Fragging @ the Speed of Light

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The last Friday of June.  All I can think is.....ALREADY????  This summer is certainly flying by at warp-speed, Mr. Spock.  Is there no way in the space-time continuum to slow it down? It's been a little over 3 weeks since the last day of school and I don't feel like I've done much of anything...well, anything that can be counted as an accomplishment, anyway.  July is just days away, though, and with it's arrival life is going to shift into high gear.

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The second week of the month I will be heading to Tennessee with some of the ladies from church.  We are going to learn how to teach Kay Arthur's method of inductive Bible study at the Precepts Ministry campus.  We had a class last night to introduce us to it so we aren't blind-sided when we get there.  It was really good.  I couldn't believe how much we saw in 14 little verses of the Bible that I'd never seen before.  It's going to be a good experience.  It's going to be fun, too, with the crew that's going....and I am the van driver.  Buckle up!

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I'll have one week after that trip to get myself organized and repacked for V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!  I don't even have words for how excited I am about that.  It's been seven, 7, SEVEN (!!!!) years since our last real vacation.  There have been little weekends away but no real escapes from reality.  We are heading to our favorite place, Chincoteague Island, VA, where we've rented a house along with one of Tim's sisters and her husband.  This is going to be our first all grown-up, no riding herd on kids vacation.  We are stoked!

Plus, we will be there for the famous pony swim when the Saltwater Cowboys (local firemen) round up and swim the wild ponies from Assateague across the channel to Chincoteague.  I've wanted to see that since I read Misty of Chincoteague when I was 9 years old and found out it was true.  It's one item I'll be able to cross off my bucket list.

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I've read Happy, Happy, Happy by Phil Robertson in the last week and I'm a little more than halfway through The Duck Commander Family by Willie & Korie Robertson.  I am fascinated by the story of how Duck Commander came to be a multi-million dollar business.  There is so much business genius floating around in that family.  There is also a rock solid faith in God.  This quote from Willie says it all, I think.

"...that's the only way you can ever be truly successful in this world.  You have to acknowledge that it is from above.  And you have to have the confidence that even if you lose it all, things will be okay.  You have to be willing to fail, and all the while work your tail off to succeed.  You have to continue doing the work, believing in what you are doing, and most important, keeping your faith in who you are.  The faith of our family is not in the things we have.  Our confidence is not in the monetary success we have gained.  It is in the One who made us and who is there for us in good times and bad." 

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Drove my sister-in-law and her husband to the VA hospital the other day.  The husband is the same age as Tim, I think.  He is probably 100 lbs. lighter, but smokes like a chimney.  A couple of weeks ago he had a heart attack.  He failed a stress test about as bad as you can fail one and they also discovered that the blockage in one leg is 100%!  They are very worried that it (the leg) will start to die, but couldn't do anything until they took care of his heart.  He had a heart cath done and is back home now.  I don't know what they will do to his leg or when.

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My mentor started helping me lay the groundwork for my first sermon today.  I had a rough idea of the subject and she helped me find scripture that dealt with it and to hone in on a passage/verse that will be my key.  It ended up being James 4.  Once I found it, she helped me start picking it apart with Precepts' inductive study method.  There is so much yet to find, but basically, it shows everything a Christin shouldn't want to be.

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Well, I am coming to Friday Fragments really late due to a busy day and I am just about to the point of not being able to keep my eyes open so I think it's time to say goodnight!

Healthy Fragging

Good grief!  Megan posted on Facebook that she was thinking about following a diet she saw in one of the magazines lying around here (have I ever mentioned my magazine addiction?) and the backlash was immediate.  That it was promoted by Dr. Oz seemed to be everyone's biggest problem....even though it was not developed by him, but Dr. Joel Fuhrman, author of Eat to Live.

I was surprised by the reaction since I was looking at it myself. Aside from the Dr. Oz connection that seemed to set people off, the big problem most had with it was the lack of carbs, meats, and fats.  Well, that and the claim of losing 10 lbs. per week.  I take that particular claim with a grain of salt, myself, but I've learned enough over the years to have a pretty good idea what's healthy and what isn't.  Now, whether I do what I know....that's another story.

The basic idea is to eliminate processed foods and eat whole foods, with the added twist of nearly (but not quite) eliminating meats and dairy products, too.  The plan calls for getting your proteins from green veggies and beans/legumes.  It allows for a couple of small servings of meat and dairy per week as well.  The idea is to eat veggies and fruit....as much as you want....no calorie counting.  While the vegetarian/vegan lifestyle is not for me, I don't understand why this diet raised such a fuss.  Vegetarians tend to be very healthy people.

One salad into it and Meg admitted it wasn't going to happen for her.  My girl is too much of a carnivore...and she's not exactly a fan of veggies unless they are the starchy ones.  I'm going to give it a go with a one modification.  I'm all for the mass quantities of veggies, but I'm going to allow lean meat with dinner.

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Yesterday was my follow-up appointment with the neurologist for the neuropathy I've been having off and on in my hands and feet since Christmas.  If you've been around for a while you know I went through a bunch of tests last month.  

So, what did they learn?  It's not caused by diabetes, MS or vitamin B-12 deficiency, which are the main culprits (when a culprit can be identified).  In the majority of neuropathy cases the cause is never identified.  That's where I am.  For now all I am to do is continue taking the meds, which seem to be helping, drink more water and get more exercise to force blood flow into the extremities. 

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Getting my hair done today.  Yea!  I get keratin treatments to straighten my super curly, frizz-prone hair.  They last a fairly long time with proper care....using sulfate-free products and only washing every other day.  I've been able to go 4-5 months with ease.  This time, however, I'm at the 7 month mark and it takes a lot to make it look presentable.  You know how a perm looks as it grows out....straight hair growing in with curl on the end?  Reverse that and you've got what I'm dealing with....a good three inches of thick curl with straight after that.  Ugh!

Going for color and a cut today, too.  Can't wait to see what we come up with.

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This cool, wet weather leaves a lot to be desired.  School's been done for over a week and I haven't been in the pool yet.  I don't even have all my flowers planted or all the flower beds weeded.  I am thrilled with tomorrow's forecast, though.....sunny and a high of 78 degrees.  Absolutely perfect for a concert.  And since I happen to be going to see my favorite, Toby Keith, tomorrow, that's good news!  Every other year I've gone it's been August or September and the temperature's been 90 or above.

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The hubby is home today.  It's probably his last Friday home.  Work is finally picking up and next week he's going to another site before starting his own project the following week.  So glad for that.  Not that he won't be around as much, but for the overtime.  It has been a lean winter.  The company really struggled to keep all the employees working even though it was their worst winter ever.

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I have to share this recipe for a healthy (well...healthier) chicken burger I saw in Spry Magazine.  You can find it and 29 more healthy burger variations at Spryliving.com

Peach BBQ Chicken Burgers

Spryliving.com

1 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil

1/4 cup onion, minced

1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided

4 large, ripe peaches, peeled and chopped OR 2 cups frozen peaches, thawed and liquid reserved

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 small tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

2 tbsp. cilantro, minced

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 lb. ground chicken breast

Sauce: Heat oil over medium heat in a saucepan.  Add onion and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, cook until softened.  Add peaches (and juice if using frozen peaches) and tomatoes, cook until peaches are mostly softened.  Stir in vinegar, brown sugar and chipotle peppers, cook for about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in cilantro, lemon juice and remaining salt, and allow to cool.  Blend to desired consistency in blender or food processor.  Return mixture to pan, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Burgers: Combine chicken with about 1/3 cup of the sauce and mix well.  Divide evenly into 4 patties and cook using desired method.  Cook until meat thermometer registers 165.  Serve on whole grain buns, top with sauce, lettuce, and cheese.

Per serving: 310 calories, 10 g fat, 65 mg chol., 17 g protein, 27 carbs, 3 g fiber, 310 mg sodium

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Join in the fun @ Friday Fragments

Supercali-FRAG-ilisticexpialidocious!

It's Friday and that means it's time to get my frag on with Mrs. 4444 and the rest of the ladies who participate in Friday Fragments...the meme that gives us a place to share life's bits and pieces (or fragments) that need to be shared, but aren't big enough to stand alone.  You are welcome, by the way, for the above earworm....you know you're going to be singing it the rest of the day.  Bahahahahaha!

I finished driving for the 2012-13 school year on Wednesday.  I am free until August 26, but that could change.  I'm a bit unsure if I'm just suffering from end of the year burnout or if I really don't like my job any more.  Hopefully, something will make it clear over the summer or a job will turn up that I can't say no to.

Yesterday was a bad day around here.  Both of Meg's guinea pigs died.  It was horrible.  We think they must have had a respiratory infection (we're told they're prone to them).  Meg of course was weepy all day and doing nothing but holding them.  I could not believe it, but they died within 15 minutes of each other.  Then when poor Tim got home to dig the hole it was pouring down rain.

I met with my friends from church this morning (they are both pastors) to look at the church building.  We are getting close to being ready to paint and put down flooring so we went to check it out and then we went to Lowe's.  We've not been a traditional church so far and it's going to continue...the sanctuary is going to be sage green with a creamy ceiling.  The young adults had shared that a lot of people their age are turned off by the sterile, white, unwelcomeness of most churches.  It's going to be beautiful, but not what you'd expect inside a little old one room white church.

Megan has convinced me to have a garage sale later this month.  Ugh.  I hate having those things and the last several we've had have not been successful...as in hardly anyone even showed up to look, let alone buy.  I pinned a site last night that has all kinds of hints and tips....maybe I will find something there that will help.  I don't know.  My family had them all the time when I was growing up and they were hugely successful.  I don't know what's changed.  I just know I'm not going to be happy if I haul everything out only to have to haul it all back in.

Well, as I've been sitting here typing, the sinus headache I've been nursing has exploded into an ice pick sensation in my left eye and sinus so I think I'll go see what medicine might be around that will work on it and take a little nap.

Springing Into Friday Fragments

Time for Friday Fragments with Mrs. 4444!

The sun is shining!  The temperature is in the 50s!  Robins are looking for worms!  I think Spring has finally sprung!  I'm sure we'll get a few more surprises though....Old Man Winter never lets go of this part of Pennsylvania this early and we still have to have the "onion snow."  People are chomping at the bit anyway and flocking to the garden centers.

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Our daughter just got the call a little bit ago....SHE GOT A JOB!!!  She had an interview yesterday at one of the local garden centers that has a history of hiring kids who have gone through either 4-H or FFA.  She said it was the fastest interview she's ever had, but felt things went well.  Guess she was right!  She starts next Wednesday.  Sooooo glad for this.....she needs the income, but more than that it's a reason to get up in the morning and get moving and I think it will boost her confidence, which she also needs.

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Tim saw the orthopedic doctor for his hand yesterday.  If you don't know, he broke it last week then worked two full days before seeing our family doctor who then sent him for x-rays.  Men.  The good news is the doctor said it's a "good" break and no surgery is needed.  The bad news is that he has to have the temporary type cast on his hand for at least 3 weeks.

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The arthritis in my ankle and the bone spur on the bottom of my foot hadn't been bothering me lately so Tim and I decided to take the dogs for a walk after supper tonight.  Turns out that wasn't the best idea.  Tim walked the little sissy poodle because of his broken hand, so I walked the hulking 70 lb. hound dog that pulls so hard (even with a harness on) he manages to choke himself.  Now I'm sitting here watching Storage Wars from the recliner with my foot propped up and iced and a fairly large dose of Tylenol zipping through my veins....on the way to my ankle, I hope.

On the bright (?) side, the hound shouldn't need to poop for about a week.  It's a good thing I took extra bags.  Seriously, how can one dog make that much poo?

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I made Sunshine Cake tonight to take to church tomorrow.  I just found the recipe last Sunday and this is the second time I've made it.  It is amazing....mandarine oranges in the cake, pineapple in the frosting....soooooo good!  I shared the recipe here, if you're interested.

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I think I'm going to call it a day and just relax and watch some television for a while.  Hope everyone's had a wonderful week.  I will be catching up on my blog visits over the weekend.  Looking forward to visiting you!

Friday Fragments

Yea, for Fridays....and Friday Fragments with Mrs. 4444.  This is the blog hop where we all sweep out the week's clutter and share it in little bits and blurbs.  Feel free to pop over to Mrs. 4444's blog to see the rules if you want to join in the fun or just to check out the links to everyone else who's participating.


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Megan is at the dentist as I type.  She's had a tooth that's been bothering her off and on.  It's been suggested more than once in the past that she call for an appointment.  It stops hurting so she never bothered.  Now it's been hurting for two days so....it became an urgent matter.  My mom took her as my car was being serviced.  That was probably a mistake.  The plan was antibiotics if she needed them and pull the tooth later or pull the tooth now if there was no infection.  That was the plan because she has no dental insurance and no job.

Enter my mom who has always had insurance and thinks you should do everything the dentist recommends and Megan is coming home with 3 prescriptions, she's had x-rays, a thorough cleaning, and an itemized bill of what it will cost to get all the dental work she needs done....$4000!!!  And I'm wondering who is paying for today?  X-rays, consultations, and cleanings aren't free.

**groan**


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Tim heard from our son yesterday.  That's good news.  He hadn't heard from him since he got mad and quit talking to me.  Maybe there's some thawing out going on?  I don't really expect it to extend to me, but it would be nice if Tim could see him and the kids....though he says he won't unless I am welcome, too.  Foolish man....go see those babies with my blessing!  Before they don't remember you.


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We're supposed to go to a turkey raffle tomorrow night.  It's a fundraiser for a local organization.  We had planned to go with my mom and her husband...and see if we could convince them to attend church with us on Easter and then go out to dinner afterward.

Mom's husband just had cataract surgery on Wednesday so I don't know that he's going to be up to going to the raffle.  If he doesn't go and doesn't want her to babysit him, Mom still wants us to take her.  There is lots of food and basically you sit around for 2-3 hours buying raffle tickets and every 15 minutes or so, they raffle off turkeys.  They also have special drawings every so often for hams and slabs of bacon.  Since for us it usually costs about $40 to win a turkey and all of the meat is donated, it's a great fundraiser.

Fragging In Frustration

It's Friday and that means it's time once again for Friday Fragments with Mrs. 4444 over at Half-Past Kissin' Time.  Yea!  My brain is in need of a good defragging right about now.  Or maybe I could just use a glass of wine.  Yeah, that would work, too.


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I hate despise loathe having to call any business's customer service department...usually that loathing is not misplaced.  Today was not an exception.  Let me try to make a long story short(ish):

Quite a few years ago, when we were young and had some financial reversals, we fell into the trap that so many of our generation did.  The refinanced loan.  We would find ourselves having trouble making payments and would go to talk to the lender.  This happened three times, I believe, and each time the lender's solution was to refinance the loan.  Not wanting to default, we went along and it bought us time.  By the time Tim landed his present job and our financial outlook improved greatly, we were so far behind on the loan that there was no way we could get out from under it.  We could afford the payments, but not to catch it up to date.  We finally had no choice to save our home and our vehicles but to enter chapter 13 bankruptcy.  That is the type where you pay back the debt.  The court put us on a payment schedule and the money was automatically withdrawn from Tim's paychecks.  It took 5 years, but we paid off all of our debts.  The court released us and even gave us a commendation because so few people actually finish this type of bankruptcy.

We expected to hear from the lender....they hold our deed, after all.  Months went by and nothing.  I finally did an internet search to find a phone number to contact them.  Oh, they said, it wasn't completely paid off (a relatively small amount remained), but it was nothing to worry about because we were paid ahead by 2 years!!  We'd hear from them when that time came.  Fast forward 2 years.  Nothing.  So, I called the lender again.  Oh, they said, they'd been sold and everything was being reorganized and no one was handling the account.  Once it had been assigned we'd hear from someone.  Forward another year (this year) and a letter arrives in the mail saying the loan is delinquent and in collections.  EXCUUUUUUUSE ME??

It took me 3 different toll-free numbers and 5 customer service representatives, 4 of whom spoke with heavy accents (please don't think I'm prejudiced, but I do think if your job is talking to customers on the phone the customer should at least be able to understand you) to find out that even though the court says we finished our bankruptcy and it's been dismissed....the lender doesn't.  No amount of arguing with the "supervisor" could get that through.  Their system has the account marked as being in bankruptcy and so it shall remain.  After a whole lot more semi-yelling on my part I at least have it figured out that the balance is just sitting, not adding interest and it will be okay if we make payments in whatever amount at whatever time and when it's paid off we'll finally get our deed.  So they say.  I am not sure anyone in that company has a clue what's going on.

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I just want to bang my head off the wall or something.  Tim has been warned if there is ever any need to speak to those people again....HE'S DOING IT!





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Daisy has started to get brave when she is outside.  Meaning she sticks close unless something catches her attention and then she's gone.  I had already bought her one of those flashing red lights to hang off her collar so I can see her in the dark, but it looks like she's going to have to be on a leash.  The other day she took off in all the snow and I couldn't find her.  She was down by the road, happily splashing in the puddles created by the melting snow.  And then she took off after a Buick.  Love my girl, but she is sooooo NAUGHTY!





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So many times this week I thought, "I'll share this in Friday Fragments."  And here I am....unable to think of any of them.  I am going to have to start keeping a list to offset the senility.  LOL  Oh well, being Friday also means that I have to go back to work early.  You all take care and have a great weekend!  I'm going to try and get a  Saturday Share post up tomorrow if you need anything to browse through over the weekend.

Friday Fragments - Feb. 22

Why is it that bad weather and illness always seem to hit on Fridays?  Can anyone tell me?  Actually, the illness has been building since Monday night/Tuesday morning when I awoke to the feeling of "stuff" shifting in my ear.  It's been building ever since and today I am about at the point of stabbing myself in the ears to relieve the pressure!  I promise I won't, but....geeeeeezzzz!  It's driving me nuts.  As for the weather, we aren't supposed to get the snow that is slamming the middle of the country, but temps are right so that the prediction is for icy roads.  So far we've seen nothing but wind and a few sprinkles, which is fine with me.  I'm getting kind of tired of driving the bus through Friday afternoon blizzards.

Well, Mom and I had a new experience this morning.  She called me on my way home from work and asked me to stop and buy her a package of Depends.  Uh, I knew those days were coming around the corner, but that sure was fast.  I was wracking my brain trying to think what could have brought her to this point so quickly.  Seems I forgot she is getting a colonoscopy done today.  The Liquid Plumber stuff she had to drink to flush out her system is giving her a rough time and she was just nervous about going out.  Still, it was a taste of things to come, I guess.  Mom will be 69 this year.  Not old by today's standards, but not young, either, and she's always been kind of an old soul.  She acts older than people I know who are several years older than she is.

Tim has put Megan to work.  Literally.  Our pastor is always telling him to hire on any help he needs for the work on the old church building our church is remodeling, so he decided he was going to put her to work cleaning up the mess around the building (some of our workers are not so careful when they work and make big messes).  She did that the first night, but none of the other men have shown up this week so he's been using her to help him with building projects.  It's a win-win situation.  They're spending more time together, she's actually out of bed and doing something, she and I can't argue if she isn't here, and she's getting paid.  What's not to like about the situation?

I've got a date (sort of) with my hubby tonight.  It's the Lenten season and that means fish fries.  Well, it does around here, anyway.  We've both been saying how we'd like to go to one and get some good fish.  He called me this morning and suggested we go tonight, so he's going to meet me at the bus garage after work and we're going to a fish fry just down the road.  I picked that one because you don't have to have cole slaw or mac and cheese with your fish.  They also have fries, pierogies, and halushki.  Yum!  

Friends of ours have really been through the wringer the last couple of years.  The husband went to the hospital with a ruptured appendix and found out if he hadn't gotten there, he likely would have died within hours....the infection had spread that much.  In the course of being treated and healing from that, doctors discovered that he had very advanced and aggressive colon cancer.  He had to have major surgery for that, from which he got a major infection that nearly killed him.  The follow up treatment was MASSIVE doses of chemo and radiation that sapped him of strength, made him sick as a dog, and have left him with neuropathy (a severe tingling in the hands and feet).  He has a colostomy bag and has fought more than one infection and depression has hit more than once.  On top of the physical and mental toll, the financial burden is beginning to   hit.

Just as life should be starting to get better (he's back to work) and they could start digging their way out from under the medical bills....life has smacked them down again.  This time the blow comes from their adult daughter, a former foster child that they adopted when she was 10 or 11.  The girl (woman) met "the love of her life" in high school and the road has been downhill and rocky ever since.  She was older because of being in the foster system so she was able to move out to live with the boyfriend before she finished high school.  The boyfriend has been in and out of jail for a wide variety of things.  The daughter avoided jail for writing bad checks because she gave her parents a sob story and they paid her restitution.  The two have two beautiful children, a 2 year old boy and an 8 month old girl.  Even that hasn't kept them from getting involved in drugs and continuing a life filled with crime, bad choices, and violence.

Last month it came to a crashing end.  The boyfriend bought drugs from someone staying with "friends" of his on Friday night.  By Saturday morning he'd hatched a plan to rob the drug dealer of his drugs and money.  Our friends' daughter drove him there and she and another woman drove down the road to wait a while.  What happened next is anyone's guess.  The bottom line is that a gun entered the picture and the boyfriend ended up dead, shot in the head and chest.  The daughter and three others are sitting in jail.  There was one preliminary hearing already.  It's continued today.  In Pennsylvania if you are involved in a felony crime where someone is killed, you are charged with homicide even if you had nothing to do with the actual killing.  The line of thinking is that your actions contributed directly to the death.  So, the lot of them are facing charges of homicide, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery.  If I understand correctly, they've offered our friends' daughter a plea bargain.  In exchange for testifying against the others (who apparently are all trying to say the plan was always to kill the boyfriend and she was in on it), the charge will be dropped to 2nd degree homicide.  Worst case scenario with that.....life without parole.  In the meantime, two kids have pretty much lost both parents and our friends find themselves in their 50s, with health issues and financial problems raising two children.

I am really concerned about our friends.  The stress is getting to them.  I know the husband is depressed.  They are having dinner with us tonight.  They need someone to vent to.  Please, if you are the praying type say one for their family.

Well, this chick is going to try and catch a bit of a nap before heading back to work.  It wasn't a good night for sleep and I'm kind of sleepy today.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Fragments - Feb. 8, 2013

Sitting here waiting for Nemo to find me.  Actually, I'm not.  I don't want to be found, but our area is outside the path of snow dumpage for a change.  Still, a smaller system is bringing rain this morning and...@$%#$%&^!....snow this afternoon.  Nothing on a Nemo scale, but most likely enough, given the timing, to make the afternoon bus run an absolute "joy."  I don't know about you, but I am so over winter.  Bring on the sunshine and flip flops!

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Trying to keep the peace between Tim and my friend (and Bible teacher) from church.  She is the one he thinks is trying to take over and run the show instead of acting as a go between for him with the other men working when he can't be there.

How, exactly, am I doing that?  He tells me what needs done and I send her emails.  I'm not sure it's working because things are still getting screwed up and he is blaming her and from the tone of her email this morning, she just might be blaming him.

And me?  I am seeing where Tim might have a bit of a point.  I wrote exactly what Tim wanted in a list of materials and a few items were purchased incorrectly.  A comment was made that something wasn't what Tim asked for (yes, it was...we were VERY specific on purpose...even gave the material # because we know we are dealing with people who are not trained construction workers, but volunteers) and about something else what was the difference in the two things.  Obviously, something or Tim wouldn't have specified one over the other.

So, yeah....still working on this one.

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Hosting a Thirty-One party here at the house next Friday.  I just heard of the products this past Fall and I love what I see.  So being the cheap frugal soul I am....it's party time!  I seem to have, for once, jumped on a bandwagon at just the right time.  Those who know about Thirty-One aren't sick of it yet (think Home Interiors, Tupperware, et.al.) and those who haven't heard about it at all are very interested.  Yea!

Now all I have to do is a major house cleaning.  Boo!

If you want to know more or already know and want to order....click on the above link and it will take you to my representative's site.  You can check out the catalog there and if you want to order (from me) you just click on the "Place an Order" tab at the top of the page and the page that comes up will have my name (Stacy Artis) and party info on it.

Easy Breezy Tote

My aunt was in town last weekend from Arizona.  She is one of my mom's younger (by 7 years) sisters who are twins.  We aren't very close any way, but the Arizona-Pennsylvania thing doesn't help.  I probably see her once every couple of years.  Holy cow!  I was so shocked when I saw her this time.  She has turned into this strange little old lady, who tends to speak baby-talk (both of my aunts do for who knows what reason) and looks to be about 10-20 years older than my mom.  She's basically become (in looks) my grandfather's sister.  I hope genetics are a little kinder to me.  We'll find out soon enough as she is only 13 1/2 years older than me.

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Do you have a Nook or a Kindle or any of the other ereaders?  I know there are some other companies out there if you do a search, but do yourself a favor and start, at least, with BookBub.com to find daily deals for your reader.  You simply register and tell them what kind of reader you have and every day you get an email featuring free and/or low cost ebooks.  I've gotten several free books for my Nook in the last couple of weeks.  I will say, though, that there are a LOT more free deals for Kindle than for Nook.  Another boo!

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Looks like it's time for me to head out to work for the afternoon.  If you're seeing this before evening, say a prayer, please, that the snow holds off till the kids are home...and the drivers, too.  Have a great weekend and I'll see you right here tomorrow for the Saturday Share.

Snowy Day Fragments

Sitting here fueling up with hot food....veggie-beef soup and grilled cheese (for the record, Swiss cheese is not the bestest choice for that).  Looking out the kitchen window and seeing snow coming down.  It's steady but not too heavy.  Yet.  Our area is supposed to get 4-8 inches by early this evening.  It's going to be an absolutely wonderful afternoon on the school bus.  Let me tell you, after being stuck in thermal underwear all week I am really going to be glad to see that mercury rise to 50 next week!

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Miss Megan got laid off yesterday.  Sigh.  They called and said work was slow (it was) and has been for awhile so they were laying off the last four people hired.  They're still on the list to be called back when it picks up or a job opens unless they find other employment, of course.  Am I the only one that thinks it was really, really stupid to hire people two weeks ago and then turn around and lay them off?

So, now we are back to square one.  Depressed and unemployed....no reason to get out of bed all day.  Wonderful.

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Tomorrow is the estate auction for Tim's Aunt Peg's stuff.  I don't know how much there is.  The house really wasn't cluttered, but they are selling everything.  That is what she wanted.  In fact, she made the arrangements with the auctioneer herself.

We're going out of curiosity.  There are a couple of things we're interested in, but only if they don't go for ridiculous amounts.  It should be interesting to see what they've found.  You can look online at Auctionzip.  Just click the link and it will take you to the directory of photos of items for sale.

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We want to go to Chincoteague Island, VA this summer.  It's my happy place and everyone else has always liked it, too.  We're long overdue for a visit.  The last time was 2006!  This cold weather has me on line looking at beautiful sunny pictures of rental properties.  We always rent a house rather than stay at a hotel.  We can't make up our minds whether to get a house by the water, but further out of town, or a house in town where you can walk to everything.  Megan wants to fish so is pushing for the one by the water.  We'll see.  Availability and price will determine it, I think.  We're very excited.  It will be our first time going that we don't have to keep an eye on kids and one of Tim's sisters and her husband are going to join us....as well as Megan and whoever she brings along.

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Thought I'd share this picture of last Thursday's beautiful (but cold) sunset. Not too shabby for being taken with my cell phone.

I really do have to think about bundling up and heading back out into the cold and snow.  So, here's Follow Friday and then I'm gone!

This week’s statements:

1. Making ____ is ____

~ Making mountains out of molehills is a lot easier than it should be.

2. I get ___ easily

~ I get bored and restless easily.

3. The number of emails in my inbox is _________ and ____________

~ The number of emails in my inbox is usually below 100 and that includes stupid spam emails...because I go in and clear it out a couple of times a day.

4. Traveling _______________ makes me _______________.

~ Traveling in the car makes me sleepy...unless I am the one doing the driving.

Thawed-Out Fragments & Fun

I can't believe it's Friday again.  We're nearly two weeks into 2013.  Where are the days going???  At least I can report that while it is raining, the temperature is above 40 (and expected to reach the low 50s), and the *$%@# ice is finally melting.  The parking lot at work is gravel so plowing it only goes so far and 30 buses and all the employee vehicles just pack the remaining snow until we're left with a thick base of ice.

This week it warmed up a little so it melted a little then it rained a little and then it refroze....smooth and slick as can be.  On Wednesday afternoon an older guy and I made it into the garage clinging to one another.  Several of us complained to our boss, wanting to know how many have to fall (2 or 3 have so far) and why they don't salt.  "Oh," she said, "It's a losing battle.  We can salt now and it'll help for now, but it'll just refreeze and be icy in the morning."  Uh, I'm not seeing the problem there.  If that's the case, you salt now and then you salt again in the morning.  You do whatever you have to do to keep your employees from busting their heads open on the ice.

I solved my own problem yesterday.  I took my own bag of salt to work and salted my way from my car to the garage.  I don't know how my boss felt about it, but hey, if it spurs her to get on the problem next go round...mission accomplished!

I'm going to enjoy this warm weather through the weekend because Monday it's going to start sliding back down and be below normal by this time next week.  Yippee.

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Big, big, GINORMOUS news!  Megan got a job!!!  She finally called a local plant that pretty much always has a "Now Hiring" sign out.  My mom and I have been after her for months to apply there.  She finally did last week and went for an interview on Monday.  She got hired on the spot.  Is it a dream job?  Well, no.  She works 8pm - 8:15am and her schedule rotates.  One week she works Monday and Tuesday, is off Wednesday and Thursday, then works Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  The next week is the opposite days.  It pays $8.25 to start and she'll get daylight as soon as they have an opening.  At least it is finally a job and a purpose to her days.  Hallelujah!

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Organization is the name of the game around here.  I am going to be so organized this year it's going to hurt!  Seriously.  Tim and Megan don't respond well to attempts to organize them.  I'm putting my One Word for the year (intentional) into play here.  I recently purchased a Planner Perfect planner and companion ebook.  The creator, Jenny Penton, has been great so far and I hear she is a wonderful encourager.  I'm following her on Facebook, too.  

There are a lot of things that need organized around here, but I'm starting with something small...it's all about eating that elephant one bite at a time.  In other words, don't look at the whole, huge, daunting picture....just look at what you need to do today and do that.  I bought an inexpensive notebook, dividers, and plastic pocket pages at Walmart this morning.  I am going to organize my coupons this weekend so that I might actually use them.

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Tim seems to finally be on the mend.  I think he did it just to avoid going to see the doctor.  Yes, he can be that stubborn about going.  Me?  I feel okay.  It's just that my chest (upper, not the lungs) gets tight sometimes....like if I'm talking more than a couple of words, or singing, or I do a little too much, or get a big breath of diesel fumes (happens around the buses).  That really doesn't seem to be going away.  And today I woke up feeling okay, but my throat feels.....off, like maybe something's coming.  I hope not.  Just heard on the news that Pennsylvania seems to be the epicenter for the flu this year.  We are being hit hard and people are going down left and right.  ER's are overwhelmed, I dare you to try and find anyone who still has the flu vaccine to give you, and the last time I looked the shelves of cold/flu remedies and pain killers were a barren wasteland.  I've seen people wearing masks.  EVERYONE is wiping down the shopping carts with antibacterial wipes at the stores.  School kids are collecting (and using) hand sanitizer in those nifty holders that hook on your backpack.  Me?  So far I'm resisting the urge to blast every kid who gets on the bus with a good shot of Lysol, but it's touch and go.  I really, really want to spray the little walking germ bags.

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Okay, moving on to something more fun than the flu.....

Feel free to click on the picture above to join in or just  to see the list of everyone participating.
This week’s statements:
1. When I __ I ___ ~ When I dream I dream big!
2. It is pretty funny that ____ ~ It is pretty funny that my 6 pound poodle will sit there with two bones while my 65 pound hound lays there and looks sad.
3. It may be strange but ___ ~ It may be strange but I have a hard time expressing myself with words...unless they are written.
4. How ______ made me ______. ~ How my dad treated me made me put up walls.

Frozen Fragments of Friday Fun

Holy frosty Friday, people.....it is cold out there!  And yet, not as cold as yesterday when it was 8 degrees when I started picking up kids.  That's just ridiculous in my opinion. *No, I am not a fan of winter.*  I told my boss that I'm officially putting in my annual request for transfer to Jamaica.  She laughs, but I'm pretty sure I could lead a donkey with 10 kids on its back to the nearest school.

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It looks like they've got the "man" who shot our friends' daughter's boyfriend and killed him last weekend in custody.  They just came up with his real name the day before yesterday.  It's still a big mess though and everyone involved (including our friends' daughter) will be doing at least some jail time.  Drugs.  What a waste.

Tim is still not feeling well.  I've been after him to call the doctor and see if they can see him in the afternoon on his way home from work.  I guess he finally called yesterday and left a message, but didn't hear back.  I'm hoping they call him today.  He is the type who when sick will just keep pushing until he's really sick....like at death's door sick.  He's been driving me crazy *and scaring me half to death* for 28 years.

My sweet little poodle puppy has an appetite for destruction.  She will chew and shred anything she can get her teeth on.  Keeping the mess cleaned up is a constant battle.  Keeping her from chewing important things is a bit of a losing battle.  She will dig and pull at carpets and rugs until she gets a fiber pulled out and then she goes to town.  All of my area/throw rugs have "snags."  She chewed the base of the Malibu pilates chair to the point that if I want to sell it I'm not going to get much.  I just caught her chewing a corner of the storage ottoman I use for a coffee table.  She's chewed chair legs, garbage, shoes, purses, stuff in purses, puzzles, books, magazines, and the other dog.

She's well equipped with DOUBLE fangs!

Tim isn't working tomorrow so we'll be bringing the boxes in from the shed and packing up Christmas for another year.  I'm ready to put the house back together for the winter months of hibernation....which means the living room seating needs to be set up for optimal TV watching and curling up with a good book.  Once that's done we may start working on our bedroom.  18 1/2 years we've lived in this house and we've done nothing to our bedroom....AND IT SHOWS!  I can't take it any more.

Megan keeps plugging along.  She is seeing a lot less of Cody, but they do still talk and get together a little.  She's been going tanning and to the gym, which makes her feel better about herself.  Now, if we could only find her a job.  That would do more for her than anything, I think.  Well, that and some new friends.  She and Cody were no sooner officially broken up when someone she used to know, but hasn't spoken to in a couple of years started telling people vicious lies about her.  She ran damage control and I guess everything is okay, though she had it out with that kid.

The baby boom in Tim's family continues.  We found out yesterday that we're going to be a great-aunt/uncle again.  Our oldest nephew and his wife are expecting their third child in August.  That will make 5 babies in a year and a half!  We Artis's are good breeders.  Tim's mom had 7 children in about 10 years.  They had 9 grandchildren in 10 years (and that is with 3 of them never having kids!).  So far there are 9 great-grands in about 6 years.

I'm doing okay with the "Intentional" thing, I guess.  I've been sticking to starting the day with reading the Bible, eating a small, healthy breakfast and taking a healthy snack to work to get me through the morning.  I'm doing better about blogging, but still getting stuck for longer than I want on Facebook.  I'm making the effort to do things.  It'll get there....it takes what?  21 days? for something to become a habit?

Now, moving on to....

Each week, Hillary lists four statements with a blank for us to fill in on your own blogs. If you want to join the fun and come up with four fill in’s of your own, please email them to Hilary(at)feelingbeachie(dot)com. If she uses them, she will add you as co-host to the hop! This week’s co-host is Ali from the daughter-in-law diaries – she came up with the last statement!

She would LOVE it if you could please help spread the word about this hop…. So, please tweet, FaceBook share, and add the linky to your post…

This week’s statements:

1. Every time I see a ____ I oh an ah…

~ Every time I see a Ford Mustang I oh and ah.

2. I don’t have a ___ bone in my body.

~ I don't have a graceful bone in my body...I trip over my own two feet.

3. I like ___ on my burgers.

~ I like lettuce, tomato, cheese, and ketchup on my burgers.

4. If I had one more hour in the day I would _________

~ If I had one more hour in the day I would probably spend it online or reading a book.

Well, that's it for the Friday fun around here.  Please come back tomorrow if you can.  I'm going to try and get back to posting my Saturday Shares.

Friday Fun on Christmas Vacation

Joining in with Hillary @ Feeling Beachie for Follow Four Fill-in Fun and Mrs. 4444 @ Half-Past Kissin' Time for Friday Fragments.

This week’s statements:
1. without fail, whenever I fly__ Without fail, whenever I fly there is going to be some kind of delay or mix up.
2. I used to be___ I used to be.....younger, skinnier, more organized....
3. When I ___ I ___ When I get on Facebook I lose all track of time.
4. My greatest fear is ______.
My greatest fear is ending up old and alone.

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This has not turned out to be the best of "vacations."  Tim and I both have 11 days off from work, but the first 4 days went to Christmas preparations and the big day itself.  Since then Tim's come down with whatever cootie bug I've been fighting with for the last week and a half.  He's in the first stages when the fever takes hold and the body aches.  And of course, being a man....he has it much worse than I did.  He can't possibly do anything for himself.  If he had a bell like in the old sitcoms I'm pretty sure I'd have to kill him. *Just kidding.  Sort of.*

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I'm hearing about the One Word movement everywhere I turn in blog-land these days.  The idea is to choose one word (or let one word be revealed or given to you) that sums up how you want to live or who you want to be in the coming year.  There's a website that explains it and you can be part of the community that's participating.  It's interesting to read how choosing a word impacted some women over the past year.  I'm trying to find (or trying to let it find me) my one word.  At the moment, I have two in mind that seem to fit, but I guess I am waiting for confirmation on one of them or another word completely.  I want to know without doubt that this is my word.

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My Princess is handling the break-up with her boyfriend better than I imagined she would.  Maybe that's due more to the complete strangeness of said break-up than any new emotional maturity.  He (the boyfriend) announced the Sunday before Christmas that he was breaking up with her.....but that things would continue as normal until after Christmas so it wouldn't make the holidays "weird" or "uncomfortable."  They had already bought gifts for each other (his to her was a diamond ring....not an engagement ring, but still....a ring!!) and gifts for each other's families.  They continued to shop together, hang out together and he still did things like hold her hand and tell her he loved her.  All the while he maintained they were broke up, that he needed time and space and wanted to get his life in order and that they'd "most likely get back together someday."  Can you see why she (and all the rest of us) might be a little confused?

Anyway, she hasn't seen him since Christmas Day.  I don't even know if she's heard from him.  I'm waiting for him to come and get the (expensive) gift we got him that has to be transported carefully.  I'm not going to be thrilled if he doesn't come for it.  She says she's looking forward to the break and is going to give him space and time to miss her, that she won't call and bug him.  However, she is out shopping with his mother and grandmother as I type.  Nobody has a clue where this stands.  I don't even think he does.  But, shopping with his family aside, my girl is reconnecting with friends she let go when she got involved with him, going tanning, putting in job applications, and starting back up at the gym.  I'm hoping she gets a job soon.  That would build her self-confidence and maybe she'll see she deserves better from a guy.  Or better yet, that she doesn't need a guy to complete her.

*Soooooo glad I am not a young adult trying to find my way through the relationship maze these days.  It seems like so much has changed since I was in those shoes and not for the better.*

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We are really getting the use out of our present from Santa, what with being sick and stuck in the house.  Our old TV had lines through the picture.  It was annoying, but they went away after half an hour or so.  Not being male, it didn't bother me that much.  What did bother me was that it meant the picture would be going one of these days and according to absolutely everything I read and everyone I talked to...these wonderful flat-screen TVs are not meant to last more than 5 years or so and fixing them costs more than buying a new one.  What a disposable society we've become!

Well, the hubs, being a man and all, was bothered by the lines so we decided that rather than buying smaller gifts we'd buy ourselves a new TV with some of his Christmas bonus.  We are now the owners of a 60" 3-D HDTV.  Until we get a 3-D Blue-ray DVD player or the cable company starts airing 3-D programming that part is useless.  However, you should watch a Blue-ray action movie on that thing!  Holy moley!  It may as well be 3-D and the motion is so clear and fast it makes your head spin.  Hubby loves it.  Me....I'm waiting to see Toby Keith, Sam Elliot, Ryan Reynolds, and others, in glorious, ginormous high definition.  Swooon!

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If we are well enough, we have some friends coming over for New Year's Eve.  They were supposed to come tonight, but.....well, yeah.  That didn't work out so well.  I don't know about you, but I for one will be glad to say Adieu, Auf Wiedersehen, Arrivederci, Sayonara, Shalom, and Ciao to 2012.  It has not been a year that I will exactly look back on with fondness.  There has been joy to be sure, but also too many moments of heartache.  Here's to a happier 2013 for all of us!