Once Upon a Time.... (The Kitty Kat Post)

Long long ago, before Diva & Ruby, before my KIDS were born, and even before I became Happy Wife, I was a Crazy Cat Lady (not REALLY, but still....)

I had 2 cats who I was crazy-in-love-with. (Seriously.... I was borderline obsessed with my cats.) This is an OIL PAINTING of them. (My mother commissioned an artist to do this painting for my 21st birthday. And no, my cats did not pose for this.... mom gave the artist several photographs that she worked from.)

Anyway, their names were Jasmine and Mortimer. Jasmine was a beautiful calico kitten who had been abandoned (with her littermates) at a horse stable. My friend Sarah and I were riding horses one afternoon and saw the kittens and I, of course, being an overly idealistic 19 year old at the time, simply had to "save" one of the kitties. Then Mortimer was adopted from the Atlanta Humane Society shortly thereafter. Mortimer was very much a "lover, not a fighter". (He reminds me of Laura's cat Chumley, in that he would make amorous advances towards certain inanimate objects, even after being neutered.)

Jasmine and Mortimer have long since passed away, and gone to the Great Litter Box in the sky.... And, considering I'm allergic to cats, I probably won't have cats for the foreseeable future, although I do dearly love them, and miss having them. Cats are wonderful pets. :-)

Why Can't We Just All Get Along?

To quote Rodney King.... (remember him?)... and Martin Luther King..... and a bunch of other people.....

WHY can't we just all get along....?!

Like everyone else, I heard about the terrorist attack in Mumbai and was very troubled.
Our next door neighbors - who are truly some of the kindest people on the planet - are originally from India. They have family in Mumbai. Although their family members are OK, they are understandably very shaken up. And on the news I heard the story about Moshe Holtzberg, who will turn 2 years old today, as an orphan, because his parents were murdered by terrorists.

It just breaks my heart.
I simply don't understand the hatred that exists in people's hearts.

If you pray, please pray for those affected by this.

I've Been Tagged! (a/k/a 7 Tidbits of Trivia About Me)

Don has tagged me!

Actually, since I've been doing this blog thing for awhile now, I've had a similar tag to this one, so I'm going to "cheat" and rather than list 7 Unusual Things about me.... I'm going to simply put a link to 40 Tidbits About Me from way back when.... (yeah, I know it's kind of cheating.... but hey - look at it THIS WAY.... you get 25 bonus things for free!) :-)

The poor souls I would like to tag are:

• Buzy Bee Suz (for all her new readers who don't yet REALLY know her....
• My Lovely Cousin Rachel
• The Amazing Michele from Rocky Mountain Photography
• Nurse Extraordinaire Amanda

And, of course, if you don't want to participate, that's OK. (It will just mean a hex of 7 years upon your house....) . ...KIDDING!

A Lovely Post-Thanksgiving Thought

from my Charles Swindoll devotional....

"Thanksgiving is a time of quiet reflection upon the past and an annual reminder that God has, again, been ever so faithful. The solid and simple things of life are brought into clear focus, so much so that everything else fades into insignificance."

I just love that. It's so true.

And today's verse:

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done. Psalm 105: 4, 5

Ready..... Set......SHOP!

UPDATE: I only bought 4 gifts - 2 for each kid - and spent a WHOPPING $47 total. Not bad. (Dave Ramsey would be proud, wouldn't he, Cliff?) :-) Needless to say, I got some really good deals....

OK.... I wasn't going to participate this year, but I always get caught up in the excitement, so....

I have my sale flyers ready - I've gone through with markers and circled the "door busters" that are just SUCH phenomenal deals that I at least need to to to the stores and LOOK at the deals (and we all know what that means).

However, I'm definitely not going ALL OUT this year though, like I usually do. Usually I'm in the stores by 6 AM and I shop until noon. Then I meet my girlfriend Dawn for lunch (who is equally serious about Black Friday); we typically have lunch near the mall and re-charge our batteries, and then finish up by 2 PM.

I usually complete about 80% - 90% of my Christmas shopping all on Black Friday.

However, this year we're doing the Frugal Thing.... paying ALL CASH. And as a family we'll spend about 50% of what we normally do on Christmas. And everything I do buy will have to be a GREAT deal.

The Turkey Manifesto

My daughter (the 5th grade "sudden animal activist") has decided to post her manifesto about why we shouldn't eat turkey up on the pantry door. (If you look closely at the picture you can see the sheet that says "Don't Eat Me".... and what follows is a 'persuasive letter' written from the turkey's point of view.)

(Clearly, she has forgotten that she lives with a family of carnivores....)

She did try, unsuccessfully, to be a vegetarian a few years ago. (This was due in large part to the fact that her BFF Rachel is a vegetarian....) This last foray into vegetarianism lasted about 3 days until we were eating a pizza and I pointed out to her (as she was biting into her pepperoni slice) that pepperoni is "off the menu" for vegetarians. She looked momentarily dismayed, then continued right on eating.

We'll see how tomorrow goes. I do know ONE thing.... and it's that my little girl LOVES gravy.... I don't think she has any clue it's made from animal fat. :-)

Unintended Humor Behind the "Credit Crunch"

I find the below ironic, and somewhat humorous.

Two years ago, for wedding anniversary number 15, Hubster bought me a lovely diamond anniversary ring from a jeweler that just recently went belly up. The ring was expensive enough that we chose not to pay for it all up front, but to take the "12 months same as cash" financing the jeweler offered at the time. (And yes, I know Dave Ramsey frowns upon this sort of financing...)

Needless to say, we paid the ring off well within the 12 month period (thus incurring no interest) and have never used the credit card again.

However, I forgot to cancel the card.

Fast forward to now.

Today, in the mail, I got a letter from the credit issuer - GE Money Bank (what a goofy name).

They have decided that, "due to a recent review of our account" that they will be closing our account due to the "risk they feel we represent" (HUH?!?!)

I just had to laugh.

First, the balance on the ONE purchase we made has been paid for almost 2 years.

Second, we've never even USED the card since the initial purchase.

Third (and this is my fault), I thought I had closed the stupid account.

Anyway, I found the whole thing rather amusing.

Clearly, the credit crunch is VERY REAL when they are crunching even people with GOOD credit and ZERO balances!

As Whoopi Goldberg would say on The View "WHAT THE HELL?!"

PS: Leave it to the banking/finance industry to act without regard to common sense.... they CLOSE an account for someone who paid a balance OFF quickly and completely, but yet they have WRECKED our country's economy by making HUGE home loans available to people who don't have the ability to pay them back. Hmmmm..... Yes this makes LOTS of sense.

And if this isn't bad enough, why don't WE, as taxpayers, hand them MORE money, pat them on the back, and HOPE that they can just sort of "figure it out".... yeah, let's try that!

I get nauseated when I think of what their avarice and greed have done to our country. It's shameful.

Sigh.

The "Gratitude Door"

Boquinha left a wonderful comment on my blog yesterday.... a comment SO good that it is worthy of its own post (actually Boquinha's comments frequently lead to their own posts here ... she is THAT good! If you haven't yet checked out her blog, do so!)

Anyway, she made the comment that each November at her house, they have a "Gratitude Door" .... they cover a door in paper and have crayons, pencils, etc. nearby so they can write, draw, etc what they are grateful for. What a GREAT idea, especially if you have kids. (A perfect antidote to the never-ending "I-want-I-want-I-want" of the Christmas season....)

I think I'm going to copy your idea, Boquinha - it's a great suggestion and especially perfect during this "financially strained" Thanksgiving/Christmas 2008!

Happy Thanksgiving Week Everyone!

Thanksgiving snuck up again, didn't it? :-)

I know this has been a "challenging" year (financially) for many of us.... and challenging, for other reasons, for many more of us.

But I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful week and you can surround yourself with your loved ones and take some time to get off the whirling merry-go-round of your stress-filled lives and pause and be thankful for all your blessings.

Because really, on the great "balance sheet of life", each one of us has so very much to be thankful for.

This week I'm going to make it a point to be especially thankful, not just on Thursday, but all week long for everything I already have.... rather than think about the things that I don't have.

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

An Accessory for My Dog Diva

I just love Target. I went in there to buy some shampoo and laundry detergent and what ELSE did I find?

A big, pink SPARKLY Christmas tree ornament that has my DOG's name on it.

Yes, Diva now has her own ornament.

(Now all I need is one for Ruby.) :-)

This is Why I Could Never Work at a Zoo

Because I would be constantly sneaking in to their habitat to HUG and CUDDLE the pandas.... and it would be BAD NEWS for me....

Seriously - how can you look at these sweet little faces and fat little bodies and NOT want to hop the fence and hug them?!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/22/panda.bites.man.china.ap/index.html

The Novel is Coming Along Splendidly...

Maybe it was the Cafe Mocha at Starbucks.... maybe it was that blank composition book just waiting to be filled up....

Or maybe it was the fact that I BLABBED about it here on my blog, but I have a nice little outline of the main characters and the plot for my novel.

It's a little quirky, very funny, and a little bittersweet. I'm getting really excited about it!

I'm going to work for a couple hours this AM and then head back out to that same Magical Starbucks this morning and write some more! :-)

(Michele, I know this makes you chuckle....!!) :-)

A "Real" Housewife From Atlanta??.....PLEASE...

I feel the need to apologize to the world after reading THIS.
Egad. I hope people don't think my city is chock full with pampered little cupcakes like this.

I mean, really. This is borderline ludicrous. Laughable. Embarrassing.
(I wonder if this woman has ever looked up the word "self-absorbed"???)

Amazing.

A Blast From The (1970's) Past!

OK, go back with me to Saturday mornings, back in the 1970's.... sitting in front of the TV in your footed jammies.... remember the SCARIEST of all Saturday morning villains? It was, of course, the SLEESTAKS from "Land of the Lost"!!!! (Looking at this footage now, the special effects are embarrassingly primitive, but BOY did it scare me as a kid!)




Wow - check out the waterfall in the opening credits.... LOL... stunning special effects. ;-)

Starbucks, Here I Come.... Notebook And Pen In Hand!

Today is Friday.
I have VERY little work today with my business.
My husband is at work ALL DAY (driving the Big Brown truck.... for those of you who don't know my husband is a UPS man.)
My kids are at school ALL DAY.
My house is "relatively" clean.

I have a book sitting in front of me, written by Chris Baty, that I bought a few years ago when I did NaNoWriMo ... the book is entitled No Plot? No Problem! I also have a blank, brand new composition book just WAITING to be filled with characters, plots, sub-plots, intrigue, theme, thrilling climax, denouement, etc.

So, I'm going to take my little self up to Starbucks, buy a great big Cafe Mocha and END the procrastination.

As Chris Baty so succinctly put it in his book: "..... the biggest thing separating people from their artistic ambition is not a lack of talent. It's the lack of a deadline. Give someone a friendly yet firm due date, and miracles will happen...."

Although I don't technically have a due date, I do have my friend Christen as an accountability partner, so it's time to GET BUSY!

Thrilled, I Am.....!!

.... that Brian Jones has decided to resume blogging!

Can I get a big HOORAY?!

Brian Jones' first book Second Guessing God: Hanging On When You Can't See His Plan has long been on the HWHL Top 10 All Time Favorite Books....
If you're looking for a good read (OR a good Christmas present) I would encourage you to check it out.

Hugh, Part Two

I just can't get enough of Hugh Jackman. He's not only easy on the eyes, but incredibly talented, charming, and I LOVE the fact that he's so completely smitten with his wife.
Here's a great interview with him from GMA.
Can't WAIT to see "Australia" when it opens next week!

Suz Is The Funniest Blogger On The Planet

She truly truly is.
I almost wet myself when I read this.

(But then again, Suz has kept me laughing since the 9th grade...)
I LOVE that girl!

Revelation Song

One of my very favorites.
If you're a follower of Jesus, I don't think you can sing the below song without crying. I know I can't.

Well, Now That I've Said Yes......

My beautiful, awesome, wonderful, inspirational friend Christen is getting ready to write her 3rd book (she already has TWO of her books published). Yes, published. As in, you could go on Amazon and order them and have them shipped to your house.

Anyway, Christen is one of the FEW people who I have let read my short stories, etc., and she has always been urging me (nagging me?) ... ENCOURAGING me to write more.

So, anyway, very recently she PINNED ME IN A CORNER (so to speak) and told me she wants me to write a book along with her..... simultaneously.....

And me (being brain-dead, apparently) agreed!

Sigh (whatever was I thinking???!)

I have no plot. I have no characters.
I DO have a blinking cursor and a blank white screen. :-)

AND, more importantly, I have made a promise to a dear friend.

So (alas), I shall start.
Wish me luck. :-)

Happy 42nd, Jeff Buckley

A posthumous birthday salute to the late, great Jeff Buckley.

If you aren't familiar with Jeff's music, do yourself a favor and go pick up a copy of his one and only CD "Grace". You won't be disappointed.

Jeff drowned while out swimming with a friend in Memphis when he was just 30 years old.

But he left us with some amazing and really beautiful, soulful music.

He is (and will always be) my favorite singer-songwriter.

To listen to a sample of his music, go here.

Need Encouragement?

James 2: 2 - 6
My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy. Your faith will be put to the test. You know that when that happens it will produce in you the strength to continue. The strength to keep going must be allowed to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need. If any of you need wisdom, ask God for it. He will give it to you. God gives freely to everyone. He doesn't find fault. But when you ask, you must believe. You must not doubt. People who doubt are like waves of the sea. The wind blows and tosses them around.


Matthew 6: 25-34
I tell you, do not worry. Don't worry about your life and what you will eat or drink. And don't worry about your body and what you will wear. Isn't there more to life than eating? Aren't there more important things for the body than clothes?
Look at the birds of the air. They don't plant or gather crops. They don't put away crops in storerooms. But your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Aren't you worth much more than they are? Can you add even one hour to your life by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the wild flowers grow. They don't work or make clothing. But here is what I tell you. Not even Solomon in all of his glory was dressed like one of those flowers. If that is how God dresses the wild grass, won't he dress you even better? After all, the grass is here only today. Tomorrow it is thrown into the fire. Your faith is so small!
So don't worry. Don't say, 'What will we eat?' Or, 'What will we drink?' Or, 'What will we wear?' People who are ungodly run after all of those things. Your Father who is in heaven knows that you need them. But put God's kingdom first. Do what he wants you to do. Then all of those things will also be given to you. So don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need. He lets me lie down in fields of green grass. He leads me beside quiet waters. He gives me new strength. He guides me in the right paths for the honor of his name. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid. You are with me. Your shepherd's rod and staff comfort me. You prepare a feast for me right in front of my enemies. You pour oil on my head. My cup runs over. I am sure that your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. And I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

__________________

If you haven't talked to God in awhile, what's stopping you?

Beautiful Items from a Fellow Blogger

Looking to buy something truly unique, original and beautiful for a Christmas present?

Wouldn't it be nice if that gift was also produced by a fellow blogger?

Michele from Rocky Mountain Retreat who is an absolutely amazing amateur photographer, has a small online store with Cafe Press. You can purchase calendars, coffee mugs, journals, notecards, mousepads, prints, etc. (A couple samples of her photos are above.)

As you can see, her work is TRULY breathtaking. (And, I've gotten to know Michele and she is an AMAZING woman! Truly an inspiration to me and I feel blessed and honored to call her FRIEND.)

If you are interested in browsing her online store, here is a link.

Thanks!

(And now back to our regularly scheduled programming!) :-)

WARNING: Panda Overdose Alert (Can't Resist..)

Since apparently the "panda cam" is offline today, I found an older panda cam video of Mei Lan, who is the new cub's big sister and is now about 2 years old. (Mei Lan was a HUGE celebrity when she was born at Zoo Atlanta a couple of years ago.... we're talking Major Star....)

Anyway, here is video of Mei Lan when she was just a sleepy cub, napping away. (There is a risk of overdosing on cuteness when you watch this, so be prepared....)

Panda Cam!

Zoo Atlanta has a new baby panda. :-)

He was born August 30th (easy for me to remember... it was one day before my birthday!)

The zoo has a live streaming "Panda Cam" - looks like it's down at the moment, but if you've never seen a baby panda, they are TRULY the cutest little creatures on the planet.

Here's the link if you want to explore. :-)

WOW!!!!

Gas is down to $1.88 here now!

(Yes, my California friends, you heard me correct - a buck eighty eight!!)

I really wonder how much farther it's going to fall?

(I'm not complaining - no, not at all - I just think it's crazy that I paid over $4, just 6 weeks ago, and had a hard time even FINDING gas due to the shortage we experienced.... and now the price is dropping like a rock!)

Crazy, I tell you. Crazy.

Nebraska's Sad Story

This story absolutely breaks my heart. I can't imagine the desparation a parent must feel to be willing to do this. (Not to mention how the child must feel after they have been left.)

The story of the recently widowed father who abandoned his nine kids because he couldn't care for them any longer has haunted me.

I hope the State of Nebraska, in their haste to re-word this law, realizes that their Dept of Family & Childrens Services needs other avenues to assist these families. (Hopefully all states can learn from this sad chapter....)

And we, as individuals, can be more sensitive to those around us who are struggling but may be putting on a "brave face".... sometimes you never know what someone is going through behind closed doors....

"A Phrase That Pays"

People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing. That's why we recommend it daily.
-Zig Ziglar

November Fog

I didn't take this picture, but this is what it looked like when I woke up this morning. Foggy Fall colors. Just beautiful.

The Story of Stuff

Great video. Definitely worth watching (with an open mind....)
I'd say we Americans (definitely ME!) have been lulled into a sense of "blind entitlement" for far too long. In the long run it's unsustainable, and irresponsible.

Conquering Clutter

DISCLAIMER: This photo is NOT my house..... (thank goodness...)

Did y'all see Oprah today? I think I'm going to do this. Not that my house is as bad as Marin's was (oh my GOSH!!!!) but it definitely could use some help.

How do you guys stay on top of clutter? Do you find that clutter affects your mood? Your motivation? (It definitely affects mine!)

Do have you have an area, like me (my basement) where you just dump stuff, close the door, and forget it? (Then when you go down there, you look around in abject terror, and then FLEE!!)

Beware of Bambi and other Bucks

Saw a dead buck just outside my 'hood this morning. Although I live in a well-populated northern Atlanta 'burb, the area around us is very heavily wooded. AND (if you didn't know) November is the month when most "Deer vs Car" accidents are likely to occur. (They tend to occur mostly at dawn and at dusk.)

Always so sad to see a beautiful creature like this who has been killed by a car. (I'm sure the car didn't look too great either....)

Anyway, be careful out there..... if you've ever had a deer spring out in front of your car, you know there really isn't much warning...

A Salute and a Thank You to All Veterans

I should have posted this FIRST THING this morning. (Shame on me.)
As a daughter of a career military man, I grew up very aware of patriotism and of the fact that freedom is not free!

So, please take a moment (if you've not yet done so) to thank the military people in your life for what they have done (or are currently doing) to serve our great country.

And GOD BLESS THE USA!!!!

Miscellaneous Ramblings

Gasoline, this morning, is selling for $1.96 a gallon at the station I fill up at.
Six WEEKS ago, there was a MAJOR gas shortage in Atlanta and if you were lucky enough to FIND gas, it was over $4 a gallon. How does a price on something swing THAT wildly in 6 weeks? Yo no comprende.

My 50 lb Chocolate Lab puppy Diva came "this" close to getting on the school bus this morning with my son. He had to run down the street to catch his bus and she somehow managed to wiggle out the door and run after him (she LOVES kids and is VERY excited by the whole kids + school bus thing that happens every morning). She was in FULL GALLOP towards the bus, and I had to run after her in my NYU sweatshirt and pajama pants (and bare feet) to stop her.... QUITE the spectacle, I can assure you.....

I found an unused 1 hour Swedish Massage gift certificate (from last Christmas!) yesterday while cleaning (see, there IS something positive to be gained by cleaning!) It's at a very fancy spa here in Atlanta, so I'm going to treat myself next week!

Sorry, Viggo.... I have eyes for another....

UPDATE: D'Arcy actually had an 'intimate moment' of sorts with Hugh.... you'll have to go to D'Arcy's blog for details! (OK, D'Arce - there's your SHOUT OUT, girl!!)
And yes, folks, this is ALL TRUE!!! :-)


I don't know about you guys, but I am SO ready to see "Australia" which is coming out Thanksgiving weekend.

Hugh Jackman is total eye candy. (And he seems like such a fun guy too.... has that little twinkle in his eye... and such a GREAT smile...)

(Sorry, Viggo. I got tired waiting for you to accept me as your FaceBook friend. Sigh.) ;-)

True Friendship Lasts a Lifetime

My daughter insisted I put this video on my blog.
(Being a skeptic, I immediately did a bit of research and lo and behold, the story appears to be true....)

Very sweet.

Love, Personified

Happy Birthday Billy!

Billy Graham is 90 today. Wow.

Saw him in Atlanta about 10 (15?) years ago..... he filled up the Georgia Dome (not an easy task...)

He's a wonderful speaker. And he's done a lot of good in our world.

Happy Birthday Billy!

A Photo for D'Arcy

Normally my son J keeps a fairly tidy room.

My daughter S on the other hand - her room looks like a Colombian drug cartel was recently in there, looking for drugs, weapons, or money. (We have a running joke that if the police ever came to our house for any reason they would immediately call for backup upon seeing S's room.... because it looks as though SURELY it has been recently ransacked.)

Anyway, I had gone into J's room this afternoon to open the windows (another lovely, Indian Summer day being upon us) and I laughed out loud when I saw the book that was in the midst of the Halloween candy wrappers strewn upon the floor.

And no, D'Arcy, this was not a "plant". It truly was laying right there, just like this. Thought you'd get a kick out of it.

Yet another one of those QUESTIONABLE books.... :-)

BREAKING NEWS in Atlanta...

This probably won't mean anything to folks outside Atlanta, but Brian Nichols has just been found guilty.

He terrorized this city after his shooting rampage years ago, and my daughter STILL has nightmares that he's coming to "get us". (He was found hiding out in an apartment not too far from where we live....)

He took 4 innocent lives the day he went berserk, and then tried to convince the court that he had gone temporarily insane and was acting out because he thought he was a slave and he was merely rebelling against his slave master....

I never bought it, and I'm relieved the jury didn't buy it either.

Need a Laugh?

Having a tough day?
I dare you to watch this and not laugh. :-)

Mmmmm.... Bacon....

My husband is frying BACON.
It's 11:30 pm. At night. On a Thursday.

The dogs are going NUTS.
They were sound asleep until their NOSES woke them.
"What, a PORK PRODUCT is frying?! I'm ON IT!".... and they stampeded down the stairs...

Of course, I now have to go downstairs as well and have a piece of bacon.
At 11:30 at night. Right before bedtime.

But really.... who can say no to bacon?!
Certainly not This Girl.... !

Fall Fotos From my 'Hood

A lovely red maple starts our tour of the 'hood..... Then we're on to a Bradford pear (it's half green and half red right now - really pretty - the picture doesn't do it justice), and the bottom one is a GORGEOUS yellow maple that looks like it's on fire when the sun hits it "just so" in the afternoon.

LOVE Autumn....

Please let me out of the box...

I hate being put in a box.

It's really hard to breathe.

And there's not much sunlight.

And it's very stuffy....

But it happened again, tonight.

ABC News, once again, put ALL of us "evangelical Christians" in a big box.... apparently we can all STILL be painted with the same paintbrush.

Sigh.

I guess they don't realize that we Christians are a motley bunch. We're all different races, temperaments, backgrounds, political affiliations, etc. In fact, the one and ONLY thing that holds us together is our faith in Jesus. Many of us voted for Obama and are pleased that he won. (The latest estimates I read were that 40% of evangelical Christians voted for Obama....)

I guess the media simply can't grasp that not ALL of us have "W" stickers on the back of our minivans (actually, I don't drive a minivan....) and I sure as heck don't have a "W" sticker on the back of my car. Sorry to disappoint.

I read a great blog post a bit earlier today written by a Christian about why he chose Obama after voting Republican for many years. It really hit home with me.

Here's the link....

Whew.... it feels good to be out of that box.

SHAMELESSLY ignoring my work this afternoon...

It's already 71 degrees here - the sky is bright blue.

Leaves on the trees are still brilliant Fall colors.... the forecasted high today is 74.

I'm sorry, work, you're just going to have to WAIT until tomorrow.

I'm taking a mental health day and heading out-of-doors. (I love the term "out-of-doors", don't you? Sounds so much more fancy than just "outdoors".)

Maybe I'll snap some pictures... if I can find my camera....

The Visitor in my Bathroom

Nope, he wasn't selling insurance.

Nope, he didn't speak with a charming British accent.

He (she?) was just hanging out, between my migraine meds and my perfume.... looking up and me and blinking.... (blink, blink, blink).

I blinked back (blink, blink, blink).

I think both of us were absolutely shocked to see the other one there. :-)

I'm a "live-and-let-live" kind of girl so I did the reasonable thing (shrieked for my husband, who promptly came upstairs with a tupperware container) and we coaxed the wayward reptile into the container.... took him out into the backyard.... shook his little hand, wished him well, and set him loose.

Still wondering how the heck he wound up in my upstairs bathroom. (And did he bring any friends???)

A Beautiful Perspective

I wanted to link over to the post that my blogger-buddy KBL put on her blog.

KBL has TRULY lived out the American dream, coming here as an immigrant from a war-torn Afghanistan as a child.

Fast forward to NOW - KBL is successful, newly married (HOORAY!!) and a very proud American. When I think of her, I picture her (always!) with a big grin on her face!

She knows how blessed she is to be an American!

America The Beautiful

Feeling quite patriotic this evening .... and VERY BLESSED to live in this wonderful country.
So let's have a little sing-a-long, shall we?

All together now! :-)

O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea! O beautiful for pilgrim feet Whose stern impassioned stressA thoroughfare of freedom beat Across the wilderness! America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law! O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife. Who more than self their country lovedAnd mercy more than life! America! America! May God thy gold refine Till all success be nobleness And every gain divine! O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears! America! America! God shed his grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea! O beautiful for halcyon skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the enameled plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee Till souls wax fair as earth and air And music-hearted sea! O beautiful for pilgrims feet, Whose stem impassioned stress A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wilderness! America! America! God shed his grace on thee Till paths be wrought through wilds of thought By pilgrim foot and knee! O beautiful for glory-tale Of liberating strife When once and twice, for man's avail Men lavished precious life! America! America! God shed his grace on thee Till selfish gain no longer stain The banner of the free! O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears! America! America! God shed his grace on thee Till nobler men keep once again Thy whiter jubilee!

Less Is More!!

I mistakenly thought my daughter was ready for some "light" perfume for her 11th birthday, so one of the presents I got her was Moonlight Path spritz at Bath & Body Works.

Oh my.

Our house smells like a bordello now (not really, but you know what I'm saying....)

Earlier today it was almost hard to breathe.... she even uses it as "room freshener" and runs about spraying it on her stuffed animals and on her comforter. :-)

My rallying cry now is: LESS IS MORE, my darling. LESS IS MORE.

:-)

Something More Important....

We now interrupt Happy Wife's blog, already in progress, to bring you a Very Important Message from the amazing and talented D'Arcy.

Seriously, this is worth checking out. Christmas will be here in less than 2 months (yikes!) and D'Arcy has a GREAT idea.... follow this link. :-)

McCain Fine Gold - LOVED THIS!

I gotta say - McCain was a great sport to do SNL last night! And he was absolutely HILARIOUS!
I loved this one!

Truly Spooky Halloween '08 Photos!

We went to a Most Excellent Halloween Party last night, hosted by my awesome friend Dawn, who was dressed as Sookie Stackhouse (all you "True Blood" fans out there will know who this is....). Dawn's ensemble was COMPLETE with fang marks on her neck. :-)

My handsome 12 year old son J WITHOUT the zombie mask on..... couldn't quite coax a smile out of him.... (you can practically hear him saying "Just take the picture, mom..."..)

S, as the "zombie cheerleader" and J as the very icky "zombie".... they had a blast trick or treating, and totally racked up Major Candy! (And NO, I was not happy about his outfits.... I much prefer UN-scary outfits, but I caved in this year....!)

LOVE this photo. J, the terrifying zombie, putting his sneakers on, in Dawn's pink and very feminine bathroom.

LOL. :-)