Tag! You're it!

Hmmm..I'v never been 'tagged' before.

Well, at least not since grade school..... I wonder why they call it "grade school" anyway. You're ALWAYS in a 'grade' aren't you...??

OK, back to being tagged. Seems like when I was in grade school I was always "IT". And that wasn't always a good thing. But now, it seems kinda fun!

Penny over at http://lavenderhillstudio.blogspot.com/ has tagged me to tell 7 unknown things about myself.

Unknown to you, not unknown to me..........because I couldn't really tell myself any unknowns about me - because I wouldn't know them....duh......

Anyway, sounds like fun so here goes:

1. I had all 4 of my kids natural - 2 of them were 10 pounders - and I wasn't being brave - just young and stupid!

2. can;t tpye owrth a drn...or spel..or youse spelsheck

3. Just got, for the very first time in my life, a BRAND NEW CAR! All mine! Well, mine and the bank's, for a while.... and I named it the Silver Pearl!


4. Had my photo on the jumbo-tron in Times Square with my name and that I was from Utah. ! It was a Yahoo photo contest for Halloween and I was "Mimi" from the Drew Carey show. Talk about your 15 minutes of fame!


5. I stumbled onto the Notre Dame football practice field and actually met and had my picture taken with Coach Lou Holtz..(.....and I had NO idea who he was...) in the Notre Dame bookstore!

6. Once, broke and newly divorced, my car lost it's transmission and could only go in reverse. I was double parked in front of my kid's school and couldn't afford a tow truck. With no other viable options, I drove home, 5 blocks, backwards! And parked nicely in front of my house, thank you very much!

7. At this particular time, this is my favorite T-shirt:





So, there you have it. All you ever wanted to know about me but had no idea you wanted to know.....

And, I think I'm supposed to nominate 7 others. I think. So here goes:

Brandi @ http://ellaandbrandi.blogspot.com/

April @ http://aprilsadventuresandadorations.blogspot.com/

Madrekarin @ http://madrekarin.blogspot.com/

Kristina @ http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/

Gail @ http://thetatterednest.blogspot.com/

..and last but not least ,m Heather at Heather's Harmony http://heathersharmony.typepad.com/(and I'm really not too familiar with other bloggers - so I have only 6 to share this with....)

Have fun!

Daddy & the wheat pennies......

My father fancied himself to be many things in his lifetime.......

Traveler......

Comedian....

Entrepreneur........

Stamp collector................

Coin collector...............

Dancer......................

..............and ventriloquist.

That last one was a crack-up. He used to talk with his lips pursed, kind of out of the side of his mouth...... and his lips moved...

Yes. They moved. He wasn't fooling anyone with that high squeaky voice he used.

And with his face all contorted so he could speak out of just the corners.....

Nope, didn't fool anyone......except Mother.

I don't know to this day is she was just humoring him or if, for some reason, she really did think some silly squeaky-voiced thing was talking to her as they drove around Glendale....

Anyway, the coin collector part was kinda in his own mind as well. He really only ever collected bent nickles, or weird-looking quarters with holes in them.

But his most prized coin-find was always the wheat penny.

He used to show them to me when I was a kid and always told me to look anytime someone gave me change. He said they didn't know that they were giving me something special in that wheat penny.....

So, if you can imagine, out of all the "life-lessons" he tried to teach me, guess which one stayed??

Yep. Wheat pennies.

Can't look at change in the same way anymore. I'm always looking for the elusive wheat penny....

And yesterday, while working the cash register at the expo for my company, when we were crazy-busy, someone gave me a wheat penny while paying for their purchase.

And yes.... I had to have it. Saved it. Put it right into my pocket. Actually, I think I stole it...............

note to self: give boss a penny for the till. Second note to self: make sure it's not a wheat penny.....

So this morning, as I type in my little blog, I know Daddy is smiling down on me, pleased that I have saved that wheat penny and that I have indeed learned some of the lessons he tried to teach me.

And, if anyone is around him, I'm just as certain he's saying something clever about the lessons he's taught me in his squeaky-voiced-face contorted-pursed-lipped-ventriloquist voice.

And he thinks he's great at it.

And so do I.

Miss you Daddy.

Me

Come and stay a while....

Randy got me this old yellow dresser. From a thrift store. For when we have guests, they won't have to live out of their suitcases...(yes, he is a nice guy...)

It had flower stickers all over it, probably lovingly put on by one of it's former owners.

I immediately loved the color but not so much the flower stickers. They weren't the pretty, shabby-chic ones that I would have kept, but one's that Marsha Brady would have put on.

I like vintage...don't get me wrong. But I don't think of the 70's as quite vintage ...yet.

So we peeled off all the old stickers one by one. And I left it alone, naked and sad, for about a month.

I was trying that , you know, SIMPLIFY thing.

Less is more... huh? I never quite understood that...I mean less is ....uh, less. If less looks better, then just say so. Don't try to be all clever and say "less is more".....that's just stupid.

Anyway, I had some of these neat-o rub-on words.

And I love words. I have signs up all over my house. Really love words. Like in the kitchen, I have a sign that says "Kitchen"! Love it!

I also have a daughter that is very practical . And literal. Hi April. ( me waving)

She looked at the kitchen sign and said "Oh, so you'll know where you are?"

Humph. Sometimes I just wonder....is she mine or did I carry her for a friend....

OK, so back to the dresser. Or chest of drawers.

That reminds me of when I went on a business trip to New England. I saw a sign outside of a little furniture store that was advertising a sale on Chester Draws.....Really! It said that! I laughed so hard I snorted.

Hey, I should name this one..... Chester!!

Sorry, I am rambling...I put on the rub-on words and viola! A really neat yellow dresser with words! (Now that I say that out loud, it
doesn't sound quite as neat..)

But, I love it. Randy was, let's say, inquisitive as to why we had spent all that time removing stickers, when I was going to put more on.....

Poor, poor Randy...had to explain the difference between stickers (tacky, out dated, Marsha Brady..70's provoking) and rub-ons....(new, hip, trendy, thought-provoking...)

Oh well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

And I behold this as beautiful!

...and this little piggy...

Remember the nursery rhyme about the little piggys?

And how they all had something to do, somewhere to go, a life.......

...all except the one next to the one that went shopping...he had to stay home...

Well, my staying home piggy is trying to decide which way to go.

Huh? you say....

My toe, the one that I've had for , oh, fifty-fiv...fifty-si...a long time..has decided to kinda bend...

...to sort of lean to the right...

and I think it's gotten longer. Shriek!!

I would really think this is weird (other than writing about it at 4:57am, you say???)..

but my sister Geri has had a toe that all of a sudden wanted out.

Didn't want to be a part of the "team" anymore. Was, for a lack of a better words, bent out of shape.

She has a hard time finding shoes that they all get along in now.

I worry that that's my fate as well..fighting toes.

I've never heard of anything like this before. Maybe it's a form or "Arther-ritis" or something...

Maybe mine is in solidarity for Gerri's.... "power to the toes!!" and all...

But this little piggy of mine is having pains. Could be remorse for wanting out...could be just "growing pains"...I don't know.

However, it's uncomfortable, which in turn, makes me uncomfortable.

And with winter coming, I can't let him stretch his wings, so to speak.

Can't wear flip-flops in the snow...

And to put him under the covers of a sock with four other siblings , well, he really doesn't want to conform at all. Hates all that closeness....

So maybe I'll have to take him to a doctor. Explain to the medical professional all about this little piggy and his desire to be free....

....and then just wait for his reaction.....

Heehee...

Have a good day today and remember to love your little piggys. One day they could just turn on you....

Is solace anywhere more comforting than in the arms of a sister. ~Alice Walker....

I've written about my parents. I've written about my big brother Larry .

I've even written a little bit about my sister Kathy.

Well, I happen to have 2 sisters.

Kathy and Gerri.

Lucky me.

No, seriously. Lucky me!

They are as different as night and day....

...but are two peas in a pod.

One shops, one rides.

One is all business, one is all crafty.

One has a tight-knit group of horse-loving friends.

One has a tight-knit group of fun-loving friends.

They are both great mothers and grandmothers.

They are both my heroes and my teachers.

They are my life-lines and the butt of my jokes.

They are my friends and my counselors.

They are what "family" is all about.

They have always been there for me.

Abusive first mariage, divorce, cancer, heart failure, hysterectomy, death of our parents....

They have always been there for me.

Marriage, births, weddings, celebrations, "Thanks-mas", the Gathering of the Girls....

They have always been there for me.

And for that, I will always love them.......

Always.


So remember.....in the words of the Peanuts comic strip creator Charles M. Schulz....

"Big sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life."

hahahahahahahaha! Love you guys!
Me

Yesterday was...chilly-wompers.... for sure.......

OK, the title...chilly-wompers.

I make up words. Don't know when I started that, but I think it may be a gene or something.

My daughter, Brandi, does it as well.

When we lived in San Francisco, she dubbed the people who commuted from Sausalito to the city while working on their laptops "trans-muters".

Sounds like some toy Jeff might have wanted when he was little...

Anyway, yesterday was chilly-wompers. Not quite cold, but more than chilly.

You know, chilly-wompers.

After fixing Randy's lunch, I looked for the pups - only to find Braxton all snuggled under the covers. Then there was Lulu...

Awwww...

Anyway, yesterday was one of those nearly perfect days...fall weather, snow on the mountains......

WHAT? SNOW? In September??

Yep. Snow. Lookie:

Pretty, huh?

And yes, those are the bulls we share our work area with.

Told you. Bulls.

Wild bulls.

OK, maybe not "wild"...but we do have a ferocious wild black panther....

OK, maybe not a panther. But a wild..................kitten.

We named her/him Salem.

Partly because we just released a new line of scrapbook paper named, yes, Salem... and then there's the teen-aged witch on TV whose black cat was named Salem..and it is close to Halloween...and....well, we thought it fit. Thanks, Layle!

What's that? You see feeding dishes?

OK, yes, it was me.

First, I saw him outside looking all skinny and sad.

Then I thought he needed something to eat. Looked in my desk drawer where you could normally find most anything you're looking for, but no kitten food.

Huh...I did have a Hormel Chicken & Potato & Gravy dinner......

Note to self: buy kitty food.....

After work, Heather and I went Gardner Village. Almost my favorite time of day (after all, I was at work..couldn't very well tell them I had to go to be there by 4 -my most favorite hour!)

Anyway, the sun was perfect, the decorations were great (witches all over the place - some playing baseball, some in boats!)

So here we are...Heather and me...not witches, silly!

And here's some witches for your viewing pleasure...

Hope you have as fun a day today as I had yesterday. Enjoy the color, the fragrances, the light...and be thankful.....

.....even though we don't have to be thankful for another month or so....

Just kidding...........

They say what doesn't kill us....

...make us stronger.

OK , I'll agree...

somewhat..

I think I'm pretty strong...

After all, like my button says, "I've survived damn near everything"...

But this silly allergy-thingy is getting to me ....

Did you know "allergies" have a look?

Yeah, and it's not pretty.

My eyes, usually rather round and happy, are squinty little things that run and burn and look like they are cracked.

My nose, one of my best features if I do say so myself, is drippy, suffocating, red and snuffely.

Which make me wonder, who would put a drippy thing right over your mouth?? I know HE doesn't make mistakes....But, still I wonder...

And, when I get sick, my HAIR gets weird. It's bent. And smooshed. And has a mind of it's own.

And I whistle. When I breathe. I whistle through my nose.

Laugh if you will....

But remember, I'm on the phones all day and it can get hard to explain who is whistling in the background when they are trying to order our papers.

Allergy medicine, you say??

Even the one's that say "non-drowsy" make me sleepy. I've rehearsed some good excuses for why I have fallen asleep on my keyboard.....

"they said this might happen when I gave blood this morning..." Or " I was just listening to a humming coming from the keyboard....can you hear it??...."

Oh well. Such is life. So I'll make some hot tea. wear some warm comfy clothes to work and try to elicit as much sympathy as I can get.

After all, what doesn't kill us make us stronger....and whinier.

....Dis idn't me...

...but id looks like I feel.

I think I hab a code in my dose.

I sound funny and I haben't even said anyting to myself.

I snibbe and my head hurts.

I sneeze and I'm tired.

Coughing and stuffy..

And, it's MONDAY...

poor poor piddelful me...

Nutting ibportant to say dis morning...

Nutin' eben funny.

I think I'mb going to take a sinus pill and hope I feel better before I have to be all chibber on the pone.

g-bye.

love,
be

We're gunna take a road trip.......

Yeppers. Randy & me. (Or Randy & I .)

Can't wait! 25th anniversary.

And they said it wouldn't last.

HA! We'll show them...let's stay married FOR-EVEAH !!

Good plan. So far it's working.

Anyway, we're going on a short but sweet little mini-vacation.

To Yellowstone.

Staying in a cabin.

With a fireplace.

Can't wait!

We were going to Disneyland. Just because we could. Without kids and all, you know?

But then we both thought about it. We hate crowds. Don't "do" rides. Don't necessarily like to fly, what will all the waiting at the airports and all. And, it's expensive. Just to walk around and see man-made wonders.

Why don't we go somewhere we can drive to?

And see God's wonders?

And have the need for a fireplace? (not so easy in LA in 85 degree heat)

So, it's off to Yellowstone, in three weeks for 4 days.

...wish it was in 4 days for three weeks!
And maybe, just maybe, the crowds we see will be deer and bears and mooses. (not MOSES, silly! although that would make for some GREAT blogging material !)

And maybe we'll even complain about being chilly. And about no TV. And about it being too dark. And too many stars in the sky....

...hmmm, no... probably not...

So when you plan your mini-vacations, be sure to think about all the good vs. not-so-goods.

Then communicate. ( we almost didn't say anything to each other because we thought the other one wanted Disneyland!! )

I'll knit some pretty scarves, he'll drive and maybe we'll even find some great unknown eateries.

I'll let ya know.......

Can't sleep??..............

Actually, I think I could if Lulu didn't feel the need to wake me every 2 hours.

I'm still of the belief that she's waking me for my own good......

Like I'm having bad dreams or my breathing isn't normal...

Like this morning...the last thing I remember before she woke me up this time is I was having a dream about the boys bringing home rocks in their suitcases.

They were washing them in the bathtub and I got mad. Randy stepped in and said they're only rocks...

This could stem from a couple of things..

Kathy and I saw a really neat craft project using smooth rocks and she'd told me she and her grandson had found some smooth rocks and she wanted to be reminded of the project.

The other thing is a true story of Andy bringing home a FROG in his suitcase from camp one year...in Arizona...in the heat...on a bus!!!

The green frog had turned white however, was still breathing, albeit rather shallow breaths.

( No, not for a minute did I think of mouth-to-frog-resuscitation! )

But he did get some color back and we took him to the park and released him into the pond.

The frog.

Not Andy.

(Although now you can see why the neighbors thought his name was "Dammit Andy" for the first seven years of his life.)

Anyway, I'd like to think I wouldn't mind if they washed the rocks in the bathtub.....

That maybe I would have considered mouth-to-frog resuscitation, if it meant life or death.....

I'd like to think I wouldn't ramble on so much if I did get some sleep....

Oh well..more time to think all those weird thoughts I seem to be having.....

So, go out there and have a great Saturday...and get some SLEEP!

Elivs has left the building.....

Yesterday morning, after our walk, Braxton & Lulu raced into the house , and as usual, wrestled and tumbled, running wildly through the kitchen and the family room.

Yip, yip, yip, happy, happy, happy!!

But it wasn’t the usual “after-walk episode”…

I had left the door open, wanting to get some of the cool fresh air into the back of the house while we walked.

As I stood watching them run in and out, and finally way out into the back, I heard a kind of growling…close…but I KNEW they were out….

Hmmm…I said to myself….“I wonder what that growling is….???”(I didn’t say it out loud…)

Cautiously , I peeked behind the opened door and that’s when I saw him.

ELVIS…..the cat…from next door…

About the time I discovered our stow-away, Lulu sniffed him out too....

Then all HECK broke loose! (remember, I’m from Utah- we don't say HELL...)

Cats and pups and dust and fur and feet and tails and me yelling…

Boy oh boy.... he got away without any damage – and of course, Lulu-the-Princess-Warrior was all hyped up and wanting to show him who’s house and yard this really is…

Took me calling and calling her several times (hard of hearing or “selective” hearing?) before she came in.

But all is well.

Elvis has left the building…

And the yard….

And Lulu and Braxton had their breakfast (carrots, cookies and a chew stick) in their gated-community and I went to work.

How many of you can actually say you had a run-in with Elvis yesterday morning??

I can…..

Me & Paula Deen....

I think Paula Deen and I may be long-lost-sisters...
"Sisters from another Mister"...

Look at the evidence:

She likes to cook...

I like to eat....

She has two sons...

I have 2 sons...

She thinks "buttah is our FRIEEEEND!"

I think, well butter is my best friend...

Her husband has a beard..

So does Randy...

She has lots of "stress highlights" (gray hair)

I have lots of "stress highlights"

She is sometimes thought of as silly & loud...

I invented "silly & loud"...

She has be said to be a cross between Aunt Bea and Suzanne Sugarhouse...

Me, a cross between Aunt Bea and Rod Stewart....

So there you have it.

Who needs DNA...??

Who's your "long lost" sister????

This is baaaddd...

But soooo funny...hahahahahahaha...

Randy sent this to my email and said "You think I should send this to Jeff & Andy?"

I said "no". ( uh...who makes the decisions???)

Bwaaahahahahahaa!

But, this is funny. I guess it shouldn't be.

I mean, I can't decide whether is more cutting to women or men.

I think that's the way it is with most jokes. That there is a speck of truth or a pre-conceived idea.

Like the Irish & drinking.

Like blondes being not as smart as brunettes. (think "Chicken of the Sea" and Jessica Simpson - Is it chicken or tuna??)

Like gray hair being stress highlights.

Like chin hairs being run-away eyebrows...

But I think if we can laugh at ourselves, then we'll be OK.

I can laugh at myself...

...I think I'm a hoot!

Can you laugh at you?

Hope so!

Recipe fo an Irish-Puerto Rican Cheese Ball....

Ella Ireland Lopez (can't doubt her heritage!), 3 years old and full of "cheese"!

My youngest grand daughter. Lives in New Jersey...a true Jersey Girl..with ATTITUDE..

Brandi sent me a video of her "lip-synching" to Little Boy Blue that was hilarious.

She knew every word and the lip-synching was better that Brittany Spears in the awards show.

It still amazes me, even after 4 children of my own, how quickly they develop.

I can plainly see the wee baby I held when she was 4 weeks old and she smiled up at me, and melted my heart.

Yes..I'm certain it was NOT gas.

She thought I was funny, what with all that whispering and giggling in her ear while her Mom was in the Doctor's office.

Now she's started pre-school.

Then I'll blink and she'll be a soccer star like her cousin Emily.

Then, poof, a teenage full of beauty and grace like her cousin Alyssa.

Then a confident young college student like Brian, my first grandchild.

(And, yes, as the first, he will always hold a special place in my heart.)

But he is a great, handsome, strong, decent young man.

I may be a bit biased on a lot of things, but how I feel about my grandchildren is not one of them.

It's all fact.

Beautiful, smart, confident, kind.

The kind of people I don't mind leaving our world to.

I know they will each make a difference to the world...

They will make it a better place to live.

They will influence.

They will become our leaders.

So, for all you grandparents out there, don't blink.

Savor each and every moment.

Take tonzzzz of pictures.

Record voices. (I have Brian's very first cries in the delivery room and his parent's very first reaction to their first-born child!)

Those are the REAL treasures in life.

All the rest is "fluff".

Ah..what a fun night!...

Larry and Cilla are on the road again...

"Oh, just can't wait to get on the road again" as willie Nelson would sing.
They're off to Jackson Hole and then to his son Jim's place in Idaho.

And I miss them already.

We had such a fun time. Randy cooked a wonderful baked pasta and we had a green salad and cheesy grilled toast. Mmmm. A glass of white wine and we were all set. Oh, and my famous pineapple-pecan cake with cream cheese frosting!

Jeff and Rachael joined us and since I had missed her birthday last Saturday, gave her a small birthday present.

And a small birthday cake. ( she doesn't like pineapple- but LOVES chocolate!)

With 2 small candles. And we sung a small "Happy birthday to you". And we had a great time.

But morning came and we said good-bye. Maybe this time for a shorter time period.

I remember Daddy telling us he'd not seen some of his brothers or sisters in, oh, like 20 years!

I can't imagine. 2 years since I had seen Larry was too long.

Life is too short and too precious to miss out. We do email and call, but to hug, well that's another thing.

To have actual proof that we're OK and we love each other. Way good.

So hug all you can. Tell people you love that you love them, even if you think they know.

It's soo good to hear!

Guess who's coming to dinner ??

"Kindergarten Cowboy" -Our Mother's pride & joy. The big brother to all of us silly Sullivan girls.

He's coming for a brief but I expect to be a fun filled dinner and an overnighter before heading to Nampa, Idaho to see his son and his family.

But however brief the visit, I'm equally expecting a night of laughs, stories and fun. His wife, Cilla, and my Randy, will no doubt hear stores we share every time we're all together.

It's like that as one gets older - the same stories, but each time told, funnier, richer, more poignant.

You can see by the photo my brother's love of horses was seeded at a young age.

And in Chicago, no less! Who would have imagined him growing up in Arizona, having a love of all things western and becoming a real cowboy?

Certainly not our Mother!

But grow up he did, and cowboy-up he did.

And tonight he's coming to dinner.

One week after all the excitement, the hustle & bustle of the of the wedding.

As I was anticipating the "let down" post wedding, one week later, here he comes for a visit!

Kinda like New Year's following Christmas.

One week later.

One more chance to have fun, be silly, celebrate before the rest of the year and the routine sets in.

So maybe we should wear silly party hats tonight and get blitzed.....!!

Naw, probably not a good idea.

Just like after New Year's, we'll have to get up in the morning and go to work, hit the road and sadly, say good-bye for another length of time.

But we'll make more memories to share, more laughs to remember and know the meaning of "family" once more.

Here's hoping you get to spend time with someone you love, and have even more stories to share!

So, it's 4:19am on a Sunday.....

...and I'm in my art room, plucking my eyebrows.

To make matters worse, I really have no 'eyebrows' to speak of. At least the ones over my eyes.

They seem to have migrated to my chin.


And beyond.


Those are the little devils I am trying to get rid of.

Maybe that's part of aging - men get hairs in their ears and ladies have eyebrows that migrate.

Maybe that's where the line in the 3 Little Pigs comes from... "Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin!"

My daughter told me she had her eyebrows waxed at the mall. My youngest daughter had been having that done for years. Even my granddaughter has had her eyebrows waxed at the mall.

Maybe I should do it....

I can see it all so clearly....

Me: Hi! I'd like to have my eyebrows waxed!

Them: Uh, OK, but you really don't have any eyebrows to speak of...

Me: oh, yes. well, not the ones over my eyes silly!.....the ones on my , uh, chin, and....uh, .. neck....

Them: (with a look of horror) Ohhhhh, I see. I mean.... I understand....

Me: Do you think you have that much wax??

Them: Hmmm....... I think we'll have to charge by the quart... and it could be painful you know.

Me: have you ever plucked your entire face before?? Don't EVEN get me started on pain!!

Ah, well...

So I did a little research on eyebrows and found this:


"The examples above show how the improper shaping of brows can give your face a look that is not true to your personality. Using the rules shown above will help you to shape your brow perfectly. These measurements insure that you will not have brows that look like the ones above."


Funny, they don't mention shaping the migrating ones to "insure that you will not have the brows that look like a beard on a man"..........


So, what are your Sunday plans???

Lookie what I found!!!.Or..I need a girlfriend...

I went out this morning while it was still so cool. Had one flea-market stop on my "must do" agenda and was pleasantly diverted to another garage sale on the way.

First thing I did was try a chair on for size - you know, to see how it feels? (remember Goldilocks?)

It felt strangely, uh, wet. Squishy almost....

Seems a big 'ol bird decided to "try-it-on-for-target-practice" first.

Yuck-o.

But not to dwell on the negative, the sale was fabulous! Got these:

They're a beautiful green. And clean. No bird bombs...

Then I found these:

Got the whole lot, including the pillows, for a mere $10!

Now off to the one place I had intended...a new (to me ) place called Abode.

OH.MY.HECK.

Where have you been all my life???? I could feel all the little hairs on my arms stand up a do a little shudder!

Cute doesn't describe it. And the darling young girl who is probably as old as several pairs of shoes I own, was so nice and sweet.

Bought this cute vintage sewing box and the "C" (for coffee, you think?? Oh no..........for Colleen!)

If you have a chance, look up their site:http://www.abodepfm.com/index.cfm

You'll have a blast!

But it's not as good as reading all their tags on the stuff in real life. Like on a brown small chest.."What can brown do for you?" and too many to remember.hahahahhaha!

That's why I must go back.

She even told me the name of the great 40's music she was playing and I have ALREADY ordered it on Amazon.com....used of course... for $4.95!

On the way home, with a five-dollar bill in my pocket, burning a hole and all, I spotted an Estate sale. I'll go on about Estate sales and how I feel sad about everyone rummaging through your stuff later, but as I was rummaging through I found this:

What a fun day!

Oh, and the reason I need a girlfriend is to share all this with!

My sisters are gone home and so have my beautiful daughters.

And a man, well....they just wouldn't understand...

Sorry Honey.

I know you'd be so patient and sit in the car while I shopped, or even may go in with me, but, think about it...you'd be, like, "what the heck is she going to do with that ?? "

So, all done until next week. Gotta find a yard-sale-flea-market friend to share with!

Any takers???????

Have you ever seen ....

.....one of those old Victorian houses?

The historic ones that the Ladies Clubs to try to “save”?

Not the ones who are lovingly restored already, but the ones that need a little work?

OK..... A LOT of work??

One that has lost some of its more charming parts?

Maybe the porch is falling apart. Or it has been emptied of its interiors. The dental work along the eves is chipped and some missing?

Sometimes I feel like that old house….

I used to have knobs and knockers – that was before my double mastectomy.

And a “womb with a view” – gone now after the hysterectomy.

Dental work along the eves? I’m missing a lot of my pearly whites, that’s for sure.

And my “windows to the soul”, well they’re a little foggy and need the protection of glass now.

The plumbing is a little erratic. Sometimes is works like it should....sometimes it springs a leak…

However, the furnace still works.

Boy howdy does it work.

Summer or winter.

I think that may be the cause of all this global warming – baby-boomers going through menopause at the same time.

I’m not complaining. They haven’t decided to tear down the 'ol structure just yet. And who knows, maybe with a fresh coat of paint, and some flowers……

The Grand old Victorians. Ones that need a little work

Some of us are cozy cottages. Some ranch spreads. Some double-wides if you know what I mean...

But at least were not cookie-cutter pre-fab houses..

I like to think of all of us over a certain age as being, well, like a historical home.

Lots of history, lots of stories..

...... shelter and comfort for many generations.

So here's to all of us "painted ladies".

Signing off from Historic Sandy, Utah

Now I know.....

...what my sister Kathy should do for a profession.

No, it's not milking cows.....

I think she should become a "Personal Shopper"...


I mean, look how good she looks walking the dogs...I was wearing yesterday's frayed leg-bottom blue jeans and a nightshirt...

And here she is sitting in a pretty pumpkin sort of thingy...looking good.

I was wearing yesterday's frayed-leg jeans and a T-shirt. (thought I'd dress up ..)

So, I figure I'll take advantage of her skills and talents.

When she called to say she was shopping at a nice store that was closing, and had some ideas for purchases for other people, that things were on W-A-A-A-Y sale, I asked if they'd have anything in my size.

Kathy: Yes - they do. Uh, that would be L-A-R-G-E, right? What would you like?

Me: Actually, I wear a size 2! (2X, but who's counting) Anything you choose - I trust your taste.

Kathy: How about these red pants....

Me: Uh....I don't think red is my color - for pants.

Kathy: OK, how about this peach-colored jogging suit?

Me: Jogging suit???(hahahahahahaha.) Oh........ you're serious.......Well... peach??.. Naw....

Kathy: Well, what would you like??

Me: Oh, anything. I trust your taste..

And so it goes. The shopper and the shop-ee.

I do think Kathy gets as much joy shopping for others as she does for herself.

It's the thrill of the hunt. The excitement of the sale. The victory knowing she's gotten the best bargain......

Oh, the rush of it all!

So, our lesson for today is, when out & about shopping, if you see something you think another person would like, go ahead and buy it.

It feels good to do a good deed. And it feels really good to get the best bargain.

But no peach jogging suits, OK?