How fun is that???

Whew! How busy was it here today?! Got up fairly early this morning because I couldn't sleep. As a matter of a fact, I didn't sleep well all night. I had my mind on how I was going to decorate myself.


Realize that I have not participated in Halloween festivities in over 15 years. I broke out of all that is sacred, through caution and tradition to the wind. I was excited to be the one to answer the door and greet some gaily, fancifully dressed, wide-eyed, chocolate wired children. It's been too long!

But, long before it was time for the fun part....there were things I had to do first. You know, the not so fun preparation. For instance, I love my meatballs, but don't especially like going to the store to buy the ingredients.

There was an up side to having to get out today, though. We got to go by my sister-in-law's workplace and take pictures of her, her co-workers, and their workspace. It was decorated hauntingly....as you will see when I post their photos.

My parents would soon be here and I still wanted to tidy up the house a bit and start supper before I even thought about turning the attention to myself and my costume.


Shopping went smoothly, with the exception of the check-out lady who was the equivalent of A Christmas Carol's Ebenezer Scrooge. Some people just simply should not be allowed to work with the general public. It just isn't good personal relations. Moving right along......

Starting the meatballs as soon as I got home, ASAP I grabbed a dust mop and quickly skimmed over the hard wood floors and wiped down the bathrooms. Recruiting my brother to monitor the meatballs, I then concentrated on the over-all appearance of th house. You know, the scan one might do if company was expected. Right on cue, my parents pulled in the driveway.

We visited for a very short time when I invited Mom into the kitchen to help prepare the salad. She began washing and slicing tomatoes as I then turned my attention to the garlic bread. Uhhhh.....which reminds me.....just now.....that no photos were taken as is tradition for the sake of my sister, in Germany.

I had every intention of documenting the whole ordeal, but as time would have it, I didn't get to complete the meal, I merely started everything. My monitoring brother ended up putting everything on the table as I had to quickly prepare myself for our trick-or-treating guests.

Not unlike any other day, today time got away from me. Before I knew it the doorbell was ringing and I didn't even get to treat our first visitors, the zombie (my sister-in-law) got/had to!

Soon thereafter, I was ready and outside perched on a little park bench strategically placed between two huge pine trees in the front yard while the rest of the family was feasting at the dinner table. I ate 2 1/2 hours after that.

I had such great fun! I was, after all, dressed as a princess! Albeit a dead one. Before the night was over, I had that "princess/prom queen wave" down perfectly. My brother had placed a flashlight on the ground to the left and to the right of me like spotlights and I, for once, was the star! Not a dog, not a bird, not a prop, or a stand-in, but the real deal! The star!

It goes way back.....you see, my sister is the, and has from day one been the drama queen. In her younger days, she was not only the star of her block productions, but was the producer, director, coach, manager, and in charge of part casting. Which, incidentally, was why I never had a speaking part, didn't even get to whine as the dog or squak as the bird, and was dang thankful if I was cast as anything more than a tree or a frog. And if I complained...I was banished from her kingdom altogether! LOL

Yes, tonight was my night! There were no body doubles, no stand-ins, no-one to take from me what I have deserved for 51 years! My public adores me and it was overwhelmingly obvious to me as the evening wore on. There were mothers and fathers who asked my permission for a photograph of their child(ren) taken standing next to me. They knew they were in the presence of royalty!

Yeah, so I milked it....for all it was worth...trust me! LOL I did have such great fun and my adoring fans were honored to be given the privilidge of being seen with me in public--as if I were a regular, common person. I do hate to put on errs, you know....

And now it is time for my spotlight to fade. Again, to the dreaded part. The make-up removal, the shower, and the scrubbing this gunk out of my hair! LOL

You've been most generous with your time in reading my blog. I do enjoy it so. I hope you have, too.

And to all of you "little people...."
Good night~~~~~~~~

A Little Off..........................

A Gentle Reminder...

Lady Bug Note From PagePlugins.com

Maggie shares....

This costume was just too dang cute not to share! Kilo (his "daddy" is in law enforcement, can you tell by the name? LOL)is our little neighbor dog. He's a Yorkie and is as cute as a bug--forgive the pun. LOL His "mommy" laughed and laughed when she saw her little boy dressed like a ladybug!
I hope you enjoy watching Kilo and Maggie as much as we did!

We did our early voting yesterday. No lines!! Hooray! They had electronic voting "booths," so no hanging chads....remember??

I have worked with this computer all day today right up until we went to church. My laptop is wireless now, but there are still tons of things that need to be ironed out. For instance, the main computer has a connection running at 100bps, and this is running (for reasons unknown to me) at 54bps. I'm not sure that is "normal" for a secondary pc or what.

So, trust me when I tell you I have gone where no man has gone before on this particular computer. I'm not thinking I've done any damage that I can't back out of, but I will know more about that as I find there are fewer and fewer tasks I am able to complete in the future. LOL

Not nearly often enough I get to converse with my sister via webcam. She lives in Germany and it is such a blessing to be able to see her on a weekly basis.

Long, long ago, in a land far, far away, prior to faxes, email, pc's, and webcams, my precious sister had to rely on news from "the states" by way of "snail mail."

One would starve to death for news waiting for me to write a letter! By the time I wrote it and sent it, the "news" was over a week old. Now I can talk a person's ear off, but all the years of nursing shorthand ruined my penmanship, and frankly, my desire to pen my thoughts after a grueling day at the hospital.

Admittedly lazy and not a lot of self-discipline, (unlike my oh-so-disciplined self now! **eye roll**)how thankful and welcoming we all were with the introduction of the fax machine!

The very thought that someone could receive news in just the time it took to type it and run it through a machine was baffling. We were just awestruck!

It wasn't without flaws, however. Since one or both parties didn't have an actual fax machine, rather used the fax feature on a PC or the fax was used primarily for business purposes, timing and synchronizing was crucial.

Invariably, either the business line was ringing busy, or there was a computer glitch, and a phone call (a buck a minute, thank you!) had to be made in order to make faxing "arrangements." Remember, that was before the days of cell phones and text messaging.

E-mail-- not soon enough--entered the scene. It just couldn't get any better than that...or so we thought.

"Camming" is just the best! Well, with the exception of slow internet connections, software and hardware difficulties, intermittent choppy sound, and occasionally, no sound at all.

All in all, even with its hair-pulling problems, I'm very thankful for the ability to share my day-to-day life with my sister and her family. We've come a long way. Technology has its pluses.

Wow, not even midnight and I've blogged. I may get the hang of this after all. The true test of self-discipline will come in the next few days. Tom and I will be going out of town for a few days. We will be joining my parents at my brother's house. Gotta love that house...but that's another story for another day..... wink..

A Little Off......

Me? A Ladybug?

The thrill of costumes!

Not surprising

I've been browsing the net today and see that I am far, far, behind times as far as blogspots go. Some of the blogspots I visited are pretty intricate. It's amazing just the span of information and broad range of interests offered through individual blogspots.

True enough, variety is the spice of life. For instance, subjects that have never crossed my mind, or at least haven't scampered through the cobwebs in quite some time, piqued my interest and did find their ways to my site, too!

I wouldn't call it stealing, exactly. I would simply say that those sites "inspired" me to share those ideas with my "public." LOL Yeah, both of you! LOL

Called BeeJay's today. Nothing. I am constantly reminded of the fact that I am working with government funding, so I must be patient, or go mad. That is not a very long trip for me.

A friend of mine dropped by last evening. Bearing gifts, no less. That's my favorite kind of drop-in! She said she had been thinking of me lately and thought I had been a bit down. How intuitive she is!!!

She is a ladybug lover as am I, and she brought Maggie Mae a Halloween costume made just for her. A ladybug costume! How darling is that!!! I will be posting a picture of Miss Maggie so you, too, can enjoy her costume. She's darling!

It will be painfully obvious by the photos that I enjoyed the costume somewhat more than Maggie did. Oh well.....

What does a blog look like?

One thing about a blog is that it is ever evolving. Many blogs showcase the author's wares such as jewelry, art, or crafts of some sort.

Mine? Well, mine has been to this point stutterings and stammerings of someone sharing life's day-to-day happenings. Even if nothing notable happened, I write what didn't happen and how I feel about the nothingness.

Having a laptop PC which is equipped with a wireless card is as fertile a petree dish for personal expression as one might imagine. A blank slate just waiting for deep, philosophical or meaningless trivia to be splattered all over the vast canvass.

I always love learning of new websites that I have stumbled upon or found by randomly surfing the net. I'd like to share some of my favorites with you.

I'm really into photography and "just because" e-cards.
smilebox.com encorporates both venues.
While on the net, I sometimes like to tune into music of my choosing. With pandora.com I can program the music type, artists, or songs that suits me at the time. tiphub.com is filled with--you guessed it---tips for everything from flower
arrangements to computer helps. videojug.com actually shows how to's on many frequently asked questions. Two of the most informative and easily navigated are WebMD.com and Epocrates.com.

If, by chance, you visit one or more of these sites and like them, let me know. From time to time I will list more sites I have found both interesting and helpful.

No headway as far as the school goes. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays, so I didn't expect any news today.

Until we meet again, my friends,
A Little Off....................

Guilt for no good reason...

There are reasons one should have a feeling of overwhelming guilt, and I believe, too, that oftentimes people feel guilt for no good reason.

Take for instance the following scenario: When I woke up this morning it was well after 11 AM. Today is Sunday. I'm not sure what time my lovely husband slipped from our bed, but it was before I awoke.

Our usual routine on Sunday is to rush around and get to church by 9:30 in order to participate in choir practice. It didn't happen today. In fact, church didn't happen in our world today.

I wasn't feeling that well when I went to bed last night with the stuffy nose, scratchy throat and the sneezing. Oh, yes, indeed, I could have made it to church without difficulty and pulled it off well.

But it didn't happen. I was (honestly) relieved when I saw that it was well passed the cut off time to scurry around and try to make it in time. But should I feel guilty about that?

I did, at first, but I got over it. My precious husband has never been one to attempt the "we really need to go, we're expected, you know." For that I am grateful, because it never helped one whit in my past life, and I'm quite sure it would fail miserably in this life as well.

As the day wore on, I began to delight in a day not only at home, but in bed, as well. The days are getting shorter, and colder, and our heat hasn't been turned on once yet. I've been making toast for nearly every meal and leaving the door of the toaster oven open when it's done, but that doesn't count. LOL Just kidding.

As I have heard many, many times when oversleeping was the issue: "I must have needed the rest." I guess I did.

There was, of course, a second chance to go to church when the evening rolled around. Missed that too. Every once in a while I simply enjoy staying home and having not one thing on the agenda. Kicking back and playing with Maggie Mae and asking questions about football teams seem to fit the bill.

I don't feel guilty at all. Though we have not discussed it, just at face value, it looks as if Tom has enjoyed his day today as well. I'm sure Maggie has.

Winter is a season I "tolerate." Unless it is snowing, I know of no good reason to experience it. I'm guessing it is nature's way of not feeling guilty for not budding, blooming, and "showing off."

That's ok, I get it and approve. It gives me something to look forward to--Spring!

A Little Off.....

Is there a hayride format?

I'm supposing there are "standard guidelines," or at the least, suggestions for hayride outings. I can't remember when I last went on a hayride, but joined many community members to participate on one this evening.

First there was the ever-popular weenie roast just prior to the festivities. There were homemade cookies, cakes, popcorn balls, and goodie bags full of sugary treats and bubble gum.

There were 25 children/adults/and one dog on our hay stacked flat bed trailer. There were two other trucks and trailers with at least that many participants. Our dog, Maggie, was the only pooch participating this year and she fully enjoyed herself.

Things were a bit on the boring side as we bumped around on the bales of hay as we travelled the gravel roads criss-crossing our community. We went over two low water bridges, but other than that, the murmurings of cold children complaining was about all that was audible.

So, to inject a bit of fun and distraction into the equation, I began singing The Hokey Pokey. It started rather low key and drug out with the right foot in, and then the right foot out, but ended on a very exuberant note with the whole head in and the whole head out about 10 minutes later.

We smoothly transitioned into Old McDonald's Farm making mention of such barnyard animals as the chicken, pig, dog, turkey, and countless others. There was also a verse or two of Up on the Housetop, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Why is it when you are digging deep into your mental archives for something to sing, recite, or otherwise keep children interested and involved, the memory banks are all of a sudden bankrupt?

Odd what trivia one somehow maintains unbeknownst until necessity calls, isn't it?

All in all, we had a pretty good time, but there is a reason that the saying, "There's no place like home" is one easily remembered. How true it is!!!

A Little Off....

Whew! What a day! We ran around so much our hineys are numb! But, it was all about running, waiting and eating today. I've had worse days....much worse.

As usual, we had a case of the giggles today. Everything we saw or heard sent us into near uncontrollable fits.

I'm thinking that the circus has disband and we ran into most of the lost members today, somewhere, at some point. While we were eating, a group of late teens, I'd say, came into the restaurant and were sources of both distraction and humor. For them, Halloween had long since begun. It was apparent they were good at playing dress up.

With their dark, haunting clothing and matching make up, they were a sight for sore eyes! My gosh....where were their parents??? Individuality is one thing, but when one allows one's child(ren) to emerge from the home into the world, certain issues must be taken into consideration. The potential physical, emotional, and social scarring which could be caused by simple shock, horror, and fear should be taken into account. Little children and older folks are at risk of having negative reactions to seeing such persons live and in close proximity.

Truthfully, though, they did get what the wanted/expected because a great many people pointed, whispered, and stared at the sight of these teens.One does not dress in that way to "blend."

Great time had by all in the end. Even waiting in the exam room for over an hour went fairly quickly as we did our best to imitate some of the personalities we had been exposed to already. I say again....laughter is healing and I've never felt better!

A Little Off..............

In the wee hours

At 6:22, I realize it is hardly the wee hours of the morning, however, I just got to bed at midnight or so. Yeah, I know, that's still 6, almost 7 hours of sleep. Even still, it is difficult for me to ponder over deep, philosophical subjects like Ravi Zacharias first thing right out of the box, so to speak. lol

Had a great time last night "visiting" with a friend and her family last evening. Upon arriving they were well into watching an old movie. Old, as in black and white. Admittedly, it's got to be a pretty drawing movie for me to get into it right away if a movie isn't at least in color. Well, except for It's A Wonderful Life, of course. I'm not sure I'd even be interested in watching it colorized.

Anyway, quickly I was "into" it. It starred Robert Mitchum, (I'm not sure that is spelled correctly. My apologies, if not) who I understand was/is(?) one of my mom's heart-throbs. He is a rather handsome chap, I must say. I've always liked a cleft chin........

It wasn't the movie content that captured me so much as the sets on which it was painfully obvious it was shot. Soon, we all began laughing at the fact that in those days (the mid 50's, I suppose) that was probably one of the more realistic looking films. My, how we've improved!

I think it is healthy to laugh. After last night, I should have a perfect bill of health! The deadpan faces, the monotone voices, and the DRAMATIC music of that age are priceless! It is my firm belief that every child should be required to watch 60 hours of black and white film--without criticism. That'd make these young whipper-snappers appreciate the amenities of today! lol

Enough for now...

A Little Off....

Quick thought!

Hey, everyone!

I am SO determined to follow through and make an entry while it is still "today." You know what I mean. I want to make an entry before midnight.

I am in my hometown tonight as I am going with a friend to Little Rock tomorrow. OK, if you know me you know that I can get lost in a paper bag, so it is not directions she needs. LOL

On the way over here I saw and took three pictures of a young buck (a deer, not dear). I never go anywhere without my camera and it payed off, as usual! I'll post the pix as soon as I can.

Anyway, just a note of interest: I LOVE my husband and think that he is the most precious man in the world today! He is SO loving, NOT jealous, NOT controlling, and a lot of other NOTS that make him him. I should be, and strive to be the wife he deserves. OK, I'm gone for now and was successful in posting before midnight!!

A Little Off.....

My thoughts on patience...

OK, I openly admit I've never had an over abundant supply of patience. Patients, yes. Patience, never!

I am SO waiting for BeeJay's to contact me and tell me to show up for orientation wearing my little white lab coat. I'm not a good waiter, honestly!

I mean really...in my mind I've already got my "station" decorated with photos of Tom and Maggie. And in truth....I don't even know if I am going at all!!!

Everything is in play. I've verified that I am genuinely at poverty level and honestly qualify for a government grant. I've turned in my paperwork for verification of the verification!!! Come on! It's time already!

It's not like I could start any time really soon as classes only begin every second Tuesday of every month. So, even if they called me yesterday, I couldn't start until November 11th. Now I am really bummed since I glanced at the calendar.

I guess I'd better put my big girl pants on and live in the moment. Grrr...just the advice I'd give my best friend..... Build a bridge and get over it! I know, I'm wishing away my life. What am I missing in the here and now by only looking toward November 11??? I wonder....

Today was a good day, all things considered. I did get this room cleaned up for the most part. I have dreaded it for some time. But, since it was painfully evident that the house cleaning fairies were not visiting any time soon (Lord knows I've given them enough time to show up), I decided to at the very least, straighten up the stacks of books, shoes and clothes. You know, make it appear as if the fairies had dropped in for a brief moment.

I have to psych myself out or up to tackling a monumental task such as this room by convincing myself that I will only work for 15 minutes, or perhaps on a good day, an hour.

Well, once I got into it, the task wasn't nearly as daunting and frightening as I had made it out to be. It was rather nice seeing that I had made quite the path through piles in no time at all. Hey, this room has carpet! : .....

I have also found that if I turn the TV off...not turn the volume down...and turn a radio station on the PC that I could actually listen to and WORK during, that it is very conducive to productivity.

Today for my listening and distracting pleasure, I chose to go to the archives of another great teacher, and Christian apologist, Ravi Zacharias. His radio program is "Just Thinking," I believe. His written publication, also available on the web, is "Let My People Think."

If you know not of whom I am speaking and care to listen to some of his sermons, or lectures, really, allow me to give you a "heads-up" on Mr. Z.

He is a man of few frivolous words. When asked why he uses such large words, his answer was simply, "Why use 5 or 6 to explain something which one word will do?"
So, if your vocabulary is somewhat limited, such as mine, log onto an online dictionary.

He doesn't speak so far above one's intellect (mine, for instance) that his point is not easily understood. I find his subject matter and the issues of which he speaks, fascinating. Always one wishing to have not only a correct answer, but a convincing one as well, I very much admire Mr. Z.

Considering the hours upon hours he has bound to have put into his research, one might assume that the same knowledge could be attained by anyone who also is willing to sacrificed as much time for study. Hmmm...

OK, enough insight, I'm off to watch a movie on TV. LOL **wink**

A Little Off............

Good things are going to happen!

I don't know about you, but this morning, much like yesterday morning, I woke up with excited anticipation for great things to happen in my little world.

I've always been one to think that the world revolved around me (some attribute this to my emotional growth being stunted when my little brother was born--let's see--that would put me at the emotional age of about 5 years old) and see it pointless to change my whole way of thinking at this point in my life.

Recently, however, I have become a much more astute person concerning the world around me and realize what "happens" to me may just well simply be fallout, or ripples, so to speak, of what has happened to those closest to me.

As I take the focus off of myself and concentrate on others, it is more evident to me that other people, too, fall victim to hard times. Now while I was aware of this phenomenon before now, it did escape me that those around those individuals were affected as well. Perhaps not to the degree of the one at ground zero, but affected, nonetheless.

I'm no Socrates, or Plato, or even Sara Palin, but the older I get, the more obvious it becomes. I am not the center of the universe! It has been said hundreds of thousands of times before, but honestly, if only I knew in my youth what I know now. Oh, the wasted years!

A sad-sack Sallie I'm not! It is my desire to have learned something very life changing from my past way of viewing my existence here on planet Earth, not to wallow in lamentation.

Relationships mean so much more to me now. I have come to know that I not only can dive headlong into relationships with healthy boundaries, but also sever the toxic relationships without trepidation or guilt!

Why is it that we can give advice to our dearest family and friends but fail to take the very advice we would offer someone we love? Troubling, isn't it? At whatever age we finally do realize that we must be our own best friend and adviser, I say it is a blessing!

Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, TX is, by far, one of the most inspirational speakers on earth today. Speaking from a Christian perspective, he offers hope and teaches godly life lessons on how one should conduct his/her life to recieve bountiful showers of blessings.

Not unlike some "professionals," his sermons contain information which is familiar to the listener already. However, being a Christian myself, it is much more meaningful to me, and much easier to "apply" considering the "textbook" he uses from which to teach.

One would think that it is common knowledge that an individual chooses to be either a positive or negative person. It is a mindset. A choice one makes on a moment-to-moment basis. Areas this attitude/choice may affect are, but in no way limited to: self esteem, self worth, motivation, hope, familial relationships, work relationships, financial decisions, impulse control, and physical health as well as emotional and mental well-being.

Armed with that realization, many times a day I choose to be a more content, less anxious/worried individual. Thankfully, one can start over as many times a day as he/she desires!

My relationship with my sister has always been an extremely close one, but has gotten even closer over the past few years. My relationship with my brother, however, has not always been ideal. As a matter of a fact, it has been to the point where I avoided him altogether in the past.

No fault of his own, he was the target of much of my pent-up frustration, jealousy, and anger. Upon examining myself and relationships closest to me several years ago, I confronted the issue--the issue with my own emotions and the root of them.

You see, as a middle child, I have always been quite introspective and inquisitive. This time, and armed with the book, "Boundaries," it paid off---BIG!

I am pleased to say that today, I'm not sure my relationship with my baby brother could get much better. I love him to death and appreciate and respect him greatly, not only as a brother, but a man, and as a person. Everyone else already knew how near-perfect he was/is, I just had to stop resisting and "call a spade a spade."

I find that there are not near enough times we, as a family, can all get together. I so cherish those times now. There is no tension, no anger, no resentment among us.

So, saying all of that, I hope you will honestly examine your relationships, and mend those that have the potential to be healthy, productive ones. Recognize the toxic ones. Distance yourself from them, and take your own best advice!

A Little Off............

Tips to the newbie (like me!)

Just to assist you while navigating this blog, my last entry will be nearest the top. Conversely, my first entry is the very bottom. Until, of course, I am off of Page 1---which will have 25 entries.

AND!!! Please give me your feedback! If you will notice, I have a survey at the very bottom of the page. Each survey (I have a feeling there will be more!) is only on the blog for 7 days. So, please fill it out (you may choose more than one) and submit your answer so I can compare answers. I won't know, naturally, who filled what out.

There are many areas you can either leave a comment or submit input of any kind. Please....feel free!

I'm out for now....

A Little Off

Bear with me!

I'm a procrastinator @ heart, and since birth, so if there are a few inconsistencies here and there until I become acclimated to this format, please be patient.

I can think of many more productive things I could (and should) be doing right about now, but this is way more fun! Trust me on this one.

I chatted with both my Mom and my Sis today via webcam. Ahh...how far we have come in this age of technology. Now....to try to keep up with it, right?

OK, signing of for now. Catch you later!

A Little Off

Getting Started

Well, my friends, or those I have suckered into viewing my blog spot: WELCOME!

Thank you for joining me on this journey I am about to embark upon.

You will have the awesome privilege to get in at the very onset of the transformation which is about to take place.

I've never been one to simply maintain status quo, so, throughout this blog (at some point or another) you will see the many, many hair colors, lengths, and styles I have donned. I figure, "it's just hair," and it will grow back. I'm hoping that is the way my future clients will feel about their tresses.

I may just be jumping the gun a bit as I am not even sure I have been accepted into BeeJay's Hairstyling Academy. I am just SO hopeful. I first inquired about the school in July. Here it is mid October......

Anyway, I am going to do my utmost to keep you, the reader, informed and up-to-date on my venture.

Questions? Comments? Feel free to leave them, I'll look at them and address them ASAP!

Until my next entry.......