Cheers to all us thieves!

Sunday Stealing: The Super Sunday Stealing Meme

1) What was your dream growing up?
I used to dream that when I was older I would work at the local
grocery store behind the bakery counter and give cookies
to all the kids that came into the store. Oh how innocent
I was back then!

2) What talent do you wish you had?
I wish that I could sing! I do sing but it is not good
and I wish that I could sing good!

3) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
A frozen Margarita! Yum!

4) What was the last book you read?
The Last book that I read was Judge and Jury by
James Patterson.

5) Worst Habit?
My worst habit is getting up at night and eating cookies!

6) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
Nope, sorry!

7) What is your favorite sport?
I do not have a favorite sport. I like to watch ice
skating.

8) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
Welllllllll...if you weren't scary looking I might talk to you.
But otherwise I would probably look straight ahead and do a lot of praying.

9) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
Hmmmmm.....broke my leg in 4 places while on vacation
in Montana 5 years ago.

10) Tell me one weird fact about you.
Don't tell anyone but I drink milk right out of the gallon.

11) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?
Wouldn't open the door, sorry!

12) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
I have this weird brown spot on my left cheek that I would remove.

13) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
Without a doubt, your conscience.

14) Ever been arrested?
Nope, and never will be. I don't break the law!

15) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
Take all 8 of my grandkids to the beach in Mexico and stay until the
money ran out!

16) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
Read, garden, computer and time with the grandkids.

17) Biggest pet peeve?
Liars!

18) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
Honest!

19) Do you believe in/appreciate romance?
I think it is over-rated. Just a good solid
relationship is good enough for me.

20) Who wins today: Arizona or Pittsburgh?
Who cares!

Happy Birthday Grandson
Darian......11 years today

FOR TODAY January 26, 2009

Outside my window...
it is dark and cold. It snowed very light all day today
and now the ground is covered.

I am thinking...
My Mom would have been 86 years old today.

I miss her still very much.

I am thankful for...
the time that I have had the kids here with me.

From the kitchen...
tonight Darian and Harley helped to cook dinner
We had fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy,
cornbread dressing, broccoli with cheese,
cranberry sauce. They had a great time and so did
granny

I am wearing...
My blue jeans and a red sweater.

I am creating...
Memories...for when they are gone.

I am going...
to bed soon as morning will come very early

I am reading...

Blind Alley

I am hoping...
that tomorrow when the mother gets out of rehab
she will take my advice and leave the kids here until she
gets a job and a house

I am hearing...
The 10 o'clock news on in the other room

Around the house...
I did some laundry today and little else.

One of my favorite things...
Is the feel of chubby little arms wrapped around my neck
when the kids hug me goodnight

A few plans for the rest of the week:
I work on Wednesday and Friday.

I am hoping things go well here tomorrow.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...
I love them so much and I pray that all goes well.

Now if you would like to join us in doing a
Simple Woman's Daybook
just go here

Okay here is post number 2 on the road to optimisim:

"Look for the source of your pessimism. Deep-rooted negativity can often be traced to childhood experiences, when growing minds observe their circumstances and make presumptions about how the world functions. If all you saw growing up were disappointments, betrayals and failure, it's no surprise that now it's what you expect from the world as an adult. Sometimes we pick up a flair for pessimism from a parent who made negative assumptions about the world somewhere along the line. Either way, the sooner you can attribute your pessimism to a unique set of circumstances rather than the state of the world itself, the easier it'll be to change your perspective."

Oh Wow what an eye-opener.....I did have some negative childhood experiences that might have led me to feeling disappointment and betrayal. So I will be working on this and seeing if I can change my perspective. I wonder how hard it is to become optimistic when I have been feeling
pessimistic for 50 years now!
.

My quote of the day is "Even the longest journey begins with a single step"

Sunday Stealing: The Sassy Meme

1. If you could say anything you wanted to say to George Bush, what would you say?
You should never have sent troops to Iraq. It was Bin Laden we were after!

2. If you had to be the mother of Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan, who would you choose and why?
I have enough troubles of my own so I don't want to chose either one of them.
I have learned that the last thing I can do is knock another mother.

3. You get to be Queen for a day. The kids are all taken care of, and you can spend as much money as you want. What do you do all day?
I want to go to a spa and have the works!

4. Is there a song that brings tears to your eyes every time you hear it? If so, which one?
Kenny Rogers.....Through the Years

5. A fairy taps you on the shoulder and tells you that you can either have a perfect face or a perfect body for the rest of your life. Which do you choose?
A perfect body of course.....I can always use makeup

6. If you could live any place in the world and money was no object, where would you live and why?
I would live on a beautiful private beach with white sand...don't need a big house
just a couple of rooms with a wonderful spa-like bathroom. A tiny kitchen, and huge bed-
room with lots of windows and that would always be open so that I could
hear the ocean.

7. What is your biggest regret in life?
Oh my this is tough...my biggest regret is my first marriage.
However, without that marriage I would never have had my
boys and without those boys there would be no grandkids!
So I guess that I have no regrets...all of my life has been for a reason

8. If you could go back and visit one person in your life who is now dead, and ask one question, what would that question be and why would you ask it?
I would like to ask my dad why he chose to die instead of live.

9. If you had the choice to age forward (like we are now) or aging backwards (think Benjamin Buttons) which would you choose and why?
I liked my 40's the best.
The kids were grown and my dear husband was still young enough
that we could do a lot together.

10. What will the epitaph on your headstone say?
Here lies the Best Granny ever!

Saturday 9: What's Cooking?

1. Which meal is the one you cook best?
Any meal that I cook is the one I cook best.
Most times I cook the evening meal

2. Tell us what you would never eat.
One thing I will never eat is breaded tomatoes.
Eww....I can't imagine why anyone would eat those.
And I won't ever eat mountain oysters!

3. Is your hometown famous for anything or anybody?
We are famous for salt!
We have the Carey and the Morton salt mines here.
We also have the country's longest grain elevator.

4. Can you play a musical instrument?
Nope I cannot.

5. Tell us about your second ever lover.
My second ever lover is my current husband.
He came into our lives when I was a young single mom
and he helped me to raise my two sons.

6. What is your favorite restaurant?
My favorite restaurant is in Canon City Colorado.
It is named The Belvedere.
They serve the best ever Italian food.

7. If it were your call, how often would you make love?
It IS my call and my answer will remain private.

8. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
Dead or alive? The only famous person that I can think
I would like to have dinner with is Elvis Presley.
And since he is dead, that ain't happening.

9. Tell us about your job.
I am an RN.
I work in a 125 bed skilled nursing home.
I have worked there for 2 years.
I spent the first 25 years of my career
working in a hospital on the 11p-7a shift.
I can't wait to retire.

On the road to becoming more optimistic

Remember when I picked my word for the year? I chose optimistic because that is something I want to learn to be more. So I will begin to post some things that I have found that will help me along the road.........

"Let go of the assumption that the world is against you, or that you were born with a gray cloud over your head. It is an assumption that has no basis in reason or science. To believe that the universe or a spiritual entity has singled you out and shifted the world order just to make your life miserable is both self-centered and illogical. Be humble and stop pretending you've got the world all figured out. Sometimes bad experiences lead to good experiences, and you can't predict the future, so you can't assume it'll always be bad."

That will be tough to do, because I do feel like I was born with a gray cloud over my head. Now I
am going to work on seeing there is no basis in this. Today I am going to take a look at seeing what some of my bad experiences are trying to teach me.


Life has a way of reminding one that it can be worse

A quote for a winter day

Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.

— Victor Hugo

January 19, 2009

A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama

A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama

By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire

Opening Inaugural Event
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.
January 18, 2009

Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.

O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…

Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.

Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.

Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.

Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.

Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.

Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.

And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.

AMEN.

The Simple Woman's Day Book

If you would like to participate you can go here

FOR TODAY January 19, 2009

Outside my window...

It is very dark and windy. I am doing my daybook early as there are
3 grandkids and my son here tonight and it will be busy in the morning
as I get ready for work.

I am thinking...

It is not easy having two little kids here to take care of everyday.
It is true what they say about God giving children to young mothers.
I am exhausted.

I am thankful for...


This opportunity to be a part of these two precious little ones lives and
try to give them something they have not had

From the kitchen...

Today my husband made green bean soup with french bread. That is what
will be eaten tomorrow after I go to work. I helped Darian learn to make
Puppy Chow. He had so much fun and everyone enjoyed eating it

I am wearing...

Still my blue jeans and grey t-shirt and my purple socks.

I am creating...

I haven't been creating anything. I am too busy with the grandkids right now

I am going...

I am going to be so glad when our lives are settled once again. I wonder
when that will be.

I am reading.....

Still Judge and Jury by James Patterson

I am hoping...

That this time my oldest son will learn something that will last him
for the rest of his life.

I am hearing...

The TV on in the other room as my husband listens to the news.

Around the house...

There is so much to be done but my focus now is on the kids.

One of my favorite things...

Is to watch CSI on TV. I wonder how it will change now with Grissom
gone.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Much like every week....I work on Monday, off on Tuesday, Work
on Wednesday, off Thursday and then I work on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday

Here is a picture thought that I am sharing:

God Bless this country as we get a new President!

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The Cannon Fodder Meme

1. Is there someone you'd like to be kissing right now?
Good lord no.....I have kissed my husband good night and that is
enough for me!

2. When you're being extremely quiet, what does it mean?
Usually that I just don't want to talk! Or it could mean that I am
past the point of just "pissed off"

3. What are you listening to right now?
Silence...pure beautiful silence

4. Are you a big fan of thunderstorms?
Nope.....storms make me uneasy

5. Do you believe in perfect?
I do not think there is any thing or anyone that is perfect.

6. Are you a jealous person?
I used to be and it just isn't worth it anymore to be
jealous of anyone.

7. What was the first thing you thought this morning?
OMG do I have to get up.

8. What do you think about when you are falling asleep?
Usually have thoughts about my oldest son and say a little prayer
for him.

9. Are you satisfied with what you have in life?
For the most part I am.

10. Do people ever think that you're either older or younger than you actually are?
Most people think that I am younger than I am.

11. Do you think men truly understand women?
LOL.....I don't have the time that it takes to answer this question.

12. How about women understanding men?
I think that we understand them all too well! Now after answering #11 I guess I
might be called sexist.

13. Did anybody ever call you handsome or beautiful?
My husband used to tell me that I was!

14. What is one fact about the last person that called you?
He is my baby!

15. Other than your current one, what’s the longest relationship you have had?
12 years...

Good-Bye Gil Grissom

Are there any Gil Grissom fans here?
He has now left CSI.......I couldn't believe that he was really going
to leave and now he is gone. It was great seeing him walking
through the jungle in Jamaica and coming upon Sarah taking a
picture of that monkey. Maybe there is hope for Grissom yet.
I sure will miss seeing him on my favorite show CSI...Las Vegas

I haven't been here recently because we are infected with a virus
at this house. Puking, pooing, and coughing. Hope we are all well
and back soon

The Simple Woman's DayBook

Join me here if you'd like




FOR TODAY January 12, 2009
Outside my window...
It is dark with a big, bright full moon shining into the window.
I am thinking...
It will soon be time to rouse up the little ones for school.
I am thankful for...
my oh so understanding co-workers while I am going through
this personal crisis
From the kitchen...
Nothing! This has been my four day "to work" weekend and
not much has gone on in the kitchen
I am wearing...
pj bottoms, shoes, socks, t-shirt and hoodie (what a site)
I am creating...
Nothing! Too busy with kids
I am going...
Back to bed when I get home from taking them to school.
I am so tired!
I am reading...
Judge and Jury by James Patterson
I am hoping...
That I won't be so tired when I wake up to get ready for work.
I am hearing...
Cartoons on the TV
Around the house...
So much needs to be done....I am working on file drawers this
month.
One of my favorite things...
Is watching my grandchildren sleep
A few plans for the rest of the week:
I work today, off Tuesday, work Wednesday, off Thursday work
Friday and then have the blessed weekend off.
Here is a Picture thought I am sharing:

Sunday Stealing

Today we ripped this meme off a blogger called Kat (It was Kat who named this meme: The Hardest Meme Ever.), at 3 Bedroom Bungalow. She explains that Jim over at Irregularly Periodic Ruminations tagged her for it. But, it was probably stolen at that blog as well. But that is as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!

Cheers to all us thieves!

Sunday Stealing: The Hardest Meme Ever

1. What is the bravest thing that you feel you've ever done physically?
Hmmmm....I think that would be learning how to walk again after 4 months of
being non-weight bearing after I broke my right leg in four places.

2. What is the bravest thing that you feel you've ever done emotionally?
I don't know about bravest but the hardest thing I have ever done has
been quit smoking. It is really an emotional addiction and it was much
harder than anyone who has never smoked realizes.

3. What one talent do you wish you had that you don't?
Being able to sing....I sing....but I wish that I could sing with a beautiful
voice.

4. If you had that talent what would you be doing with it?
Singing more in public

5. We all have our reasons for blogging but what would be your ultimate goal for your blog or as a blogger?
My blogging is just for me....I blog what I want, when I want, and about what I want.

6. What advice would you give a new blogger?
Use a site that is easy to figure out.

7. Who are you three favorite blogs to visit (Yes, you can have ties and name more than three.)
Heathers, Nurseexec, and my son's girlfriends.

8. You can trade lives with any one person for a month. Who would it be and why?
I don't want to trade lives with anyone....I know what problems I have and how I have
to deal with them; I just don't want to try on someone elses problems. And everyone has
them, blieve me.

9. There's a fire and your family is safe but you have the chance to save any one item from your house. What would it be and why?
Box of pictures that I do not yet have on disc

10. You have the chance to go back in time and warn yourself before making a bad choice. What choice would it be and what would you tell yourself?
Not to marry my first husband....

Saturday Nine

Saturday 9: The Phone is For You

1. Your phone rings. Who is the most likely caller?
Probably some "out of area" call....we get a lot of those and
have gotten to where we just don't answer. Thank God
for caller ID

2. How long to you chat on the phone each day?
Not much anymore...too busy!

3. Who do you speak to the most?
Probably my dear husband when I call him from work.

4. Do you often not answer if a certain person comes up on your caller id?
Yep That is what caller ID is for....you look and decide if you
want to talk right now.

5. Do you phone friends at work?
Nope....the people I work with are my co-workers, not friends.
I learned a long time ago that the two don't mix

6. Do you make personal calls at work?
Only during my break.....I am in charge and I try to set a good
example
7. Who do you always say “I love you” at the end of the call?
Only to my husband and family members....

8. Do you use a landline or cell more often?
Probably my cell but I like my landline better

9. Who in the blogosphere that you haven’t chatted with but would like to?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Taking the Optimism test

You Know how I chose the word optimism to be my "word of the year"? Well I decided to go and learn just how optimistic that I am! Ha! Ha! Well if you want to take the test you can go here .

Well here are my results:

Your Score: You got 4 optimistic answers out of 15 questions, for a score of 26 percent.
You're a Pessimist. (Don't Worry, You Can Change...)

I knew that I was a pessimist but wow! That score is bad!

Now on to work on that positive thinking

One of my goals for 2009 is to become

more organized so I have joined up

with Org Junkies Monthly Roundup

The month of January is file cabinets.

I started on this last evening and boy

what a bunch of "crap" I have kept.

Took out two little trash cans full.

Now I will get them all organized and

go over and Post my pictures.

If you want to become more organized this

year come on and join us!

Today I honor my friend Nanne's memory

Nanne died one year ago today at the tender

age of 53!

She was my best friend forever.

I will always miss her!

Word of the year

Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2009?

I am going to pick the word Optimism.......

Wikipedia describes Optimism as:
Optimists see
the world as a benevolent place.
Optimism is an outlook on life such that
one maintains a view of the world as a positive place. It is the philosophical
opposite of pessimism. Optimists generally
believe that people and events are inherently good, so that most situations work
out in the end for the best.
A common conundrum illustrates
optimism-versus-pessimism with the question, does one regard a given glass of
water, filled to half its capacity, as half
full or as half empty? Conventional wisdom expects optimists to reply, "Half
full," and pessimists to respond, "Half empty" (assuming that "full" is
considered good, and "empty", bad).
Another paradox sometimes associated
with optimism is that the only thing an optimist cannot view as positive is a
pessimist. Pessimism, however, as it acts as a check to recklessness, may even
then be viewed in a positive light.

I am not known to be the most optimistic person in the world so for 2009 I am picking Optimism to be my key word to focus on. Look forward to seeing more posts dealing with optimism.

Positive things happen to positive people.

My First Daybook entry for 2009

FOR TODAY January 5, 2009

Outside my window...

It is bright and sunny but very cold...33F...everything looks bare and definitley winter-like

I am thinking...

That soon I will be leaving for work.....

I am thankful for...

Getting to have my grandkids here with us again for a spell

From the kitchen...

Dear husband is fixing chili dogs tonight for him and the kiddos

I am wearing...

My scrubs as it is a working day.

I am creating...

Ideas in my head for the month ahead

I am going...

to leave for work soon.

I am reading...

I just finished Reading the 10th Cirlce by Jodi Piccolt and will start James Patterson's

Judge and Jury tonight when I get home from work.

I am hoping...

That the kiddos will soon be settled

I am hearing...

the TV in the background

Around the house...

I am thinking of getting started on the redesign of the dining room

One of my favorite things...

Is the first day of school after the long holiday break...it is so quiet here today

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Iwork today, off on Tuesday..will have Paige over...work Wednesday and Thursday a

spaghetti supper for the family....then I work the long weekend

Here is picture thought I am sharing: /three of the grands on Christmas break

Go here if you would like to join us http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Book that I just finished reading....

Bestselling author Jodi Picoult's The Tenth Circle is a metaphorical journey through Dante's Inferno, told through the eyes of a small Maine family whose hidden demons haunt every aspect of their seemingly peaceful existence. Woven throughout the novel are a series of dramatic illustrations that pay homage to the family's patriarch (comic book artist Daniel Stone), and add a unique twist to this gripping, yet somewhat rhetorical tale.
Trixie Stone is an imaginative, perceptive 14 year old whose life begins to unravel when Jason Underhill, Bethel High's star hockey player, breaks up with her, leaving a void that can only be filled by the blood spilled during shameful self-mutilations in the girls' bathroom. While Trixie's dad Daniel notices his daughter's recent change in demeanor, he turns a blind eye, just as he does to the obvious affair his wife Laura, a college professor, is barely trying to conceal. When Trixie gets raped at a friend's party, Daniel and Laura are forced to deal not only with the consequences of their daughter's physical and emotional trauma, but with their own transgressions as well. For Daniel, that means reflecting on a childhood spent as the only white kid in a native Alaskan village, where isolation and loneliness turned him into a recluse, only to be born again after falling in love with his wife. Laura, who blames her family's unraveling on her selfish affair, must decide how to reconcile her personal desires with her loved ones' needs.
The Tenth Circle is chock full of symbolism and allegory that at times can seem oppresive. Still, Picoult's fans will welcome this skillfully told story of betrayal and its many negative, and positive consequences. --Gisele Toueg

Saturday Nine January 3, 2009

Saturday 9: Dying to Know

1. What do you believe happens when we die? I believe that after we die our soul goes someplace like Heaven and our body rots away.

2. Do you consider yourself religious? Yes I do consider myself to be religious. I don't buy into all the hype taught to Christians but I do believe there is a God and that there is a heaven and that hell is here on earth. I believe all who die and have asked for forgiveness will reside forever in heaven

3. Do you believe in ghosts? Yes I do.....there is an old lady that lives in my house. I have named her ADA. Only two of us in the family have ever seen her and we both have seen the very same thing. She is not around all that much but has visited several times. My father, who died when I was 8, has also appeared to me a few times. I have heard and felt my step-fathers presence a few times.

4. Do you believe that people live on other planets? I am sure that there is. I do not think we are the only planet that is occupied.

5. Have you ever seen something abnormal? Yes....described above

6. Do you believe in reincarnation? I don't know that I really believe in it but I think it would be nice to return again to earth after my death.

7. Have you ever witnessed a miracle? Many times. I am a nurse and I have seen people who should have died get well and live longer. And giving birth to two sons was a miracle that I witnessed also.

8. Is there a person living or dead that influences your philosophies? My mother...she was able to see spirits also and we often visited about it.

9. Is there a work of fiction that closely matches your spiritual beliefs? Maybe Ghost Whisperer