And I Thought...

I went to the beach on Sunday planning to start a new book. The weather was amazing and my eyes loved to people watch. Something I guess I do, but not like I did on Sunday. While I was letting my mind wander, I thought of Blase' and his lists. So I jotted down some of my thoughts as I lounged in the sand listening to a whiney kid scream uncontrollably for entirely too long.

1. Why do people bring babies to the beach?

2. Diet limeade leaves an awful after taste.

3. Beautiful bodies should not have ink.

4. Less than beautiful bodies should not have ink.

5. I wish I could find a job that enhances my creative side.

6. Cancer is a bitch.

7. She's being stood up, I wonder if she knows.

8. That volleyball is gonna hit me in the head I just know it.

9. That new Camaro is sweet.

10. Will they let Farrah's son out of jail for her funeral? I bet if he was a child molester he'd have been out on bond by now.

11. I should really start this book, I bought it 2 months ago.

12. If I could just move to the beach on my terms.

13. I love hearing my husband chuckle.

14. I wish I had learned to play the violin and the piano.

15. Maybe I should try writing that book, I'd probably never finish it like everything else I start.

16. I remember when John Wayne died, my grandpa said, "All of the good people are gone now."

17. Why is it that people who can show skin don't and people who shouldn't do?

18. Mowing the grass would be a great surprise for my husband, then again, he'd never vacuum to surprise me.

19. Two wrongs don't make a right.

20. Definitely gotta pee.

Happy 4th Anniversary!

Today we celebrate our 4th Anniversary. We are not doing anything special. Hubby is preparing for a golf tournament tomorrow by practicing today. And I am practicing doing laundry. However, I may grab a book I've been wanting to read and head to the lake for a little sun and relaxation.



Hubby was up early contemplating whether or not to golf. Then he gave me a play by play as to what we were doing 4 years ago today at 9am. No doubt in my mind we were standing in line at the courthouse in Las Vegas to get our marriage license. Then we perused through several chapels to find the right one. We chose Wee Kirk 0' the Heather. Supposedly the oldest one in Vegas. It was the only chapel that wasn't too cheesy on the inside. The resolution of the pictures aren't the best, but you get the idea.

Photo Hunt - Flag

Sandi at Whistlestop Cafe always hosts Photo Hunt Saturday. Today's theme is flag. Nothing is more striking than Old Glory. I have a mini or two of Old Glory in my two containers out front.
However...

I had to post Hubby's flag I keep in my Casablanca lily garden. Mom gave him this last year for dog sitting Lacey Littlefeet while we scooted away for a long weekend.

Happy Saturday everyone!!

A Sidekick, A Siren, and A Singer

Let alone regular people like us, plus celebrities have been keeping the Pearly Gates busy this week.

The Side Kick

The Siren

The Singer

This week has been quite the week for celebrity deaths. I've read so much and heard so much in the past 24 hours that I wasn't going to bite. Just so you know, I've changed my mind.

Now, I didn't keep up on Ed McMahon much. After hearing rumors about bankrupty and financial failure my heart went out to him. Whenever I hear his name I automatically think of him as Carson's sidekick. Oh, and not to forget, the guy who ends up in everyone's mailbox for a chance to win a million. Right now I am visualizing Johnnie Carson and Ed reuniting and catching up. Wouldn't you love to be sitting at that table?

Farrah, one of Charlie's Angels. A childhood friend would jump at the chance to be "Jill" when we played Charlie's Angels. I succumbed to being a Kate or Jaclyn Smith (cannot remember screen names), but I loved those girls too, plus I'm a brunette so it was all good. Burning Bed was the first real acting gig I can recall Farrah performing aside from Charlie's Angels. The movie made me think about abuse situations and made me realize, at quite a young age, this woman could act. Really act. Just something about her, natural, poised, and classy. We seemed to forget her age, as she aged. She was so very much like that beautiful sexy poster every young man had in his room during the 70s. Kudos to Ryan O'Neal for following through on his promise to take care of her and being with her during this difficult time. As Jaclyn Smith reported this morning, Farrah is with the real Angels now.

On to Michael. Michael has had quite the life hasn't he? No one said he's perfect. Although he came close. Then he fell. Unfortunately for many that's the Michael they will remember. I choose not to. I choose to remember how great his music was while I was growing up. Thriller was his number one album, but I loved him before that. Remember the Jackson 5 and all those shows they performed on television? His album Off the Wall rocked my world until I received Thriller for Christmas from my parents.

In the early 1980s, MJ set the tone for music of the future. My favorite memory of him was performing on the Motown 25th Anniversary Special. He sang Billie Jean. He moonwalked. He moonwalked for the first time bringing tons of people to their feet. My dad was laying on the floor while we watched it on TV. I couldn't help but yell, "HOW DID HE DO THAT?" Dad chuckled, "I have NO idea." A moment I will never, ever forget. MJ was so exciting to watch. His dance moves were electrifying. Young people copied his moves for years to come. There is no denying it!

My neighbor told me last night, his daughter, Brooke, loves MJ. In fact last week they were watching some of his videos on YouTube together. We both agreed no matter how freakish MJ had become, he had some of the best dance music ever. My neighbor said, "you know Lisa, MJ was the Elvis of our time." THAT, he was, I had to agree. This makes me think of a comment I saw this morning. A "friend" made the comment MJ was such a pervert and we should regard Jesus as our hero and not MJ. Maybe so. But I don't think she was thinking of Jesus when I saw her at a high school dance many years ago. As I recall she was shaking her booty and batting her eyelashes like the rest of us. Maybe it's not important to her now. Maybe she doesn't cherish those memories like I do. Maybe she sees the greater good in everyone except perverts. My guess is, there is a pervert sharing her pew at church on Sunday. He/she's smiling like everyone else. And, they may be dancing naked to Thriller in the privacy of their own home. The last I knew, Jesus loves everyone, no matter the circumstances. (Just a side note, I know pervs are pervs. But let me tell ya folks, pervs are EVERYWHERE!! They are NOT just celebrities!!)

I wish MJ could have ended on a note like he did on Motown's 25th Anniversary Show. He deserved that. Personal choices and greed appeared to drown him in years to come. As fans, we judged him and wanted him to be as wonderful as he was once. Human nature watches people fail and we make it very difficult to allow people to prove their way back. Maybe he was on his way. Maybe things didn't really happen like we saw in the media. Maybe money really is the root of all evil.

MJ's concert in London already sold out. That speaks volumes.

May you rest in peace MJ!

Coconut

Have you had the pleasure? Shear heaven I tell ya!! I LOVE coconut, just about everyone in my immediate family circle LOVES coconut. Mom spied these at a store recently. The owner of the store really bought them for his staff but set them out to sell too. The worker told us to get them at Sam's. So mom did! Coconut and dark chocolate ROCK!!! It's only a limited edition, so be careful, be very very careful....

Guilt and Vegetables

I have been dealing with guilt this evening. Fully intending (remember how I hate the word "INTEND"? It tends to get people in trouble.) to make my walk in the dreaded heat tonight while listening to my favorite tunes, a weird little storm blew up out of no where. My goal was to be at the dam by 8:15pm and be done by 9pm. I just figured a little later, maybe a little cooler, maybe a little more peaceful. I was looking forward to it. Thank goodness I didn't go any sooner. The sky turned black and a huge gust of wind whipped by my window. The heat had been almost unbearable as the air just wasn't moving. The weather reminds me of last year when the rain pelted all summer. I feel like I'm in the movie Groundhog Day or something. It's as if this is a continuation from last year. I wake up everyday and it rains. It's like a nightmare. Once I begin my walks across the dam in the summer, I feel guilty if I miss an evening.

So, since I'm missing my walk I'll tell you about a little recipe I found in a Mexican Recipe Book this weekend. I wish I had pictures but I don't. Didn't even think about taking any as I wasn't sure it would be as wonderful as it actually turned out. Mom told me tonight she really liked those vegetables I fixed the other night. Ironically I finished off the veggies today at lunch thinking they almost taste better today than the other evening. It made me crave more. I've been thinking about them since our conversation.

Anyhoo, I took a half a head of cauliflower, a stalk of broccoli, and 2 large carrots. I cut apart the cauliflower and broccoli and sliced the carrots into large thin pieces. Then I steamed them to make them perfect. In a saucepan I melted 2 tablespoons of butter, then added 1 small clove of garlic (chopped as tiny as I could get it) and a BIG squeeze of lime. Boiled these ingredients for less than a minute. Poured it over the veggies and YUUUUMMMMEEEE!! Next time I'm going to add zucchini or yellow squash. This was the first time I used fresh garlic. Now let me tell you I love garlic, but this was the bomb!!! The bomb I tell ya. It gave a wonderful flavor along with the fresh lime juice. If you like these kinds of things, trust me, you'll love this!!

Oh the Heat!

I started to watch John and Kate Plus 8 tonight. Why? I hate that show. Guess it's like a good car wreck, I just wanted to see. Then I got mad at myself for helping give this family good ratings so I went for a walk instead. Walking across the dam is about one mile from a particular point A to particular point B. The heat was radiating, the lake was beautiful and the music was hot. I think I could've made a couple of more trips. This one walk reminded me of why I absolutely love summer.

Once I got into my car to head home, I took the long route just to listen to the radio. I find myself taking the longer routes lately since I have XM Radio for free (temporarily). Sincerely, I wish I could buy one for the house. It's need like a new hole the head.

After I got home I got to see the ending to John and Kate. Maybe I'm relishing in the fact that's what people get for making money off their children, but that's really not fair. Those kids didn't get to choose their parents. But dear Lord, please help Kate not be so ignorant. I have a feeling she'll be in the December issue of Playboy. Oh, the heat...

Our A/C quit working yesterday. The fixitman said there's a leak. An unlikely leak since the unit is so new. He didn't have time to work on it today, but thawed it out and recharged it. Not sure how this will be tomorrow. It better get fixed. I can stand the heat if I want, but if I don't want, oh, watch out...

Bark? What Bark?

This morning I'm cruising out of town in my car when I hear this weird dog bark. I swear he's in my backseat. My brain is rushing, remembering I had not passed any canines going 60 mph. Only a few seconds later, I swear I hear a car horn honk. It was almost as if it were MY car honking. Thinking I should dart on past Moberly and head to Mid Mo Mental Health, cause I just wasn't getting it....I got it. The radio was tuned to a 1990's station on XM Radio. I have this free for 3 months and have not played with it until now. Apparently this 1990 song that was playing had naughty words that were "barked" out and "honked" out as the naughty words were sung. It took me a mile or two to figure that one out. No kidding the sound was crystal clear coming through those speakers and I swear that bark sounded like it came from the back seat. And that honk, it was just incredibly weird. I had a good laugh on the way to work though. I guess you had to be there...

Tagged with an Award

I've been TAGGED!! Tagged by Terry at Lakewood Manor to list 6 unimportant things that make me happy. Let me think a minute, okay, 6? Here it goes Terry:


1. Laying on my floatie on the lake under the sun. ( I think this covers a bunch, but I'll count it as one. Pure bliss!!!)
2. Loud funky music.
3. A good, crisp dill pickle.
4. When my husband kisses my hand out of the blue.
5. When someone winks at me.
6. Kid Rock!!!



Now I get to tag 6 people to list 6 UNIMPORTANT things that make THEM happy!!



Alicia @ New England Girl
Lisa @ aka west
Brenda @ Country Romance From the Heart
Tam @ Yakiddy Yak Yak
Gayla @ Oatmeal and Whimsy


YOU, just let me know by leaving a comment so I can check YOU out!

*********************

Thank you Alicia for this award. Alicia has a new blog, New England Girl, you can find her link above and on my blogroll. Check her out. Really her blog should be called Beautiful New England Girl!! Anyway Alicia, what a nice surprise after a poopy kinda day at work. I appreciate you thoughtfulness and look forward to visiting you at your new blog!! I share this award with my loyal readers and new ones too! You guys are the absolute best!!

Have a wonderfu evening and if I don't get back to you by Friday, have a wonderful weekend too!!

Wow

Remember when I told you guys once that I was having a day where I just wanted to stand on my roof and flip off the world? Or something extremely similar. Well, it just so happens in my life, when I get frustrated, 9 times out of 10, someone enlightens me and leaves me feeling thankful rather than frustrated. Today is one of those days. Only I would much rather have sat on someone's car as a hood ornament with my longest finger pointing straight in the air as cars whizzed by. Tonight in blog land I had a few new visitors. Those visitors lead me to someone I never thought about running into. For a few minutes the thought of flipping off the world escaped me and I was mesmerized by her story. Another day where I've learned something unique and something wonderful from someone who cares. Really cares! May God bless her and keep her safe so she can fulfill her journey and calling. I know I'm being vague, maybe I'll explain more later. Maybe I won't.

Unexpected Visitor

Tonight hubby was preparing to put stuff on the grill when he noticed this little unexpected visitor make a beeline into the garage. Since we have a lot of junk in the garage, hubby was afraid he'd get stuck and well you know...

So after 20 minutes of chasing this little critter around the garage, hubby finally trapped him and turned him loose in the woods. He was just a baby and scared to death. Normally I cuss these little cuties for biting off the tops of my flowers, but today I ooed and awed with hubby. I wish we could've made him our friend. Who knows maybe he'll be back.

My #1 Fan

Okay, yes, so I do know some of the designers from Trading Spaces would not agree with a ceiling fan. But, I have one. One I have been wanting for years. Many years. I had one that blew about 10 years ago. It didn't really seem too important until a year or two ago. Due to having the roof replaced earlier this year after ALL the rain we received last year, we had to fix our ceiling in the livingroom also. We had them remove the textured mess and just paint. They did a great job. SOOOOO, I had them replace the ceiling fan as well as the 2 other light fixtures in the room.

Excuse the mediocre pictures, but notice the track lighting in front of the fireplace. It looks so much better than what we had before. I always think of the movie Steel Magnolia's when I see or hear "track lighting".

Hubby and I had been discussing how I wanted to change the furniture around once this job was completed. We came home on Friday evening and the two fellas had put the furniture back to the best of their recollection. Wasn't quite the same, but I absolutely like it. I emailed one of them and told him how happy they made me. There must be something to Feng Shui. I've about talked the hubby into getting a new crown molding to finish the room and get rid of the other stuff. We'll see. I'll keep my fingers crossed and look for a part time job.

Remember when I told you we went to the Gypsy Caravan in St. Louis? This is one of my finds, the birdcage. It's a little primitive. It's a little uneven. It's perfectly me. I love it. I love even more that I only paid $8. I've thought about placing a fern and/or a pretty little fake bird in it. Reynaldo has already checked it out.


I'll try to get better pictures tomorrow. Today the two fellas finished what they needed to complete and I put things back together. We are simplifying somewhat and I feel the need to have a yard sale. Dreading even the thought of it, it still needs to happen. Hey, maybe that's how I can earn my crown molding!!

Happy Birthday Hubby!!

Hubby is officially one year older today! He wanted peace and quiet, but due to having out ceiling repaired, he just got a little semi-peace and quiet. Actually they are very quiet, hubby just wanted to be able to sleep in until noon. Maybe next year. Mom baked him a 2 layer chocolate cake at his request. I made him his traditional pizza for supper tonight. I love this picture of him. Not sure if he's really happy or he's giving me the big eye for taking his picture! Here's to 48 more hubby!!

Fern Babies

Mom hung 2 ferns on her front porch about a month ago. They looked beautiful. Then she realized she had a visitor who seemed to be busy making a nest.

Last weekend she found these babies. She asked me to take pictures week by week, but I didn't get the first week.

It's amazing how much they change in a matter of 7 days.

There are 4 of them. I pulled a chair up to get a picture. After a lot of noise from up above, I finally left them alone.

Here's mama. She was so upset that I was sneaking a peak of her babies. Mama watched me intently and waited for me to leave. We aren't sure if mom's fern is gonna make it or not, but these babies are safe.

First for 2009

Hubby found our first 4 leaf clover of the year a few days ago. I had been looking and I knew he'd beat me to the punch. Last night we were looking in a clover patch in our yard where we have found a few before. We found 2 more. Left them there to hopefully grow more. Of course, while we were looking at them, Annie stepped on the second one we saw. Fortunately it sprung right up. This one brings our total to 34. I won't count the others until I've placed them in my special cookbook!

The Other Girl Naps

Furkids

We had to kennel Annie and Kia for the first time in 2 years while we went to St. Louis. They don't really like that too well. Reynaldo had the house to himself with tons of food and 2 litter boxes.

After having false hopes of him being Mr. Lovey Dovey upon our return, reality soon sat in. He acted like he didn't know us. It took him a few minutes to realize the peace and quiet would soon be over.

We drove 30 miles to get the girls. Annie was frightened, as we knew she would be, the whole time. And Kia warmed up to the lady in order to get a walk a to be petted. However, just before we arrived she got very sick. The vet gave her some meds and told us she thought it was just nerves, but just in case...

Annie and Kia stunk so bad we had to give Annie her yearly haircut and bathed both of them! Nothing like being home and naked!!

It was a long trip home, Kia got sick in the car. I felt so bad for her. She may have to take our next trip with us. She's better now and I think the vet was right. She thought we weren't coming back to get her. Remember, she was the one that was dumped in Moberly and starved along with her brothers. She must remember those terrible days.