Sugar Doll? Me?

My Blogger Buddy Bridgette sent me this "The Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger Award". Awe! Really Bridgette? Thank you sooo much! You are the Sugar Doll but I love that you sent this to me!
Bridgette has a lovely blog here:
http://bridgettetaylor.blogspot.com/
Life's a Beach
She is a breath of fresh air! A young perspective. An adorable fun girl. I love reading here blog. I hope you will too.

Okay...
Play time! Ten things about me? Okay, let me try:

1. I never have enough time in the day to get things accomplished that I intend.
2. Disappointing others is a big fear of mine.
3. Once upon a time I was "double jointed"
4. Both my daughters are left handed and I suspect I would be too if I I did not learn to write in the 60's, when teachers forced us to use our right hand.
5. I am in the process of forming a Bunco Group of friends.
6. I strongly believe in Paying it Forward.
7. I don't do astronomy, psychic readings or any of this nature since becoming a Catholic.
8. I believe all animals have feelings and thoughts.
9. I think you should always give respect even before receiving it.
10. I rarely think I am good enough, smart enough or liked enough. (I have self-esteem issues).

Passing this award along. Gosh, I don't want to stalk my favorites, I just passed another on to a few Blogger friends. Bridgette deserves this but she already got it. Hmm, Let me think..sorry for the repeating but some are such Dolls I can't resist!

1. Brooke at http://www.brookiescookies.blogspot.com/ She is the sweeties doll I have met in Blogland, gotta send it her way.

2. Mandy at http://www.byrdonfire.blogspot.com/ She too is wonderful and I have enjoyed her blog for quite a while.

3. Lori at http://www.loritimesfive.blogspot.com/ She is just amazing and inspiring! We all love her writings.

4. Rosaria at http://www.sixtyfivewhatnow.blogspot.com/ She is one of the best composed writers I have read. she has a lovely way of sharing her wisdom, her life stories, and wit. She is encouraging and uplifting. I am grateful to have found her.

5. Anne from http://www.justiandmyself.blogspot.com/ My fairly new friend from South Africa who inspires me and educates me too.

6. Linda at http://www.my-over-the-fence.blogspot.com/ One of my original top fives. Linda reminds me of how alike we are yet enough difference to make her interesting and intriguing.

Oh I could go on and on. I love all my blogger friends and am grateful that they entertain me, encourage me, educate me, and love me!

A Day with My Grown Up Baby

Yesterday I got to spend the afternoon with my lovely Annie. We went to her sorority banquet, The Delta Zeta 2010 Parent Banquet. It was very well organized and I actually learned alot about her sorority, what they have achieved as well as hearing lovely speeches from the Senior sisters. Our lunch was wonderful! And the company even better.

I very much understand and appreciate why Annie choose Delta Zeta as her sorority. She meshes well and she is a perfect fit with these girls.

These girls are amazing.

I do believe that these are Annie's forever friends. I do believe these girlfriends will be there for her always.

They are as lucky as she.

Beautiful Blogger!

JC from Lilacs & Cats, http://www.jcatmom.blogspot.com/ sent me this award! Yay Me! This one is soooo pretty. I am happy ! Thank you JC! I have been down and this certainly brightened my day.

JC is amazing. She is dedicated to Animal Rights, Animal Rescue, Shelter Animals... She is one of my heroes and she gets the word out. No wonder her blog followers have grown so. She is awesome and I am so glad that I found her . She takes fabulous photos of her fur balls and tells great tales of them.

Please go check her out. Also click on to her many links to help our furry friends in need!

I want to pass this Award on as well, so here goes. (In no particular order).

#1. Pam from Scotty's Place, http://www.scottys-place.blogspot.com/ . I love her! Love her blog! She makes me laugh all the time. I get giddy when she writes. I know I will either laugh at her humor, be hungry after hearing her cooking tales, or be envious from her crochet abilities.

#2. Brooke from Brookie's Cookie Jar, http://www.brookiescookies.blogspot.com/ Love her too! If we lived closer I would stalk her till she'd hang out with me! lol...jk. Brooke & I have enough in common that we have become good blogger friends. I find her inspiring and enchanting. She loves life and sprinkles happiness wherever she goes. She is Blessed to have wonderful family and she takes her bloggers on wonderful photo journeys on her trips.

#3. Speaking of trips.. Lori from Lori Times Five, http://www.loritimesfive.blogspot.com/ Incredible journeys into amazing places. Lori has a wonderful way of putting her story into words and photos. I have been following her seen earlier days (before she became famous!) she is always so sweet to me.

#4. My fabulous friend Reya from According to the Cosmology of Reya, (formerly known as The Gold Puppy) @ http://www.thegoldpuppy.blogspot.com/ Reya is also one of my popular friends (teehee). She still comes back to me & always gives me the best comments and praises. This woman has an amazing eye for art and her photography is marvellous!

Oh there are many others... But I am going to keep this to a minimum for now.

Love you all and thank you, thank you Ms JC!

Pod People

"Who are you , and what did you do with my parents?"

I don't know these people that claim to be my parents. They are not the same people I use to know. They are not the people I grew up with. These people are different.

Do you remember the movie, "INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS"? This show freaking scared the crap out of me. Now I know why. My parents are replaced by Pod People.

My parents are not the same. They don't make sense. They are not using good judgement. They are not being rational. Where did my considerate parents go? When did rudness become acceptable? Where did their common senses go?

Don't blame old age! I know way too many Oldies! I am no Spring Chicken either! Just because you get old doesn't constitute jumping into quick rash decisions and playing Russian Roulette with your lives.

I miss the old parents. The ones that thought things out (at least a bit better than now anyway.) I want THEM back.

I don't understand. They are so crazy! Gambling with their futures. Not thinking about consequences.

I am so torn and sad. How do you handle a couple of Pod people?

A Carrot, An Egg, and a Cup of Coffee

I got this forward today. Now, I know, you are thinking, "why is she putting a forward in her blog? Don't we have enough of these coming at us in our email?" I too get a boatload of forwards, and I am guilty of sending them too. Only those I really like though. This one came to me at a time when I needed it. One of my sister in laws responded to a email I sent with some whining in it. (It was okay, she loves me, and I knew she would not mind my venting). Shortly afterwards I got this and it truly made sense to me. I have thought about it all day. I want to share it with you, so here you go!

"A Carrot, An Egg, and a Cup of Coffee"

A carrot, an egg, and a cup of coffee...You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second, she placed eggs, and in the last, she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asks, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" She asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a break-up, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level.

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the mos t of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

It's easier to build a child than repair an adult.

This is so true - may we all be COFFEE.

OMGosh! Pixie Pets!

I just discovered this on ebay and Buddy am I ever excited! At first glance, I thought, are you kidding me? Nail polish for cats? I clicked it on so I could check it out. My daughter has a "Princess" cat that I thought Emily would get a kick out of such a product. I was wrong.

This is a super cool gadget that I wish I thought of!

It's the solution for us that do not want to put our Kitties through cruel declawing. (I hate to admit that three of my babies went through this. I feel horrible and had I know exactly what was done...I would never have done it! It was nearly twenty years ago and I am still so sorry that we did this. Sorry Baby, Mario & Dear Rocky (who is still with us).

So back to my posting...

They come in six colors and also in clear. They have different sizes (my cats are not the same size!) And they last 4-6 weeks.

GET THIS....They Also Come in DOG SIZES!!!!!

Are you excited too? Do you have DESTROYED hardwoods, door frames, and furniture? Lord have mercy! I DO!!!

For $16.99 I will receive 40 "Soft Paw Claws", adhesive, and instructions. I am waiting on Emily to pick a color for Isabelle and Isabelle and Meisha will be two styling cats!

If you want to order too, go to ebay..Pet Supplies, type in PixiePets or Soft Paw Claws.

I promise to add some pictures of my Cool Cats!

Into the Tunnel

My daily commute to the office involves going through a few tunnels. I walk a total of just over 2 miles though tunnels. This includes going through a couple of buildings and a brisk outside walk as well.

I walked these same tunnels back in the 70's, when my mother worked downtown. Back then, security wasn't like it is today. My Bestie & I would go meet my Mom for lunch and take these shortcuts that few knew about. We thought we were cool as my Mom showed us these tunnels to use. Little did I know, one day I would be trekking through on my own, daily, to get to my office. Today, they are very secure. You can not go into the tunnels without scanning your badge and passing security stations. Which is good, I certainly feel safer. However, it is also kindof creepy, when I go through them in the morning, they are empty and erie like the pictures.


Years ago I worked at the Indiana Deaf School. We had tunnels there too. It is interesting how many places have tunnels to get from point A to point B. I use to think we had so many of them because Indiana has such unpredictable weather. I now believe we have these mystery tunnels everywhere.
The weird thing is they look the same. Very 1950's.

I had some really cool pictures of my journey into work. Decided maybe not such a good idea to share them. Security issues. So, I am only sharing these very bland boring shots. They are still kindof cool though. I wonder how they keep these tunnels so freaking clean & shinny?

Roses

Aren't they beautiful? Fresh cut flowers always make me feel so good. These Roses were inexpensive (25 for $19.) at Sams. The have lasted a week and are just so darn lovely!
I am in to white lately. So simple, yet so elegant and stately.

Got One of These?

LOL!

My Fabulous Husband has a "few" flaws. Funny when he does this. I guess to actually put it on the holder is my job!

Never Too Old For Dolls

Some of us gals will never be too old for Dolls. I guess I am one of them. I was blessed to have Daughters and hope that I will also be blessed to have Grand-daughters one day. I still can play very nicely with dolls.

When I was four years old, I received my first "best friend". Her name was Susie. This doll went everywhere with me. My parents had a situation that caused me to have to be apart from them and my sister for several weeks. They would see me when they could, but it was not as often as a four year old wants. I stayed with a nice family, but I was so young and frightened. Very grateful that I had my Susie with me. I also experienced Chicken pox, still away from my family, clinching my Susie for comfort. There were several situations that made for a scary childhood. I love my family, and I loved my Susie too.

I hung onto her throughout the years, saving her for my own girls to one day play with. Unfortunately, she did not fair well in basement & attic storage through the years. She succumbed to mold.

My ebay buddy, Pat, & I were looking at dolls the other day as she had excitedly received her Mrs. Beasley from her husband for Valentines Day (isn't he a Sweetie?). I knew that my Susie Doll was made by Mattel, and around 1965. I did not know of her "real" name though, and have never seen her when looking up vintage dolls. Much to my surprise, she appeared on ebay as "Teachin Keen". Exclusively made for Sears. OH MY GOSH! I had to have her! Luckily no one else felt the way I did and I won her at a pretty fair market price. She is in wonderful condition, and even still talks!

She is missing one shoe, but I think my original did too. "Susie" arrived yesterday and is sitting in my office on a shelf anxiously waiting to be played with by children again one day. Until then, she will keep me company as I pound away on the keys, sharing TMI on my Blog!

ps.. great experience with this ebay seller! Luckily it wasn't the crazy one!

Don't Be a Labking!

I have recently joined the world of eBay. Oh what fun! It is like going through an antique store and marveling over lost treasures. I actually first checked them out many years ago, however, recently, a friend of mine and I have been joyfully looking for our childhood doll friends. Pat (remember our trip to Barbie World?) and I found our old Kiddles during a break at work one day. Then we started checking through others. Pat has been searching for her old Mrs Beasley while I searched for my old Suzie doll.

I started venturing out and discovered great finds especially with dishes and glassware. I ran across a Pink Depressed Canister Jar, that I was quite fond of. It was cheap too. A small flaw was keeping it from being a true collectors find, so I bid on it. Much to my surprise I "won" it.

I quickly went through the payment process and anxiously awaited my first purchase.

When it arrived, I was slightly disappointed. I feared it was broken as it was poorly packaged in a box it did not fit (sticking out on top). The silver electric tape also was an indication that I was not dealing with a professional. Once opened, I was thrilled that it was not broken but again disappointed that this item was rather dirty with grim in the depressions and a sticky tape across the bottom. At least, it will clean up. At least I got a great price on it.

Days later, after ignoring the emails from eBay requesting feedback, I decided I should go ahead or I would just keep getting the emails.
I mentioned how much I loved the piece, and what a great price I got on it. I mentioned the downside as being poorly packaged, and dirty. However, I gave a "Neutral" rating rather than a "Positive" or a "Negative". I also checked that I was not sure I would shop with this seller again.

Wow. Did I piss someone off.

I started getting messages from this seller:
labking**"How date you give me a neutral. That went through the dishwasher and was in mint condition. I will respond to your neutral and absolutely block you. You have buyer's remorse and are bitter. don't ever come near my auctions agains".
labking**I have just blocked you and you can never bid on my auctions. That is a VERY poor way to start your experience with ebay. Once that happens, additional sellers will block you also. Too bad you wouldn't contact me and you were so bitter. I am a wonderful seller to work with and have never had a problem except with you. That was absolutely a mint, cleaned item. Too bad you're old and bitter. Good Luck and you will need it.

janis** "Wow...good thing I didn't give you bad feedback! I felt it was priced very well, pretty & I love it. I kept getting reminders of feedback and I was only being honest. It was poorly shipped, too big for the box. It had dirt in all the depressions. I had to scrub the dirt out. It had a strange sticky substance on one side like a piece of tape (like the electric tape you used on the box perhaps) had been stuck to it. Don't fret, I have no intention on shopping with you again. FYI~ not mint condition and "dare" is not spelled "date"

labking**First of all it came directly out of my dishwasher so it would be perfect. The sticky tape might be on the cookie jar. The box was the just the right size. Hey if it was too small the cookie jar would have broken. I have sold hundreds of items and this is my first time someone has been such a b....h. If this is your first ebay transaction, I pity anyone that has to deal with you. It was NEVER stated in mint condition. Need I remind you I mentioned there was a tiny chip in the lid? Or did you think you were going to "steal" the jar? If that chip wasn't in the lid you would have paid more than 20 dollars for it. FYI-it just shows how bitter and miserable you are by correcting me on my spelling. Your sneaky and that is a real negative in the ebay community. I've notified ebay about blocking you. They have a box that is checked that asks sellers if they are willing to deal with "difficult" buyers. Even when I started I refused to deal with ugly people because life has way too much drama already in it. I hope you can be decent and respectful of the next poor seller you'll be deal with. Don't ever contact me again loser."

Okay Doky..I got me a winner. I quickly sent this to the "inappropriate mail" people and said, this is why we don't want to give honest feedback. I didn't even give negative feedback. Block this scary person from being able to message me.

So hopefully, this Kookoo will keep her distance. She has my real name, and address, from mailing me item. Great. At least she is from another state. How can someone like this do busy an a regular basis.

My friend, Pat and I now have a new saying when someone is being just a little overly sensitive and crazy... "Labking".
So, remember, Don't be a Labking!