Little Miss Sunshine State

Interview With A NEW Cat!

2012-01-22T11:27:00.002-05:00

January 22 is National Answer Your Cat's Questions Day! Back in 2009 I answered Tigger's questions.
This year I'm answering questions posed by our new kitten Lily.

She's only 8 weeks old and has only been living here for 18 hours, so I don't think she has too many questions yet.

LILY: How cute am I?
LMSS: You are ADORABLE!!! Very affectionate with all of us. You are curious, a little bit of a Diva, pretty vocal.

LILY: Is it true that I'm adopted?
LMSS: Yes, you are. You are the first kitty we've ever adopted from a shelter and the Humane Society staff did a great job with you. They said you were very skittish when you arrived there last week. They spent a lot of time handling you and snuggling you and now you're very comfortable with people. You had to leave your former home because your owner's landlord said "no pets".

LILY: Why did you name me Lily?
LMSS: Sorority Girl named you. She LOVES Modern Family. The little girl in that show is adopted and her name is Lily. When we first met you we decided you looked like the name Lily would fit. Speaking of Sorority Girl, the two of you bonded instantly. I fell in love with you when I picked you up and cuddled you.

LILY: What's up with THIS ANNOYING THING??

LMSS: Sorry baby girl. You were spayed Sat. morning and we don't want you to lick or scratch until your incision heals. I know eating and playing and snuggling is hard right now, but hang in there for a few more days.

LILY: When will you guys let me sleep in a bed with a warm person?
LMSS: I think we need to wait until the plastic collar comes off. Also you aren't allowed to roam in that end of the apartment until you learn to stop jumping onto the bathroom counter. Embrace the soft coziness of the pillow on the living room floor.

LILY: Can I really have that stuffed Monkey Baby?
LMSS: Yes. She is soft and cuddly and you like to chew on her tail and legs. I saw you flip her halfway across the living room, so you obviously enjoy playing with her. I'll take your picture next time you get in the mood to wrestle with her.

LILY: Thanks for adopting me.
LMSS: You're welcome, sweetie. We already love you.

Annual Stare At Manatees Day!

2012-01-05T14:49:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we wanted Cape Cod Girlfriend to see the Manatees at Blue Springs State Park. We knew there would be a lot of them because our night temps have been falling into the low 30's. This usually happens around this time every year. The most I had ever seen was maybe 150-200. Yesterday there were
293!!!

Manatees spend most of their time eating plants and huddling together for warmth.

Hundreds of people stand around and watch and wonder.

I love seeing cars in the parking lot from Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa. It's such a rare Florida experience.

The Florida subspecies can live to be 60 years old. They have one baby at a time, are pregnant for 12 months and baby stays with Mama for 12-18 months.

Here is proof that we don't spend the ENTIRE winter in flip-flops. Sorority Girl enjoys pulling on the boots every now and then.

Oh look. A loner!

The local ABC news was there filming and asked us if we could be interviewed. Mr Sunshine was shown on the 5pm newscast. Under his name it said "Tourist". They were fooled by the New England Patriots sweatshirt!

They asked us about seeing so many Manatees. They were just downgraded from Endangered to Threatened Species. Their biggest threat is from speeding motorboats. Without the protection of the Endangered listing their number could drop as much as 50% in the next 45-50 years.

My husband has a lovely car lot/golf course Winter tan. I'm glad they cut me out of the shot. I'm as pale as Frostina The Snow Woman. That's my grey, pasty head in the lower left.

Hello 2012!

2012-01-02T20:36:00.002-05:00

Dear 2012.
Be nice to me. 2011 wasn't exactly the best year of my life.
On one hand, I WORKED ZERO DAYS because my spine was busy deteriorating.
On the other hand, I worked zero days because MY SPINE WAS BUSY DETERIORATING.

I didn't do anything on my 2011 to-do list. I'm not making any resolutions or even a to-do list for 2012. This way, whatever I do this year will be an accomplishment.

Want to see what I got for Christmas?

The Kindle Fire was a surprise from Mr Sunshine and I'm enjoying it more than I thought I might. The Willow Tree box is from my sister, the earrings (and the Adele21 CD) were from Sorority Girl and the scarf was from my best friend. She got it for me when she went on a business trip to Kuala Lumpur and went shopping in the marketplaces.

Shall we discuss my hair? I hadn't had a trim in at least 7 months and it was not a pretty sight. Today I let Thomas The Stylist do his magic. He cut 3 inches off the back and worked in a bunch of layers. We will all ignore the color and 4 inches of roots, because I'm giving up coloring my hair...20 years of hair dye is ENOUGH. I can't believe it's still this long after losing 3 inches!

One more thing...arriving Tuesday night.....

Look at the tree behind Cape Cod Kid!! They think it was mangled by some drunk stumbling down Main St.
He's coming for a week with Cape Cod Girlfriend! We'll eat, drink, maybe go to the beach, shopping, visit Mr Sunshine's mom, and WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty

2011-12-28T11:26:00.000-05:00

We've been having ongoing discussions about getting another cat. The past 16 months are the longest I've gone without a pet since 1974. Actually, Sorority Girl and I have been begging for a dog, but since Mr Sunshine is 100% against it, I guess that isn't an option.

I'm starting to think, if we're going to get one, we may as well get two. That means probably getting 2 kittens from the same litter. SG wants to name them Colby and Jack. Sounds a little cheesy...heh, heh.

I would consider two older cats that have bonded to each other at the shelter.

Yesterday I spent some time looking at 30 pages on the Humane Society website. There are a LOT of black cats for adoption. I'm ruling out anything long-haired or that remotely looks like a Maine Coon. I loved Tigger but a 24 pound cat is like having a perpetual toddler. I couldn't pick him up and he pooped and peed like a 2 yr old who isn't potty-trained.

I've never had a female cat and I'm thinking I might like a petite little calico or tortoise-shell. My sister has a sweet little tortoise-shell girl named Snickers.

I'll keep you updated on the adoption process.

Countdown To Christmas-Day 23

2011-12-23T12:15:00.003-05:00

I missed Day 22 of the countdown. It was a non-stop day of Costco, grocery store, butcher shop, bank, gas station...then I treated myself to...

Christmas Toes!

Mr Sunshine had a surprise for me the other night. I was exhausted from outlet shopping, phone calls to tell me my Mom and my sister are probably having surgery the same week in January and a childhood friend has Stage 4 colon and liver cancer. I took my pouty self to bed, he walked into the bedroom and popped a flash drive into our new bedroom TV...

MUPPET FAMILY CHRISTMAS! My favorite Christmas Special!! Every time a character slips on the ice and all the characters yell "Careful of the icy patch" I crack up. He knew it would put a smile on my face and it was even better because Sorority Girl climbed into bed to watch it with me.

This morning Mr Sunshine made these for his work party (we got to sample them....yum)

The mushrooms on the left are stuffed with chourico (Portuguese spicy sausage) and cheese, the ones on the right (and another pan full are crabmeat and cheese.
This made me smile last night...

5:42pm and it was barely dark outside and I had the sliding door wide open.

Tonight I'm heading over to the park to take pictures of all the Christmas lights. I'll post them tomorrow.
I'll leave you today with a short video from Muppet Family Christmas

Countdown To Christmas-Day 21

2011-12-21T10:21:00.001-05:00

Today is the 4th annual HOLIDAY HOUSE TOUR sponsored by Jen On The Edge. It's fun to see everyone's decorations and make some new blog friends!
My intro on Jen's blog said you should see my decorations...well, I hardly decorated this year, but you can check out LAST YEAR'S EXPLOSION OF WHIMSICAL

Along with the clue in my blog name, here are a few more hints as to where I live and celebrate Christmas...

Merry Christmas from Florida!
We have a screened in porch that we can use year-round and Mr Sunshine lights it up for the holidays.

Here's the tree...

Every year from their birth to age 18, my Mom has bought each of the kids a Christmas ornament that is appropriate for something they experienced that year. There are ballet slippers, a car, a graduation cap, a Martial Arts Santa and a Brownie scout. The rest of the tree has ornaments I collect on vacations.

We'll spend Christmas Day on the phone with family in Massachusetts and Georgia. Last year we spent Christmas afternoon at Downtown Disney listening to music and looking at all the pretty decorations.

Wherever you celebrate the holidays, I wish you peace and happiness.

Countdown To Christmas-Day 20

2011-12-20T20:03:00.000-05:00

The Sunshine Family Grandmothers send us checks to do our Holiday shopping. They are both at the age where shopping is too much for them. Sorority Girl and I headed to the big Outlet Mall to find some bargains and BOY!! were we successful!
She organized our shopping with this...

A color coded map! No wasted wandering time for these shoppers!

SG got a pretty (refurbished) Fossil watch for $52 that was originally $130. I would post a picture but she ran out to Trivia Night before I could snap a photo.
I got a pair of $34 Fossil earrings for $9.74 that I love...2 birds kissing

Then we hit up the Vera Bradley Outlet. I've never been a VB fan until recently and today I found a messenger bag that I liked. It retails at $56 and I paid $35...

SG's bag is a $72 bowler bag that she paid $23 for!

On the way home, we were listening to Christmas songs on the radio and she asked this question...
"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus? Is the premise that Daddy is Santa or that Mommy is a whore?"

And I snorted...for about 3 minutes. I'm snorting again thinking about it.

Countdown To Christmas-Day 19

2011-12-19T22:09:00.000-05:00

The packages are all wrapped to travel!

Will you hate me if I tell you that it was 78 degrees here today? Sorority Girl and I decided to sit by the pool but we got swarmed by bees. Sorority Girl is ALLERGIC to bees. I told her she was forbidden to have another allergy attack this week.

I just posted this on my facebook page, because it cracked me up...

CHEERS!!

Countdown To Christmas-Day 18

2011-12-18T22:36:00.000-05:00

Last night was "order from Harry and David Night" to send goodie gifts to our sisters.

And today was Read The Sunday Paper/Watch Football On The New Bedroom TV/Take A Nap/Eat Leftover Italian Sausage And Peppers Day.
Basically your Nothing Whatsoever To Do With Christmas Day.

Countdown To Christmas-Day 17

2011-12-17T21:58:00.001-05:00

Today was the day I almost lost my Christmas Shizzzz.

I planned to package up all the gifts going to MA and GA and MN. I figured if I started at 10am, I could get it done and get in the post office line by 11:00am. I discovered at 10am that I had no....

PACKING TAPE!!!!

Deep breath....I could skip the shower and the second cup of coffee, run to CVS, run home, pack up the gifties and get to the post office by 11:30am.
At 11:15 I realized I couldn't get all the packages wrapped and get to the post office by noon.

Deep breath...I decided to pack up the two gifts that had the farthest to travel.

Mission accomplished. The remaining gifts that have to travel to GA can get into the mail on Monday and make it there before Friday.

Today, Mr Sunshine had his Double 5 birthday. Like many close-to-Christmas babies, he usually gets lame birthday gifts, but this year was different. He left work early due to a power failure that wasn't going to get fixed until 6pm. He ran into a Birthday/Christmas Elf in the aisles of W-Mart. The elf whispered in the Birthday Man's ear and this is what is now in our bedroom...

It's a 40 inch Sony flat screen with Media Streaming Capabilities!!!!!! He's happier than a Sports Nut with a big TV in the bedroom!!! Now I can watch Netflix movies in bed!!!

I'll let you know if we start eating our meals in bed.

Countdown To Christmas-Day 16

2011-12-16T21:46:00.000-05:00

We interrupt your Christmas Prep Countdown for 1 Sorority Girl-sponsored Attack Of The Hives.

I took a couple of naps with her during the night in between listening to her breathe and counting hives the size of tennis balls. I started frantic googling at 3am when her eyes started to swell. She took some Benadryl, slept a little and we were off to the campus health service this morning.

It's 99% likely that she had an allergic reaction caused by a 3 day Perfect Storm of Shrimp, Lobster Bisque, Strawberries, exercise, adrenaline rush and immune system overdrive. ZYRTEC to the rescue! She's much better tonight.

I squeezed that in between getting our car registrations renewed, getting her home to nap, fighting a HEINOUS traffic situation to get a Dunkin Donuts gift card, standing in line to buy stamps and mailing the Christmas cards, picking up ordered books at the BIG BOOKSTORE (and finding out one arrived damaged) and grocery shopping.

Needless to say, my afternoon plans of The Wrapping Of The Gifts didn't happen.

I hereby order that NO CRISIS is to occur for the next 8 days!

Countdown To Christmas-Day 15

2011-12-15T20:37:00.002-05:00

Do you ever make food gifts for Christmas?

I try to do food treats every year to grab when I'm seeing friends around the holidays. In past years I've made homemade tootsie rolls, big chocolate snowman lollipops, peppermint bark, cookies. Last year I did a spice mix with directions to make a Mexican dip.

I heard of something called Reindeer Chow. I googled it (are you surprised?). It sounded like Chex Mix with melted white chocolate all over it. I decided to make my own mix...

There are M&M's, red, white and green Jelly Belly jelly beans, peanuts and white chocolate coated pretzels.
I had enough mix to fill 7 bags with 3 scoops each of mix.

I found a website with a poem about Reindeer Chow.
http://christmas.organizedhome.com/recipes/snack-mix/reindeer-chow
She has the original recipe with the cereal and melted chocolate. I'm going to copy her poem and tie it to the bags.

When reindeer fly on Christmas night,
They work up quite an appetite!
But Mrs. Claus knows what to do,
To feed them when the flight is through.
She mixes up some Reindeer Chow.
A secret only she knows how.

With something salty, something sweet,
It’s Rudolph’s favorite reindeer treat.
Back in her kitchen at the Pole,
She heaps it high in every bowl
To welcome her returning crew.
So here’s a batch that’s just for you!

Countdown To Christmas-Day 14

2011-12-15T09:07:00.000-05:00

I like to help Santa put together his Naughty and Nice list. I did it back in 2008 and again in 2010.

This year the naughty list has PEOPLE BEHAVING BADLY AND THEN DENYING IT...I'm looking at you, Herman Cain and Jerry Sandusky and Casey Anthony.

Last week I turned a corner in the grocery store and saw the biggest female butt crack EVER. She was bent over her child's stroller and there was NO evidence of underwear on her ample backside. I hope Santa puts some "Just My Size" in her stocking.

The nice list this year is ALL ABOUT KINDERGARTEN!!
Sorority Girl made the nice list for working a LOT of hours at her part-time job, making time for her friends and family, taking 5 classes and doing 60 mandatory hours in a classroom setting. She pulled 4 A's and 1 B and fell in love with a classroom full of 5 year olds.

The teacher she was paired with in the classroom was a gem! She was so supportive and appreciated SG's efforts with her students. They had good discussions about their concerns for 2 Special Need students and they shared their joy at all the little accomplishments those 2 students made. MRS K is definately on the nice list!

There was an especially nice little girl in that class. She was the one who would hold another student's hand walking out to the parking lot and telling other kids that their artwork was good. She would tell other little girls that their outfits were "Fabulous!!" I hope Santa is good to this little sweetheart.

Countdown To Christmas-Day 13

2011-12-13T21:41:00.001-05:00

On the 13th day of December, nothing Chrismassy happened at my house. I did spend some time on Pinterest....my new obsession.
Here are a few things from my boards...

www.mrsprindables.com

CARAMEL APPLES!

I could do this! (probably not)

CORKS AND CRANBERRIES (or red beads?)

I could do this! (probably)

PAPER TREE!

I could do this!

(probably won't)

Countdown To Christmas-Day 12

2011-12-12T20:23:00.000-05:00

It was a dreary grey day in the Sunshine State. I had to resort to bringing on the sparkly.

I turned on the tree lights at 10am.

What's better than a snowglobe? A snowglobe that's also a tealight holder. Santa is just waiting for his head to get filled with Reese's PB cups and Hershey Kisses in sparkly wrappers.

I started writing Christmas cards. Now there is glitter from one end of the living room to the other. It looked like a cute family pic, but I didn't realize that I was squinting in the sun. Oh well, the other 3/4 of the family was cute that day!

Countdown To Christmas-Day 11

2011-12-11T22:04:00.001-05:00

Today was all about the SHINY.

Our tree doesn't have any garland or tinsel this year. It was a design decision by Sorority Girl. There are a few shiny ornaments and today I added about 30 of the little round ornaments, like the red one under the "e".

The sparkly sand dollar came from a shop near my Mom's winter place.

I also added a little bling to my nails...It's a sparkly bronze called Pros And Bronze.

Countdown To Christmas-Day 10

2011-12-10T21:13:00.000-05:00

A Christmas Shopping Miracle happened today.

I ran into JoAnn's and got the Wilton white melting candy to make these...

Then I ran into W-Mart and grabbed this...

Then I ran into the Fresh Market and grabbed a freshly baked Pumpernickel bread and a gift card.
I made it home an hour and 5 minutes after I left! On a Saturday afternoon! Two weeks before Christmas!

I was wearing these little beauties ...

I won them in a Holiday Giveaway from Jen On The Edge. They were made by Lori Anderson.
I think I'll wear them every day until Christmas!!

Countdown To Christmas-Day 9

2011-12-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

NEWS FLASH! LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE STATE WENT CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!!

This is the earliest I have ever Christmas shopped. Ever. In the history of ever. I LOVE being a Stay-At-Home Mom-With-No-Kids-At-Home!

While I was out I needed to get an inflatable bed for Cape Cod Kid to sleep on when he is here. Last year, when he slept on the sofa, I realized that my 6'3" son is longer than my sofa. The inflata-bed shopping turned into a math problem.

Inflatable Bed A comes with a pump and costs $84. I have a coupon for a $10 instant rebate credit.

Inflatable Bed B comes without a pump and costs $54, but the pump is $29.99. I have a coupon for a $10 instant rebate.

I bought Inflatable Bed B, but I'm still not sure I did I did the math right!

Countdown To Christmas-Day 8

2011-12-08T20:45:00.000-05:00

I gave the Origami wreaths one more try and I can't get them to look right. I'm not going to stress over it...but I'm over it!

Onto my next crafty idea. I saw this in a magazine...

I bought a small square vase at the Dollar store and a box of peppermint sticks at the Fresh market. I already have that exact ribbon in my stash. I'll hit the florist shop when it gets closer to Christmas.

Sorority Girl just got home from taking her last final of the semester. Let the Christmas Vacation begin!

Countdown To Christmas-Day 7

2011-12-07T21:37:00.000-05:00

I started making origami Christmas wreaths...well, I started folding triangles but can't remember how to put them together. I found paper at JoAnn's...8 pages for $1

Once upon a time I had a good friend named Little Debbie. We haven't spoken in well over a year. And now she has appeared in my life again. Sorority Girl saw her in the grocery store and invited her home.

I'm still not speaking to her. That bitch has 20g of sugar per cake. She's hiding out in SG's bedroom.

Countdown To Christmas-Day 6

2011-12-06T21:09:00.000-05:00

I LOVE Peppermint Mochas. I didn't think I would ever have one again...until I found THIS in the grocery store.

The list of ingredients reads like a chemistry experiment, but it tastes so good and makes me so happy!

When I go on vacation I look for Christmas ornaments that have a snowman on them. It's even better if the snowmen are in some of type of beach scene.

Speaking of snowmen, last year one of my bloggy/facebook friends sent me a surprise box of snowmen. This beaded nightlight was in the box and it makes me :-)

I asked Santa for the Adele21 CD for Christmas. I heard he passed the memo to Sorority Girl.

Countdown To Christmas-Day 5

2011-12-05T17:38:00.000-05:00

I started Christmas shopping today.

There are 2 little nephew dudes who are big fans of the place where their parents went to college. I heard they asked Santa for these sweatshirts.

I've got a Chrismassy background on my Yahoo page. Tonight while I'm cooking dinner I'm listening to last year's Glee Christmas CD and Andy Williams Personal Christmas Collection.

I'm working on my annual Naughty and Nice list.

Countdown To Christmas-Day 4

2011-12-04T21:15:00.001-05:00

The stockings were hung on the kitchen counter with care...

Extra points if you knew they were from the Martha Stewart collection.
Yesterday I came home from shopping, turned the corner onto the sidewalk, and saw this...

The condo landscape guys don't work weekends, so that means one of the neighbors within our courtyard of 3 buildings decided to share their Christmas Spirit with us.
What is cool is that Poinsettia will survive outdoors here in the winter and also that I was in shorts and barefoot when I snapped the pic!

I'm making a list and checking it twice...

...in my Hello Kitty Christmas notebook that came from the $1 section of Target!

Countdown To Christmas-Day 3

2011-12-03T19:49:00.001-05:00

Christmas Tree Lights~ Mr Sunshine came home, touched one wire and we have 100% compliance by every last bulb. He also strung the outdoor lights. I love seeing our little snowflakes out there when it's 75 degrees!

My little Dumpster Rescue Tree is on the porch again.

I have a large Pottery Barn lantern that I decorate for the seasons. This year it has a cranberry candle with 2 bags of Sparkling Gem Vase Filler, also from PB.

I came up with some good ideas for gifts. I'm 2 weeks ahead of the game this year. Probably because I'm not working retail. This is my first truly stress-free Christmas in over 6 years!

Countdown To Christmas-Day 2

2011-12-02T16:03:00.001-05:00

The house is all Chrismassy Clean, except my bedroom.

I was re-thinking the Origami Christmas cards. They would be a pain to mail. I might do teabag folding instead. It looks like this...

Last night my friend and I went to Central Park in Winter Park. The Morse Museum has the largest collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany in the world. Every Dec 1st they take some of the stained glass windows out into the park, backlight them and there is a concert by the Bach Festival Society. These are 3 of my favorites...

The tree is vertical...

What's wrong with this picture? Mr Sunshine has a project tonight.

The Saturday...Day 3 agenda....Making a list and checking it twice.

Countdown To Christmas-Day 1

2011-12-01T10:02:00.000-05:00

Since I blew off NaBloPoMo this year, I thought I would do a post a day about Holiday stuff. Kind of like a Bloggy Advent Calendar.

Dec 1st....Let the HOLIDAY PRE-DECORATING HOUSECLEANING BEGIN!

Sorority Girl has a college friend (shhhh...potential boyfriend material) from out of town coming to visit this weekend, so today is SPOT CLEAN THE RUGS day.

Sometime before Christmas we will probably replace the dining room rug.

I tested the lights on the light-up-candy-cane window decor. Yep, one set is burned out. Light replacement sounds like a Saturday afternoon project.

Tonight I am going out for dinner with my bestie Betsy. Italian food then going to the park. The museum takes their Tiffany window collection out and backlights them and the Bach Festival Society sings. It's a really nice way to start my Holiday spirit.

I'm thinking of doing Origami Christmas cards. I have already bought the paper. Somebody light a paper fire under my butt.

Wrapping Up The Thanksgiving Leftovers

2011-11-24T23:34:00.000-05:00

We had our usual quiet 3 person Thanksgiving.
Mr Sunshine got up at the crack of night to play golf while Sorority Girl and I slept late. While I ate breakfast she read the Black Friday ads. I NEVER shop on BF,so I've never read the BF ads.

SG: WOW! Waffle Irons are $2.84 at WalMart!
SG: WOW! Candles are more expensive than Waffle irons, they're $4.96
SG: WOW! Boxer shorts are more expensive than Waffle irons. You have a waffle iron, how come you never make me homemade waffles?
LMSS: Hmmmm. How much are boxer shorts? Is there more than one in a package?
SG: Boxer shorts are $4.97
SG:(Wide-eyed exclamation) Oh My God!! SOCKS ARE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN WAFFLE IRONS!!!!!
That's when I snorted so hard that coffee sprayed out of my nose and mouth all over the crossword puzzle and the 6 inch pile of BF ads.

Sorority Girl wants you to know that the Belk ads had some hot guy models....except the one that was too good-looking to have a Henley shirt tucked into his high-waisted jeans. That was just wrong.

We ate Turkey, green bean casserole (so Mr S and SG wouldn't attack me with a carving knife and serving fork), Stove Top Stuffing, Cranberry sauce, butternut squash, Brown and Serve rolls, Almost Sugar-free Pumpkin Pie made by moi with Sugar-free Cool Whip. We drank Sugar-free A&W cream soda, Barefoot Pinot Grigio and Coffee with Kahlua and Sugar-free Peppermint Mocha Coffe-Mate. It was a Very Diabetic Thanksgiving.

We watched the Macy's Parade, the AKC Dog show, the Packers game, zzzzzz The inside of our eyelids in turkey-induced comas.....the Dallas/Miami game and....

ELF!! I had never seen it before but now it will be one of my favorites...Zooey Deschanel and Buddy the Elf.....love it!

I'm thankful for my family(who give me way more support than I deserve), friends, Muscle relaxers, pain killers and arthritis meds, not needing cervical spine surgery for the foreseeable future, the place I live and the public library.

More Google That Sucka

2011-11-13T20:34:00.001-05:00

Back in Feb. I told you about some things I learned on Google.

Since then I've learned a few more things that I can share with you.

1. Race you, Race you...Have you heard the amazon.com TV commercial? The words are "I'm gonna race you, race you, race you, race you back home". I wondered out loud if it was a real song, but nobody knew. So I googled RACE YOU AMAZON COMMERCIAL and found out that it is a real song by Elizabeth and the Catapult.

2. Hairy Legs... The last time I was at the beach with a friend, she remarked that since we are in our mid-50's now, we don't have to shave our legs as often. I decided to find out if it was true. I googled LESS LEG HAIR AS YOU AGE? I was lead to the livestrong.com website that is partnered with Lance Armstrong's foundation. It's true, your leg hair growth slows down as you age. The pack of 16 Venus cartridges that I bought yesterday will probably last the rest of my life!

3. KNOW ANY TAINO?... I was behind a car with a bumper sticker that said PROUD TO BE TAINO. I had never heard of Taino, so you know what I did? I googled TAINO and found out that Taino are the indigenous people of Puerto Rico,Cuba, Dominican Republic, Bahamas and other islands of the Caribbean.

4.KNOW ANY BLOGGERS?...Since the Great October Computer Crash I have been trying to recreate my bloglist. I don't remember the names of a lot of blogs I used to read. I would usually just go down my list and click. I've been googling them the way I remember them and have found about half of your personal blogs and very few of the cooking blogs I used to read. If I haven't left a comment on your blog in a long time, I may have to wait until your blog name pops up in my brain or I see you comment on someone else's blog.

Did I Tell You About October?

2011-11-08T09:55:00.001-05:00

October of 2011 is going down in history as one of the suckiest months...EVER!

When I injured my neck in a car accident in 1980, the neurologist said that at some point in time I would probably develop arthritis in my neck. That time arrived in October. I can't turn my head to look over my shoulder. You don't want to be behind me when I back up the car...just sayin'.

!@#$%&%$#@! computer crash when I clicked on a cute Blog with DIY craft projects. I lost EVERYTHING because I'm one of those fools that never backed up her files.
Goodbye 1000 recipes. Goodbye folder with my favorite 65 blogs. Goodbye every photo I've taken in the past 5 years. Goodbye 2000 songs in iTunes.
There is a special place in hell for people who fuck with other people's computers with viruses.

We played nicely with the IRS. We had to prove we're not hiding money HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!
It's a good thing I'm OCD about never throwing away receipts. I could produce almost every piece of paper we needed to produce, going back to 2004. It got schlepped to the lawyer's office in a giant brown shopping bag (because I have a stash of those in the laundry closet). It's over and it's all good.

Remember when I spent April in Massachusetts taking care of my Mom post-back surgery? 6 months later she has fallen, broken something in her hand and her back is in pain. They decided to do a CAT scan to see if she messed up something they already fixed or injured something new. It's something new, but they also found a 2cm mass on one of her Adrenal glands. That explains the high blood pressure, high blood sugar and heart palpitations. We're waiting for an appointment for a biopsy.

I coped with October by breathing deeply, snorting a 1 pound bag of Pretzel Crack&M's and taking epic 4 hour naps.
HELLO NOVEMBER. Happy to see you!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2011-10-31T08:56:00.003-04:00

File under: Scary Stuff-the 2011 edition

I found a SNOOKI in my bathroom. We really needed to do another layer or two...or three of spray tan.

I snagged this pic from the Orlando Sentinel website.

HOW SCARY IS THAT SNAKE????!!! They found it in the Everglades. It was still alive and had swallowed a 76 pound female deer....WHOLE! (93 Weight Watcher Points if you're counting)

The state is on a mission to eradicate the pythons and boas in the Everglades. They are all former "pets" and now I believe they really could swallow someone's dog or a medium-sized child.

Have a fun and not-so-scary Halloween!!

Mom-Crushing

2011-10-13T10:04:00.000-04:00

I have Mom-crushes. Some people define a Mom-crush as being a middle-aged woman sexually fantasizing about young men in their 20's. That's not a Mom-crush, that's being a Cougar.

My idea of a Mom-crush is having a fantasy about being a Mom to celebrities in their 20's. These fantasies include having them come for a weekend sleepover, cooking their favorite dinner, watching their favorite movie, pulling out the waffle iron to make them breakfast and then a trip to DisneyWorld.

The following young actors and actresses are my current Mom-crushes.

He's Chris Colfer and plays Kurt on Glee and he's 21. The first season on Glee I kept getting teary about this young kid coming to terms with being gay. Every time someone hurt him I wanted to reach into the TV and give him a hug. When he came out to his Dad I was beyond teary, right into weepy. I wish nothing but continued success to Chris.

This is Damian McGinty. He's 19 and a sweet Irish lad. I first saw him sing with Celtic Thunder at age 14. This past summer he was a co-winner of a reality show called The Glee Project. Starting Nov 1st he'll be in a 7 episode arc of Glee. When Damian comes to my house, before I make him sing for me I'm just going to sit and listen to him chat in his Derry accent.

My newest Mom-crush is on Zooey Deschanel. She's 31 and yes, I'm old enough to be her mother. She is funny/quirky, she sings with She&Him, she's pretty and I love the way she dresses. We watch her play Jess on The New Girl and we laugh out loud. If you need a bigger dose of Zooey, she is one of the co-founders of http://hellogiggles.com/category/special/authors

Do you recognize this pretty girl? Maybe if I show you a more famous shot of her...

It's Abigail Breslin when I first fell in love with her. She's 15 now and growing into a beautiful girl. She'll be seen again in the movie New Year's Eve where she'll play Sarah Jessica Parker's daughter.

If I'm having all of my Mom-crushes over for dinner and sleepovers I need to work on getting a bigger apartment.

Is It Weird Or Am I Weird?

2011-10-10T15:15:00.000-04:00

Is it weird that I have already started wearing winter PJ's in October?

The first 2 winters I wore shorts and tshirts to bed. The next couple of winters I wore winter PJ's during excessive cold snaps...like the nighttime temps going down to the 40's. I have worn winter PJ's for the past 2 nights because the nighttime temps fell to the 60's. Apparently I have become a wimp because we have the apartment thermostat at 72 deg and it is ALWAYS 72 degrees in here!

Is it weird that Casey Anthony wore a disguise for her videotaped deposition last weekend?

A) We all know what she looks like. B) She's not in the Witness Protection Program. C) She was in a private office with her attorney.

Is it weird that I had to walk through a gaggle of vultures on my walk?

There wasn't a roadkill in sight. Were they waiting for me to pull a KlutzPrincess move and fall into the street? It was right around lunchtime and I was a little nervous.

Is it weird that the Shower Gel store already has the Christmas displays and products?

I know, they're just trying to keep up with CVS. Who wants to smell like a Peppermint stick in October? If I was still working there my head would have exploded at the floor set. Now the associates have to spend the next 4 weeks convincing the customers to BUY IT NOW!!! IT WON'T BE HERE AFTER THANKSGIVING!!!

Is it weird that I have started saying I'm a "stay-at-home Mom"?

I stay home and my 23yr old goes to work or school with a lunchbox containing a lunch that I made for her. I buy her Honey Nut Chex, hummus and a variety of other food that I never eat. It's my purpose in life.

Is it weird that I am composing blog posts about Halloween Flashbacks and Mom-Crushes on 20-something yr old celebrities?

Last Of The Savannah Photos

2011-09-29T11:32:00.001-04:00

Fifth in a series of What I Did On My Summer Vacation...I promise!

Last time I showed you Mr Sunshine's Savannah photos. These are mine.

He likes to photograph interesting houses and buildings. He gets the big picture. I like to step in close and focus on one thing. I also like to shoot in black and white.

River Street

Aboard The Danmark

Fancy Downspout

A lot of the buildings in the Historic District of Savannah have beautiful ironwork details. You can read about it here.

Mr Sunshine Photographs Savannah

2011-09-27T17:49:00.001-04:00

We took over 100 photos in an afternoon of roaming the neighborhoods in Savannah. Here are the ones I think are his best. Next time I'll show you mine!

In memory of the Haitian Soldiers that fought for us in the Revolutionary War.

James Oglethorpe-founder of the colony of Georgia

Sgt William Jasper died a Revolutionary war hero at age 29

History Nerd Goes To Savannah

2011-09-24T11:27:00.000-04:00

Third in a series of "What We Did On Our Summer Vacation"

We spent 3 and 1/2 days in Savannah. If we visit a city that has some history and a Trolley tour, we go on the tour and decide what areas of town we want to further explore.

I'll say that I have mixed feelings about the city. If you are a clean freak you would be a little uncomfortable. It's a gritty city for sure,many areas with dirty pavement, trash,the smell of horse poop wherever the carriages stop, a lot of unemployed hanging around a couple of the squares and we didn't feel particularly safe walking around after dark.

What I did love is that it is a funky city with a lot of character. It's crawling with art students from SCAD and the college is responsible for a large amount of the historic preservation and refurbishing of the old buildings. Nearly every building has a story, especially along the waterfront there are old cotton factories turned into shops and restaurants and there are streets full of interesting architecture (my next post is photos we took on a walk of the neighborhoods).

HUGE cargo ships pass by the waterfront every day. While we were there the Danish training ship DANMARK was in port. We toured the ship and talked to the young people who were spending a semester at sea. It was a "sea" of beautiful blonde-blue-eyed, friendly students who told us all about their days and nights on the ship and where they had travelled.

We have a little sailing experience from living on Cape Cod and it was Mr Sunshine who noticed that there are no mechanical aids on this ship to help raise the sails. The students have to pull the lines by hand and climb up the mast to furl and unfurl the sails. Some of the students admitted to being a little afraid of heights!

Our hotel was near City Market and Ellis Square (there are currently 22 squares in Savannah). There is this statue of Johnny Mercer that we passed at least once a day. Did you know he wrote the lyrics to 1500 songs and won 4 Academy Awards? I found myself humming some of my favorites every time I passed...Moon River,You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby, Days Of Wine And Roses. Jeepers Creepers (where'd ya get those peepers) and Come Rain Or Come Shine.

I wanted to see the inside of the Cathedral Of St John The Baptist. Before the American Revolution it was forbidden to be Catholic in Georgia. It was thought that Catholics would be more loyal to the Spanish instead of the British. Shortly after the war was over this church was built by immigrants from France and Haiti.

I immediately thought that the church reminded me of the one I went to as a child in MA. It was also founded by French Catholic immigrants to the US.

We found St Patrick in one of the stained glass windows.

The bottom of the baptismal font is beautiful.

The city is home to Savannah College of Art And Design, founded in 1978. The students appear to travel about the neighborhoods in large groups. I loved the outfits, makeup, HUGE portfolios cases they were carrying and they seemed to be a happy bunch. Unfortunately I couldn't afford anything in the student/alumni store!

Poor Florence. Her beloved left to go to sea and asked her to wait for him. She spent the next 40 years greeting every ship that came up the river. He never returned and the story goes that she died of a broken heart.

Sorry, Mr Sunshine. I think I might have moved on with my life.

Detour to Amelia Island

2011-09-22T11:09:00.004-04:00

Mr Sunshine and I are a decade or so from retirement age (wow). We know it definately won't be in Orlando. This is a temporary home until Sorority Girl gets settled in her life.

We have very few requirements for our final home. It needs to be near the water and it needs to be a laid-back kind of place. We loved Key West last year, even though it is so far away from the rest of the US you might as well live in Cuba. This year I thought we could check out Amelia Island FL on our way to Savannah. It's a tiny little island about 20 minutes from Jacksonville.

Amelia had just about everything we love...a local/non-touristy feel, gorgeous beach, a decent golf course, a good shopping area with the big stores you occasionally need and a funky little downtown with cool shops and restaurants.

I didn't take too many photos on Amelia because my butt spent a fair amount of time on a barstool here...

Nothing between my barstool and the ocean at Slider's Tiki Bar. We chatted with the bartenders and locals, enjoyed people watching, watched some football and ate awesome grilled scallops. Mr Sunshine convinced me to sling back a few shots...something I've never done before and boy, Washington Apple Shots are yummy! Luckily our hotel was a short walk across the street.

The second morning we planned to go to the beach, but we woke up thinking the whole island was on fire. We couldn't even see the beach from our hotel. The front desk guy told us that there was a fire west of Jacksonville. He also told us that it is not uncommon for Amelia to get the smoke from fires in FL and south GA.

We took a short walk on the beach to collect some shells and shark teeth. We started getting scratchy throats and I was afraid any more time outside would fling me into an asthma attack, so I spent the rest of the day hanging out in the hotel while Mr Sunshine played golf. Smoky air could possibly be a deal breaker for retiring to Amelia.

The next day we went on a tour boat that goes up along the coast of Cumberland Island GA. I was hoping to see some of the bands of wild horses that live on Cumberland and we weren't disappointed. They live in bands (families) and we saw two bands.

We also saw the area that was the birthplace of Shrimp fishing in the US and watched one of the boats unloading huge buckets of shrimp.

One of our favorite places was Cafe Karibo. They have a pretty shaded patio area and a small dining room attached to a small bar. They brew their own beer and the food was excellent. We ate lunch there one day and the next night we went back for dinner and stayed to play Trivia Night with the locals.

I may need to stockpile some inhalers and retire to Amelia Island after all!

Eating and Drinking Our Way Through Savannah

2011-09-19T10:30:00.002-04:00

We just spent 3 days in Savannah. Mr Sunshine is still editing the photos and I have a lot to say about the city, but I'll tell you about the eating and drinking first.

We skipped all the "famous" places because you had to have reservations. We also skipped Paula Deen's place because we peeked in the window at the buffet and it looked like Heart-Attack-On-A-Plate. We tend to ask local workers what they recommend.

Ever block or so there is a candy factory. There are huge barrels of penny candy and you can watch them make Salt Water Taffy. You know what a Turtle is? They tripled the size and call them Gophers. I resisted. Instead I went to the The Peanut Shop and got a tin of Cinnamon Peanuts.

We started at Spanky's on the riverfront. I ordered a tossed salad with shrimp. What arrived was a giant fried tortilla filled with tossed salad and topped with 3 DOZEN FRIED SHRIMP!

Dinner was at Vinnie VanGoGo. All they have on the menu is pizza and you'd better have cash because they don't accept plastic. It was good and only made better by my cold Yuengling on tap.

We capped the night by warming some barstools at Murphy's Law and playing trivia with the locals.

The next day we had a decent buffet breakfast at the hotel so we skipped lunch. I did have a drink at Wet Willie's. They have a huge selection of frozen daiquiries. Their extra added something is Grain Alcohol along with the rum. Did you know that in Savannah you can walk the streets with adult beverages, as long as they are in plastic cups?!

It was our anniversary and we asked a ticket seller from the Trolley Tour for a suggestion. He sent us to Belford's Of Savannah.
Mr Sunshine had Lobster Ravioli and I had Butternut Squash/Pancetta Risotto with shrimp. We mmmm'ed a lot during that meal! It is in a really cool building that was built in 1902 for a Jewish congregation and later sold to the Belford's as a wholesale grocery warehouse.

That didn't stop us from hitting Lulu's Chocolate Bar on the way back to the hotel. They have all kinds of sweet martinis and unbelievable desserts. We shared a giant piece of CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY SUSPENSION CAKE...2 layers of chocolate cake with a big middle layer of whipped cream with strawberries mixed in, the whole thing is covered in a layer of chocolate that is as thick as a candy bar.

We were on the road the next morning to Tybee Island and Hilton Head, so we didn't eat in town.
For dinner, back in town we hit Corleone's Trattoria. You would think Italian, right? It's more of an Italian/Middle Eastern combo place. Mr Sunshine had a combo kabob with spanakopita and I had stuffed manicotti. We ordered side dishes of meatballs (3-the size of tennis balls) and sausage. There was so much food that half of it came home with us in the cooler for leftovers last night and lunch today!

We went back to Murphy's Law along with about 100 SCAD students who were there for cheapo Pabst Blue Ribbon night. After escorting me back to the hotel Mr Sunshine got a craving for more of Lulu's Cake and went for a piece to bring back and share with me.

The next morning we got into a long line to have breakfast at Goose Feathers Express Cafe and Bakery. If I wasn't diabetic I would have gotten the sticky bun that was the size of a frisbee. I enjoyed my Apple-Cinnamon bagel with low fat cream cheese and bowl of fresh fruit.

We're back on the low-carb diet but have some pretty good food memories of Savannah.

Red Bandanas

2011-09-10T09:11:00.001-04:00

A lot of the 9-11 anniversary coverage this week has made me a little weepy. I have cried at seeing the ABC news story about the children who were born to women who were pregnant on that day. I have gotten choked up listening to stories of people who were in NYC that day.

I was home, still sleeping when it happened.Mr Sunshine called and told me to turn on the TV. I don't know anyone who died. One of the teachers at our elementary school lost her son at the Pentagon.

Tonight at the UCF/ Boston College football game we are honoring a hero who lost his life that day.
If you haven't heard of Welles Crowther, here is a small article about him and what we are doing tonight. There is also the ESPN video about him.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-09-06/sports/os-bianchi-ucf-man-in-red-bandanna-0907a-20110906_1_ucf-students-ucf-fans-bandanna

He was a Boston College grad who saved lives that day. All the people he saved only knew their hero was wearing a red bandana. Fans have been asked wear red bandanas to the game tonight. I'll wear mine as a headband or maybe around my neck. Mr Sunshine will probably wear his on his head. In true Sorority Girl fashion my daughter got all crafty last night and made hers into a big hair bow.

The game is being carried on CBS at 8pm so the tribute may be shown. I'll take my camera to the game.

I'm pretty sure I will cry.

Losing The Sweetie Girls

2011-09-02T09:57:00.001-04:00

The Massachusetts court has determined that a mother can decide to cut her children off from their father's family. She can poison the minds of two pre-teen girls into believing that their father is a deadbeat dad. She has coached the older girl to say things to him like "get out of my life".

It doesn't matter that their dad sees them at least 8 days a month for movies, dinners, just hanging out together, buys them clothes, takes them to gymnastics every week and the beach. He has made sure that they are known and loved by their dad's family. He has $350 a week automatically taken out of his pay for child support. They have received gifts from aunties and had sleepovers with their cousins and their grandmother.

Yesterday the court said their mother does not have to abide by the previous visitation order if she feels that the dad is an "inadequate father". They are not required to have any further contact with their dad or his family.

He has been fighting this battle for 7 years now. He is completely defeated and we're heartbroken.

How Long, How Long

2011-08-30T20:48:00.002-04:00

How long, how long
Muddy River runs so deep
How long, how long
Rock yourself to sleep
~How Long~The Eagles

How long was the power out? My family is all in Southeastern MA. Irene was a Tropical Storm by the time it hit there. My Mom's power was out for 7 hours. My sister's was out for 24 hours and my brother's was out for about 48 hours. When Hurricane Bob ran through there in 1991 our power was out for 10 days...no electricity, water, toilets. My kids were 3 and 6. It sucked.

How long did it take me to read Bossypants? 7 hours. Seriously funny.

How long have I been non-employed? (that's unemployed by choice) 8 months. I picked up an application for a place where I worked about 10 years ago when we still lived in MA. It's a big store that sells books. At the time, I loved the store, hated the schedule (too many late nights when my kids were young teens) and bumped heads with the store manager (not the one that originally hired me) about my schedule. Every time I go to the store here to shop I wish I was working there, so I may give it a shot again.

How long until our vacation starts? 11 days!! We have tickets for a football game. University of Tropical Paradise is playing Boston College. We'll be sitting on the BC side, but I'll be wearing a UCF shirt.
Then we'll head up to Amelia Island FL, Tybee Island GA and Savannah GA. There may or may not be a Haunted Pub Crawl,some outlet shopping, some bike riding, some beach, some golf, some sunset and some wild horses.

How long have I been blogging? Since 11/01/07. And this is only my 400th post. I have serious respect for the bloggers who do it at least 5 times a week. I need to step it up!

Attack Of The Killer Gallbladder

2011-08-24T16:26:00.001-04:00

Saturday afternoon I was lounging on the couch, watching my weekly Little House On The Prairie marathon on the JesusFreakChannel.

I suddenly broke out in a sweat and got dizzy. I thought I would go watch in bed but I never made it that far. The next thing I knew, I was doing an Oscar-worthy rendition of Linda Blair in The Exorcist. I had a fever, chills and squeezing under my ribcage that was worse than birthing a 9+pound baby with no epidural (and I really did that!).

I thought I had gotten into some bad butterscotch pudding when the pain starting creeping up my esophagus and my pulse dropped down to 44. Heart attack? I can't have a heart attack, I still live in Land Of The Uninsured!!!

One phone call to Mom and one Diagnoogle later and I was pretty sure it was a gallbladder attack.
Mr Sunshine read a website out loud to me that said NO alcohol, NO dairy, NO red meat, NO caffeine, NO fat.

F%$# F&^% F*&^ My vacation starts in 17 days.

I went to bed with a heating pad on my ribcage and prayed to the god of kindness and mercy to MAKE.IT.STOP

Now I lay me down in bed
I feel like I am almost dead
I think my gallbladder plans to pop
Hand me a scalpel. I'll make it stop.

My diet until Tuesday night was Saltines, tea, water and dry toast. Today I actually had a piece of pizza and cranberry juice.
There's a bottle of wine chilling in my fridge so I can experiment with my alcohol tolerance BEFORE we go on vacation.

Can I get a gallbladder transplant before Sept 10?

Don't Make Me Write You A Letter!

2011-08-18T21:19:00.000-04:00

DEAR PLANET SMOOTHIE,
Thank you for creating the Frozen Goat. It is the most wonderful concoction of coffee, bananas, cocoa, nonfat milk, yogurt and energy blast, with the 2nd lowest sugar content on your menu. If you move back to my neighborhood I will visit you every day.

Unfortunately that was my only happy letter today. Now on to the rest...

DEAR IDIOT LADY RIDING WITH A BABY IN A STROLLER IN THE BED OF A PICKUP TRUCK:
I hereby sentence you to a Hysterectomy. Your appointment is at 10am Monday morning.

DEAR KIM KARDASHIAN: CELEBRITY FOR WHO THE HELL KNOWS WHY
So, you're getting married on Saturday. I'm so sorry to hear that you have broken out in a stress-induced-heart-shaped patch of psoriasis.That's precious, but I REFUSE to click on to the photo...sorry. Did you get the WalMart Gift Card I sent you for a wedding present?

DEAR OLD LADY IN PUBLIX WITH THE PURPLE SCRUNCHIE IN YOUR WHITE HAIR,
I appreciate your gushing at how kind I was, when I pointed you to the salad dressing aisle. You told me I was so kind and helpful. I guess you didn't recognize me. I'm the asshole shift manager from The Shower Gel Store that wouldn't let you do a fraudulent return. You definately didn't call me kind and helpful that day.

DEAR GUYS IN THE PICKUP YESTERDAY AFTERNOON WHEN THE GIRLS TRACK TEAM WAS DOING THE 3 MILE LOOP IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD,
KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!! YOU DROVE ONTO THE SIDEWALK AFTER YOU PASSED THEM WITH YOUR EYES STUCK TO THE REARVIEW MIRROR!! YOU ARE GOING TO KILL SOMEONE!!

DEAR SPLENDA:
You are sooooo not a reasonable baking substitute for sugar. You make my morning coffee drinkable but the recipe for the Sugar-Free Icing pretty much ruined a perfectly good batch of Sugar-Free Cupcakes. Have a little compassion for the Desperate Diabetic family and work on a better recipe. TY.

Little Miss Sunshine State writes her pretend letters with a Hello Kitty Pencil.

Leaving No Turn Unstoned

2011-08-14T15:22:00.001-04:00

I can't handle my chemicals. I learned this the first time I had surgery. They put me to sleep for a 20 minute surgery and I slept for 15 hours. I'm a 2 drink cheap date. That 3rd drink will knock me straight out.

My Dad and I tackled anything from a mild headache to pneumonia the same way...
TBS. Total Body Shutdown. No food, no shower, no TV. You go to bed after work on Friday and wake up Monday morning and go to work.

This past week I had an episode of TBS. I was down and out stoned. I was completely miserable with muscle spasms from my head to my knees. On the 5th of Aug I started taking 4 pain pills a day, adding a muscle relaxer with the last pain pill.

I fell asleep that Fri night and woke up at about 2 pm on Sat. I woke up for 4 hours and took a 3 hour nap, got up for 2 hours and went back to bed for the night. This is what my entire week was like.

Occasionally I would turn on the TV and watch an episode of Little House On The Prairie or the PGA golf tournament, but mostly I was dreaming about everyone I ever met in my life! Last night's dream featured all my husband's high school buddies,then me leaving a party as a passenger in a Little Tykes Toy Car.

I finally woke up yesterday and hit the mall for Tax-Free Shopping Weekend. I felt a little like Rip Van Winkle...there were a million people at the mall and I thought I had fallen asleep in August and woke up the day after Thanksgiving!

Did I miss anything important while I was stoned?

O Say Can I See?

2011-08-06T10:23:00.001-04:00

If you are my facebook friend you saw this update Thursday night...

New progressive Bifocals. I'll be fine as long as I never move my head again.

The problem with being 54 is that your EYES are also 54. I have been making do with reading glasses for 10 years. I own about 8 pairs because I lose them and find them and lose them and find them.
Lately I have been having a lot of headaches and teary eyes. When I read for a long time, then took off the glasses my distance vision was fuzzy for about an hour.

Off to the discount eye place. I got my prescription and went out to pick my frames. I tried on about 10 pairs and decided on the cutest black rectangles with a few lines of bling on the earpieces. They were also the most comfortable pair.

I handed them to the clerk, she looked at my prescription and said "that will come to $600" and Mr Sunshine said "NO &%$#ing WAY!"

I sent the following text message to Sorority Girl...

In my blindness I picked out Vera Wang frames. They were so pretty.

She replied...

Duh!! Vera Wang!

The clerk said if I pick out frames from the WALL OF UGLY GLASSES that I could get 2 pairs for about $245. Four hours later I walked out with semi-ugly brown frames. I'm getting used to finding the sweet spot for reading and where to situate my laptop.

But I would have looked much cuter with the Vera Wang glasses.

Overdoing The Overdue

2011-08-01T12:51:00.000-04:00

The other night I was in bed reading my latest library book, The Irresistable Henry House. A library receipt fell out. I knew it wasn't mine because I post mine on the fridge so I won't forget the due date and this one had someone else's name on it.

Even though I do this, I occasionally have overdue books. I keep a change purse in my library bag to cover my late fees. They usually don't exceed $3.

I don't know where "Julia" has been, but her receipt was in my book. She had paid overdue fees on 4 books. Either "Julia" is a very slow reader, went on an extended vacation, or worse, she was sick. The total for the overdue fees she paid was...

$110

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't think she paid this from a change purse in her library bag.

Saturday Snippets

2011-07-30T11:16:00.001-04:00

I had such a nice afternoon yesterday. I asked my friend to go out for lunch and an afternoon of exploring a neighborhood full of consignment shops and thrift shops. One huge thrift shop had AMAZING prices on name-brand clothes. Entire racks of shorts and skirts for $1.92 and $2.92. I'll go back this week when I feel like trying things on.

Sorority Girl and I hit Burlington Coat Factory for purse shopping on Thursday. I got a PERFECT small shoulder bag...originally $59 for $12.99.

I want TOMS shoes. THESE TOMS shoes. Sadly these TOMS shoes are being discontinued and they no longer have my size. I am sad.

I'm keeping an eye on this little tropical system.

Extend those projection lines and it goes right over FL. I am starting to think about filling jugs of water and stocking up on a few other things. If it turns into a Tropical storm and/or hurricane it will be Emily.

Did I ever tell you that I think I died in a hurricane in a previous life? I am OBSESSED with hurricanes. I'm not afraid of them but I have to know where they are at all times. When there is a hurricane, Jim Cantore from the Weather Channel becomes my new best friend and I'll watch him report for many hours. And hours. And hours.

I just read (my not-so-secret crush) Steven Tyler's book...Does The Noise In My Head Bother You. Amazing that he's still alive.

Happy Weekend!

24/54

2011-07-27T15:46:00.001-04:00

I survived the first 24 hours of being 54.
I woke up feeling a little old. My back was so tight I could barely walk. I thought about the fact that at 54 my Mom had 4 grandchildren and at 54 my grandmother had 6 grandchildren and I have 0 grandchildren.

I opened facebook to 47 birthday messages!! I smiled but also got a little misty-eyed. SWEET!

Then I wished a Happy Mutual Birthday to Sandra Bullock, Kevin Spacey, Dorothy Hamill, Helen Mirren and Mick Jagger!!

Mr Sunshine and Sorority Girl both had the day off, so I was Queen For A Day.
We went to my favorite seafood place that flies the fresh seafood down from Boston every morning.
I ate my weight in Fried Cod, Fried Clams, Fried Onion Rings, French Fries and a cup of coleslaw...just to say I ate a vegetable!

We hit the sad Going-out-of-business sale at Borders. I got a GIANT LA Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle Book and we got some great children's reference books for SG (the future teacher).
Then we went to ULTA and she got me my favorite OPI nail polish (Aphrodite's Pink Nightie) and I got the BEST curly hair product ever (Fekkai Luscious Curls).

We hit the bakery at the grocery store and I got a sliver of white cake with raspberry filling. I REALLY wanted a 12 inch birthday cake with buttercream frosting, but a diabetic's gotta do what a diabetic's gotta do.

As I was falling asleep I did my usual twist and stretch to get comfortable. I felt a huge KER-THUNK in my lower back...in a good way! My lower spine slid back into the place it slipped out of about 7 months ago and the pain in my legs disappeared. wHOO-FREAKING-HOOOOO!

It was a genuine birthday miracle!!

Roll Out Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days

2011-07-16T18:15:00.000-04:00

My grandmother used to let me play her 45's on her record player. She had a stack of songs by Nat King Cole and Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer was one of my favorites.

I'm slightly lazy and certainly hazy this summer. I sleep in 20-60 minute catnaps all night long. By 2 in the afternoon I'm settling down for a 3 hour nap. This probably explains losing my wallet,dropping bottles of beer that smash on the kitchen floor, driving to the bank and then forgetting to go to the bank and forgetting the overdue library books until I need a loan to pay the overdue charges.

I've been a little lazy about my diet. I'm not eating sugar, but definately not weighing and measuring my food.

How about a few doses of CRAZY?
The kids start school here in 4 weeks. The kids up north have probably only been on their summer vacation for 4 weeks. The stores are starting their "Back To School" sales.

The Casey Crazy Train keeps rolling. She gets out at 12:01am. The crowds are already gathering and the county has already set up the blockades at the jail entrance.There is gossip about "6 black decoy SUV's" so the media chase should be interesting. Full TV coverage starts at 11pm.

Poor, poor Casey is "emotionally exhausted" after her trial, so a judge said she doesn't have to show up for a deposition in a civil case next week. Her ex-bf is writing a book about "OH BOY did she party for 31 days after the baby was dead". The Meter Reader is suing the Bounty Hunter. The state is suing Casey.

Supposedly, she is going to be put on a private plane and shipped to Puerto Rico. Maybe she'll be a nanny for her lawyers relatives. Our TV reporters are in PR interviewing residents who say "She better not come here!! Somebody gonna choot her!! We don't want her here!!"

My Mom has a saying for people like Casey..."they fall in a pile of shit and come up smelling like a rose".

MORE CRAZY PARENTS!!!! There was a couple on trial this week for having an 8 foot python in a fishtank with a QUILT for a cover. They awoke to find the snake TRYING TO EAT THE 2 YEAR OLD BABY!!!!! They thought it was "safe". They thought it was "tame". They took it for rides in the car and the kids "played with it like a puppy". As if that's not enough cRaZy, they hadn't fed the python for a MONTH!! The jury found them guilty in less time than it took to take a lunch break.

In the crazy weather dept...Orlando temp is in the 80's with 50% humidity. Wisconsin temp is in the 80's with 65% humidity. Massachusetts is in the 80's with 70% humidity.

Enjoy the rest of your lazy, hazy, crazy summer.

It's Like Panda Bear Weed

2011-07-06T21:21:00.001-04:00

Conversation in my living room:

%... "You know, in the Casey Anthony case, her Mom said she was the one who searched for Chloroform because she thought her bamboo plants were making her dogs sleepy. She thought they might be getting poisoned. If bamboo were poison, there would be no Panda bears."

&..."I think it's like Eucalyptus making Koalas chill. I heard if they don't eat Eucalytpus, they're really violent animals. It might be the same with Pandas and bamboo."

%..."Like Panda Bear Xanax?"

&..."More like Panda Bear Weed"

And this is where I almost peed my pants.

And Then...

2011-06-30T22:46:00.000-04:00

Sorority Girl moved home last week. Among other reasons, the house she was sharing with some college friends has been put up for sale. Some stuff came here and we took the rest to our storage unit.
AND THEN...

While we were at the storage unit place, I lost my wallet. Which means I lost my Driver's license, Insurance card, Grocery store savings card, Library card, Mr Sunshine's Library Card, Costco Card, ATM card and my Barnes and Noble Gift card (that made me weep...luckily I had already spent most of it)
AND THEN...

I talked to my Mom and she went to her 3 month post-back-surgery appointment and the doctor said she might need a hip replacement surgery. Second opinion to follow.
AND THEN...

Our internet modem died. I took it back to the cable company today and traded it for a new one. While I was there I decided to get a DVR box for Sorority Girl's bedroom.
AND THEN...

It started POURING. Like, MONSOON POURING! Large items were flying across the cable company parking lot!
AND THEN...

I accidently locked my keys in the car.
AND THEN...

The awesome free road service on my car insurance came and broke into my car and got my keys.
AND THEN...

I realized it is Fourth Of July Weekend and I got a massive craving for Stuffed Quahogs, so tomorrow I'm going to the fish market to find out if you can even get Quahogs in Florida.
AND THEN...
...to be continued (let me know if you want the recipe)

A Trio Of Dad Stories

2011-06-19T10:18:00.001-04:00

My Grandfather: Mom's Dad lost the use of his left arm at the age of 13. It was broken and through the malpractice of a doctor back in 1923, it never healed. It wasn't paralyzed but the fingers were permanently folded into the palm and frozen in place by atrophied muscle.

He lived until he was 92. I never, ever saw him ask for help with anything...from eating to yard work to giving himself insulin when he became diabetic. He could drive and he worked as a delivery driver for a professional laundry company

My Dad: The thing I have missed the most about my Dad these past 17 years is his sense of humor. We "got" each other and could make each other laugh when no one else thought the situation was funny.

When I was young, chocolate syrup came in a can, like whipped cream. It was called "Big Shot". One day I hit the nozzle and sprayed the chocolate up onto the 15 foot kitchen ceiling. No one can remember cleaning it off. Every time I moved to a new house, Dad would look at me and say "did you remember to clean the Big Shot off the ceiling?"

The second to last conversation I had with him was to discuss the GIANT pile of poop he found on his front lawn. We were trying to determine if one of his neighbors had gotten a Great Dane...or perhaps a new pet horse! That sent us into a fit of laughing and it still makes me chuckle and puts a little lump in my throat.

Mr Sunshine: I'm not sure how to describe the love he has for his kids. It was definately "on the job training" for him....no one taught him how to be a good dad. He has been an amazing Dad to both kids, but seems to be especially protective of Sorority Girl. She was a very sick baby and he spent a lot of time sitting by her hospital bed and sending me home to sleep or visit my parents and spent her first Thanksgiving sitting by her while I had dinner with my family.

My most vivid memory is the time she was standing against the baby gate in the upstairs hall and it gave way. She started to tumble down the stairs and he leaped over her. He caught her in mid-air and I don't think she hit one single step. I knew then that he would always have her back and try to keep her from getting hurt.

Happy Father's Day. I hope you have good memories of your Dad, or someone who has been like a Dad for you.

Molly McQuirky Eats Out

2011-06-14T10:55:00.002-04:00

I have a "difficult" alter ego. I call her Molly McQuirky.
Molly is a real hoot when you take her to a restaurant, because she tends to be a little picky about food. This is especially so when she has little control over how it was prepared.

Beef is hardly ever ordered because her idea of "medium-well" is very particular. The middle must be an exact shade of barely pink with no visible charred black stuff on the outside.

Come along with Molly as she orders...
MEXICAN- 2 enchilladas, no jalapenos, no black olives, black beans on the inside, not the outside, low-fat cheese and sour cream, no rice on the side, NO_NO_NO hot sauce. Actually, no sauce of ANY kind. BIG Shout-out to Tijuana Flats. They make Molly's order EXACTLY right, every time :-)

PIZZA- No meat, no black olives, not too much oregano in the sauce, not too overdone (not a speck of black on the dough).

CHINESE- No white rice-just steamed brown rice, no broccoli, no dark chicken meat with visible fat ,no fried meat or seafood, no spicy sauce.

SUSHI- No large chunks of raw fish, no wasabi, no chopsticks, no pickled ginger. A couple of California rolls, some steamed and salted edamame and she's good to go.

DELI SUBS- Publix Supermarket deli, turkey on whole wheat, VERY light mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickles, no cheese. Every.Single.Time.

Anyone volunteer to take Molly out for lunch?

This post was inspired by Meg At The Member's Lounge and her tale of her former bosses ordering lunch

Some NON-DEPRESSING Book Reviews!

2011-06-08T15:29:00.002-04:00

My last post revealed that I tend to read some books that don't exactly take you to a happy place.
This is true. I read a lot of Historical Fiction and some of those books take place during difficult times.

I also read a lot of books about people with physical and psychological illnesses because I had a medical background and education and I find these topics fascinating.

I have read a few books in the last 4 months that were not at all deep or depressing.

FOOD MATTERS by Mark Bittman.
Since becoming Diabetic I have done a lot of reading about healthy eating plans. Bittmans's book is a good guide for learning where your food comes from, how the production of food affects the environment and how to pay better attention to your food choices. He also provides some good recipes that I have actually tried.

Jen Lancaster cracks me up! I read PRETTY IN PLAID and MY FAIR LAZY. Jen's memoirs have taken us through job searches, weird neighbors, losing weight, blog friends that we share(!) and now, with these two books, she takes us down memory lane again. In PRETTY IN PLAID we find out what she was wearing during some critical times in her life. MY FAIR LAZY shares her love of reality shows. Every one of Jen's books makes me laugh out loud and snort whatever I'm drinking out of my nose!

KEEPING FAITH was written by a Massachusetts father and son, John and Frank Schaeffer, after the son decided to join the Marines. Both of my kids have friends who went into the Marines. One came back from Iraq. The other one did not come back from Afghanistan. My Mom's good friend has a grandson in the Marines. I knew a little bit about the Marines, but not a lot about their training. John, the son, takes you day by day through his Marine boot camp and how he grew as a person from his training. Frank, the dad's chapters give you the point of view of a parent who was worried about his son. I found the book fascinating. Although I already had a healthy respect for members of the military, this respect grew after reading about their training.

I think I've professed my Celebrity Crush on Alan Alda here before. I love people with a wry sense of humor. The title, NEVER HAVE YOUR DOG STUFFED, comes from an episode from Alda's childhood. In this memoir he tells us about his upbringing as the son of a vaudeville star, his long-term marriage to his wife and his time on the TV show M*A*S*H.

Maybe it was just because I love Alan Alda so much, but I LOVE THIS BOOK!!

Very Short Book Reviews

2011-06-06T19:26:00.000-04:00

When 2 people live in a very small apartment that can be cleaned in about 90 minutes and one of the people has been non-employed for 5 months, the ~~non-employed person~~ I get to read a lot of books.

THE LOVE WIFE by Gish Jen. A non-Asian woman is married to an Asian man. A Chinese "cousin" comes into their lives as a nanny. I thought the characters were pretty boring.

THE HERETIC'S DAUGHTER by Kathleen Kent. I LOVED this book, even though it was really sad. It takes place during the Salem Witch Trials. I am familiar with the history and all the locations in the book so it was an enjoyable read.

ROOM by Emma Donoghue. When this book first came out there were so many articles and blogs about it. The subject matter...a young woman and her son who have been held captive in one small room for many years...was difficult. The son is loved and well-cared for by his mother, despite the circumstances. I was a little confused by a child who seemed so smart, but spoke like a much younger child. This was one of those books that I read in 24 hours because I couldn't put it down.

HOUSE RULES by Jodie Picoult. I read the whole book, even though I had figured out what had happened by page 56. Picoult usually keeps me guessing much longer than that. The main character is a boy with Asperger's that is fascinated by crime-solving. Could he be involved in a murder?

TWO KISSES FOR MADDY by Matt Logelin. If you don't already know the story about Matt and Liz and Maddy, he's been blogging for about 3 years (this is the backstory). Liz gave birth to Maddy, then died 27 hours later. Matt has been doing a kick-ass job of raising Maddy in the past 3 years. He has had some challenges and they have had some great adventures.

In the book, which is a recount of the first year of Maddy's life, he reveals more of the story than what he has previously told us in his blog. Even though I knew so much of the story by following Matt's blog, I still cried when I read the details of the day Liz died. Matt has channeled his grief into a foundation to help others that are sharing his position as a parent of a child that has lost their other parent.

Although I usually get my books at the library, I bought this one so that I could contribute to the foundation by my purchase of the book. I read this one in about 12 hours and I am planning to read it again.

More Scattered Brain Droppings

2011-05-31T23:34:00.001-04:00

Found a few more scattered brain droppings under the bird feeder.

I did the math, yo.
When I buy 2.5 pounds of Dunkin Donuts coffee at Costco
+ 1000 yellow packets of sweetener at Costco
+ 100 coffee filters at the dollar store
+ we make a pot at home every morning

=14.8 cents per cup for the win!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A disgruntled patient with a gun killed a beloved transplant surgeon in the parking garage of the local hospital the other night. The doctor was 41 and has 4 kids.

A local guy (with a permit)went into the local rib place the other night with a loaded gun in his pocket. The gun went off and shot a woman in the leg. I didn't realize the rib place had gotten so scary that you need to take a loaded weapon with you.

But we all know the crazies have a right to their loaded concealed weapons.
NOTE: I didn't mean to insult everyone with a gun permit. I am just afraid of the nut cases out there that endanger me or my family. More views in the comments~LMSS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sugar-free Fudgsicles. 20 for $4.69. Buy 1 box/ Get 1 free. There are now 40 Sugar-free Fudgsicles in my freezer. Take one down, pass it around, 39 Sugar-free Fudgsicles in my freezer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I spent the evening building crappe Tarjay shelves for my walk-in closet. Of course, one of them came out of the box with a big chunk missing....back to Tarjay for an exchange.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm building crappe Tarjay shelves because I am reorganizing my closet. I also got rid of all the clothes that are more than 1 size too big. I sent 2 huge bags to the dumpster and 2 huge bags to Goodwill.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So You Think You Can Dance.....YESSSSSSSSS!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I want to read Tina Fey's book Bossypants. So do a lot of other people. I'm on a waiting list at the library.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Space Shuttle is flying into Cape Canaveral at 2:35am. We will probably hear the sonic boom as it passes over Central Florida.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scattered Like Bird Seed

2011-05-25T14:34:00.002-04:00

I can't string two consecutive thoughts together...so here are my scattered thoughts...like bird seed under the feeder.

INSOMNIA sucks lemons. Insomnia+neck spasms=5 day headache.

WORD MOJO GOLD and MAH JONG SOLITAIRE...addicted and refuse to believe it contributes to my headache.

EMERALD COCOA ROAST DARK CHOCOLATE ALMONDS!!!!

CAPE COD KID...is now the official Chief Instructor at the KungFu school. He'll spend non-teaching time recruiting new students with PR and events. It is enough pay that he could quit his former day job. He'll keep the Security job with the dance club... his girlfriend works there too, so they get to spend more time together. He sounds SOOO happy.

FINGERNAILS...mine...If money was no object I would get a weekly manicure. I clip, I file, I buff and I try to manage my ratty cuticles. Yesterday I gave up and cut and filed them down as fer as they would go. Hello stubby looking fingers!

BOOKS...I keep thinking I should review some books here, but now I'm behind by about 30 books and it seems overwhelming. Currently enjoying Clara And Mr Tiffany...that one is going to get a dedicated post.

CAMERA...my Mother's day gift was a new Nikon Coolpix S3100. So far I have read the manual twice and haven't taken one single decent photo. I may need a NIKON FOR DUMMIES book or trade it in for a no-frills point and shoot CAMERA FOR DUMMIES.

CASEY ANTHONY MURDER TRIAL...happening in my back yard. 2 yr old disappears... 3 years ago, Mom says a non-existant nanny kidnapped the kid, body is found buried 2 blocks from home, 6 months later, Mom is a chronic liar, every time she gets caught in a lie, she creates a bigger lie. Defense attorney has called her a stupid liar in his opening statements...

...but we are to believe the defense that the grandfather found the baby in the bottom of the pool, grandfather got pissed at the mom and grandfather (former cop/detective), doesn't do CPR or call 911 and he decided to cover up the death. Supposedly Mom partied for 30 days after the baby died because she was in denial and afraid to tell the truth about the grandfather because he abused her over 10 years ago....but she let the baby live with the grandparents and she requested that her father visit her in jail. It's like a freaking train wreck that has been in the news on a daily basis for 3 years now...and I can't. stop. watching.

ART...Trying to teach myself how to draw. I have a couple of "how-to" books and I am playing with a sketchpad, colored pencils and extra-fine Sharpies. I think I'm being way too OCD...but I'm keeping at it. I might post some of them and let you all have a crack at giving me some feedback.

That's all the scattered bird seed for today.

Four Feelings Friday

2011-05-20T10:38:00.001-04:00

Is it Friday already? This week flew by. I am....

CREEPED OUT-by creepy Arnold and his creepy treatment of his wife and kids. Yes, I'm judging and I don't even feel guilty about it.

CONFUSED- by my new camera. Mr Sunshine State got me a Nikon Coolpix for Mother's Day. I dropped my old camera, lens side down, with the zoom lens completely open. It was going to cost a small fortune to get it fixed. I have RTFM but still don't have a clear understanding of all the settings. So far 9 out of every 10 pictures are blurry. I'm not giving up...I'm going to RTFM again and keep practicing.

RELIEVED-Mom is 7 weeks out of back surgery and she seems to have turned a corner in her recovery. She has been cleared to drive, all the post-op infections have healed, she is progressing in physical therapy and she sounds better than she has in over a year.

TIRED- Back in December I quit all the heavy duty Fibromyalgia drugs I was on. They were super $$$$ and I spent all my days feeling like I was walking through quicksand. I slept deeply on the meds, but it was more like being comatose and my head was foggy all day. Now I feel more alert and energetic during the day but I can't seem to string together 2 nights of restful sleep.

Most nights, from midnight to 4am I wake up every 20-30 minutes. From 4am to 9am, I sleep like a rock, but by the time I read the paper and eat breakfast and make the bed and get dressed, it is 11am and I feel like half the day has been shot to hell. The doctor's office is playing around with other meds. I wish I could take a couple of Tylenol PM, but with all my arthritis meds and diabetes meds, it is not a good idea to take Tylenol or Ibuprofen and I am allergic to Excedrin. At least I am non-employed and can take a nap every afternoon!

Dear Little Girl In Line

2011-05-16T14:20:00.000-04:00

Dear Little Girl In Line,
I saw you staring at me in the Pharmacy line. I tried not to stare back at you.
But it was hard not to stare. I thought I was going to cry. I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn't say something to your mother.

I'm guessing you are 3 or 4 years old. I wanted to take you home.

The first thing I would do is fill the bathtub and take those filthy pajamas off you. I'll wash your hair with some shampoo that will make your beautiful curls smell really pretty. While you play with some toys and soak in the tub, I'll play some music on the CD player and we can sing along.

When you are all squeaky clean, I'll wrap you in a fluffy towel and take that yucky red nailpolish off your toes. If you would like, I'll repaint them with some pretty pink polish. I'll put a little sundress on you and we will sit in a rocking chair and I'll read you some story books. If you're hungry I'll make you a sandwich.

I'm sorry I didn't smile at you. I was thinking of buying some soap and shampoo and handing it to your Mom, but I thought it would have been rude. Now I can't stop thinking about you.

The Lady in the pink blouse at the pharmacy.

Do The Whiny Walk

2011-05-11T15:08:00.000-04:00

I have been walking on a regular basis for about 9 months now. When I first started I could only walk 1- 1 and 1/2 miles. I've worked up to a comfortable 3 miles, with an occasional 4 or 5 mile walk thrown in the mix. 4 or 5 miles is NOT(insert whine) comfortable. I really have to push myself and those longer walks mostly occur when I'm walking with a friend and we stop walking when we're too tired to talk anymore!

I have a fairly new pair of Nike walking shoes that I have LOVED, until this week. All of a sudden I am developing blisters on the bottoms of my toes. What's up with THAT(insert another whine)? I have tried 3 different types of socks that are advertised as "walking socks".

In Jan and Feb, I watched the little temperature indicator in the corner of the TV screen, As soon as it hit 60 degrees, I was out the door. That was usually around 1pm. By April, I was watching the temperature so that I could hit the road before the temp hit 70 degrees. That meant I was out the door by 11am. Yesterday and today I walked between 9 and 10am...just as the temperature was hitting 90 degrees(no whine, just heavy sigh)... I could have sworn I was sweating off some pounds...no such luck. Any day now, I'll get the shoes on and RUN out the door as soon as the sun comes up.

Florida is weird. The hottest time of the day is just around 4pm. Even if you wait until 7pm to walk, the temp might still be in the 90's.

Speaking of temps in the 90's...I have whined on facebook about my rude neighbors who let their dogs poop on the sidewalk and leave it there. Now that the temp is in the 90's, those steaming piles on the sidewalk smell like....you guessed it..(insert VERY LOUD WHiiinnneeee)...steaming piles of dog shit!

Just one more whine. Men in pickup trucks and SUV's who hootinholler at women who are walking. I'm 53, I'm wearing loose yoga capris, a VERY unflattering sports bra and an XL tshirt. REALLY? This is turning you on? Get a LIFE!!

No GRUMPS Allowed Today

2011-05-04T13:50:00.001-04:00

Almost every month I check out the calendar that lists some offbeat and traditional holidays.

The first week of May is ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AWARENESS WEEK.
Week? I'm aware and celebrate that one every day! Thank the gods of pharmaceuticals for my daily dose. Amen.

For those of us that tend to be chronically grumpy, did you know that May 4th is THE GREAT AMERICAN GRUMP OUT? I found this on the website http://www.smilemania.com/

The 10th annual
GREAT AMERICAN GRUMP OUT
Wednesday, May 4, 2011.

The Grump Out asks all you sour pusses to suck it up and refrain from getting your grump on -- at least for 24 hours.

That includes no grumping, no frowning, no grousing, complaining, punching, slapping, hitting or killing. FOR ONE WHOLE DAY.

I guess I'll celebrate that one by remembering my daily dose of anti-grump meds.I had 2 cups of Dunkin Donuts coffee with breakfast.Taking a walk helps. Seeing the 6 new baby ducks in the pond made me smile. So does smelling the giant Magnolia blossoms in the trees. And a sugar-free Fudgsicle. I'll watch my DVR'd episodes of Bethenny Ever After.

I will not think about how much I'm craving a Hostess Cupcake. I will not stare at my camera and cry (I dropped it. With the zoom lens fully extended. *sigh*). I will not shake my head at my hideous toes that need a manicure.

Dammit, I WILL smile and set aside my grumpiness.

Just for today. Tomorrow it's back to being my grumpy old self.

Dear Mom

2011-04-27T12:52:00.000-04:00

I'm home. *sigh* I flew back to The Sunshine State on Tuesday because it was the only day I could get a ride to the airport in Boston.

I managed to take care of Mom and be pretty much housebound by the rain and her needs for 17 days without a major meltdown (by me).

Here are a few memos to Mom:

Dear Mom:
Who told you this was a 2 week recovery? We all heard 6 to 8 weeks. Patience, woman. Patience.
Dear Mom:
Cleaning the house at 10:30 pm, the day before your housecleaner comes is crazy and I refuse to participate. She knows you had surgery. She knows you aren't a slob. I don't care if you cry. I'm already in bed for the night.
Dear Mom:
Okay, if it will prevent you from having an anxiety attack, I will clean the garage.
Dear Mom:
I threw away the tube of cortisone cream that expired in 1981.
Dear Mom:
These kitchen towels have been here since 1962. You have a drawer with 8 new kitchen towels that still have price tags. Explain.
Dear Mom:
No, I don't think you're a hoarder, you just keep stuff WAY beyond it's expiration date.
Dear Mom:
I'm diabetic. So are you. It's NOT okay to eat cookies every day. You can cheat all you want, but don't try to make me feel guilty for not cheating with you.
Dear Mom:
I put 3 ice cubes in your tea. Not 2. Not 4. Yes, I DID just call you a fusspot!
Dear Mom:
If you have to wear jeans and a fleece jacket and wrap up in a blanket, it's TOO COLD to sit on the deck. I'll be in the house. Wrapped up in jeans, a fleece jacket and a blanket.
Dear Mom:
Surgery complications SUCK. I'm sorry you are going through all these setbacks. I can come back in a couple of weeks.
Dear Mom:
If you INSIST on walking down the steep driveway, BRING YOUR CELL PHONE, BRING YOUR CELL PHONE, BRING YOUR CELL PHONE. I'm almost certain that you'll tumble into the street and need to call someone for help.
Dear Mom:
I'm only a phone call and a 3 hour plane ride away. I love you.

Trapped In Massachusetts

2011-04-23T14:09:00.000-04:00

Oh, I could write a VERY long post about all the Massachusetts things that are annoying me...mostly the crappy weather.
I'm also keeping a list of all the things about Massachusetts that I actually DO miss. I got to spend Cape Cod Kid's 26th birthday with him for lunch and an afternoon of buying and assembling deck furniture for Mom.

Mom is having a tough time. She has had 2 infections in her surgical incision. I make a daily trip to Walgreen's, the nurse is here a couple of times a week and the therapists come 4 times a week. If she insists on stumbling around without her cane,I'm going to tie her to a chair with bungee cords. She's playing the "I am not a wimp" card.

I'm planning to fly home on Tuesday.

Springing Mama From The Home

2011-04-09T10:54:00.000-04:00

I've been stewing here for 10 days. Mom had back surgery and it went very well. She was released to a Nursing Rehabilitation Facility last weekend and it is Driving. Her. Batshit. Crazy.

I can hear the tension in my siblings voices and I'm pretty useless 1500 miles away, so yesterday Mr Sunshine bought me a one-way ticket on Jet Blue. I'm off to Massachusetts tomorrow morning and hopefully getting her released on Monday. She doesn't know this yet because she has apparently turned off her cell phone.

I'm trying to avoid checking luggage because I will be doing the Planes, (2)Trains and Automobile mode of travel. The weather map in MA for the next 10 days should just say MAJOR SUCK...cloudy, rainy, 50's and 60's. When I think of leaving the blue-sky-sunny, 80's for that I almost want to cry. I'm going to sneak in one last hour of vegging in a lounge chair by the pool this afternoon.

I packed every long sleeved shirt I own...all 4 of them. My little suitcase is too small to fit my one and only sweater. Today I'm going shopping for some kind of rain gear jacket because when I left Cape Cod I stopped on the Bourne Bridge and threw all that shit into the canal. I'm glad I haven't wasted money on a recent pedicure because my feet will be in shoes and socks for the duration. Should I pack mittens?

My sister predicted that after two days of High-Anxiety-Mom-osity I will be booking my return flight. She suggested a Costco-sized tub of Ativan. I'm already practicing my deep cleansing breaths.

On the plus side, I'll probably get to see the Sweetie Girls (my nieces) and my nephews and I'll be there for Cape Cod Kid's 26th Birthday!! Holy Crap I'm Old!!

Rock My Socks and Float My Boat

2011-03-23T16:45:00.002-04:00

Here's what's been rocking my socks and floating my boat. Nothing life-changing.

Library Books, 5 mile walk, Gorgeous sunny days

Coke Zero, American Idol, Orange blossoms blooming

Panko, Word Mojo, Strawberry season, Happy Offspring

Mama's got a brand new bag. Check out their blog. It's very cool!

Procrastination Station

2011-03-17T11:59:00.000-04:00

I've written before about my tendency to procrastinate.

23 years ago today, I was in the hospital in labor with Sorority Girl. I was kind of excited about having a St Patrick's Day baby. I could dress her in green for a sweet little baby picture. Did it happen? No, I procrastinated and she arrived at 3:30am the next day.

I was going through my idea book for a topic to write about and found an article from Real Simple magazine about doing a personal inventory. I can't link it for you because I PROCRASTINATED and it is no longer available online. Raise your hand if you're surprised.

To me, it's less of an inventory and more of a list of things that you are procrastinating about.

WHAT HAVE YOU STARTED BUT HAVEN'T FINISHED?
I started going through my shoebox of 1,000 recipes and copying them into a blank recipe book, with notations of who gave me the recipe or what occasions I have cooked the recipe.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO BUT HAVEN'T DONE?
I really need to organize my walk-in closet. I cleaned it a little, but I have tons of clothes that are now 3 sizes too big and my purses and shoes are stuffed into large Rubbermaid bins.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE BUT HAVEN'T?
I'm thinking about changing my hair. I like it long, and every time I cut it I end up regretting it. Now it's long again, but has no style. The color is blah. I don't want to spend $100 on my hair. It needs layers or something. Some days I care, some days I don't.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY BUT HAVEN'T?
I want to tell my siblings "Could you pay a little more attention to Mom? I know you all do whatever she asks,but she has stopped asking. Could somebody please call her every day to see if she needs anything? I'm 1300 miles away and can't do much from here besides listen to her cry on the phone."

WHAT HAVE YOU FELT BUT HAVEN'T EXPRESSED?
I am procrastinating about finding a job. Part of me is waiting to see if Mom needs me to go to MA. Part of me is waiting for the pain in my neck to get better, which it isn't. Dizzy spells and headaches don't make me a person that would be of any use to any employer. I have arthritis everywhere and thought having it in your hands was the worst. I was wrong. It's worse to have it in your neck.

It's noon. I haven't made my bed, eaten breakfast or changed out of pajamas. My train has made a stop at the Procrastion Station.

I Want My Lost Hour Back

2011-03-13T12:37:00.000-04:00

Did we lose an hour today when we did that "Spring Ahead" thing? I know I slept a little later than usual.
I stayed up way too late into the morning hours, watching this...

...So good. When I went to the Tower of London I was a little breathless when I stood in the spot where Anne was beheaded and then a little speechless when I went into the chapel where she is buried.

I figured I could squeeze a nap into this afternoon but I got a little ambitious. I found this recipe on HuffPo to recreate those boneless ribs you get at the Chinese restaurants. They're marinating in the fridge right now. This recipe!!

I'm also baking bread today. We're doing as much whole grains in our diet as we can. I don't like the taste of Whole Wheat, but I do like white wheat. I went to the Fresh Market yesterday and found this...

YES! King Arthur! 100% Organic! White Whole Wheat! This recipe!! From the Baking Bites blog.

I love that time of year when the clementines show up in the store. They were $4 for a 3 pound bag yesterday so I was very happy....until I tried one last night and it was TERRIBLE...dry and tasteless.

Sooooooo disappointed. Do I have time to schlep them back to the store?

Do I have time to finish the NY Times Sunday crossword? And read the paper? And do a load of laundry? And go for a walk? And wash the kitchen floor? And make coleslaw and cook rice to go with the ribs?

I want my hour back!!

Salmonella And Jelly Sammy

2011-03-08T10:44:00.000-05:00

We eat a lot of peanut butter. I have a deep love for peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I'm pretty loyal to the Skippy. It's what I grew up on. My Dad's idea of dessert was a slice of white bread with a thick layer of Skippy. I've tried the all-natural stuff at the fresh market, but it just wasn't the same.

Have you ever sat with a jar of Skippy, a knife and a pile of Hershey Kisses and.....No? Is THAT how I got my fat-ass?

Back in January of 2009, Mom came down with a case of Salmonella that we traced back to the deadly jar of Peter Pan Peanut Butter in her kitchen cabinet. She was VERY sick and it took her about a month to get over it. I used to be a microbiology tech so I get a little skittish when the news reports recalls for Salmonella and E.coli

When I heard this week that Skippy was recalling Reduced Fat peanut butter I wasn't too worried about my stash. We buy the full-fat version....HellYeah! But the first thing I did was call Mom to check hers. As soon as I said Salmonella she hobbled to the kitchen and confirmed that she had Skippy Reduced Fat in her closet. Thankfully, none of the expiration dates that are recalled matched the jar in her closet.

Whew! A case of salmonella 6 weeks before her back surgery could have been a disaster.

We can all eat our PBJ's with peace of mind. And my mind can fondly recall my fat ass days of Skippy and Hershey Kisses.

The Lone Male In The House

2011-03-05T09:51:00.001-05:00

Sorority Girl shares a house with 3 female friends and the boyfriend of one of the females. J is a really nice, funny guy.

I wonder how he manages all the girlishness. The girls were all Sorority Sisters, so they know all the same people. The sound of 4 cell phones beeping a Tweet or text message all at the same time must be deafening. Can you imagine living with 4 potential cases of PMS all at the same time?!! What if you're all watching a movie together and the aroma in the air is 4 different body sprays competing with the Axe?

One time I was outside with Sorority Girl and went in to use the bathroom. As I rounded the corner I heard J's voice coming from the living room, "Hey, come and dance with me!" He was doing a video dance game and thought I was someone else, but of course, now every time I'm at the house someone asks J if he wants to dance with me.

When three of the girls lived together there were roomie powwows that were costume-making sessions or fashion shows to choose outfits for Sorority events. It's different with a male in the house. We went over the other night to determine the cause of weird car noises. There was a mostly-male powwow going on in the cul-de-sac. Equipment was being set up and cell phones were ready to get it recorded.

Someone poured a large amount of liquid onto the pavement and set it on fire. Then a powder was sprinkled and the pretty blue flames turned into pretty red flames. Don't worry...there was a pyrotechnics expert among the crowd. J called out to me, "Hey Mom, wanna set something on fire?" You could smell the Testosterone in the air. (file this under Where The Hell Was My Camera)

J has a Master's degree and is an engineer for a large Aerospace/Tech company. I'm waiting for him to introduce Sorority Girl to my future son-in-law...a nice, smart, funny engineer.

Sweatin' To The Newbies (and some Oldies)

2011-03-02T12:45:00.002-05:00

Since I was diagnosed with diabetes I have really kicked my walking up a notch. I had never walked more than a mile and a half at a time. In the past 7 months I have worked up to 3 miles. There are 2 essential elements to this...

The first is my new NIKE cross-trainers. They are much more comfortable than either walking shoes or running shoes. The second is my beloved green iPod. The walk goes so much faster and I can pace myself with my playlist

This is my current playlist. It starts out with some slow stuff and works up to songs that make me walk really fast and break a sweat. Then I cool down.

CRUSH by the Glee cast
COWBOY CASANOVA by Carrie Underwood
RHYTHM OF LOVE by Plain White T's
DOG DAYS ARE OVER by Florence + The Machine
BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP by The Foundations
MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT YOU by the Glee cast
STAND UP by Sugarland
AIN'T TOO PROUD TO BEG by The Temptations
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER by Bon Jovi
F%$# YOU by CeeLo Green
IN THE AYER by Flo Rida
JUMP by Flo Rida
RIGHT ROUND by Flo Rida
CLUB CAN'T EVEN HANDLE ME by Flo Rida

(Take if from me...Flo Rida will make you SWEAT!! At this point it is a true POWER WALK)

15. WHO KNEW by Pink

16. STUCK LIKE GLUE by Sugarland

17. MORE THAN A FEELING by Boston

18. VIVA LA VIDA by Coldplay

19. GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN by Cyndi Lauper

20. I'M YOURS by Jason Mraz

21. DAYBREAK by Barry Manilow

This is about an hour's worth of music. Sometimes I mix it up and do a whole BLUES WALK with Delbert McClinton and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Other days I walk to all my favorite QUEEN or BILLY JOEL songs.

I'm off to eat a little lunch and tie on the Nike's.

Google That Sucka!

2011-02-27T15:48:00.000-05:00

My Mom thinks it's weird that I always have my computer turned on. During phone conversations she'll ask me a question and I'll say "wait a sec, I'll google that sucka".

I google a lot of things. I have Diagnoogled myself when I'm sick. Play along with me now as we

GOOGLE THAT SUCKA!

Steven Tyler is now a judge on American Idol. I wondered how old he is, so I googled that sucka. He was born in 1948, so he'll be 63 in March.
There is an a capella group that plays the Warblers on Glee. I wanted to know if they were a real singing group, so I googled that sucka. They really ARE a group from Tufts University...The Beelzebubs!

3. I was watching ice skating and wondered whatever happened to Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. I hadn't seen them in a while. So I...you guessed it...googled that sucka. Apparently they got married, had a kid, divorced and still skate together in Stars On Ice, which I can't see because the glare of the spotlights on the ice gives me migraines.

4. I made a walking playlist for my iPod. I wondered what the best songs were for a brisk walk so I......wait for it......googled that sucka. The best songs for walking are 120-135 beats per minutes. How can you figure out the beats? Google THAT sucka. You turn on a metronome and listen to your iPod. One day soon, I'll post my playlist. While on the iPod subject, the Goog also taught me how to delete 750 songs from my iPod,so now I have room for another 750.

5. I was watching the Gilmore Girls. As Rory walks in to a meeting with a Harvard Alum she says "Ish kabibble?" Huh? I needed to google.....that....sucka. Ish Kabibble was a comedian in the late 1940's who supposedly took his name from a Yiddish-ish saying "Ische ga bibble"...meaning "I should worry?"

6. Finally, in my new sucky diabetic life i get cravings for things I haven't had in 7 months. Today it is Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting. What did I do? If you said "GOOGLE THAT SUCKA" you scored 27 points, because I just took the Sugar-free Chocolate Cake out of the oven and I'm getting ready to make Sugar-free Peanut Butter Frosting. I'll share the recipe if anyone wants it, but be prepared. it takes OBSCENE amounts of Splenda.

I guess I need to find out what are the long-term effects of Splenda on humans. You know where I'm going from here!

Discovery Lift-Off. Awesome Day!

2011-02-25T14:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we drove an hour out to Titusville to watch the Space Shuttle lift off. At any time during the countdown, the lift-off can be scrubbed for clouds, lightning, computer issues, etc. At one point yesterday, they halted the countdown for an Eastern Range computer issue, that was eventually resolved.

We packed beach chairs, sandwiches, a crossword puzzle book, cameras, binoculars and gave ourselves about 5 hours to find a place to watch. We ended up at Veteran's Memorial park on the Indian River Lagoon.

Those little dots on the causeway are about 1,000 people. Some stood there for over 3 hours.

We sat at the park for about 3 hours with a crowd of about 2,000. We were surrounded by some really nice people. One man we talked to for a really long time was retired Air Force. He was listening to the NASA feed in his earphones and keeping us updated on what was happening. People chatted about where they were from and previous launches.

You hear the noise before you see the Shuttle. This pic was about 10 seconds after lift-off. The crowd cheers and claps!

This is about a minute after take-off.

This was just about the point where the rocket boosters separate from the shuttle and drop into the ocean. I could barely see it with my eyes or my zoom lens, but the Air Force gentleman handed me his super-duper binoculars and told me to watch it up close!

The trail stays for a long time.

It was a gorgeous day...sunny and about 80 degrees. I got sunburned shoulders.

This was the third time I went out to watch a shuttle, but the other 2 times the lift-off was scrubbed. This was the last launch of Discovery. Endeavour is scheduled for April 19th. Gabrielle Gifford's husband, Mark Kelly, will be on that launch.

Days like these are what makes me LOVE living in Florida.

This is the link for the You Tube video shot by Mr Sunshine and his fabulous FLIP camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mLIOarU3MQ&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

What's In A Kid's Name

2011-02-22T11:48:00.001-05:00

How did you choose your kid's name?

I recently read an article that said most people choose their child's name because they heard a celebrity with that name and they liked it. That usually means your kid will start kindergarten with the same name as 6 other kids in the class.

When I was pregnant for the first time we kicked around family names. For a girl, I liked Amy Bernadette (Amy is my best friend, Bernadette was my grandmother). For a boy we didn't want a Junior, so we changed one letter in Mr Sunshine's name. When Sorority Girl was born I actually chose her name from a song I liked (here's a hint...Elvis Costello) and her middle name is the same as my sister and my mother-in-law.

We looked at the baby name books. I didn't want anything too popular. Cape Cod Kid was #26 in 1985. In 2010 he wasn't even on the list. Sorority Girl was #47 in 1988. In 2010 it was #51. My father-in-law had one request..."please choose a name that will be dignified when they are 65"

Some parents are naming their kids after some of the girls on a TV show called "16 and Pregnant" (which is a whole other topic). Explain to your child how you chose THAT name. If we had chosen names based on TV characters of the time, my daughter might be Winnie (Cooper from The Wonder Years), Sue Ellen (Ewing from Dallas), Murphy (Brown), Darlene or Becky (from Roseanne). My son could be Ben (Seaver from Growing Pains, but there were already 3 Bens in the family) Norm or Cliff (from Cheers) or Bobby (Ewing from Dallas, but there were already 2 in the family)

We also decided to rule out all the ones that rhyme with our last name, so none of my kids are named Gerry, Harry, Kerry, Larry, Mary, Sherry or Terry.

Out of the 2010 popular names I actually like the girl's Top 5...Sophia, Isabella, Olivia, Emma and Chloe. The boys are Aiden, Jacob, Jackson, Ethan and Jayden.

I knew of a kid named Justin Case and a girl named Candy Kane. You couldn't have paid me to pick either one of those.

This Week Kicked Me In The Rear

2011-02-19T10:05:00.000-05:00

What a week. I just need to vent a little.

Mom moved back to MA. My brother and I spent last week packing the rest of her stuff and closing her house. It hasn't sold and I'm not sure it will. There are 150 houses for sale in her development.

We spent $700 to wrap all her shit in bubble wrap and blankets and ship by UPS. No one in our family was interested in driving a UHAUL 1500 miles in the winter. A HUGE amount of stuff arrived in MA in shatters. Can you picture the freakout on Mom's end? I started the claims process and let me just say that the Customer Service people at UPS ROCKED MY SOCKS OFF. They are sending an investigator to her house to take pictures of her broken stuff.

She saw the spine specialist in Boston and it has been determined that there is so much arthritis in her spine that if she doesn't have surgery, she may never stand up straight or be without pain ever agin, so surgery will happen in about a month or two. She will most likely go to a nursing home for 6 to 8 weeks for recovery.

We are three adults trying to function on one car. The Mazda had a crapped out Master Cylinder and it took 9 days to find a part for a 13 yr old car. The Nissan lost steering control last week and poor Sorority Girl flew off University Blvd (scary busy road) and landed in a bank parking lot and managed to NOT get hit or hit anything or anyone. She has my beloved SUV until her car gets fixed with some $$$ that is coming from who-the-hell-knows-where.

I have been on 1800 calories, diabetic, no sugar, limited alcohol, limited carbs, 10 mile a week walking plan, lost 30 pounds journey for 7 months now. My reward? My cholesterol went up 40 POINTS and I had to go on yet another freaking pill to swallow every day. WTF???

I have a sinus infection.

I am also having severe body issues about what I look like with -60 pounds on my body. Let's just say, it ain't pretty, in any way, shape or form. My healthcare provider has suggested psychiatric counseling which ain't gonna happen with no health insurance.

I have spent 8 of the last 9 days hibernating in my pajamas. It's sunny and 75 degrees every day and I don't even care to sit on the porch.

Getting old is not for wimps. Feel free to not comment. I just needed to get it all out.

A Fresh Serving Of Spam

2011-02-16T10:45:00.003-05:00

Man: Well, what've you got?

Waitress: Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam
(My favorite Monty Python skit)

Last week I was at Mom's Tin Can Retirement Village, where she had decided "we don't need no stinkin' Internet". I came home to 285 new gems in my SPAM folder.

Every now and then some non-spam gets in there so I decided to browse the folder. I can understand the emails that landed there because of other things I had Googled...Medical Training Schools, Low Carb diets, Shoes, Charm Bracelets and Diabetic supplies. Here's a small selection of the rest.

5 Pizza ads (I don't even want to THINK about pizza)
7 Breast enlargement ads (I'm OK with my current size, thanks)
5 Tanning ads (I live in Florida, duh)
6 Mortgage reduction, 12 Home Repair, 2 Landscaping (I live in a 2nd floor treehouse apartment?)
15 Baldness, Viagra, Cialis and Penis Enlargement ads (Last time I checked the plumbing I was a female)
2 Wedding and 1 Funeral website (Not planning either one...yet)
7 Dating websites (HONEST, Mr Sunshine...I'm NOT looking for another husband)

This next bunch was very tempting. I got a LOT of come-ons for vacations. I would go to ANY of these places if I won the lottery...Ireland, Paris, Jamaica, Hawaii,Las Vegas, San Diego (I could visit Jenn at Juggling Life!), Belize, London (with Jen On The Edge!), Cabo, Alaska or Lake Tahoe.

I'd like to give a big SHOUT OUT to the following people who think they are my new BFF's. OF COURSE I'll open and respond to your urgent email...
Kristi, Maureen, Idris, Ban Ki-moon, Melody, CJ, Gretchen, Aveline, Sharron, Twyla, Veronica, Mrs Grace, Richard, Ganesh, Abigail (could be my cousin's daughter but she's too young to type), Reginald, Ted, Olya, Daphne and Ayu.

I'll get back to you all ASAP.

Valentine Rhyme

2011-02-14T11:22:00.000-05:00

Roses are red
I'm wearing blue
My forehead is hot
I might have the flu

I have a sweetheart
Mr Sunshine is mine
We're not celebrating
He's working til 9

We can't eat chocolate
We're both diabetic
Sugar-free pudding
Is really pathetic

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

The Snowbird Flew Away

2011-02-12T09:20:00.000-05:00

I spent last week getting my Mom successfully moved out of the Tin Can Retirement Village. Her place hasn't sold, but she needed to make another trip to MA and decided not to come back...ever.

My youngest brother came down from MA to help me. It was a win-win situation. He helped me ship the last seven boxes and in return got to escape the 32 inches of snow in his front yard. I took him to the Red Sox Spring Training park but we were a day too early to see any action.

When Mom decided not to spend winters in Florida anymore, she asked me to pack "a few personal things" to ship home. She bought the place furnished and all the kitchen stuff came with the house, so she was leaving all that behind. Mom is NOT a hoarder, her house always looks like the cleaning lady just left. But REALLY, MOM? 22 BOXES?? The last two boxes were each big enough to pack a dishwasher and weighed 100 pounds each. My brother was filling them with (I shit you not) beach chairs and lawn statues. If I had been the least bit amused I would have taken photos. I'm sure the local UPS store was happy to make an extra $700 last week.

I dropped them off at the airport, a little worried that I won't be checking up on her every 4 weeks. I'll having to start planning trips to MA...but she has been warned that I may refuse to come up there between October and May.

No sooner did I pull out of the airport and heave a (sort of guilty) sigh of relief that I won't be making the 4 hour drive to South Florida anymore, than I came down with the nasty virus that Mom has been coughing all over me for a week. My ears are clogged, I have a headache and my throat feels like I've been swallowing gasoline.

I'll be hibernating in bed with a few books until this passes.

Boy, Are They TICKED OFF!

2011-02-05T18:42:00.000-05:00

Our newspaper has a feature 6 days a week called Ticked Off. People can call the newspaper or send them an email with a short message about what ticks them off.

Sometimes I just shake my head at what ticks people off...
"I'm ticked off about the stupid marching bands that play at half-time at football games"
"I'm ticked off at the stupid government"
"I'm ticked off at vending machines that spit your money out too fast"

I guess if it makes you feel better to take the time to complain about that, OK.

Sometimes I agree with the things that tick people off...
"I'm ticked off that you can't drive two blocks without seeing someone run a red light"
"I'm ticked off that people only donate to charities at the Holidays and ignore them the rest of the year"
"I'm ticked off at people who aren't prepared to go through security at the airport by taking off their shoes and emptying their pockets and throwing out their bottle of water."

Sometimes I snort at the things that tick people off...
"I'm ticked off at the man in front of me at the middle school concert who wouldn't stop farting!"
"I'm ticked off that people on the food channel are constantly stuffing food in their mouths"
(Ummmm, it's the FOOD CHANNEL?)
"I'm ticked off at people who use public restrooms and don't flush. See the lever on the toilet? it functions JUST LIKE the one at your house. Push it when you are done and WATCH SOMETHING AMAZING HAPPEN!!"
I have blogged before about things that tick me off. I have another one to add.

I walk a 3 mile loop around our development. Every half mile or so, there is a dispenser for plastic "puppypoop" bags and a disposal container. I am totally ticked off at the amount of puppypoop on the sidewalk and along the edge of it. I hate walking three miles with my head down so I won't step into a fresh pile. I think I am even more ticked off at the people who bag the puppypoop but then leave the bag on the sidewalk! C'mon people!!
Hmmm...Maybe I should send my "ticked off" in to the paper.

Hibernation Station

2011-01-28T16:38:00.000-05:00

I've turned the Sunshine State Treehouse into a Hibernation Station.

I'm still Non-employed and not looking. Probably in Feb. when I find out Mom's back situation.
I started taking a bunch of new Meds that were chosen by healthcare professionals, strictly on the basis of being on the $4 Generic list.
I somehow whacked my back out last weekend. I blame the Big Bissell Of Evil. 2 days in bed with an ice pack on my butt was helpful.

I talk to people on my phone that actually survived the Potty Swim. Sorority Girl fills me in on Housemate Drama and Cape Cod Kid tells me all about his trip to Atlantic City and his new tattoos (that he didn't get in Atlantic City)
I take 2 to 3 mile walks (if the temperature is over 60) and 2 to 3 hour naps (if the temp is under 60)
I'm doing a book of 80 crossword puzzles at the rate of about 5 a day.
I talk Mom down from her moving/house selling/Nasty relatives anxiety.
I eat Saltines with Peanut Butter for lunch.

I spent 5 hours looking at weather maps and standing on the porch during a wicked storm and tornado warnings.I swore the lightning was hitting our parking lot.

I have pretty much perfected my recipe for Almost Sugar-Free Fruit and Oatmeal Bars.

Blogs, blogs, blogs, facebook, MahJong. Blogs, blogs,blogs, HuffPo, facebook, MahJong.

Today Show, Regis and Kelly, Today Show, The View, News, All My Children, The Talk, Ellen, Oprah, News, Jeopardy. My boyfriend Steven Tyler on American Idol. All caught up on Grey's Anatomy and The Big Bang Theory.

Read...Pillhead: The Secret Life Of A Painkiller Addict by Joshua Lyon...The Shack by William P Young...ROOM by Emma Donoghue. All three of them made me think about a LOT of things that I can't begin to explain.

The problem with hibernation is that I enjoy it WAY too much.

Thank You, Fritos

2011-01-13T10:28:00.001-05:00

Thank you Mom, for really appreciating everything I did in the past week. I sure crammed a lot into 6 days...cleaned the house, called the real estate agent, 2 doctor's appointments, grocery shopping, 2 loads of laundry, cooking, cleaned out the shed, packed 15 boxes and dragged them to UPS and a trip to the church thrift shop.

Thank you, Factory Brand Shoes store for Nike walking shoes for $49, then an additional $5 off with AAA. My generic walking shoes did not survive a 4-mile walk last week.

Thank you, large bag of Fritos and a small bag of Peanut Crack&M's and Mickey D's large coffee and 7-11 Super Big Gulp for keeping me company on the ride home. At 2:30 this morning, my stomach was not giving thanks for that little 3 hour diet disaster, but a girl's gotta do whatever it takes to stay alert on the long highway.

Thank you, Mr Sunshine for taking apart my Fred Flintstone phone and attempting to rescue the poor thing from a swim in the potty. Personally, I think it jumped from my pocket on purpose. It's a bare-bones phone that is probably 4 years old. At least 6 of the keys were sticky. I had an internal screaming fit every time I sent a text message. We'll see what happens after it dries out.

Thnak you, Florida for being the one and only state in the country with no snow! I saw the photos of my brother and sister-in-law shoveling the 18 inches of hell in their driveway. NEVER AGAIN!

Life On Hold

2011-01-06T07:48:00.000-05:00

Mom is coming back to Florida. No, she's not. Yes, she is. She flew in yesterday.

She's having back surgery. No, she's not. Yes, she is. No, she's not.
Maybe...Doctor in Florida next week. New Doctor in Boston in Feb.

She's selling her house in FL. No, she's not. Yes, she is.

I'll be spending a lot of time in the little tin can in the Tin Can retirement village.
I WILL scout out a place with internet access.

I Will Survive (and now I'm singing Gloria Gaynor)

Survive and Thrive?

2011-01-02T08:29:00.000-05:00

I don't have the energy to look back at my Best of 2010. Last year was more like the Year Of Survival for my little family.

Mr Sunshine survived the Diabetic Crisis that landed him in ICU. I survived The Summer Of The Broken Face...and becoming diabetic...and quitting my crappy retail job. Cape Cod Kid survived a car accident that could have been much worse. The other driver fell asleep at the wheel and totalled the Kid's car. The Kid walked away without a scratch...or a car for almost 2 months. Sorority Girl survived another year of University of Tropical Paradise, with a change in major and moving to a new house...AGAIN.

I do have a few goals for 2011.

CLOSET ORGANIZING: My Mom gave me a gift card to get closet organization stuff.
FILE ORGANIZING: My "favorites" file on this computer has 285 entries...in no sense of order.
RECIPE ORGANIZING: I have been collecting recipes for 31 years. They all live in a plastic shoebox with no sense or order. This year they are going into a recipe book. First I need to weed out all the recipes that are NOT diabetic-friendly.

NEW JOB: I will search for a new job. I think 10 years of retail have burned me to a crispy crunch. I am hoping for a job in another field. I am also hoping for a job that doesn't make my bullshit meter run at full-speed.

LOSE WEIGHT: I know, I say that every year, but I feel like I'm making good progress this year (except for the current uptick that may or may not be medication-related)
KEEP WALKING: I can do 2 or 3 miles, depending on the weather and my back. I hope to either get up to 4 miles, or improve my 50 minute time on the 3 mile walk.
WALK FOR CHARITY: Most charity walks are 5K...or 3.1 miles. Hey, I can DO that! Sorority Girl and I are planning to do our first walk in March for the JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION. It's hard enough for an adult to handle, I can't imagine being a parent who has to monitor diet and stick needles into their child to check blood sugar and give insulin. I have so much respect for those parents.

KEEP BLOGGING: This one is just my brain thoughts spilling out onto the keyboard. I need to work harder on our other little blog Deperate Diabetic Cooks.

HAPPY NEW YEAR. PEACE, HEALTH AND HAPPINESS IN 2011.

When The Kids Are Here

2010-12-30T09:52:00.000-05:00

I still call them "the kids" even though they are 22 and 25
The little treehouse apartment is very crowded
There are blankets and pillows on every surface of the place

You ask random strangers to take a family photo at Downtown Disney
There are dinner table conversations about how it is skanky to give a girl something from Victoria's Secret, but it is perfectly acceptable to give her a gift card from the same store!
You watch Twas The Night Before Christmas and The Wiz
You watch You Tube videos of an Asian toddler singing Hey Jude and Star Wars Episode IV According To a 3 year old
You watch the Christmas episode of GLEE 3 times

You drag Cape Cod Kid on a road trip to see Manatees
You drag Cape Cod Kid on a 2 mile walk
You drag Cape Cod Kid on a daily trip to the grocery store
There's too much food in the fridge
There's too much laundry in the hamper

There's TOO MUCH SUGAR!
There are not enough HUGS
When you wake up on Dec. 30, the house is too quiet!

I Was (Christmas) Gifted! UPDATED!

2010-12-28T09:14:00.003-05:00

I must have been a good girl this year. The gifts I got for Christmas were so thoughtful that it made me a little teary.

Cape Cod Kid arrived with a new addition to my snowman collection. It's Frosty! He sings and dances! I have probably worn out his batteries watching him sing and dance since the 25th.

My sister makes gorgeous scrapbooks. She taught me, but mine are so amateur looking compared to hers. She sent me a scrapbook she started that is supposed to be all about me. That concept will be a little difficult for me to pull off. Each page has a pocket and one of them held this photo of my sister and I that was taken in 1960. I'm on the left, she's on the right. I was 3 and she was 2. We thought that rock in our grandmother's backyard was HUGE!

Sorority Girl has worked at a clothing store for about 4 years. She puts together great outfits. Before this year I usually wore baggy clothes to cover my 2X sized body. Since I've lost weight, she has been telling me I need a shopping trip for cute clothes. She bought me this beautiful beaded blouse and a cute sweater that will show up in a future post.

My best friend (of 30 years) sent this paperweight to let me know that even though we have only lived in the same state for about 7 years of our friendship, I am always in her heart.

This was a gift from Mr Sunshine. I spend WAY TOO MUCH time sitting under my laptop. This computer was passed on to me from my darling husband when my power port died for the 3rd time and he was able to get himself a new laptop. This one runs a little hotter than my old one and I was developing a chronic first-degree burn on my left leg. This little cooling pad is awesome and I can finally stop frying my thighs! UPDATED!!!!!
MR SUNSHINE LEFT A COMMENT BECAUSE I FORGOT THAT SANTA BROUGHT US WICKED GOOD TICKETS FOR WICKED GOOD SEATS TO SEE WICKED!!!

On top of all this, I got a Barnes and Noble giftcard from Cape Cod Kid, $$ from my MIL that i used to buy a Shiatsu Massage Pillow and a Target gift card from my Mom that she got me after a discussion about how badly I want to do a closet makeover in January.

I apparently have a "good girl" reputation to uphold in 2011!!

Meeting The Real Santa

2010-12-24T13:33:00.000-05:00

I met the REAL SANTA yesterday. I was having breakfast with the Lotion Store Refugees. We have all quit our jobs there in the past 3 months.
Lauren said "OMG Santa is here!" I turned around and he was behind me, chatting with the kids at the next table. He was wearing jeans, a red plaid flannel shirt and red knitted vest.
Misty sent a text to her husband saying "Tell the kids I am with Santa". He texted back, "They said to ask him where he parked the sleigh."
He then came to our table and Betsy said "Oh, Santa, Misty has 3 small children. Could we take a picture of you?"

He did better than that. He sat down, pulled out a file folder with professional 8x10 glossies of himself in complete Christmas Eve garb. He asked each of Misty's kid's names and while we chatted with him he autographed a photo for each of them and signed them "Love, Santa".

He is the Santa on giant billboards in Central Florida advertising the Christian radio station. His December gig is to spend the month visiting homeless shelters and shelters for battered women and their children. He seemed genuinely honored to look like he does.

The four of us Lotion Store Refugees laughed like little kids at how much fun we were having. Another family with 2 small children came in to the restaurant. The looks on the kid's faces were priceless. They were grinning from ear to ear.

I BELIEVE.

Merry Christmas to all of my cherished Bloggy Friends, far and near.

Christmas Post-It Notes

2010-12-22T20:35:00.000-05:00

Have you checked out the $1 bins at Target? I found rolls of wrapping paper that were not full-size but were pretty good quality!

I can't find the stocking holders. We've looked twice at our storage unit that we rent for Christmas stuff, extra beds, extra sets of dishes, extra bedding, boxes of books..and so on and so on.

I've looked twice in the small storage closet on our porch.

I've looked twice in my walk-in-closet.

Santa will find the stockings hanging on the knobs of my dining room storage cupboards.

We have an artificial tree. I HATE PINE NEEDLES!

What I really hate is watering the tree and dragging the tree to the dump area and vacuuming pine needles in January.

I love the candle that makes the house smell like a live Christmas tree.

I love meeting bloggers. I have never had a bad experience. I met Heather last Spring when she was visiting the Sunshine State.

When I heard she was escaping the frigid north and coming to Florida for Christmas I was

SO EXCITED!!!

Heather and her darling daughters Gracie and Stella met Sorority Girl and I for breakfast this morning.

We sat and exchanged gifties and chatted for 2 hours before they had to go back to the hotel to grab Heather's husband and continue on to her Mom and Dad's. Sorority Girl commented in the car about what a connection Heather and I have. So true!!

Crazy-Free Christmas Countdown

2010-12-20T06:55:00.000-05:00

I can't believe we're into Christmas week. It's my first Non-Retail-Job Holiday in over 10 years.
The decorating is done, the shopping is almost done. The cooking shall commence on Wed.

Today, I'm throwing Momma on the plane. The MA Registry of Motor Vehicles won't let her renew her driver's license online because now she is over 75 years old. In Florida, to get a DL she would have to show SS Card, Rental Agreement, Utility bills, Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate (to prove history of name change) and I think her 2nd grade report card.

That's what happens when you live in the state ranked 3rd in the country in Identity Theft. Since we had to send her home to renew her Driver's License, I figured she might as well go for the holidays. She can see her friends and 8/10 of her grandchildren.

I'm throwing her on the plane at Orlando International Airport. Yesterday there was a Hallelujah-singing Flash Mob in the atrium . Why couldn't they wait until today?

A good bloggy friend is passing through Orlando with her family tomorrow night, on their way to her Mom and Dad's for Christmas. I met her and her delightful daughters last year. Sorority Girl and I are meeting them for dinner Tuesday night. I'M SO EXCITED!!

Thursday morning I'm having breakfast with my good friends from the Shower Gel Store, where I no longer work, Forever and Ever, Amen and The Angels Sang. Thursday night, Cape Cod Kid arrives!!

I may actually get through this holiday week without my annual mental meltdown.

2010 Holiday House Tour

2010-12-17T01:39:00.003-05:00

This is the 3rd year that Jen On The Edge has invited us to do a Holiday House Tour.

Welcome to our treehouse in The Sunshine State. We live up there on the second floor.

The little tree on the porch is new this year. I rescued him from the dumpster at work last year. The snowman is the biggest one in my collection.

I really don't have any theme or style to my decorating. I would probably call it whimsical. I do like similar decorations to be together. Like these miniature Nativity sets on the dining room shelf. The blown glass Nativity was a gift from the Principal of the Catholic School where Sorority Girl attended in Middle School.

The Santas sit somewhere different every year. This year they're on the floor by the TV.

The Snowman collection sits on my kitchen counter. There are closer views in my last post.

The cast of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer sits in their usual spot on top of the TV.

These 2 make me smile!

This is the tree from a previous year. This year the tree is up but not yet decorated.

The only thing missing this year is Tigger under the tree.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Healthy, Happy New Year from The Sunshine State!

Meet The (Snow) Men In My Life

2010-12-14T22:36:00.000-05:00

I started collecting snowmen about 10 years ago. Every year I add to the collection. These are the ceramic snowmen. The one in the back on the left is a music box. The Patriotic little guy in front was added after 9-11.

These are the stuffed snowmen.

I have 2 snowglobes. The one on the right is this year's addition to the collection. It is battery operated and you can make it snow without turning it over.

These are the candleholders.

I have a little tree that has snowman ornaments all around.

These are the mini-men. They are all between 2 and 3 inches tall. See the little guy in the front on the right? He has an open book on his head and he's wearing glasses. I got him back in 2002 when I was working at Barnes and Noble.

Wait! All of my snowmen are not MEN! This pretty little blown-glass snow lady was a gift from my best friend.

This other snow lady was a gift from my Mom. She puts on her own little laser light show!

I hope you enjoyed the Snowmen (and Ladies) in my life!

KEEP WARM!

At The Festival Of Trees

2010-12-12T22:18:00.001-05:00

Every year the Orlando Museum Of Art has a Festival Of Trees. Interior designers and other companies decorate trees that are displayed in the museum for a week in November. Every tree is for sale and many are over $2000. Sometimes the trees are purchased and then donated to charitable organizations.

There is also a room where professional bakers and restaurants are invited to display Gingerbread houses. These houses are BIG!

My favorite tree was one where EVERYTHING was made of paper. The tree skirt was made of strips of brown craft paper that were woven. There were stars, reindeer and owls made of crimped paper.

The garland on this tree took my breath away! It was cones made of pages from books and stapled in layers to a wide ribbon.

I LOVED this next tree. It was made by art students at a local school. All the ornaments are made from recycled 2 Liter soda bottles. The bottles are cut from the bottom up in strips. The strips are left attached to the bottle top.They are curled, painted and glittered. It was SO creative and really stunning.

Here's a closer look at the ornaments.

This last tree was in the gift shop. I have seen a lot of red artificial trees this year. What do you think?

There is live entertainment the whole time the museum is open for the Festival. We watched a group doing ballroom dancing and we were really impressed with how good the teenagers were.

This was a really nice afternoon to kick off the Holiday spirit!

Naughty and Nice #2

2010-12-10T09:44:00.002-05:00

You know how Santa has a list that tells him if you're naughty or nice? I like to help Santa with that little chore.

Here's another group for Santa to know about.

NAUGHTY: The condo board of our "treehouse in the Sunshine State".

There is ample parking in our lots. We never see cars that don't belong to our neighbors, so we were surprised to get a notice that the condo board decided to institute a parking pass system. I was informed that each unit would get 1 free Resident sticker and 1 Visitor sticker. This is good for Sorority Girl, who will occasionally spend the night, especially if all her housemates are elsewhere. Unfortunately, we have to pay $20 for a second Resident sticker. I had to show up at the condo office with a copy of our lease, our driver's licenses, our car registration, a lengthy questionnaire and the above-mentioned $20.

My neighbor says this is a way for the condo board to get contact info on private owners that are not paying Homeowner fees. Mr Sunshine State thinks it is just a money making scheme on the part of the board. I think it was crappy of the board to institute this system in December.

NICE: Second Harvest Food Bank and the people who volunteer for them.

40 employees in our district showed up yesterday to work at the Food Bank. I had never been there before and I was amazed to walk into the giant warehouse and see about 10,000 boxes of donated food.
Our group split into two groups. I was in the group that was checking expiration dates on all the donated food. The other group was sorting the donations into boxes by product category.

Much of the food came from Target and WalMart. They get tax breaks for donating the food before it gets to the expiration date. I was pulling boxes of food that were good until April and May. There were boxes of pizza crusts, crackers, dented cans of soup, crushed boxes of microwave popcorn and cases of water with 1 or 2 smooshed bottles.

Each pallet of boxes held about 48 boxes of food. Our group processed about 15 pallets of boxes in 3 hours.

I started thinking about where all that food was going. I will be without a job (by choice) as of Dec 16th but I was making pennies at my job and Mr Sunshine State takes pretty good care of me. There have been times in our lives when family and friends were giving us food, because we were having problems making ends meet with 2 small kids. I'll be spending the Holidays thinking about those people that rely on the Food Banks. They are having a food drive at the local TV station today. I'm off to clean out the cupboards and find some donations.

Food Bank volunteers everywhere are on today's NICE list.

No Naughty. Just Nice.

2010-12-08T10:23:00.000-05:00

There are no naughty girls on today's list for Santa. Just my two favorite Sorority Girls.

My Sorority Girl grew up with only a brother and not even any girl cousins were born until she was a teenager. When she rushed for Sorority, she met Erin. They felt an immediate connection and because Erin was a RhoGamma, Alli didn't know which sorority she was from. (RhoGammas help out with Sorority Rush without revealing their affiliation.) Imagine her delight when she found out that Erin was in the sorority that she was joining!

Erin claimed Alli as her Little Sister. They called each other "Big" and "Little". Erin has lived up to that name in every way. She is really the Big Sister that Alli always wanted. She has been a sister, an advisor and a mentor. Erin has graduated, become a teacher and the girls are still close. I love that girl.

There are so many photos of the two of them together that I could fill a scrapbook.

This past summer Erin got married and had her "Little" standing at the altar with her.

My Sorority Girl is also going to be a teacher. She thought she was going to graduate with a degree in Communication Disorders, but found that the courses were too much science and too much regurgitation of facts on exams. This year she changed her major to Exceptional Education and I see the joy on her face when she talks about it.

She has been doing some volunteer hours at a UCP preschool. United Cerebral Palsy schools serve kids with a wide range of diagnoses. Last week she read "Goodnight Moon" 3 times in a row to one little girl and managed to have some chatty conversations with a little girl who is debilitatingly shy.

Sorority Girl spent the past semester going to school and working full-time without a word of complaint.

So, Dear Santa, please put my TWO favorite Sorority Girls on the top of your NICE list. Thanks.

Naughty or Nice #1

2010-12-07T00:24:00.004-05:00

You know how Santa has a list that tells him if you're naughty or nice? I like to help Santa with that little chore.

Here are the first two of my contributions to the 2010 Naughty or Nice list.

NAUGHTY: The older woman who works at the Hess station on San Carlos Blvd in Fort Myers Beach FL. She is seriously rude. Mom went in to buy Hess gas cards for some of my nephews. She was trying to use her Mastercard and put in her MA zip code (on her billing address). The credit card reader wouldn't accept her card. She should have been using her FL zip code. When she asked the clerk why she couldn't get her credit card to work, the woman looked at her and in a rude tone of voice said "I don't know, just use another card".

I tried to use Mom's card at the pump to fill my gas tank, popped in Mom's MA zip code, and got a message on the screen to see the cashier. I went in and politely told the cashier that I was trying to use a Mastercard and asked why I needed to see the cashier. The same rude woman said, in her rude tone of voice, "According to me, you didn't even TRY to use the card". Here's the rest of the lovely conversation...

Me: EXCUSE ME. Look out the window. See that big, white SUV? I tried to use a card at the pump and the message says "See the cashier" so OBVIOUSLY I tried to use the card.
Rude Cashier: I don't know why.
Me: (turning purple) Can you PLEASE find out why? Maybe we need to ask a manager?
Rude Cashier stomps away from the register and says "I SUPPOSE I MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIND HIM".

I'm throwing her under the Santa Bus and I might even call Customer Service and throw her under the Hess Bus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NICE: I love our branch of the Seminole County Library. I love our library ladies. We had put the new Ken Follet book, Fall Of Giants on the waiting list a while back. We started the list in the 200's and the last time I checked the list we were 21. I checked again and the computer said "No Requests on hold".
Apparently someone had missed a zero in my email address and we never got the notification that we were up to #1. When I asked the ladies to check it, they said there were once again over 150 people on the list but they were putting us at #1.

Thank you Library Info Desk Ladies. You're on Santa's Nice list this year.

Starting Another Blog

2010-12-05T22:36:00.001-05:00

I have decided to start another blog. In order to keep from boring all the non-diabetics that read here, I'm going to keep it all in another place.

I have been baking since I was 16 years old and I enjoy cooking, in general. When Mr Sunshine and I were diagnosed with diabetes this summer, he embraced the challenge with a whole lot of enthusiasm. Since June, he has cooked more meals than I have. We're eating pretty well here in our little tree house in the Sunshine State.

Me, on the other hand.....depressed. No cookies, cakes, brownies or homemade bread. No Peanut Crack&M's. No Holiday treats. I finally got desperate enough to start looking at recipes that I could adapt to sugar-free or low-sugar versions.

Some have been pretty bad. Some have been merely edible. I'm striving for AMAZING!
My new blog will mostly feature my successes. Since Mr Sunshine is on this journey with me, he'll be contributing to the new blog. Sorority Girl is taste testing and contributing to the decisions on whether the results of our cooking are good enough to serve the non-diabetics in the house.

The new blog is Desperate Diabetic Cooks.

Florida December~Indoor Version

2010-12-03T20:38:00.001-05:00

You know it's December around here. This is the indoor version. The next time I take a walk I'll bring my camera and show you the outdoor version.

I made my first pot of tea of the season. In Massachusetts, the first pot of tea appeared around the first week of October. In The Sunshine State, the temperature has to drop below 60 degrees and today it was 55 at 6pm.

Christmas catalog to check out gifts for the nephews, Christmas cards and the snowman candle are on the dining room table.

The Amaryllis is creeping me out. It seems like every time I look at it, it has grown another inch.

SOCKS! On my feet! This is wrong in 27 different ways. To add insult to injury, I'm wearing flannel PJ bottoms and a fleece top. I refuse to turn on the heat. I REFUSE!

(PS: I gave two week's notice at work today.)
(PPS: Update- Sat at 7:15am. Outdoor temp is 39 degrees. Indoor temp is 65 degrees. I turned on the heat. Hangs head in shame at becoming a Florida Weather Wussy)

I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas

2010-12-02T22:26:00.002-05:00

Last year I introduced some of you to one of my favorite Christmas songs, Alien For Christmas by Fountains of Wayne.

This year I want a Hippopotamus. I watched about 27 versions of this on You Tube to find the best one. The things I do for you because I love you. Enjoy!

Making A List and Checking It Twice

2010-12-01T20:06:00.002-05:00

No, not Santa! Grandma Sunshine is officially settled in The Sunshine State for the winter. This involves a very long chore list and we managed to accomplish everything in about 3 and 1/2 days.

Finish Christmas shopping for all her 10 grandchildren, wrap all the gifts and box them up to go to UPS. Check
Wash the ceiling, walls, floor, ceiling fans, rewind all the rolling shades and wash 12 windows in the sunroom/laundry room. Check
Wreath on the door, Snowman flag on the flagpole, lights on the little tree Check
Get the car out of the auto shop (fuel pump was dead), take car to carwash, get new parking sticker for car. Check
Grocery shop at SuperTarget, grocery shop at Winn-Dixie, grocery shop at Publix. Check
Get flowers for patio pots. Find patio pots and fertilizer in the shed. Check
Hire a guy to put a TV antenna on the roof, hire a guy to weed the flower beds and trim the shrubs, hire carpet cleaners. Check
Clean all the A/C vents. Convince Mom to actually TURN ON the A/C when the indoor temperature reached 84 degrees. Check
Reorganize the pantry closet, plan diabetic menus for 2 weeks, cut up multiple containers of veggies. Check
Visit the neighbors, ignore the mean relatives who live on the next block (mean relatives are now officially pissed off at us) (we don't really care). Check
Replace batteries in the clock and the CD player. Find Christmas CDs. Listen to Christmas CDs. Check
Go out for Breakfast! Go out for LUNCH! Go out for DINNER. Go to the most awesome DOLLAR TREE store ever! (it is brand new and 3 times bigger than most) Check

Whew!!

NaBloPoMo: Day ?~ The End-o

2010-11-26T21:18:00.000-05:00

I was doing National Blog Posting Month with a twist. Every day I was writing 5 things on a specific topic. I won't get to finish the month.

1. Mom has arrived in Florida and is having a tough time. Last week we opened her house, took her dead car to the shop, arranged for someone to put a TV antenna on her house, took her to a doctor appointment and did half of her Christmas shopping.

2. It's a 4 and 1/2 hr drive from her house to my house. We brought her back here for Thanksgiving and today I worked Black Friday from 7am to 4pm. Tomorrow, we drive back to her place where I'll spend the next 4 days weeding her gardens, finishing her Christmas shopping, possibly another doctor appointment, wrapping her gifts and packing them for shipment and getting her car out of the shop.

3. During this time I have been in severe withdrawal from my meds because I can't justify spending $150 a month when my boss will only give me 3 hours a week. I have cried, screamed, shook, vomited and nearly passed out. To put a little icing on that chocolate cake, I had a couple of asthma attacks. I'm surprised my family didn't throw me into a dumpster.

4. NaBloPoMo was kind of fun, although it was very time consuming. There is no internet access at Mom's house, so I would have to write and schedule 5 posts tonight and I just don't have the energy.

5. Thank you all for reading and commenting. I appreciate it. I may attempt it again next year.

NaBloPoMo: Day 24- Thanksgiving Post-It Notes

2010-11-24T21:31:00.000-05:00

I'm doing National Blog Posting Month with a twist. Every day I'll write 5 things about a specific topic.

NaBloPoMo Day Twenty Four~ Thanksgiving Post-It Notes

1. On The Fridge~We usually have coleslaw with our holiday meals. One year, near the end of dinner, my Mom cried out "I forgot the damn coleslaw!"

2.On The Dining Room Table~ Mom and Sorority Girl are working on a 1000 piece Christmas jigsaw puzzle. They need to finish before we can set the table.

3. On My Computer~ I eat sugar-free pudding with sugar-free Cool Whip at least once a week. Mom is making a sugar-free pudding pie for dessert. That just doesn't say "Holiday Dessert" to me. I found a recipe for Sugar-free Cranberry Apple Crisp on the Diabetic Gourmet website. I already baked it today, and right now Sorority Girl is digging into it.

4. On The Bird~It's a Honeybaked Ham Company Turkey. Thank You Mr Sunshine's Boss!

5. On The TV~ Blackbird is marching in the Macy's Parade!! I want to see if I can find her. She'll be holding on to a rope for one of those big giant balloons!

NaBloPoMo: Day 23- It's An Emergency!

2010-11-23T22:10:00.000-05:00

I'm doing National Blog Posting Month with a twist. Every day I'll write 5 things about a specific topic.

NaBloPoMo Day Twenty-three~ Medical Emergency

I have made numerous trips to the ER in my life. When my Dad came home from work and there were bloody towels in the sink, he always knew which of his 4 children had been hurt. My parents told me the ER always kept a bed empty just in case I needed to go in for treatment.

1. DOG vs Arm~ When I was about 4, I was sitting on our front porch minding my own business. A very huge German Shepard came up the sidewalk and chomped on my right arm. Off to the ER to get it checked out and get a tetanus shot. The dog was put in quarantine, but the next day the owners let it out, it bit another child and the owners were required to have it put to sleep.

2. Leg vs Barbed Wire Fence~ I was about 6 and wanted to get to the other side. My right leg made it over, my left leg didn't. It was cut from my ankle to the back of my knee, shredded the skin on the side of my knee and then cut up to my hip. It couldn't be stitched, so they just wrapped it and gave me another tetanus shot. I still have the scars.

3. Fish Hook vs Foot~ How on earth did a fish hook with a white lure get in our backyard in the middle of winter? As I walked through the snowy back yard, my toe caught the lure, flipped it up and it embedded itself onto the top of my foot. Back to the ER for, you guessed it, a TETANUS SHOT!

4. Car vs Car~ About 3 months after we got married, I was on my way to work. I had the green light at the intersection, but the 80 year old woman in the giant Cadillac coming from the right never stopped at the red light. She took the front end off my little Chevy Vega and pushed me across 3 lanes of oncoming traffic.I came out of my seat, slammed my head up above my seat, jammed my shoulders into my neck, jammed my knees under the steering wheel. I herniated a disc in my neck, permanently damaged my trapezius muscle and tricep on the right side, but the good news was that I didn't need a Tetanus Shot!

5. Allergy Alert~ After that car accident I started taking large amounts of aspirin. One day I took 2 aspirin and within about 15 minutes I looked like a boiled lobster. My face, neck, chest and arms were flaming red with hundreds of tiny little blisters. As I walked down the hall of the clinic, people were giving me a wide berth, in case I had something contagious. Turns out I'm allergic to aspirin. All my medical charts have it written in BIG RED LETTERS. It's only been a hassle when I have to take a new med and need to know for sure that there are no salicylates in the mix.

NaBloPoMo: Day 22- Out Of The (Jewelry) Box

2010-11-22T21:57:00.000-05:00

I'm doing National Blog Posting Month with a twist. Every day I'll write 5 things about a specific topic.

NaBloPoMo Day Twenty-two~ 5 Things in my Jewelry box

Is anybody still reading?

1. Mrs G sent this to me. I left a comment on one of her blog posts when she had a contest. I think I have worn it at least a hundred times. It is really brighter silver, but it was reflecting the purple dress I was wearing when I took the photo.

2. I got this at Universal Studios in Orlando. They had a guy at Islands Of Adventure with a metal press. I chose a Healing Hand symbol because I have Reiki I and Reiki II certification. The hand is open with a peaceful intention and the spiral represents a path of spiritual growth. It is a symbol of Universal Healing Energy, channeled through the hands.

3.This is a 2 for 1. I have boxes full of beads and once in a while I get the urge to make some jewelry. The one on the left has red glass, small wood and large wood with Asian patterns. The one on the right is from a pattern called Sand and Sea.

4. The diamond in this ring is from my original engagement ring that Mr Sunshine gave me when I graduated from college. When we had been married 20 years I had it reset with the 2 rubies. Rubies are the stone for July, which is the birth month for me, my sister and my Dad. Ignore the wrinkly old-lady hand. That's what happens when you have fat hands and lose weight.

5. My grandmother gave this to me when my daughter was a baby. Sorority Girl was the first female great-grandchild in the family. She told me to hold onto it to give my daughter when she grew up and got married. It was a wedding gift from my great-grandfather to my great-grandmother. It has a watch (that still runs for a few hours) on one side and a locket on the other side.