NaBloPoMo: Day ?~ The End-o

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

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!

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

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.

NaBloPoMo: Day 21- All In The Family

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

NaBloPoMo Day Twenty-One: 5 short family stories

1. Sisterly Love~ My cousin was born more than 10 years after her 4 older brothers. When one of them needed a kidney transplant, she was the only one in the family who was a match.

2. Sisterly Grief~ My maternal Great-Grandmother was pregnant 21 times. Of the ones who survived their births and childhood illnesses, there were about 13. Two of them were sisters who were a year apart in age (around 3 and 4 years old) and very close to each other. One of the sisters was hit and killed by a trolley. The next year the other sister died of unknown causes. The family story is that she died of a broken heart.

3. Grandmother's Hair~ My grandmother told me that when my father was born she almost died and was unconscious for 2 weeks. She had hair down to her waist that she wore in a braid. She says she woke up in the hospital and the nurses has cut off her hair, so they wouldn't have to wash or brush it. She said she was permanently traumatized by this.

4. Hurricane~My Dad was in the Army National Guard.  When my parents were engaged, there was  a bad hurricane and my Dad had to go rescue people for 2 days. My Mom sat in the window of my grandparent's house the whole time, waiting to see my Dad walk down the street.

5. Procrastination Baby~ I was due to be born July 4, 1957 but my Dad was away with the National Guard. Over the next 3 weeks, my Mom went into the hospital to have labor induced 3 times. Every time, my grandfather would take her to the hospital and wait for me to be born. Nothing happened. So my grandfather would take her home. My Mom never went into labor until July 26, 1957 after my Dad arrived home. I refused to be born until Daddy could see his first child arrive.

NaBloPoMo: Day 20-Love Train

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

People all over the world join hands. Start a Love Train, love train.

NaBloPoMo Day Twenty- 5 groups of people on my LOVE TRAIN

1. Motorcycle Dudes~ The guys from Sons Of Anarchy

2. Football Players~ These 3 are at the top of my Cutie-Patootie Football Players list. Troy Polamalu, Clay Matthews and Tom Brady (he can bring Giselle and the kids)

3. Actors~ No Love Train would be complete without Taye Diggs( We'll invite his wife Idina Menzel along-she can sing for us),  Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda

4 Actress~ If we're inviting actors, we should invite some actresses to ride along. How about Lauren Graham, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia deRossi?

5. Family~ My LOVE TRAIN goes nowhere without my family!! Mr Sunshine, Cape Cod Kid (the tall guy on the right) and Sorority Girl.

NaBloPoMo: Day 19- Deep Thoughts

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

NaBloPoMo Day Nineteen- 5 things that I have seriously thought about in the past 48 hours.

1. Mom~ Mom arrived in The Sunshine State. After not seeing her for 7 months, I am concerned about how much she has aged in that short amount of time.

2. Job~ Thisclose to giving 2 weeks notice after being told I may be working until 11pm on Christmas Eve after I had already requested the night off. And not getting a sales shift on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but an on-call Shit Shift to stock the shelves from 8-11pm.

3. Peanut Crack&M's~ My anxiety is making those candy guys with the M's on their chests dance around and about the synapses between my nerve cells and making me crave what I can't have. Today, I ate an apple instead.

4. Thanksgiving Dessert ~ Sugar-free jello pudding pie with sugar-free cool whip is fucking depressing.

5. Cape Cod Kid~ Will be here for Christmas! Only 5 days, but that's OK.

NaBloPoMo: Day 18- Smellavision

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

NaBloPoMo Day Eighteen- 5 favorite smells. I wish you had smellavision.

1. Vanilla- Extract, candles, body wash. I think I first fell in love with vanilla when I was 16 and baked my first batch of chocolate chip cookies from scratch.

2. Cinnamon - Whole, ground, candles. I've made those Christmas ornaments that you make with cinnamon, cloves and Elmer's glue. Sometimes I add it to recipes that don't call for it.

3. Carnations- When Mr and Mrs Sunshine were poor college students I didn't want him to spend money on roses for special occasions. I was perfectly happy with a bouquet of carnations and daisies. When I got married, my bouquet was white carnations and daisies. My favorite bouquets are still carnations.

4. Cigars- My grandfather used to smoke cigars when  I was little. When I worked at Pottery Barn, there was a cigar shop next door. If I walked through a small courtyard to the parking lot, you could smell the smoke coming out of the smoking room.  The wax in my scent burner right now is called Hemingway.It is apple, sandalwood, cedar and spice but I think it smells like a really good cigar.

5. Bleach- When I was a lab tech, one of the ways we used to disinfect the countertops was to flood them with bleach, let it sit a bit and then wipe it off. I learned to associate to the smell of bleach with being really clean. I still love the smell of white towels that have been washed with bleach. After I scrubbed the tub this week, Mr Sunshine grabbed a bottle of bleach and sprayed it all over the tile grout. I can still smell it in the shower...Mmmm.

NaBloPoMo: Day 17- Kiddy Lit

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

NaBloPoMo Day Seventeen- 5 of my favorite kid's books.

1. Stargirl

I read this book when I worked at the information desk at Barnes and Noble. I wanted to be able to give good recommendations to the Grandmothers who wanted to choose a book for a grandchild, but were concerned about inappropriate content. I loved Stargirl. She was the new girl in the school who was "different" in a place where they admired conformity. She experiences a rise and fall in popularity. The things she did changed the people she met.

2. Hans Christian Andersen

This was my favorite book when I was a child. I think I read each of the stories a dozen times. My favorite was the story of the Wild Swans that were really princes with a spell on them. Their sister was Eliza and she had to knit coats of nettles to turn them back into princes. My second favorite story was the one about Thumbelina.

3. Down On The Farm With Grover

My kids were big fans of Sesame Street and we ordered a lot of storybooks from a Sesame Street book club. This one made my kids giggle. Grover goes to his uncle's farm to care for the animals. He has no idea what animals eat and our favorite part was when Grover can't figure out why they don't like spaghetti and meatballs.

4. Sheep In A Jeep

This one was a fun rhyming book. Sheep in a jeep on a hill that's steep. Uh-oh! The jeep won't go.

3. A Garden For Miss Mouse

This was one of my personal favorites. I read it so many times that I had it memorized at one point. Miss Mouse plants a garden that gets a little out of control. The townspeople have to help her solve her problem.

Every first of April Miss Mouse tills and rakes and hoes

And then she plants a garden in neat and tidy rows

NaBloPoMo: Day 16- Recent Favorites

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

NaBloPoMo Day Sixteen- Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, these are 5 more of my (recent) favorite things.

1. SweeTango Apples~ The apple on the right is a normal size Gala apple. The one on the left is a normal size SweeTango apple. They are THE BEST apples I have ever had in my life. So far I have only found them at Fresh Market. They are super crispy and juicy.

2. Morning Sun~ I have been getting up earlier. I love the way the sun shines onto my porch in the morning.

3. Crock-Pot~ We discovered that a 4-pound Boston Butt, cooked in here for 12-14 hours makes a truly awesome BBQ Pulled Pork.

4. Crest 3D White~ It works! It really works! Way better than strips and rinses and other toothpaste that I've tried.

5. Ponytail~ Last year my hair was super long...like halfway down my back. I got it cut and regretted it enough that I decided to let it grow again. It's FINALLY long enough to stay in a ponytail without half a dozen clips holding up the sides. YES, that's a scrunchie. So what. I never claimed to have style.

NaBloPoMo: Day 15- Always, Sometimes, Never

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

NaBloPoMo Day Fifteen- Always, Sometimes, Never

1. Coffee~ I ALWAYS lighten my coffee. I usually use half-and-half but SOMETIMES it's milk. I NEVER use non-dairy creamer.

2. PJ's~ I ALWAYS wear something to bed. SOMETIMES it's a nightgown, sometimes PJ bottoms and a tshirt and other times it's shorts and a tank top. I NEVER sleep in the nude.

3. Car sounds~ I ALWAYS have sound. It's usually music, SOMETIMES it's the radio. Other times it's a CD. It's NEVER Conservative talk radio.

4. Morning TV~ I ALWAYS have the TV on in the morning. I SOMETIMES watch Good Morning America, but I mostly watch The Today Show. I NEVER watch Fox news or CBS Early Morning show.

5. Glasses~ I ALWAYS wear glasses to read, knit and use the computer. I SOMETIMES wear glasses to eat. I NEVER wear glasses to drive.

NaBloPoMo: Day 14- Early Bird Special

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

NaBloPoMo Day Fourteen- 5 things I did before 10AM today.

I am really not an early bird. I normally sleep until 8:30 am (because I was reading until 1AM)Today I had somewhere to be at 8AM, so I was up for the day at 6AM.

1. 6AM~ In my comfy chair with a laptop. Read Fall River Herald News, Cape Cod Times and Orlando Sentinel online. Read a few blogs. Checked facebook.

2. 7AM~ Dressed but no makeup, hair in a ponytail, out the door, FREEZE MY ASS OFF because it was only 58 degrees, stop for coffee, arrive at work

3. 8AM~ Holiday Kickoff Meeting at the Shower Gel Store. Watch video message from Company VP to psych us up for Holiday. Role Play with new associates and give them tips on How To Survive Black Friday Without Losing Your Mind Or Stabbing Someone With A Box Cutter. Ignore stack of boxes of Dunkin Donuts and co-workers who are stuffing them down their pie holes.

4. 9AM~ Q&A with a manager since I will be tethered to the register from 7AM to 3:30PM on Black Friday, because DAMN, I'M FAST ON REGISTER. What are the promos? What is coupon procedure? Will I get periodic shoulder massages?

5. 9:45AM ~ In Lowe's. Bought a safety bar for my shower. Grandma Sunshine arrives from MA on Wednesday. I have to make sure she doesn't do a faceplant climbing out of the tub. Also bought an Amaryllis bulb to replace the pathetic dead houseplant I showed you back on Wednesday.

Now it's 11AM and I feel like I'm ready for my afternoon nap!

NaBloPoMo: Day 13-Crazy Train

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

NaBloPoMo Day Thirteen- 5 things that drive me nutty. As Ozzy Osbourne said "I'm going off the rails on a crazy train"

1. Diagonal Parkers~ Even though I work in a plaza with a WMart, the parking area in front of our store is small. We share it with Payless, a BBQ restaurant, a pool hall, a Frozen Yogurt place and Planet Fitness. When I get to work and find out someone has parked diagonally in the last parking spot, I scream. Sometimes it's the guy with the Lexus who's trying to avoid dings. Sometimes it's the rich lady driving the biggest freaking SUV that money can buy, but she can't handle it. Yesterday it was a beat-up Mom Van. Maybe the kids were distracting her?

2. Book Abusers~ You don't own the library book, so PLEASE STOP turning over the corners to save your place. Get a post-it, take the free bookmark at the library counter or rip off a freaking square of toilet paper. While you're at it, PUT DOWN THE CHEETOS. I hate greasy, orange fingerprints on the pages.

3. Blue Toothers~ A lady at work looked up at me and said "if you aren't going to help me, I'll find someone else". Excuse me Ma'am, you have a phone in your ear, you're mumbling and you aren't looking at me. I assumed you were talking to someone else, like all the other people that come in here with a Blue Tooth in their ear. I'm tired of answering people who aren't even speaking to me.

4. Parking Lot Statues~ This one happened to me today. My friend and I were leaving the Frozen Yogurt place, 3 women were standing behind my car, saying their goodbyes. We got in the car, I started the engine, I put it in reverse and they didn't move. I backed up about a foot. They still didn't move. Just as I was about to lean on the horn, they decided to move.

5. Mushy Fruit~ Okay, the fruit can't help it if they're mushy. But I don't have to buy my fruit at the stores that have mushy produce. When I buy strawberries and they get moldy the next day I'm not happy. When I buy not-quite-green-not quite-yellow bananas and they are mushy in less than 2 days, I'm not happy. I started buying fruits and veggies at Fresh Market or Freshfields Farm. Fresh Market might be $1 more per pound for apples, but I don't have to throw any away. Freshfield requires a trip into the city (not a big deal, it's only about 15 minutes away) but they have amazing produce and also a meat market. Sorry, Grocery Store.

NaBloPoMo: Day 12-TV Addict

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

NaBloPoMo Day Twelve- 5 favorite TV shows-Past and Present

I admit it. I'm a tv addict. If I'm home all day, the TV is probably on 15 hours a day.


1. My Three Sons ~ I loved this show when it ran as a prime time show. We recently discovered that a Christian TV station is running the show a few nights a week. I remember most of the episodes that they have been showing.

2. Big Bang Theory~ People seem to either love or hate this show. It makes me laugh out loud. My favorite parts are the bits that are recurring jokes, like when Sheldon goes to Penny's door *knock knock knock "Penny" knock knock knock "Penny"* and when Sheldon won't let anyone sit in his spot on the sofa. The casting of Mayim Bialik as Sheldon's "not a girlfriend" Amy Farrah Fowler is genius!

3. Sons Of Anarchy~ Yes, it can be very bloody, and that's when I cover my eyes. Mr Sunshine tells me when it's OK to look again. The stories and the acting in this show are outstanding. It's all dark and twisty and I love it.

4. Glee~ I think this one is another "love it or hate it" show. I love it because I was a 4-year high school chorus geek. I spent every possible minute of my day in the Band/Chorus room. In my senior year, I only took History, English and German. The rest of my day was spent in music classes. Yes it's true, just like Glee, when we weren't actively practicing for a concert, people were randomly breaking out in song and dance. I can take every character in Glee and relate them to someone I knew in high school. I want to be Kurt's Mom.

5. M*A*S*H~ This is one of my top 3 favorite TV series. EVER. I loved all the characters. Most especially Hawkeye Pierce. My Dad resembled Alan Alda and my Dad was in the Army. When we watched M*A*S*H together he would explain all the military terms to me. He told me a lot of the things that happened in the show were true to military service. I still have a very special place in my heart for Alan Alda.

NaBloPoMo: Day 11-Vacation Time

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

NaBloPoMo Day Eleven- Fly me away to these 5 vacations

1. Graceland ~ I'm not a crazy Elvis fan, but I've always wanted to see Graceland. While we're in Memphis we can celebrate the history of Blues with a walk down Beale Street. I could spend an afternoon strolling in the Brooks Museum and cap off the trip with a day cruise on the Mississippi.

2. San Francisco ~ Mr Sunshine has been to SF. I've been to SF. We've never been to SF together. I was there for 2 days after a Sonoma Valley wedding. In order to see as much of the city as possible, we took a bus tour that included the entire northern section of the city and included the Marin Highlands. The next day we rode the trolley and spent an obscene amount of time at the Ghiradelli factory store. We didn't get to spend any time in Chinatown or enough time in Golden Gate Park. I would love to go back with Mr Sunshine and combine the vacation with some wine tasting in Napa and Sonoma.

3. Anguilla ~ This is a little British Caribbean island. I first heard about it when I read Bob and Melinda Blanchard's book A TRIP TO THE BEACH. They left their life in Vermont and opened a restaurant on Anguilla. According to the guide books, there doesn't seem to be much to do there except relax, but that doesn't sound too bad.

4. Austria~ I'm a Mozart Geek and a Sound of Music Geek, so naturally Austria is on my bucket list. My friend has been and convinced me that I need to go there.

5. London ~ Oh London, I LOVE YOU. We had a chance to do a whirlwind 4 day trip to London in 1999. We crammed as much as possible into those 4 days, combined with some VW obligations that we needed to attend. We saw Les Miz in the West End, ate lunch at the original Hard Rock Cafe, Covent Garden, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Windsor Castle, rode the Underground all over the city, ate fish and chips in a pub and went on a nighttime dinner cruise on the Thames. They were still building the London Eye. We missed the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and I didn't get to see St Paul's Cathedral. I still need to see the Tate Modern and spend more time at Shakespeare's Globe Theater. I want to explore the OXO Tower boutiques.

If Mr Sunshine won't come with me, I'm taking Jen!

NaBloPoMo: Day 10-Bright Ideas

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

NaBloPoMo Day Ten- 5 of my bright ideas


1. How pathetic is that plant? I have underwatered it and overwatered it and it finally gave up and died of neglect. I need a plant pot that tells you to WATER THE DAMN PLANT. Out loud. I don't care if the thing beeps, speaks, lights up and blinks. I just need some kind of prompt on exactly the day the poor thing needs some liquid.

2. Everyone is up in arms about Happy Meals. Did you hear about the San Fran Happy Meal Ban? They're not allowed to put toys in any kid's meal that has more than 600 calories. I have a two-way solution to that problem. I'll invent a kid's meal that has less than 600 calories and instead of a toy, we'll have a deal with Barnes and Noble or Borders. The kid's meal will have coupons or tokens to collect. They could be traded at the bookstore for books. Win-Win. More kids reading and eating healthier meals.

3. Mr Sunshine and I have a Sleep Number Bed. I like a firm mattress, so I have a pretty high sleep #. Mr Sunshine like a softer mattress so his number is lower. I call his side the Bed Canoe. If he is away and I'm sleeping alone in the bed, I have to be careful about rolling over. I have landed in the Bed Canoe and couldn't get out. Mr Sunshine is also not a 53 yr old woman, so he likes his side of the bed a little warmer than I do. If he drags an extra blanket up during the night, I wake up in a hot sweaty mess. My idea is to have temperature sensors built into the remote for the bed. He can set his side on Tropical Paradise and I can set mine on Menopause Sucks.

4. I love TV. I HATE COMMERCIALS. Let me repeat....I HATE COMMERCIALS. I watch TV with the remote by my side and I can mute a commercial within a second or two. During the election season I was getting a case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome beating the mute button every 10 minutes. I would be forever grateful if you could program the TV remote to automatically mute the ads.

5. My name is Jeanne and I am a Diet Cola addict. For some odd reason, water gives me horrific reflux. I probably put away a 2 Liter bottle of diet soda every 24-30 hours. You know how some refrigerators have a water dispenser? I want one with a COKE ZERO dispenser. That would be so cool and create less trash. Cheers!

NaBloPoMo: Day 9- Fraidy Cat

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

NaBloPoMo Day Nine-5 things I fear

1. Alzheimers~ In my last job in Massachusetts, I took a training class in caring for people with Alzheimers. I found that I had the patience for it and did long-term home care for 3 clients with diagnosed Alzheimers and many more with other types of dementia. I pray that I never develop that disease. The fear, confusion and frustration in these patients is so sad. I hope I age the way almost all of my relatives have done. They live to be in their 90's and have sharp minds throughout their elderly years.

2. Blindness~ I know for a fact that I am a visual learner. You can't explain things to me, you have to show me how to do it. My hearing is not perfect, so I tend to read lips a little when I'm in a conversation or watching movies. My hobbies are reading, knitting, scrapbooking and crossword puzzles and I depend on my eyes in each one. If you gave me a choice between losing my hearing or my eyesight, I would rather lose my hearing.

3. Falling~ Since I fell on my face this summer, I have developed a fear of falling. I climb stairs slower than an 80 year old and I watch the sidewalk for the tiniest crack that could trip me. I need to learn how to throw my arms up quickly in case I find myself doing a faceplant again.

4. Enclosed Spaces~ The first time I experienced this, we were camping in a small tent. I woke up during the night and felt like the ceiling of the tent was too close to my face. I could feel my breath bouncing off the tent and blowing back onto my face. When I worked at Pottery Barn, I was assigned to inventory a very small room where we stored the glassware. The room was about 30 feet long, but only about 3 feet wide. After spending about 4 hours in there, I went out to my car on a break and cried!

5. Squirrels~Not Country Squirrels. They're cute and they run around in the backyard, eat breakfast in the strawberry patch and scamper away when you open the door. It's the City Squirrels that creep me out. They aren't afraid of people. They attack people in the park and bite their ankles! They sit on the landing between me and my front door and stare me down! They sit on a branch over the sidewalk and make jerky motions. I just know they're thinking about jumping on my head as I pass under the tree!

I'm pretty sure my obituary will say that I died of fright after being locked in a closet with a City Squirrel.

NaBloPoMo: Day 8-Essential Love Songs

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

NaBloPoMo Day Eight-Essential Love Songs

Of course my iPod has more than 5 Love songs on it, but I would definately include these 5.

1. I Can't Help Falling In Love With You~ A few months before I got married I had seen a band performing with a lead singer that did a mean Elvis impression. I booked them for my wedding and requested this song.

Like a river flows surely to the sea, Darling so it goes, Some things are meant to be.
Take my hand, take my whole life too, for I can't help falling in love with you.

2. More Than Words~ This song is by Extreme and a departure from their usual funk/metal.
Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt are from Massachusetts...Shout out to Malden and Hudson!

More than words is all I ever needed you to show that you love me
'Cause I'd already know.

3. To Make You Feel My Love~ I like both the Garth Brooks and the Billy Joel versions of this song, but didn't know it was written by Bob Dylan! They all recorded it in 1997.

When evening shadows and the stars appear, and there is no one to dry your tears.
I could hold you for a million years, to make you feel my love.

4. Life After You~ Daughtry. I could not possibly have married someone that didn't make me laugh.

All that I'm after is a life full of laughter, as long as I'm laughing with you.
I'm thinkin' that all that still matters is love ever after, after the life we've been through.
'Cause I know there's no life after you.

5. Could Not Ask For More~Edwin McCain. Mr Sunshine and I both love this song.

I could not ask for more than this time together
I could not ask for more than this time with you
Every prayer has been answered, every dream has come true
Right here in this moment is right here where I'm meant to be
Here with you, here with me

NoBloPoMo: Day 7-Tolerating

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

NaBloPoMo Day Seven- 5 things I'm tolerating, instead of dealing with.

1. Eyesight~ I need an eye exam. I still live in the Land Of The Uninsured, but I occasionally see ads for $39 eye exams with the purchase of your glasses. I can make do with readers and I get them at Costco, 3 pairs for $18.99. A few weeks ago my vision started getting really blurry and I was headachy at the end of the day. I stepped up to 2.00 magnification and Voila! I can read and knit again!

2. Closet~ Last week I posted a picture of my scary closet. When we lived in the bigger condo, the closet in the spare bedroom was my Christmas/Craft closet. Now all the craft stuff shares a closet with my clothes. I'm asking Santa for a gift certificate for the Big Giant Home Stuff Store and I'll get shoe racks and purse racks and shelves and I'll make the whole project a New Year's resolution.

3. Loose Skin~ No one told me that when you lose 50+ pounds, your skin gets loose. REALLY loose. I expected it on my jelly belly and bubble butt, but definately NOT on my hands and arms. And feet! I need to do some serious research on how to get rid of it without the services of a plastic surgeon.

4. Car~ It's doing a rumbling thing at about 30 miles an hour. It needs to go into the shop. So far it isn't bothering me too much because I've been hibernating.....because.....

5. Job~ My boss is throwing me a 3 hour shift about once every 10 days. I've been called in to work on a few visual changes, but for the most part I'm not working. Mr Sunshine says "don't worry about it". It only bothers me when I want to spend a little money on non-essentials, like mani/pedi, books, hair dye, Christmas cards, candles. Notice that WINE does not appear on that list. Mom is selling her Florida winter home and I'll need to spend time helping her this winter, so I'm not really keen on getting a new job and asking for a lot of time off. I'll just spend the winter being the wino in the library with grey roots and snaggly fingernails.

NaBloPoMo: Day Six-Teachers

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

NaBloPoMo: Day 6-Teachers

1. P.H.~ My Associates Degree is in Medical Lab Technology. P.H. was the Chairman of the department and our Microbiology instructor. She was a first-class space case who spoke like she was always highly medicated. She would give us 10 pages of notes, then the next day she would say "Forget what I told you yesterday, I made some mistakes". I was told that one day in the lab, when she was a hospital employee, she dropped an entire rack of TB cultures and the room had to be completely emptied and disinfected.

2. M.G.~ I took piano lessons for about 8 years, starting at age 8. M.G. was my first piano teacher. I thought she was 100 years old, but she was probably in her late 60's. She had severe scoliosis and was bent over with a large hunchback. Frankly, I was a little bit afraid of her. To teach me the proper way to curve my fingers she would make me lay my little hands over her bony ones as she played. Miss G taught me everything I know about music theory and piano technique.

3. P.R.~ When I got to 5th grade I was thrilled to finally join the school chorus. I loved Mrs R for teaching us 4-part harmony. The first song we learned was Inchworm, from the movie about Hans Christian Andersen. She instilled in me a lifelong love of singing. I sang in chorus from 5th grade until I graduated from high school and sang in church for many years.

4. Dr W~ Imagine a college chemistry professor, over 6 feet tall, speaking for 90 minutes in a monotone, right before lunchtime. I can't tell you how many times I fell asleep in that class. There was one day when I was happy I had stayed awake. Dr W had his models out that looked like Tinker Toys. He was manipulating them into various positions, saying "If you turn this and add this, it's hydrogen. If you turn it this way and add this, it's oxygen. If you turn it and add this and add this....he paused....held it out in front of him in his open palms and softly said...it's a ducky". He never cracked a smile and went on to the next molecule.

5. H.S.~ Walking into the first day of 6th grade was a shock. Our teacher! It's a MAN!! We were all used to Nuns or Middle-Aged Women and now there was a young, blond guy in the front of the room. He was fresh out of college with the energy to deal with a class full of 11 and 12 year olds. I will always remember our first class project of papier-mache solar system that hung from the ceiling for the whole year. On days when he thought we were a little too rambunctious, we would troop outside for a quick 3-inning kickball game. I will also never forget that he taught the boys to treat the girls with respect and taught the girls to respect themselves.