How Many Movies Have You Seen?

Just had to try this one...thanks Wilma

Mark the ones you've seen.And mark with 3 X's those you have seen more than 5 times each- gives others more insight as to who you are. There are 247 films on this list.

(xxx) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(xxx) Grease
(xxx) Pirates of the Caribbean
(xxx) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
() Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(xx) Neverending Story
(xxx) Blazing Saddles
(xxx) Airplane
Total: 9

(x) The Princess Bride
(x) Anchorman
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
(x) Saw
() Saw II
(x) White Noise
() White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
() 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 18

(xxx) Scream
(xxx) Scream 2
(xxx) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
(x) Scary Movie 2
(x) Scary Movie 3
(x) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
(x) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 29

(xx) Harry Potter 1
(xx) Harry Potter 2
(xx) Harry Potter 3
(xx) Harry Potter 4
(xxx) Resident Evil 1
(xxx) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
(x) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 39

(x) Finding Nemo
() Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
() The Grinch
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
(x) White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
() 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots
Total so far: 47

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
(x) Universal Soldier
() Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
() Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
(x) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
() Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG (2005)
Total so far: 55

(x) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
(x) Dumber & Dumberer
(xxx) Final Destination
(xxx) Final Destination 2
(xxx) Final Destination 3
(xxx) Halloween
(xxx) The Ring
(xxx) The Ring 2
(x) Surviving X-MAS
(x) Flubber
Total so far: 67

(x) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
() Chicago
(xxx) Ghost Ship
() From Hell
(x) Hellboy
(x) Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
(xxx) The Whole Nine Yards
(xxx) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 75

(xxx) The Day After Tomorrow
(xxx) Child's Play
(xxx) Seed of Chucky
(xxx) Bride of Chucky
() Ten Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
(x) Gothika
(xxx) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
() Remember the Titans
(x) Coach Carter
(xxx) The Grudge
(xxx) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
() Son Of The Mask
Total so far : 86

(x) Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
(x) Joy Ride
(x) Lucky Number Slevin
(xxx) Ocean's Eleven
(xxx) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremacy
() Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
(xxx) Predator I
(xxx) Predator II
(x) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
(x) Curious George
Total so far: 101

(xxx) Independence Day
(xxx) Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
(x) Darkness Falls
(xxx) Christine
(xxx) ET
(xxx) Children of the Corn
(x) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(xxx) Rush Hour
(xxx) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 112

() Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She's All That
() Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
() Event Horizon
() Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
(xxx) Big Trouble in Little China
(xxx) The Terminator
(xxx) The Terminator 2
(xxx) The Terminator 3
Total so far:122

(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X-3
(xxx) Spider-Man
(xxx) Spider-Man 2
() Sky High
(xxx) Jeepers Creepers
(xxx) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
() Reign of Fire
(x) The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
(x) Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(xxx) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 137

(x) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
() Old School
() The Notebook
() K-Pax
() Krippendorf's Tribe
() A Walk to Remember
(x) Ice Castles
(xxx) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 142

(xx) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(xx) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(xx) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(xxx) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(xxx) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(xxx) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 148

() Baseketball
(x) Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
(x) House of 1000 Corpses
() Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(xxx) Highlander
(x) Mothman Prophecies
() American History X
() Three
Total so far: 153

() The Jacket
(x) Kung Fu Hustle
() Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
(xxx) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
(xxx) Willard
Total so far: 159

(x)Natural Born Killers
() High Tension
() Club Dread
(x) Hulk
(x) Dawn Of the Dead
(xx) Hook
(xx) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
() Orgazmo
() Phantasm
(xxx) Waterworld
Total so far: 166

(xx) Kill Bill vol 1
(xx) Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
(x) Wolf Creek
() Kingdom of Heaven
(xxx) The Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
(x) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 172

(xx) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(xx) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(xx) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(xx) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(xx) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(xx) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 178

() Quills
() Dangerous Liasions
() Return to Paradise
(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
(x) Shindler's List
() Animatrix
(x) Evil Dead
(x) Evil Dead 2
(x) Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
(xx) Silence of the Lambs
(x) Hannibal
(x) A Christmas Story
() Lady Jane
() Moll Flanders
Total : 188 seen not sure I want to watch those other 59

How can you tell I have NO life? Too bad they don't include a list on T.V. series...there isn't many of those that I haven't watched.

Truthfully I'd rather watch a movie than read a book...too much rapid eye movement.

I'VE DONE IT AGAIN...?

Sleepwalking (also called somnambulism or noctambulism^[1]) is a parasomnia or sleep disorder where the sufferer engages in activities that are normally associated with wakefulness while he or she is asleep or in a sleep-like state. Sleepwalking is usually defined by or involves the person affected apparently shifting from his or her prior sleeping position and moving around and performing normal actions as if awake (cleaning, walking and other activities). It is inexact to assume that somnambulists are unconscious during their nocturnal sleepwalking episodes. They are simply not conscious of their actions on a level where memory of the sleepwalking episode can be recalled^{[citation needed]}, and because of this, unless the sleepwalker is awakened or aroused by someone else, this sleep disorder can go unnoticed. Sleepwalking is more commonly experienced in people with high levels of stress, anxiety or psychological factors and in people with genetic factors (family history), or sometimes a combination of both.

A common misconception is that sleepwalking is acting out the physical movements within a dream, but in fact, sleepwalking occurs earlier on in the night when rapid eye movement (REM), or the "dream stage" of sleep, has not yet occurred.


Well, that's how Wikipedia explains it.


Yesterday morning I awoke to find that someone had done my dishes?

At first I thought my son had come back home but knew that washing up my dishes would have been the last thing he would have wanted to do...at 27 what do you expect? Anyways it wasn't him he, hadn't come home?

A cold chill ran down my spine...I had slept-walked again!

This only seems to happen when I am upset over something or feel there isn't enough time in the day to get things done. I've had LOTS of free time to do things around here so I guess it has to be that I'm still upset? Strangely, I don't feel that way.

The earliest that I remember this affliction [sleep walking] affecting me, was when I was a child around 11 or 12 yrs of age. I love to go camping and I got the opportunity to attend a "Girl Guide" Jamboree. The only drawback was that we could afford the camp but not the uniform that was required. This consisted of blue shorts/pants and blue shirts. I had the pants/shorts but not the shirts! My stepmom came up with the idea that I could wear my older sister's army shirts [she was a cadet in training], sad thing was...she was eight years older than me and a lot bigger [I was a puny thing back then]. I wanted to go so badly that I thought that it wouldn't matter. I was wrong! Right from the start I was buggged by this mean girl in our tent about wearing clothes WAY too big for me and "what was I...poor?" This is probably why I still have a clothing issue when I have to go somewhere...to the point of having nightmares about it!

Anyways...

This girl made my life hell...she just wouldn't let up...rubbing my nose into how perfect her brand new shirts were and I was a "Baggedy Anne". We were nearing the end of our trip when one morning she awoke to find her last clean shirt was missing! This made me smile LOTS! But the odd thing was I had awaken that morning with my hands being dirty, like I had just played in the sandbox? That whole day was ruined because of that missing shirt...we all had our bags checked...especially mine, as she was sure that I had took it! I was an unhappy person when I went to bed that night and strangely feeling guilty?

The next morning I was awaken by screams of anger...the missing shirt had been found. The only thing was it was covered in dirt! Looking at my hands I found them to be clean but my fingernails were full of dirt? Later that day, a camp councilor pulled me asside and we had a talk.

She told me that last night, she was coming back from the outhouse when she spotted me walking into the forest. Alarmed, she said that she called out to me but I was unresponsive and acting strange? So she followed me and watched what I did. I dug up the missing shirt and was bringing it back to my tent. She then told me that she had confronted me with it but looked at her weirdly...then she realized that I was sleep walking. She said that she made me wash my hands and put the shirt back. Happily she didn't say anything to anyone except my parents when they picked me up. I didn't remember a thing.

I haven't done it alot through the years but do notice when I'm upset it tends to happen. I've been seen rearranging pictures on the wall, taking dresser drawers out of there places and stacking them on the floor and even awoke to find folded clothes piled on my bed! Hopefully I never wander outside.

My grandson has this problem also. It's really quite creepy to see someone walking around with their eyes open but not there mentally. He even tried to leave the house once to go to a party across their street because he knew his uncle BillyRoo was there, thankfully his auntie saw him and stopped him. This uaually happens to him after his day has been too exciting. I guess it runs in the family?

Anyways...


My only complaint is...why didn't I clean the house or finish my sign work while I was at it?

2 of 365

1. Blogging about something else besides why I'm supposed to be happy.

2. Going out for a walk and not fall on my ass [because it rained and I didn't know it until I was out there].

3. Bank balance still in the black.

4. No Telemarketers or any other fools called!

5. Dishes mysteriously done when I got up this morning [sad...because it means I slept-walked again...will blog later about this old problem]. Does this qualify has a happy thought or not...maybe half points? The other half is that I got clean dishes....

SOMETHING THAT PUZZLES ME?

I have always wondered why I can do the things that I do without having learned them from books or being taught. One of my puzzlement is being able the read and chart survey notes. Some of my past job experiences had me working as a drafts person for engineering companies that needed someone to be able to decipher this info and put onto maps and charts.

A peak into my family history might shed some light on this question.

During my stay with my brother last year I read a book written by my cousin on our Great, Great, Grandfather [my dad's side]. As much as I hate giving out personal info this is just too interesting not to share. I had tried at one time to research my family tree but got nowhere. It seems that an error was made on the spelling of my last name.

As it turns out I am related to Philip Turnor born on a farm [1751...I was born in 1951] in Laleham, Middlesex, England. At the age of 27 he was hired by Hudson Bay Company on April 30, 1778 to be their "First Chief Surveyor". He was known in Britain as a practical astronomer and compiler of the Nautical Almanac issued by the Royal Greenwich Observatory.

I was able to Google him and came up with many hits on the man. Here's the blurb from the Wikipedia...
"Turnor was hired on for 3 yrs as an inland surveyor with the HBC and landed at York Factory [Manitoba] on Aug. 24, 1778. After mapping York itself, he set out to map the route to Cumberland House [Sask] and the newly established post of Upper Hudson House. He is credited with exploring & mapping many of the settlements & their connecting rivers & lakes for the company in the late 18th century."

Other searches on Turnor [www.biographi.ca], tell of him being the teacher of other great surveyors: Peter Fidler and David Thompson. Thompson is known as "Alberta's Legendary Exploratory Surveyor". From what I have learned his roll as Thompson's teacher gave Thompson the necessary means to explore and map the untamed wilderness of Alberta & Sask. Being unable to haul surveying equipment in their canoes, it was necessary to learn to chart by using mercury levels and using the stars. In my mind, Philip Turnor, should have been credited with more than just being a "teacher"! Some of his notes and drawings [maps] help make the "Arrowsmith Map" [being used in schools today]. Sadly he was afflicted with horrible rheumatism and his days as a surveyor were numbered. He later returned to Rotherhithe, England where he taught navigation. He was given the watch he had used on his trips as well as 100 pounds by the London committee "in consideration of his services in having surveyed the Company's several settlements & explored several New Tracts & laid down the same in a large and accurate map".

So is mapping/surveying in my DNA?


During his mapping of Lake Athabasca he discovered a new species of willow growing on the sand dunes. This tree/shrub was later named in his honour "Turnor's Willow" [salix turnorii raup] which by the way only grows there and is now on the endangered list.

I love trees especially Weeping Willows...?

He also has a lake named after him "Turnor Lake".

Turnor was not married when he came over here and my other family ties are from the "Stony Cree" Indians. The HBC frowned on its employees fraternizing with the natives so this side of my history became the dark secret. Loneliness and not knowning the land made it impossible to do it alone. These guys had to consort with the natives and the indians liked it better if there were family ties...it made it safer for both sides. Plus who would teach them about the plants and animals living there.

I love to camp. Is this in my blood? I have a great sense of direction and never get lost?

So is this why I'm able to do some of those things...?

TIME TO GET INTO THE GAME!

I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired! Negativity is ruling my life!

I said that I wanted to join the Happiness Revolution 2009 as my New Year's Resolution but life always has something else to throw in your path. These last two months has seen me bogged down with technology woes, illness and worries about my foot. Friday's emotional breakdown was the last straw and I'm well enough to want to stand up and shout...NO MORE! Besides "Buttons" wouldn't have wanted me to be that way....so

I SOLEMNLY PROMISE:

I WILL BE DETERMINED TO FIND 5 THINGS IN MY DAILY LIFE THAT MAKES ME HAPPY!


1. I'm still on the RIGHT side of the grass! [No I won't be writing that everyday...or maybe I shouldn't promise that as that might be the only good thing that day]

2. Phone call from a caring daughter.

3. Son going back to work [tomorrow] after being off for 2 months. Don't get me wrong I was happy for the company but happier knowing his job is secure.

4. Clothes still not shrinking in the wash.

5. I'm back blogging and it WILL be daily!


and YES....it wasn't that hard

So count this as 1 out of 365

Only....364 to go.....

A VERY BLACK HEART DAY!

Dear Buttons:

Has it only been 5 years since your untimely death?
It seems like it was only yesterday!

Waking with tears flooding out of my eyes IS an appropriate way to start this terrible day! My tears are for you and a lot for me...I seem to be selfish that way!

I don't wish this type of grief on anyone [well maybe one] and it's been a long, long sad journey without you!

I'm sorry sis, but the rage and anger is still there!

Today my heart is the deepest black!

I'm sorry but I still can't forgive him for ending your life! [read full story Feb 27, 2007 post...I'd link it but don't know how]

I've heard he's finally having a rough time of it and is back on the bottle again...showing everyone around him his true face!

We BOTH knew how it was with him...sadly you loved him anyways!

They say he regrets his moving in with her too soon [4 mon]after the funeral. I hope you have been haunting them both...I would have!

I hope the thought of what he did to you eats him alive!

Sadly, your children still have to deal with that...:( BUT we both know they must be used to seeing him that way!

Hearing he's this way warms my heart better than hearing about his new love life, gifts he showers on her, travel plans of cruises...mostly the things he refused to do for you!

Drinking is now breaking them apart...:)


I have some heart warming news for you...your son is getting married in Aug, close to your birthday] to the girl that you approved of. I'm helping her with the decorations but wished that your were here to do them instead.

But some sad news too...your daughter needs your help! Her marriage is falling apart and she's trying to keep it together by wanting to get pregnant. Hope you can give her a helping hand? Knowing you, I feel that your spirit is still around us because I have felt your presence near me! Probably wishful thinking on my part.

I still spend many a day remembering our last times together and I will cherish those thoughts for ever. I can only wish that I have someone [besides my children] that will remember me with the same heart felt fondness!

REST IN PEACE....BUTTONS

You will NEVER be forgotten by me!

Your loving and very lost sister....Bones

BACK IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING?

Not that I was near death...just felt like it! Today is the first day I have wanted to do anything!

I too, am tired of seeing that same "Boxing Day" crap as anyone and updating my diary must be done.

First update on the computer problems...which are still on going!

The purchase of the big monitor turned out to be more expensive than it should have, but if I had kept up with technology it wouldn't have been.

Yup, I had to buy a new computer! Thankfully my son had purchased one last year and he sold me his [still got the 2007 tax write-off].

I HATE having to upgrade more than anything! The expense is bad when business is slow but that's not what bugs me the most. It's the copying of the old files/fonts to the new one and then setting up a system to accept/send your emails. Everything still hasn't been moved over.

Getting your children [they are my computer geeks] to sit down and help you is another! This old dog does not learn new tricks easy and computer knowledge flies right over my head! Running a business cannot wait for tomorrow plus customers have no care whether your having problems or not! Alas my kids differ in their knowledge and the one who does the email thing [PoD] got sick too! Right now I receive emails sporadically and cannot send them out! Normally the first two months of the year are slow [the poor economy doesn't help] but this year they actually want stuff done. Excuses being made, sound feeble...even to me!

February 3:
I had just bragged to PoD about how amazingly healthy I've been lately [ year and half] only to be laid low by the dreaded cold/flu/sinusitis/chest/head congestions. My sinusitis problems have a tendancy to put me into the hospital they get so bad and with having previous Broncial/Pnemonia it can be worrysome.

If that wasn't enough, I decided to go sockless causing a rub mark just below the right ankle. This decided to become a festering lession! Naturally I had to make sure that everything it got soooo bad that I had to visit our only doctor [whom I detest]! All who follow my blog know I have Diabetes and that healing takes forever! Taking antibiotics leads to yeast infection but it was the only course to take! Its taken 2 different doses?

I've had sores on my foot before but this one is insane! The pain got sooooo bad sometimes that the calf/arch muscles cramped up...sleeping was near impossible [still is]! It didn't help that my right foot is the one I start out with in walking, stair climbing, driving...etc. Standing for any amount of time unbearable! In order for one to get better when they are sick is to move around but how does one do that with pain shooting up the leg? Soaking it was the only relief, but can be done only so often. The cream for the lession helped but a bandaid in that area has a hard time staying on! Putting a sock on a swollen foot hurts, yet had to be worn in order to keep my foot from freezing [poor circulation] but ended up pulling on the bandage! Screaming only scares people!

So between my illness and foot problems, life has been hell! Being sick made me realize that the dryer wasn't shrinking my clothes after all because now they feel roomy again? Thankfully I feel that I am back on the road to recovery! The foot is still sore but I am able to hobble around enough to get the groceries I want. I'm sure both my kids got tired about having to deal with this whiny old person! The good thing about being ill/lack of food, was that it helped to bring my sugars down. Although they were scary at times in the early hours...quite low, enough to wake me up! So between the pain and low sugar, sleeping was in bits of a time...lots of naps.

For the business how does this excuse sound to you?

Them: "Have you got my stuff ready for me [it's been like...2 wks now]?"
Me: "Sorry I've been sick with the cold/flu thats going around" [my head has been too thick to think let alone come up with a fantastic ideal that will make YOUR business run]
Them: "When do you think you'll be well enough"
Me: "Um...I also have this sore on my foot is so painful that sitting/standing/walking/thinking is near impossible"
Them:.....silence ["yeah, sure?"]
Me: "Hopefully soon?"[I'm not a doctor and knowing when I will be better...? Like I want to feel this way?]

It gets to the point where I don't even want to answer the phone anymore!

Poor PoD got sick with the flu/cold/cough about 2 weeks after me and had to contend with the birthdays this month. Her Dad's was on the 11th, her son JD, brother-in-law & me on the 18th. Bought cake worked just fine. Hopefully she gets better as of this morning she still has her cough.

So I turned 58 and as the "Great One" said " I'm happy just to wake up on the right side of the grass"!

So now you know what I know.....

COMING DOWN FROM "BOXING DAY"...?

With a "good year" income looming at tax time, becomes the need of the business year end write-offs!

The Ex had found a good deal, in "Toon Town", on 22" wide computer monitors and the sale was only on Boxing Day [Dec. 26].

I have NEVER been able to afford to go shopping on this day! I didn't really want to go! I hated the fact that it was a 2 hr drive there and back, with chances of weather conditions. BillyRoo wanted to go, because it had been awhile since he'd been there. So I thought..."why not"! Have fun...BE HAPPY...

The drive was good and we had lots of chatter, which made the drive fun.

Experiencing the city on Boxing Day, wasn't!

Silly me, thought that maybe the stores might be emptier, less being able to afford to shop?

Boy was I wrong!

The Ex wanted to make sure that we both got this monitor, so he figured on getting there a half hour early. We were the 3/4th people in the line-up. By the time it opened [9:00am sharp] there were about fifty people! This store holds a max of 20 at one time!

Then a lady decided to add her shopping cart?

Getting the item wasn't the problem!

It was waiting for a till to be available!

2 tills, 6 clerks [1 still learning how to operate one]...elbow to elbow people!

45 minutes later we were freed!

We got our monitors!

We hadn't even started to shop yet and I was already done in! It didn't help that I hadn't taken my insulin yet and the STRESS that I had just gone through made me feel worse. We took a break and decided to fuel ourselves up before attempting more.

One hour later, I was ready to go home!

Shopping had gotten worse!

The late risers had flooded into the malls! Everybody and their dogs was there!

I didn't find that there was much that was on sale, yet everyone around me, was acting like everything was? They were in a frenzy! Then there were the ones that ran into long lost relatives/neighbors! "Park your shopping cart anywhere", attitude!

I went home disappointed! :(

I expected much more?

One good part was, I didn't spend as much as I COULD have...:)

I did get a wonderful deal on my new "skinny" monitor and just love the room [for more junk] that it gives me.

Life couldn't leave me with "Being Happy" about the new monitor?

"Because it doesn't WORK"!

Seems, my OLD computer, needs to be UPGRADED, in order to have my NEW monitor to work!!?

WHY can't life be SIMPLE?

Today, Jan. 5th, will be the first moment I've had, to be able to get somewhere, to pick up the fix that its needed.

A new video card?

It's been 9 days of weird/greenish/distorted screens/bad pixels...etc!

I feel my eyes are going to bug out of my head if something doesn't change soon!

One never misses something until you can't have it!?

I'm even beginning to think, distortion, is starting to looking good?

My luck...there won't be any cards around! [Why would I phone first to find out whether or not they have one?]

The other reason for going, is the need for stuff I can't get here...you know, fussy cat, me.

All I need is for the weather to behave...!

"Don't Worry...Be Happy..."

Well, I made it through another year!

I've just spent my Xmas season working my way through all of our backed up orders! Thankfully the public hasn't found it's way here yet to pick up their stuff. I've been open but blizzardy conditions have kept them home. PoD has been busy with the kids and NEW dog. She's anxious to have them go back to school and I'm anxious to have her back at work again! Don't know what the dog is going to do?

I need her!

This is not a one-man-job!

I hate year-end rushes!

Do I sound panicky...?

I'm not really...thanks to my New Year's Resolution for 2009...

"Don't Worry...Be Happy..."

My son, BillyRoo, has been off since Dec. 20 and it's been great spending time with him [between video games]...;) Thumber now has somebody else to bug!

I've been find out lately, that Thumber is one strange cat? Since Suki has passed on, Thumber has let me know that her and Suki had played a lot together. Suki always demanded my time and drove Thumber away by hissing at her. I thought they hated each other? Thumber sometimes calls out [sounding meow] now, whereas she had never did that before. Suki was always the one that did the sounding when she was in a playful mood and now I believe she was calling Thumber. Thumber is either now, calling for Suki or hopefully she only wants to know where I am. Or is it a way that cats howl sometimes just like dogs...?

I still miss Suki! But I'm happy knowing she isn't in any more pain.

This year had started out dismally, in the financial department, yet ended up being one of the most productive years, since being out on my own! I haven't been busy in December in 6 yrs! It will be interesting to see what this year will bring...?

I still haven't heard from Doc on how my "stress" testing went. No news is good news?

The bad department area, has been my sugars!

I hate the chocolatey seasons! I thought I had my chocolate addiction under control but I was wrong! Sad seasons make me want to eat comfort!? Sugar is my enemy, so why is it my comfort?

"Don't Worry...Be Happy..."...?

THEY'RE BACK...

It's been awhile since I've spoken about orbs.

Which must seem strange to some, seeing as my blog title is "Orbs 'r' Us" and I seldom talk about THEM?

Believe it or not, I do, think about other things...;0?

anyways...

Orbs are always in my pictures, but lately my pics, have been empty?

I can some times sense a presence [spooky kind] in a room. I believe everyone does sometimes...you know " like someone/thing is watching you...hair stands up on the back of your neck" feeling?...that kind!

Xmas morning, during present unwrapping at PoD's place, I experienced that kind of feeling!

It wasn't a feeling of dread or sadness, just something extra? It wasn't all of the time...just once in awhile.

There was lots of noise going on: 6 adults trying to talk above 4 rambunctious kids, 8 dogs moving around in the back bedrooms [wanting out] 3 cats ..."and a partridge in a pear tree'...her in-laws were there for the holidays.

I took pictures whenever that feeling came over me. It wasn't until I down loaded my pics, that I saw that, I finally had "Orbs" in some of them!

To the "dust mote people"...where are the rest of the dust motes?

My allergies ran ramped during that melee! The room should have been crowed with dust motes!

It wasn't until a couple of days later that PoD and I talked, that the topic of orbs on the pics came up. She too, had been feeling the eeriness of the corner where we had been sitting. I had never once, during gift opening, mention my feelings about the sensations that I was experiencing. I wrote it off to the overload noises and how my head was starting to hurt...made me feel out of sorts?

PoD said that she had experienced a few odd moments when her company was there. She would catch a glimpse of something that was just slightly out of her sight range. I think the spirits that live with her didn't like excessive noises either!

I like to think that others[?] enjoyed the spectacle also...it was a fun day!

Hope everyone else had their Xmas Spirit too....;0

Some Assembly Required

‘Twas the night before Xmas when all through the house

I searched for the tools to hand to my spouse.

Instructions were studied and we were inspired,

In hopes we could manage “Some Assembly Required.”

The children were quiet in their beds, while Dad and I faced the evening with dread:

In the kitchen, two bikes, Barbie’s Town house to boot!

And thanks to Grandpa, a train with a toot!

We opened the boxes; my heart skipped a beat…

Let no pieces be missing or parts incomplete!

Too late for last minute returns or replacement;

If we can’t get it right, it goes down in the basement!

When what to my worrying eyes should appear,

But 50 sheets of directions, concise, but not clear,

With each part numbered and every slot named,

So if there were failure, only we could be blamed.

More rapid than eagles the parts then fell out,

All over the floor they were scattered about.

“Now bolt it! Now twist it! Attach it right there!

Slide on the seats, where metal is bare!

Hammer the shelves, and nail to the stand.”

“Honey,” said hubby, “you just glued my hand.”

And then in a twinkling, I knew for a fact,

that all the toy dealers had indeed made a pact

to keep parents all Xmas Eve night, with “assembly required” till mornings first light.

We spoke not a word, but kept bent at our work,

till our eyes, they went bleary; our fingers hurt.

The coffee went cold and the night it wore thin before

We attached the last rod and last pin.

Then laying the tools away in the chest, we fell into bed for we-deserved rest.

But I said to my hubby just before I passed out,

This will be the best Xmas, without any doubt.

Tomorrow we’ll cheer, let the holiday ring, and not have

To run to the store for a thing!

“We did it! We did it! Toys are all set for

the perfect, most perfectest Xmas, I bet!”

Then off to dreamland, at last sweet repose I gratefully went,

Although I suppose there’s something to say for those self-deluded

I’d forgotten that BATTERIES are never included!

-stolen from another weekly "Bean"

Following instructions was never my problem but "BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED" was definitely one of them!

ALL I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM SANTA

1. Encourage people to believe in you.

2. Always remember who's naughty and who's nice.

3. Don't pout.

4. It's as much fun to give as it is to receive.

5. Some days it's OK to feel a little chubby.

6. Make your presents known.

7. Always ask for a bit more than what you really want.

8. Bright red can make anyone look good.

9. Wear a wide belt and no-one will notice how many pounds you've gained.

10. If you only show up once a year, everyone will think you're very important.

11. Whenever you're at a loss for words, say "HO, HO, HO!"

-stolen from those weekly "Beans" mag

Santa has always been a favorite of mine!

I HAVE taken the "Christ" out of Christmas! I've replaced his name with an "X" and that's how I can answer "why I call it XMAS"!

For me, the poem above states it better, with it's humour intended.

I even collect Santas.

Over the years I have amassed quite a few and manage to keep adding to it.

Santa runs a close second to my Halloween decor. My kids always know what they can buy me.

I have tons of other Xmas decor [mostly snowmen] and with there being no room since moving to this new location, I had to part with them. My grand kids got the excess! If I want to change up decor I can always borrow it back ;)

My most favorite Santa is the one I got shafted on. It's home made [no, not by me...I was too lazy] and the woman charged WAY too much. Lesson learned...always ask the price first! We were exchanging services and she OBVIOUSLY charged much more than I did! The only good thing was, she did not too bad of a job...

My addition this year was 2 fibre optic ones. They were a two-for one deal.

I've even put some of them to work! The Coffee Mug Santas, hold my pens/markers. Some are used as toilet tissue holders [you know...constantly blowing the nose gets expensive]! I've even have Santa lights.

I got my new mascot into the joy of the season. I've watched many a vehicle slow down and take a gander. Their smile was my reward!

I wanted to put a stuffed Santa on my bench this year, but I couldn't figure a way to secure it, without it looking like I kidnapped him?

I've had to "nail down" the outside decor lately. Vandals have been having "fun" at mine and other's expense. This summer, it was the appearance of 3 flamingos, 2 cows and 1 gnome. The flamingos & cows found their way back home, but Mr. Gnome, is still here!

I started decorating early this year [right after Halloween]. My grand kids decorated the artificial Xmas tree. Their dad had secured it into the ground [stakes and all] right in the middle of my front yard. We even secured the plastic balls on the tree, so they wouldn't blow off by the terrific wind that we get here! The nice touch to it, was the foot high pink ribbon for breast cancer sign. It was staked into the ground in front of it. All looked good, the kids were proud of their work!

A month later I awoke to find it gone! Along with it, the pink ribbon sign! All that was left was the extension cord [it was secured to the house] and 1 ball, lying in the street!

PoD and I spent a half an hour driving around town looking for it, thinking that it was decorating someone else's yard? It was gone!

I guess someone needed it more than I did?

I still didn't let that wreck my spirit!

My "new decorated tree" is secured to my place with 3 metal brackets with 2 inch screws! I even have some nice "presents" [sitting beside the tree] for them to swipe... if they desperately need to swipe something! They are brightly wrapped presents full of cat litter crap [I needed weight to keep them from flying away]! Hope they have a Merry Crapmas!

I got to go now and hang my stocking for "Santa Is Coming To Town"....

Merry Xmas To ALL and to ALL a goodnight...

This little bit of info was sent to me by my sister-in-law SewLady and my new update will be about my health...but you can enjoy this first, as I'm still waiting for my results...

The Alphabet
A is for apple, and B is for boat,
That used to be right, but now it won't float!
Age before beauty is what we once said,
But let's be a bit more realistic instead.

Now The NEW Alphabet
A is for arthritis;
B is the bad back,
C is the chest pains, Perhaps car-d-iac?
D is for dental decay and decline,
E is for eyesight, can't read that top line!
F is for fissures and fluid retention,
G is for gas which I'd rather not mention.
H is for High blood pressure--I'd rather it low;
I is for incisions with scars you can't show.
J is for joints, out of socket, won't mend,
K is for knees that crack when they bend.
L is for libido, what happened to sex?
M is for memory, I forget what comes next.
N is neuralgia, in nerves way down low;
O is for osteo, bones that don't grow!
P for prescriptions, I have quite a few, just give me a pill and I'll be good as new!
Q is for queasy, is it fatal or flu?
R is for reflux, one meal turns to two.
S is for sleepless nights, counting my fears,
T is for Tinnitus; bells in my ears!
U is for urinary; troubles with flow;
V for vertigo, that's 'dizzy,' you know.
W for worry, NOW what's going 'round?
X is for X ray, and what might be found.
Y for another year I'm left here behind,
Z is for zest I still have-- in my mind.

*I've survived all the symptoms, my body's deployed, and I'm keeping twenty-six doctors fully employed!!!

THE HEALTH UPDATE:

October 3rd, I landed back into the hospital with angina pain! It seems it was enough to have to send me for STRESS testing again. It also turns out that my cholesterol levels are too high, not to mention, my blood pressure!

That damn word!

STRESS!

Like it isn't bad enough that my life/work isn't stressful enough, that one has to go through all of that testing AGAIN! They have appropriately called it STRESS!

The added STRESS being...I had to travel out of province in order to get it done soon enough? It's either: We have TOO many people that are having these problems or not enough machines to keep up?

Well, I had mine done on the 16th and 17th this month...in Edmonchuk. Thankfully I have family living there or the cost would have been a lot higher! Money STRESS!

The thought of traveling there was STRESSful!
Not having done much driving lately, I didn't feel confident enough to drive myself [would have to borrow someones car]. Weather conditions [snow] not to mention having to drive in the city... made it even more STRESSful! Do I take a bus/train? Someone would still have to drive me to their depots and pick me up!

Luckily my Ex wanted to do some Xmas shopping [plus needed my help doing it] and offered the use of his car, plus do the driving. All I had to do was foot the bill. The most STRESSful part was whether I could be around him long enough without being TOO STRESSed out? It turned out to be not to bad after all, but it did still have some STRESSful moments!

I did receive good news that the physical end [walking on the treadmill] was great and not to worry about that part. The picture taking of my heart, has yet to come back. The word was that my doctor will have that info in a couple of days. Hopefully that it will tell him why my blood pressure/cholesterol won't go down?

The only thing to do now is STRESS about waiting...!

I AM trying to think positive?

HAUNT NIGHT PICTURES

This was the staging area. SewLady entertained the waiting victims here and tell them all about the museum addition and what the equipment was. When she heard the air cannon go off she would yell out to us waiting "victims entering" usually giving us the heads up on how many. We also were warned about the scare level by the age of the group. They were met with the view area of the "grocery store". This was a visual area before the long dark walk.

This started the scary part. Victims had to walk down a long dark hallway and all they could see was a blinking red light at the end. Most hate the dark and lots didn't want to walk down it but they had no choice! As they got closer to the end of it they could see that there was someone standing there. This was the devilish creature in red and most times they realized it was only a dummy. Then they had to go right and saw that there was another one at the other end of the dark hallway with a blinking red light also. I would sometimes take the place of the first dummy and hold the blinking light against my chest. I would hold still and let them go by or move just as they got up close to me. This was a tight spot and I managed to get wacked once! But it was worth it! Lots were faraid to continue after that. Many a guy forced their female partners to go first after that!

These shots are of the school room. You can see the only two clear orbs that I captured from the whole haunt. They are shown in the photo with the chalk board. I classify them as "orbs" and for those of you into "dust motes" why aren't there more? It got to be pretty dusty in there so I should have had lots show up as you can see the pics are pretty clear. If you bigify them you will see that they aren't quite round? Anyways, this was the area that the family of scarers haunted. They would sit on the desk or stand beside it and hold a book open...then they would slam it shut! That always got a got scream.

As you left the school room area you had to go down another dark aisle with a guy sitting in a chair. Sometimes there was someone hiding beside/behind him and they made sure that they kept the victims moving. This led to the "laundry" area. The old wringer washer as dimly lit inside and a face peeked out at you. this was the distraction for the ones hiding behind crates or under the table. In the dark and wearing all black made sure that they didn't see and if they did the person doing the scaring would remain still and it made on not too sure if they would "come to life" or not. This too got lots of scares!

As you went around the corner you were confronted with this creepy dude. His eyes glowed red and the mannequin underneath the mask made him look real. He was only a half body and sat on a desk which mad him fairly tall. This was a distraction for the ones sitting around the table. The table was dimly lit with purple lights and had a singing candelabra as it's focal point. The bad boys occupied this area the most. The last night we had a very tall woman dressed in black and she held the huge creepy hands. These hands [no photo] were about a foot & half wide with the bony fingers outstretched and were painted white. She would stand still holding them down at her sides and when the victim would get close enough to see her she would lift them up high and growl. This usually insured that they would exit quickly, if not, she would follow them!

You had to pass by the "Grim Reaper" before entering the cemetery. I would stand by the guy and most had a hard time passing by us. Just as you thought you were safe [sometimes I wouldn't move] a huge white spider[on a skateboard] would come rolling out at them. Many did the "scary dance" as they thought it would get their legs. If that didn't work then I would "come to life" and follow behind them...that always got them good!

This last pic is of the entrance way to the cemetery. We had someone donation the use of his coffin/skeleton and air blaster. We had a security person at the exit operate this prop scare and when the victims would get close to the coffin, the skeleton would sit up. Most people from town would recognize this prop [he used it yearly in his halloween set-up] but still ended up getting scare because they would walk by a treasure chest which contained an air cannon. This was quite loud and made one deaf after awhile but scared the hell out of one anyways! You can't see the prop because the guy had already removed it before I had a chance to get a pic of it. We even had gravestones!

Sorry about the big spaces! I don't find this blogging stuff very user friendly.

The end of Halloween 2008!

MORE UPDATES...?

It's Halloween time!

WARNING....long story.....could be lots of grammar/punctuation errors...:)

I did a pay forward thing, with my brother Tank and SewLady this year. They had mentioned, when helping me with my haunt of our courthouse, that they would like to stop decorating [hugely] at their house and get their town's museum to host a haunt instead, using their stuff. I said that I would help them out with the layout and such if they had ever managed to accomplish this.

Well this year they did!

Knowing me, I couldn't just let them off with just designing their layout, I had to involve myself too. So I decided that my holiday this year would be in Devon, Alberta, doing a Haunted Museum! It also gave me an opportunity to spend some time with my brother and sister-in-law, whom I've neglected over the years.

My ex [yes we still get along] had a doctor's appointment in Edmonchuk during that time frame and willingly let me cram as much of my haunt stuff into his small car. There wasn't an inch left to spare! We even managed to do some shopping along the way while we were trying to get there. It seems that we did have a few inches left for purchases. After getting lost a few times we did finally manage to find their place...the ex has a problem with listening to directions and everyone knows men do not like to be told where to go?

We managed to unload my stuff into her vehicle and got to visit awhile before Tank got home. My sister-in-law, SewLady, works out of her home doing accounting and sewing [thus her name]. She also teaches sewing and I managed to learn something about it from her while I was there. I found that this old dog can learn new tricks [sewing, that is]! My nephew was also getting married the day after halloween and she has been busy doing alterations on the bride's gown and a bride's maid's dress.

So we had a haunt to build and a wedding to decorate...we had our work cut out for us!

First, SewLady took us for a tour on where the haunt was going to be held. I must make a note to you all that it is a MUST place to see. The town Devon was built for the oil patch workers so they could live close to where they could work. The main museum was built on the original well site, showing the public just what goes on in the oilfields. It even had classrooms to help one understand just what they have to do to get that stuff out of the ground and even if you aren't into the oil industry, the history/displays in that place is amazing! I wished I had taken photos of the place to show you but I'm sure they have a site on the net somewhere. I also got to meet the volunteers that run the place and you couldn't meet a nicer bunch of people! Some even helped run the haunt.

The haunt was being held in the "Braun Hall", an old community center, that had been moved out to the site and was in the process of being set up as an additional museum to the new one. It held some of the hospital equipment taken from the demolition of their old hospital. It was kind of neat to see just what they used way back then. Anyways, this haunt was been held to help raise monies to help keep the lights on in this place.

I had thought that things with the haunt would be ready for me when I got there and there would be LOTS of helpers....all I'd have to do was fine tuning/directing? As things turned out, this haunt was no different than our haunt...all think that its a great idea to host one, just as long as someone else does the work!

The ex made sure he wasn't around to help...he had done his share by getting me there! He couldn't leave fast enough the next day...I guess giving me a lift was help enough.Some things never do change!

Saturday, Oct. 25 th, turned out to be a VERY WINDY [102 mph] day for unloading our stuff at the old hall. On the final load, Tank and I were the last ones through the door. The wind had made unloading very interesting not to mention challenging! Tank had kindly held the door for me and I managed to enter safely but paid no attention to what he might have to go through to keep that door open. Tank is not a small man! A gust of wind was able to hit with such a force that it slammed into the door, driving him off the steps! He was able to twist his body just in time to avoid hitting some huge rocks, landing himself on the ground beside them, but still ended up injuring himself by hitting his vehicle with his knee. Of course no one saw this happen and thus no one came to his aid! The fall managed to knock the wind out of him so he spent some time lying on the ground. The next I saw of him, was him limping through the doorway!

He could have been seriously injured or killed!

Sadly, someone in Edmonchuk, did die in that wind storm! A tree breaking off in that wind, landed on the guy's car killing him instantly!

Thankfully that is all that happened to Tank!

Tank, the trooper that he is, struggled through the pain that he was in and continued to help set up the walls for the haunt! There was only five of us [their son, DJ & future daughter-in-law, MT] to get that place operational for the grand opening on Monday night...only two days away!

First thing that had to be done was move the existing stuff, in there, out of the way and hopefully move it not too far away from where they had been positioned for the museum set-up. One of the big drawback was that one of the volunteers, for the museum, had decided that the floors had to be freshly varnished BEFORE we held the haunt? It was a challenge to move everything without scratching the floor and thoughts of, "what if it snowed or got muddy during the haunt nights...do we tell the victims to take their shoes/boots off?" This guy was pretty negative about the haunt happening anyways and did manage to cause us some grief while we set-up/ran it.

Our haunt walls was the biggest problem that we faced for the set-up. This meant having a grid system of wires that had to be installed before the plastic could be hung. Thankfully DJ had already pre-made long rods with clip end loops to stabilize the grid and between him and Tank, they got it hung up. One of the cleaning staff's teenage son came in a little later and helped us tape the plastic walls on it...plus volunteered later to help out with manning the haunt. SewLady got to do all of the running around getting stuff that was needed and helped put together/dress her mannequins for haunt placement. We worked hard!

There was LOTS to be done and we were all getting pretty exhausted, so they decided to call it a day. I, as usual, lost it and said that there was more to be done... we couldn't quit! The shocked look on their faces told me all that needed to be said! So calming myself down and apologized later to SewLady, forewarning her that tiredness and lack of sugar makes me crazy! Thankfully that was my only hissy fit in the haunt set-up!

Setting up scares takes longer than writing about it but we managed to get it all done!

All that was left was finding helpers to man it!

SewLady is very good at making people want[?] to help out...short of twisting arms :).

We even had some boys call and offer their help. When I first set eyes on them, the night of the haunt, something warned me that it was going to be a bad mistake...I hate it when I'm right!

Monday...opening night!

Something I must relate first...during all of this set-up stuff/daily running around, SewLady and I spent a lot of time trying to find misplaced stuff! Her glasses, cameras, cell phone, my blood sugar tester, purses, etc!

So it was no surprise to us that we had misplaced the keys to unlock the door that night. So while we waited for Tank to go get the keys, we got to watch 3 very excited boys arrive with their father. All were slurping on big cups of slushies [tons of sugar] and couldn't stand still for one minute. Daddy dropped them and fled, leaving these bundles of energy with us. We couldn't even send them back as the haunt site was too far out of town for them to walk back. Being desperate for workers, I warned them as best as I could about fooling around in the haunt!

We now had a mad panic to get everyone dressed and placed for the best scare. I had a short time to teach all about how to scare properly...I like to call it "Haunt 101"!. Most want to jump out and grab the victim [customer] or yell Boo! The main rule, when I do a haunt, is "Touch nothing and nothing will touch you"! I can't stress this enough to the scare-er or scare-ee! Even if you know who the person is, they don't know that its you in the dark! MANY times I had to repeat this to the kids! The hardest part is making them realize that small movements in dimly lit areas can be much more scarier. Thankfully by then end of the evening they finally understood.

In our courthouse haunt we provided some food and water to the workers. Well we had water, cookies and some pop. The water was a good idea but the sugar only added to the kid's already high energy level!

Adding dead boys to my haunt ran through my brain a lot that night! The sane person residing in me made me resist the idea! That was my second pissy fit!

Our victim list that night was disappointing...25 people!

A lot was against us for this haunt:

- Too far out of town for anyone to walk to it. A shuttle service would have helped.

- Most didn't didn't even know there was a museum out there? The one good thing was, we made the ones who did show, aware of what was available for them to see. We had time between customers to do a bit of history on the place.

- A lot of people do not read their local paper! The haunt was well advertised in it and even had a write-up about me coming and lending a hand [which was kind of nice]. Our haunted courthouse and town even got a mention it.

- The entrance to the facility had no lighting, so it was near to impossible to see where to turn off. We even missed it one time and SewLady knew where it was! The museum has been fighting with the highway department and government bull crap, trying to rectify that situation. It's always been their problem!

- Poster advertising got put up too late. Sadly, Sewlady had been stuck with everything about this haunt and the overworking of one person ensured that something had to fail. Advertising has to be a priority to success. One person can do it, just as long as they don't have to do everything else! We did manage to put up three sandwich board signs advertising the night's event but most never even saw them.

A few more showed up for the second night [for the life of me I can't remember how many...28?]

The horrible boys showed up again, even though I told them that they wouldn't be needed! This time I told their father how bad they were, right in front of them and if they wanted to stay they had to change! It worked! They were very behaved and it might have helped that there was NO sugar available.

I did have lots of fun scaring people again! I sure miss that part of the haunt. Who knows maybe I host one in my old building [if it isn't sold by then] in 2009.

The third night, word of mouth must have worked it's charm because we had a whole 76 people!

I must add that we also had other adults helping too. The family that lived across the street from SewLady & Tank came out to help man the haunt. She fosters children and they got to have fun also. She controlled them so they were no problem at all. They manned the same area for three nights and knew just what to do to scare...I heard lots of screams from their area!

SewLady controlled the front staging area and would let us know how many were coming through. Tank controlled the outside areas and talked with the guests as they exited. There were many a histerical moments and he also got to hear their veiws on the haunt. Were had a rating of 12 out of the 1-10 many times and some even wanted to go back through again because they were sure the had missed alot from screaming/closed eyes.

This was my payment! Every scream made me smile lots! There might have been a poor turn out but what results from those who did.

The final night gave us over 100!

All in all I had fun...pictures of the final set-up will come next...blogger is complaining!

WISH I HAD THIS MUCH TALENT!

Can't stand the song [love the version of it], but man oh man what a display....enjoy!

MY PERFECT MAN?

MORE UPDATES.....?

Grad Decorating June, 2008: "Mardi Gras"

I managed to get through this years decorating and it was NOT without it's problems!

The big "S" on my forehead insured that the grad committee was able to pull off this year's theme! With comments like..."I'm soooo busy right now with ALL of the stuff I still have to do to pull this off, could you please do these LITTLE things for us", "I'm not sure how you want these things put together [table centerpieces] can you do it","here's the balloons, I don't have time to blow them up" and oh, by the way, our title for this grad is "Small Town, Big Dreams"?

What did that title have to do with Mardi Gras and how was I going to put that into the decor? Not to mention that I only found out about it at the last moment when it dawned on me that I hadn't inquired about it! Needless to say I was able to squeeze it in...Pod and I finished putting on the last touches of paint before it was due to be picked up for the day of set-up!

You never saw two happier people than us, when the stuff got there safely and found that we had LOTS of help in setting it up! Many hands made the load lighter and the only bad thing was having to direct all of them...but I wasn't complaining?

I must admit that the place looked wonderful when it was all done but with wonderful comes praises from others, especially from those who would like you to help out next year? I couldn't say NO loudly enough!

Needless to say, that fazed no one...I was approached again a little while ago and the sucker in me said a weak MAYBE..with strong conditions attached. Which I was again reassured that they would comply with it? Time will only tell!

Tell me how does one decorate for a "Ballroom" atmosphere?

What's the big thrill about pillars?

And yes, they are starting now!

I don't know what I'd do without the help from PoD! She has helped me get through many a stressful moment and I think of her as my magic wand! With her...presto...my work is done! I can't say THANK YOU enough!!! I done brung her up right! I also have to mention my wonderful son-in-law, Trebor, he's the dude who can't help out enough...he helped me bring back the stuff safely...THANKS lots!

Do you think I've buttered them up enough to help me again....?

More updates to follow?

WHERE DOES ONE BEGIN?

First off...I've totally enjoyed my time away from the pressures of blogging constantly!

Yes, I did miss having a place to vent some of my issues!
I found myself saying "I should put this on my blog!" a lot!
I guess what I needed was a good reason....my other followers [3] didn't plead as hard...:).

I dedicate all of my bloggings from here on in, to my brother Tank and Sister-in-Law, SewLady [who has reminded me to make sure all of my spellings, punctuations, etc, are correct...picky, picky... :)]. I can't promise no mistakes...sometimes one is just in a hurry?

UPDATES:

I think I left off with a statement about Suki's death "changing our lives".

Her death hurt me nearly as bad as losing my sister! Suki was my comfort when I was alone and she always acted like she cared about what I was going through and tried to comfort me to the best of her abilities. My children/grand children always help me but they do have lives of their own.

I STILL MISS HER!

Thumber and I get along just fine and she does what she can, but with her, it's not the same. Suki was a very jealous cat, demanded all of my attention and hated it when Thumber wanted to have her time. I must admit that it was my fault in keeping my distance from her and I was to blame for Thumber being so aloof. She is and always will be, a one-person cat! She does let my son, BillyRoo, look after her when I'm not around. Things with her are getting better!

Back to Suki's demise...

The vet had told me that her kidney failure was due to something that she had drank...possibly antifreeze? There was no way she could have gotten into any of that! One, I don't have any around and two, she was kept inside since moving to my shop/home! The only thing I know that she got into was the horrible water that came from the interior of my building..."the indoor falls". My roof had been leaking for years and I had to collect the rainfall in buckets. Suki just loved to drink out of them! I tried to keep them empty but she just had to drink from them anyways. I never did have to shoo Thumber away from drinking it...only Suki. I guess it slowly killed her!

So my reasoning is:
If the stuff in the ceiling/walls was that deadly to eventually kill my cat, what was it doing to me? The whole time I was living there I was ill with sinus infections, bronchial problems and generally felt bad all over! Since moving out I haven't been sick once!

Now:
Did I want my daughter and her family moving into there?
Even though we removed as much of the rotten stuff as possible and sprayed it all with bleach...did we do enough?
Both her and I have decided that we will not take the chance!

I relocated my business to where I am living now and I seemed to have gone back to working out of my home again? How I managed to squeeze all of my stuff into the small space I am in right now is a source of amazement to all who know me. Their questions were...how did I do it? Downsizing helped and great management of space...shelves everywhere!

I do have to admit that things have been so much better for me right now

Thats all for now...stay tuned for more boring issues.....:)

I'M BACK?

As per the request for me to continue my blogging by my brother Tank and sister-in-law, SewLady...I will give it another try?

Update soon to follow....