Doing The Right Thing

Sometimes life just throws little / big challenges at you.
You know what the right thing is to do.
You know what you should do.
It usually becomes the hardest thing that you have to do.

Yep, I have a challenge that I need to face.
I know what would be easy to do.
I know what I want to do.
I know what I need to do.
Funny how those three things are necessarily the same thing.

But, I will do the right thing.
Makes it a little easier that MBB (as well as many other people) are by my side.

Namaste.

How To. . .

. . .Burn a birthday cake.
A fully decorated, partially ate birthday cake that is.

1. Put leftover cake in the oven.
2. Wait a few days and forget said leftovers are being hidden.
3. Turn the oven on to preheat it for dinner (with everyone in the family doing #2).
4. Leave the kitchen immediately.
5. Return to kitchen in about 5 minutes to admire the smoke coming out of oven.

Yes, we did.
No, I'm not kidding.

I should also note that I am not a fan of yellow cake.
Reheated yellow birthday cake is quite good (once you remove the candle wax).

Namaste.

He Did It!

MBB is bad.
Really bad.

He. . .
Got. . .
Me. . .
Addicted. . .
To. . .
Diablo II!

My character is the "Assassin" and since my nickname is "Sassy" (which just doesn't seem to work as the name of a warrior), I named my character "Sassassin".
She looks pretty mean, doesn't she? :)
MBB even networked our den computer with the one in the living room so that we can play together.
Last night, MaBell and I started playing together and MBB decided to run cable to OB's room.
Yep, we now have three computers networked together. We started a new game and OB joined us.

Soon enough, he will have the forth computer working and networked in MaBell's room.
I can see it now - the entire family playing Diablo II together! lol

Someone did say there is something to be said for a family that plays together. . .
Just not sure if they were talking about Diablo II!

Namaste.

Happy 11th!

Happy Birthday To You!
Happy Birthday To You!
Happy Birthday Dear OB!
Happy Birthday To You!

Yep, OB is now 11!
Unless you ask MBB - then he has two years experience of being 9. :)

Namaste.

34 Things That Make Me Happy!

Last year, I did the 33 Random Things About Me.
This year, I decided to go with a different theme.

Remember those "100 Things That Make Me Happy" books that were popular quite a few years ago?
I agreed with a few on the list, disagreed with quite a few and decided that there were a few holes missing.

Time to start my own list. Yes, I'm crazy - I admit it!
I found said list the other day.

Here are 34 things from my "Things That Make Me Happy" list:

• MBB
• Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you
• An empty parking space close to the door when you are in a hurry
• Bear Hugs
• Being sore from a good workout
• Butterfly kisses
• Celtic Knots
• Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies
• Christmas tree with all white lights
• Cool underside of a pillow
• Discovering that love is unconditional and stronger than time
• Doing something every year so that it becomes traditional
• Drinking Irish Beer, in an Irish Pub, listening to Irish Music
• Fairies
• Finding an item you want on sale for half price
• French fries dipped in a chocolate milkshake
• Going to sleep with a line through every item on the To-Do list
• Having someone tell you that you're beautiful. . .And mean it
• Kodak moments
• Laughing for absolutely no reason at all
• Orange and Black
• Peanut butter oreo blizzard made with chocolate ice cream
• Playing Santa Claus
• Rereading a favorite book
• Room full of burning candles
• Running through sprinklers
• Song lyrics printed inside a new CD so you can sing along without feeling stupid
• Special glances
• Toddlers' vocabulary
• Two-handed solitaire
• Uncontrollable giggling
• When last year's jeans are too big this year
• Working out at the gym
• Worthless trivia

The other good thing about posting this list here?
I get to let go of my "100" obsession and recycle another sheet of paper! :)

Namaste.

Hurting

I have been pulling some serious hours in the evening to get those two rooms done.
The good news: The two rooms are starting to look pretty darn good!

My thumbs are about to boycott me right now as I have been using the tips to remove old paint off of the baseboards without having to touch up the new paint.

Note to self: Scrub the old paint off before putting the new paint on the walls!

Once we get through this weekend, I think we need to take a break from the house.
A few weekends of "not picking up a paint brush / tool" is just what the doctor ordered.

Namaste.

Say What?

From Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback:

Quote of the Week II
"Going back to the Bengals is possible. I wouldn't mind it happening because I loved playing in Cincinnati. I got real close with all the guys out there and I planned on being out there for a long time. I really had a good time playing ball out there in Ohio.''-- Suspended former Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, on the prospect of returning to the team.

If the Bengals do that, I will personally demand the entire front office be drug-tested.

I think Peter King is right. . .I will seriously wonder what is going on if he is brought back!

Namaste.

Ouch!

We hit the ground running Friday evening well into Sunday night:
. . .Walls were sanded.
. . .Walls were primed.
. . .Walls were painted.
. . .Closet inserts were installed.
. . .Scrap metal was hauled away.
. . .Furniture was moved out.
. . .Poles were removed from the yard.
. . .Grass was mowed.
. . .Lawn equipment was cussed out.

Good News:
. . .The entry way is 90% painted two historical green colors.
. . .The dining / kitchen rooms are painted three different gray colors.
. . .MaBell's closet is 75% done and is usable!

Results:
. . .Muscles are groaning.
. . .Bodies are exhausted.

It's going to be a long week as we still have stuff to get done before Saturday.
I will be posting pictures later. . .Once the rooms are done.

Namaste.

How In The World Did They?

A bit of background:

• I collect Longaberger Baskets.
• We are in the process of getting Air Conditioning installed in our house.
• Temperatures have been hovering around the 90s lately.
• Some of our windows are missing screens, but. . .See notes above.

We have been having birds "visit" our house lately.

I noticed that they have taken a particular liking to one of my baskets that is on top of the dining room corner cabinet.

I "emptied" the basket twice and then blocked the window by laying a screen against it and bracing it with a chair.

Obviously, we have superbirds who are able to move chairs. I found the start of their third nest when I moved furniture to repair drywall and start the painting process!



We were able to find screens that fit all the windows in that room and are now able to keep the birds out.

I am happy that the A/C man is coming to the house today to evaluate the situation and figure out when we can keep all of the windows shut!


Namaste.

Sometimes I Forget. . .

. . .That I don't have a gall bladder.

Then I eat something fried and greasy.
Then my body reminds me that I don't have the ability to digest something fried and greasy.

And I remember that I don't have a gall bladder.
And I am miserable for a few hours. . .Or more.

The hash browns, even though they tasted good, were not worth it!

Namaste.

Light Posting

It will probably be light posting for me the next few weeks.
I have pictures on my memory cards to post, but I haven't had time to work with them. . .

As soon as I need a break from working on the house, I'll try to get some posted.

Namaste.

I'm Home. . .

I made it home Friday night and spent the weekend with the family.

I have some pictures to share in the near future when I get a chance to edit and upload.
We are getting ready for a get-together at the house, so I don't know when I will find that chance.

Namaste.

Changes. . .

My life has been full of changes over the last year.
I have not resisted them.
I have accepted them, embraced them and tried to keep my stress to a minimum.

I cannot say that happens in all areas of my life: You don't want to be around when they rearrange my grocery store!

I just came from a meeting where "change" was DISCUSSED.
I am amazed at the resistance I saw during a discussion (where 'no change' was an option).
I left the meeting early.
I am going to relax and read and do whatever I need to do to feel like I am on vacation!

Namaste.

Amazing Music

I signed up for this spiritual retreat a while back for one reason - the musician.
I have been a fan of Daniel Nahmod for awhile now.
I believe that there is at least one other post about him logged in the music section.
He has touched my life with his gift and his love of music.

I had the honor of being blessed with his music tonight.
I was asked to be the "official" photographer of the concert (pics for the scrapbook!!!).
I still have goosebumps from the final two songs of the night: "One Power" and "Last Song".

Absolutely amazing.

Namaste.

I Made It. . .

I made it to my vacation spot.
The grounds are beautiful - I took some great pictures of the rose garden.
The fellowship is great - I'm enjoying seeing people that I haven't seen in three or four years.
The food is in-line with my goals for the week - healthy AND tastes good!

I'll try to post more this week, but I'm not sure how much time I will have.

Namaste.

Vacation

I am heading out of town on vacation.
It's going to be the second time this year that I have left the family for a week at a time. . .Going to be rough!

I am going to try to post while I am gone, but I am not sure if I will have access to the internet or not.

Namaste.

Gotta Love Sales!

I went a-grocering last night.
I usually go on Fridays. . .but you could not PAY me to go the the grocery store on a holiday!
Well, OK, you pay me enough to pay off my mortgage and I might!

I found some pretty good sales on things that my family eats continually, so I stocked up!
I was incredibly happy to see Hormel Chili without any beans on sale - it NEVER goes on sale.
Yes, I bought 24 cans.
No, I'm not nuts - those things are normally $2.39 and I got them for $.99!

Overall, it was a good trip - the receipt says that I spent $99.94 (target was $100) and saved $75.43. I disagree with the savings figure though - the meat I bought didn't ring up on sale - but dang it. . .I saved about $4 on those things! :)

Namaste.

Foods

I received this info in a forwarded email.
Don't know who compiled it, created it or started it.
I take no credit for it.
I wish the neat pictures could be copied from the email into here though! :)

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye.. and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (mo dern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actual ly bal ance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just l ike the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Namaste.

Disclaimer

This is a public blog.
I am careful to not use real names.
I have no idea how many people read it or even who reads it, but I do know that people are finding it via Google / AOL searches. I even have people accessing it from other countries.

I try to keep references to my job at a minimum (don't wanna lose my job like Heather Armstrong did).
Despite that, my employer has asked that I put a disclaimer here.
Even though I don't believe that I have ever disclosed who my employer is, I will do as they ask: “The views expressed here are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.”

Gotta keep the big boss happy - see note about Heather above!
(If you don't know who Heather is - see dooce in the Blog Roll section)

Namaste.