think my back could take it if I fainted onto the floor), but suPPOSEDly my chair will be delivered this afternoon. Ahhh that will feel nice to my back. The only problem is, it's so big that I have problems pushing the foot-rest thingy down with my feet, so until my back clears up, it might be a challenge for sure getting out of it. Pushing down so hard on the foot rest feels just like doing crunches. Oh how great that would be-- burning calories and tightening my abdominal muscles (I'm sure there are some muscles in there... somewhere), getting a workout while sitting in my new chair. [Edited to add..... I'm trembling with excitement.... the delivery man just called... they will be here in a couple of hours!! Yipeeeee!!!]

Mom and dad are due back tomorrow from their nautical adventure. I haven't heard from them all week, so I'm taking that as good news. I hope they've had a wonderful, relaxing trip. I enjoyed a nice phone visit with Michael last night. We just don't get the opportunity to visit much, so that was a real treat.

I'm thinking that I might just hafta take myself a little nap. It's so quiet! The babies were gone for half an hour before I realized that it would be okay to turn Elmo off the tv. Happy Friday!

Blue Skies..Nuthin But Blue Skies..Do I See!

And what, you might wonder, is so significant about that? Well, it's Wednesday. LOST night. Hopefully there will be no major news events or weather incidents, and we can watch the new episode of LOST uninterrupted. Blue Skies forecast for tomorrow as well, so perhaps Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice are likewise safe. WooHoo!!

Can I Just Vent A Little?

I'm all for safety and tornado preparedness. I think early warning is a wonderful thing. But can I just say grrrrrrr to channel 2 for being so retarded about it??? I am delighted that they have all the fancy whirlygigs, bells and whistles they need to do their jobs. I'm all about work efficiency. But can I just tell Glen, Brad, David and Karen that we don't care about the TVS, BTI, the percentage of a chance that hail will fall, blah, blah, blah. Honestly. And we ESPECIALLY don't care when it is prime-time TV! I doubt anyone would mind if they could possibly interrupt for 30 seconds to say that Such And Such a County is under a tornado warning, please activate your emergency preparedness plan. But no. They will interrupt a program to tell you that said county is under a watch/warning, then proceed to dissect the storm on their fancy schmancy computer radar gizmos, show you how tall the clouds are, what the temperature is at the top and the bottom of the cloud, how many lightning strikes associated with the cloud, what size the hail will be. Then we have to see the red/green reflectivity mode models, and how fast the wind is blowing toward the radar as opposed to how fast it is blowing away from the radar. Then they give you a minute-by-minute tracking device that tells you what time the storm will arrive in the towns that lie in its path. (Now that isn't such a bad thing, but they have to read the list out loud to you, as though you can't read yourself. All the while you're wondering who killed the person in your movie, or what was the big secret about to be revealed, did the boy kiss the girl, or who won the contest, or whatever it was you were watching.) This scenario is then repeated ad nauseam, just in case one person out in tv-land just now turned on their tv and may have missed the first 20 minutes of the broadcast. And to top it off, channel 2 must surely think they have the most ignorant of viewers, as they repeatedly tell you the "three most important things to remember in a tornado warning" are 1) get to the lowest level of your house. 2) stay away from windows. 3) go to an interior room such as a bathroom or hallway. Okay. Maybe I'm over-reacting on this one, but... if someone doesn't know that already, then hopefully their mommy or their caregiver is somewhere close by. Making that insulting practice even worse is the fact that they feel they must explain. 1) get to the lowest level of your house.. which is a basement or bottom floor. (duh!). 2) stay away from windows... because there could be broken glass and debris. (double-duh). 3) go to an interior wall such as a bathroom or hallway.... because this puts additional walls between you and the exterior of your home. (not even worthy of a duh). AND they repeat this mantra. Every. Five. Minutes. I guess some people need reminding.


Okay, lest I sound insensitive (or selfish for pouting over missing the last 15 minutes of Brothers & Sisters), if there is anyone who can help me understand this insanity, I'm perfectly willing to listen. But I will probably counter your explanation with this: They are telling the people in Some Town, Georgia, that the tornado is over their neighborhood, to take cover immediately! Well, if the people in Some Town, Georgia were watching you for the last 20 minutes, they know the tornado is coming to their house and they are already 1) at the lowest level of their house, 2) away from windows, 3) in the interior-most room. They're not watching you any more. They are in their safe place. But the rest of us, miles and miles away from the storm, who are trying to watch a television show or movie, are sitting here while they dissect the storm. We don't care what the TVS or the BTI of that storm is, and I can gaurantee you the folks who are 1) at the lowest level of their house 2) away from windows 3) well you get the picture... they don't care either. They just want to be safe. And we just want to watch tv.


Glen, Karen, David and Brad- I'm not dissing you folks. I really like you. I think you do a great job. It's just that we don't care about all the technical details of the storm. While I obviously can't speak for everyone, here's what I'm interested in: Show me the radar with the green, yellow and red colors on it. Show me the radar in motion so I can see if the red parts are coming toward me. Tell me (briefly if you must do it in person, or give me a scrolling banner across the bottom of the screen) if I'm under a severe thunderstorm warning or a tornado watch. Split the tv screen and use flashing neon letters to issue a tornado warning, with a picture of the above-referenced radar. You folks are watching tv... you know when the commercials come on... talk to me then. Otherwise, please, please just stick to the basics and leave the technical stuff to your colleagues. We just want to watch tv.

TGIF!!!

Well, actually it's Thursday, but that means Friday for me (I'm off on Fridays and Saturdays) We're getting geared up for a crop tomorrow at the church, and I'm really excited about the project I'm working on. Not to mention that I have a new recipe for the most delicious dip that I'm going to try out on the girls. I'm doing some prn work at the pulmonary clinic for a few weeks, and on Good Friday when I was there they brought in lunch. Suzanne, one of the nurses, had made a most delicious dip, and she graciously shared her secret recipe with me. Only four ingredients, so surely this cuisinely-challenged girl can pull it off.

I took the day off yesterday, having pushed myself as far as I could go with all the nasty stuff in my sinuses, and feeling a bit queasy about the stomach. My poor mom has been terribly sick this week, and is trying to recuperate for her upcoming trip next week. They're scheduled to leave tomorrow, and she was still "feelin' a might bit po'ley" last night. (Think Prissy from Gone With The Wind) I'm back at my desk today, feeling nearly back to normal, but I was feelin' quite po'ley my ownself yesterday and the day before.

Lots of projects to work on this weekend, and Saturday is shaping up to be an impossibly crazy busy day. Which usually means that nothing gets done. It's cleanup time in our little town, where they bring in huge dumpsters and residents are allowed to bring all manner of junk for disposal. I'm thinking I might ask if I can have my own personal dumpster at The 409.

I Dreamed A Dream

You may recall a prior post in which I spoke of a dream my brother was able to realize, and how through a great act of kindness and generosity, he reminded me of the importance of having a dream of my own, and the pursuit thereof. Sometimes in the busyness of our lives, we forget to dream at all, much less take the time to chase after them. I have just watched a video that reminds me again that there is hope for every dreamer... no matter how impossible it might seem. Please take a moment to watch this video and be inspired. And don't forget to keep dreaming. Thanks, Mac, for sending this my way. It really made my day. :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

My New Favorite Thing

Okay, so I forgot to get out of bed on the other side, but I'm hoping my side won't be the "wrong side" today. I'm still feeling a little out of sorts, but in retrospect, I realized that I had failed to take my medications over the weekend... so I'm sure that plays a big role in my grump-bunnyitis yesterday. Now if I can just make it through today without any weather-related problems, perhaps I can end this day on a good note. However, as I write this, the lightning is flashing and thunder is rumbling, so I expect I'll be powering down the old computer momentarily.

On to my New Favorite Thing. Whitney picked up some of these little Colgate Wisp mini-toothbrushes. Yours Truly has often been accused of obssessive behavior when it comes to certain hygiene practices, and brushing my teeth ranks high on the list. These little things are just perfect. I'm going to load my purse with them so that I'm never without the ability to brush my teeth. The tiny little brush even has a "pick" thingy on the other end, and a little bead of breath freshener in the middle that disolves and serves as toothpaste. What a clever invention! Not only that, it's the perfect size for little kiddie teeth. And an extra bonus is- once you're finished with it, it makes for a perfect little eyebrow brush. Now how cool is that! Hey- these would be great to add to care packages for soldiers! No go on out and get yourself some of these little cuties and enjoy clean teeth and fresh breath any time!

Grump Bunny

Well, after a lovely weekend of Easter celebration, I awoke today in Full Grump Bunny Mode. No particular reason, it just seemed that everything made me grumpy. Maybe it was all the chocolate. No, chocolate creates happiness, not grumpiness. Fortunately, the feeling began a slow decline throughout the day and all was not lost.... though I'm still on the edge and it probably wouldn't take much to reactivate Full Mode. So... I'm off to bed for some restful sleep, and I have confidence that tomorrow will be better. If I think about it, perhaps I'll get out of bed on the other side and see if that will help. If not, I'll just reach for the chocolate.

Tornado Sirens and Easter Bunnies

It was another volatile weather weekend here in Georgia. Friday afternoon/night was a field day for Glen Burns and the Channel 2 weather crew. The prognostications for bad weather having begun mid-week, they were foaming at the mouth by early evening. I can act brave all I want to, but by the time I returned home from my errands, the house was empty and the Doppler radar was showing lots of bright red blips. I gathered my laptop and accessories, and headed over to spend some quality time with Mom and Dad. The fact that they have a basement didn't factor in at all, mind you. It was pretty quiet around town for a while, but shortly after I arrived, the tornado sirens started blaring, as Glen's crew advised us that our county was under a tornado warning. Now here's something I don't understand: when I was a kid, a tornado warning meant that a funnel cloud had been sited and you'd best head for the root cellar. Nowadays, a tornado warning can be issued even when there has been no confirmed siting, and even when the suspicious storm is two counties away. I suppose they have done studies to show that this helps save lives, and if that's the case, then I'm all for it. We have the standard sirens.. the ones that can wake the dead, but in addition we have our old trusty fire siren that they will turn on for good measure. Back in the olden days, before pagers and scanners, our volunteer fire department consisted of dedicated men who lived here in town. Their summons to a fire was a siren mounted on top of our water tower, that surely must have come from WWII Europe. You've seen the movies... those hand-turned sirens that they used to warn of incoming bombs. Yep, that's the sound that notified everyone for miles around that there was a fire somewhere, and for the firemen to get downtown immediately. That was a sound that always stilled my heart and took my breath. I was terrified every time I heard it. It always sounded like The End Of The World. For some of my childhood years, my daddy was a volunteer fireman, and I was always afraid when he had to go out on a call. (How ironic that I would marry a man who would become a volunteer fireman and spend many of his waking hours at the station!) Every Saturday at high noon they would *test* the siren for a couple of minutes. And even though I knew it was a test, I would still get that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. Many years later, pagers and scanners call the men to action, and the siren has been put to rest- at least as a fire-call summons. The only occasion that warrants cranking up the siren is... you guessed it... tornado warnings. While an eerie enough sound in the daytime, it is all the more chilling in the dark of night. I remember the last time we had warnings, it was after midnight, and I had finally convinced Whitney we were okay to just ride it out here at home. Then Dustin heard that ominous sound in the night, and he decided we needed to go to Gigi and Pop's basement. That was all it took for Whitney, so off we dashed in the torrential rain, expecting to see a funnel cloud with every flash of lightning. Thankfully, we escaped damage on that night as well. At any rate, this past Friday night, I enjoyed the visit with mom and dad, and even though the sirens were wailing, we could see the storm on Channel 2's radar, and didn't even bother going to the basement. Unfortunately, there were some twisters in the southeast , with severe damage and a few fatalities. Mother Nature in all her fury can be a formidable force. And those sirens, that make me think the end of the world has come, are just doing their jobs of trying to notify us. The tornado season is in full swing, so everybody keep your eyes and ears open... and if you're ever in doubt, just turn to Channel 2, and if there's a storm within 500 miles, they'll tell you all about it!!!! :-D

Fortunately, Saturday morning dawned fairly clear for our annual Easter Egg Hunt at the church. Miss Elaine H. always does such a fabulous job of coordinating the fun. There were lots of kiddies there, and they had a really good time searching for the hundreds and hundreds of candy-laden eggs that were strewn about the church campus. Miss Leyland was more interested in swinging than she was egg-hunting. Oh well, she didn't need the candy anyway, and she was happy on the playground, so I guess that's what matters. She was fascinated by the puppet show, and Corey thought he was a big kid too, sitting on the floor, taking it all in. Click any picture to enlarge.

Because mornings are so hectic around here we consulted with the Easter Bunny, and he agreed to pay us a visit on Saturday morning rather than Sunday morning. That worked well for us! The grandbabies got some new clothes and PJs, and some cute little bunny ears. Only a tiny bit of candy for Leyland, and none for Corey. We don't need anything else to hype them up!!

We were sad this year that Mary wasn't able to spend Easter weekend with us. She loves to go to church with me, and she has always enjoyed the Easter egg hunt, getting all dressed up and posing for pictures. She was so cute, the first time she went to church with me, when Brother Gordon was saying a prayer before the kids went to Children's Church, as soon as he said "amen", Mary asked out loud "Are you God?" Everyone in church just died laughing, and Brother Gordon has loved her to pieces since then. Every time she comes to visit and is able to go to church, she has to draw him a picture, make him a card, and she always tries to take him some candy. Mary was sick this year and unable to spend the weekend with us. We have lots of pictures to show her, and some Easter surprises waiting for her here. I hope she is feeling better and can come for a visit soon.

I got a few nice shots of the cross in front of my church, but forgot to take one this morning with the white garment. Be sure to click and enlarge this photo. It's a really nice shot of the cross that some of our guys built. Maybe I'll get by there for a picture before they take the white drape off. The white one is, of course, my favorite!I hope you all had a blessed Easter!!

I'm A Star!!

As my List of Favorite Blogs (on the left sidebar) shows, there are several blogs that I enjoy visiting when time permits. One of my favorites is called PaperPassionPixels, authored by Noel, an amazing Scrapbook Superstar. Take a look at her blog and see for yourself! She's an accomplished photographer, an awesome mom to two beautiful little girls, and quite the scrapbook/craft artist. I "met" her on the CKMB, a few years ago, and have enjoyed her handiwork, as well as reading about her life in Washington state, and being married to a military guy who has been deployed several times since I have "known" her. I guess we all have people we look up to and admire, and in the crafting world, Noel is my Scrapbook Superstar. I say all that so that you will understand why I'm so excited today. Last week, Noel posted that to celebrate her blog having over 100,000 hits, she was going to sponsor a contest. She had recently made a layout featuring her tendency to collect things, and end up with little "piles" of stuff everywhere. To enter her contest, you had to post and tell her what kind of things you collected, and she would choose a winner based on which one she liked best. There were many different items listed, as there were around 130 entries. You name it, somebody collects it! Well, I'm sure you've guessed by now, that I'm delighted she chose my entry! And what, you might ask, is it that I collect? Well, here's my entry, and Noel's response: (See the real story here.)

In the words of dr. seuss... the winning-est winner of all
the winner of the 100K hits drawing is....

CathyB said... I collect dust. It is a passive activity that requires absolutely no effort on my part. The dust is non-discriminating, and is content to settle on all my "piles"... SB magazines waiting to be read, my SB workbench longing to be used, CDs that need playing, books that need reading... Great blog, Noel!

Noel said: congratulations cathyb! email me your addy and i'll get your package of goodies. loved the whole collecting dust! our fam got a great laugh off of that one. CONGRATULATIONS! thanks again for everyone who checks in from time to time. you guys are the best!

Who knew that my aversion to dusting would someday win a prize? What do you think about that, Mom, and Uncle Ricky??? And that, my dear blogger friends, is what makes me a star today!!

But If I Did Twitter

This is what I would say:

<-- is watching it snow while working at my desk.

Twitterpated

I just don't get it. Why in the world would I think that anyone gives a flip about what I am doing, or thinking, at any given moment of the day? The world has gone Twitter crazy. The Fad of The Day. I even balk at getting a Blackberry (though I'm leaning that way more and more each day, especially since I'm eligible for upgrade and can get one for free...) because I sit at a computer all day... many hours... at least five days a week... and when I'm not working, I'd prefer my hands be doing most anything than tweeting, IMing, texting, etc. And what would I say? And who would care? "<-- wants to take a nap" "<-- is doing laundry" "<--is changing dirty diapers" "<--just got back from wal mart" "<--blood sugar was 102 today" "<--just wrote in her blog" "<--is going to the scrapbook store" [well... now that's a good one!] <--went to DJs for coffee this morning" <--found a dollar in the bottom of her purse". Now really... would that be of interest to you??

Whitney does it, and she has many Twitter-Friends (or whatever you call it). Maria Shriver, Sam Champion, the weather guy on GMA, lots of *stars* etc. Some people tweet all day long, and I would imagine if you have lots of tweety friends, you could spend the entire day reading about what everyone is doing. Then you wouldn't have time to be doing anything your ownself, so you'd have nothing to tweet about. I think I'll just remain a Woman Of Mystery, and aside from what I tell you in my blog, you can just only wonder what I might be doing at any given moment of the day. (hint- see above sample tweets and the mystery is pretty much solved.)

Crazy as it sounds, I do find myself reading the tweets of some of my blogger friends, who not only have their tweets on their cell phones and computers, they are posted on their blogs. But these people are posting FUN things. And when they post boring things, I just chuckle and think... "now why would I want to know that?" Yet, I keep reading them when I visit their blogs. Believe me, my life is quite predictable and if you read my blog, you know that there's nothing much to tweet about. And many of my thoughts are best just kept to myself. But to all of you Tweeters out there.... Twitter On! Just don't be so busy tweeting that you miss out on a chance to have something to REALLY tweet about!

More Ponderisms

Thanks to my cousin Diane for sending along these ponderisms!

~Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they already know there is not enough money?

~Why does someone Believe you when you say there are four billion stars; but have to check when you say the paint is still wet?

~Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

~Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

~Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

~Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?

~If people evolved from apes, Why are there still apes?

~Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

~Is there ever a day that mattresses Are not on sale?

~Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

~When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, 'It's all right?' Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, 'That really hurt, why don't you watch where you're going?'

~Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

~In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

~How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

~The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you!!

~And remember- A day without sunshine is like... well... night.

Recent Findings Confirm Mamma Was Right

Did your Mamma ever tell you that too much junk food will make you sick? Well, it seems that once again, Mamma was right. A recent finding by the GWCON (Grandma and Whitney's Council on Nutrition), confirms this fact. A 2 1/2-year-old female toddler was awakened in the pre-dawn hours Sunday morning by a violent gastric eruption of gargantuan proportions. After much comforting and snuggling with said toddler, the Mommy and Grandma of the tyke carefully reviewed the dietary content from the preceding day. Pop Tarts for breakfast, McDonald's chicken nuggets and apple wedges for lunch, too-numerous-to-count tiny packets of fruit snacks (to pacify the boredom while shopping), and a deliciously nutritious cheese-filled hot dog for dinner. And, while The Committee will refrain from too-graphic a description of the emesis, let it be said that the episode could also be attributed to other unidentifiable food particles also contained in the mixture. Add to that several hours of riding as Mommy and Grandma drove here and yon running errands. Complicating the matter somewhat, Grandma, though busy consoling and comforting the toddler, feared she would have to likewise administer consolation and comfort to the Mommy, who was heaving and gagging herself while cleaning up the offending partially-digested products of consumption. Unfortunately, at 2:00 a.m., there are no intercom systems upon which to announce, "Clean up on aisle 3", or in this case "Clean up in the Princen Room". Daddies are absolutely worthless in the sick room, and besides, an ailing child will usually be consoled only by Mommy, or in some cases, Grandma. As the night (morning) wore on, there were several minor aftershocks, if you will, but none so terrible as the first eruption. Just as Grandma tried to ease back into bed and leave Mommy and the toddler resting on the sofa, Baby Boy decided to wake up and fret for a while. Fortunately there were no gastric episodes with him, but he was a high-maintenance little man for an hour or so. Finally, a few hours of rest was granted to all, and as everyone snoozed contentedly, Grandma was able to sneak back into her bed around 5 a.m., to grab a few hours' of sleep before church and work. Just another confirmation that Mamma Usually Knows What She Is Talking About.

My New Chair (Revisited)

My New Chair is sitting in a warehouse, (or perhaps an assembly line), in an undisclosed location, awating its journey to The 409. Grrrrr! Today is the two-week anniversary of my purchase, and I was promised delivery in seven to ten days. It seems as though countless other people loved the chair too, as the company has backordered it. My next promised delivery date is April 15th. So... I reckon I'll be waiting until then to lean back and relax in that magnificent dream of a recliner. ....sigh....

It has been a fairly long week for yours truly. I caught a nasty bug, and last weekend thought surely I would perish. My neck was swollen and hurt so badly I just knew I had the mumps. (Even though I remember having them as a kid, and how my mother screamed in horror "Your mumps are going to *fall*!!" when she caught me riding my bike. *Fall*?? what is that?) Anyway, it was the painful nodes in my neck that prompted me to visit my doctor, as I probably would have just toughed out the upper respiratory thing and let it run its course. I know just enough medical stuff to make it dangerous, so I decided a quick trip was in order. Land sakes, I do believe the treatment was worse than the illness! I followed doctors' orders, and by Wednesday, I believe it was, I felt so badly that I had to stop work at 4 pm. I went to bed and slept until after 9:00! (Translated- I missed the first few moments of LOST) I woke up long enough to watch the rest of LOST, eat a bite of dinner, then went back to bed and slept the entire night. I guess it was just what I needed, because the "mumps" went away, and I have actually been able to move a bit of air through my nose! At first I blamed it on the $26.00 box of Mucinex D (which I stopped taking after only two tablets), but I think the antibiotic was rough on me too, and I hope I never have to see that stuff again.

It has rained and stormed much of the week, but today is gloriously beautiful outside! The ground is still too wet to do anything outside, and my yard is gearing up for full Jungle Mode. Dustin is to do the yard work this coming week... weather permitting. It's going to be in the 70s today, and then Glen Burns is predicting snow showers for Monday night. Lows in the 20s and 30s this week. Heavenly days!

I was delighted to find little treat boxes at the Dollar Tree yesterday. Some of my favorite people in the world are the little ladies in Mr. Tommy's SS class at church. There are six of them: Miss Frances, Miss Edna, Miss Evelyn, Miss Elizabeth, Miss Lucille and Miss Odanious. Sweetest little ladies ever! I try to send hand-made cards, and have little treats for them from time to time. I had bought my Easter candy for them, but just agonized over the perfect little container. Everywhere I looked, it was either too big, too gawdy, too little, or above my budget. As a last resort, I dashed into the Dollar Tree yesterday, and lo, and behold.... the perfect little box! So now I must fill the little boxes before the Easter Candy Gremlins abscond with all the goodies. We'll have Mary here next weekend for Easter, and I can't wait to show her the dress we got for her. She and Leyland's dresses are almost identical. Mary's, of course, is a little bit more grown-up-looking than Leyland's, but it's the same design. Leyland's is a pale mint green, and Mary's is a pale apricot. They're going to be so cute! Now if they will just behave as sweet as they look, we'll be in business.

Aunt Peg and mom came by yesterday to check out the New Room as well as the Princen Room. It was nice to see her, and I believe she liked the changes at The 409. My cousin Sharon (her daughter) has been so excited about the room, and kept asking her mom if she had seen it yet. I want to host a little family gathering at some point so the kinfolk who might be interested can come and see. It is amazing how these four walls have rocked my world so. Honestly, even though I was sick when I went to the doctor on Monday, my blood pressure had come back to within the normal range. I was on the verge of having to get medication, as it has been creeping upward... and at my last visit I was told "one more time" and I'd have to go on medication. Since then, though, I have changed jobs, and now have my "sanctuary" room. So not only has it done wonders for me mentally, and gives me a thrill each time I walk into it, I truly believe it has helped me physically as well. I feel more organized, more relaxed, more productive (and will enjoy napping even more when The New Chair arrives!!!)

This evening Whit and I are taking the munchkins on a Target Trek. She found a cute little sweater-vest outfit for Corey a while back, but didn't get it. In the meantime she bought the cutest little-baby-boy suit at Sam's, complete with button-up shirt and tie-- but it wouldn't fit around his little neck, so she returned that one with plans to get the outfit at Target. Wrong-- our Target didn't have his size. So this evening we'll be Target-hopping.

Right now the house is quiet and I'm passing the time by trying to decide how I will pass the time. The house is clean, and the laundry is manageable. The kids are gone for several more hours. Take a nap? Go work in my craft room? Surf the internet? Hmmmmm... I think I'll take a nap, and pretend I'm sleeping in My New Chair.