Summer Time

Yes it’s summmmmer....summer time is here...
Yes it’s summmmmer...my time of year...

After reading about Kip’s pool party, I had an incredible urge to play this song. (Which I did!) The song is by War and I think it was in a Publix commercial a few years back.

But back to summer. This is one of the reasons I hate working and wish to be independently wealthy. (If any rich geezers out there reading this want to put me in their will, feel free!) I really haven’t spent quality time with my pool like I have. Every weekend I’ve been on the go or cleaning. Being on the go isn’t really a bad thing. Cleaning is, but not being on the go. I’m hoping to get in some this weekend. But I’m on the go. And I’m cleaning. Sigh!

The Tampa Bay Storm made the playoffs. YAY! The playoff game is noon on Saturday. BOO! Right in the middle of prime sun time, what were they thinking? Then after the game? Well, that night the folks in the ‘hood are celebrating 4th of July. (As my friend Mike says we’re actually celebrating the 30th of June.) Eh, who cares, as long as there’s beer involved. The main reason we’re doing this is because Independence Day takes place on Wednesday. In the middle of the week. When everyone has to go back to work.

I’m actually not to upset about working the day after. We’re technically closed the 5th and 6th, due to the move. So, I can hop out of bed, throw a t-shirt on and run out the door. Boy, I’d like that everyday! And even though moving and packing are pretty much hard labor, it’s better than dealing with people sometimes, KWIM?

Back to the weekend, Sunday I’ll be cleaning up the aftermath from Saturday. And hopefully, fingers crossed, by Noon, I will be in the pool getting some sun! Hooray.

And the following weekend will also be jam-packed. My BFF Joelle will be here with the boys, also our other buddies, Tracey and Tom and I’m assuming their kids. Our other friend, Simo, is having her baby baptized on Saturday, with brunch afterwards. And then we’ll probably hang out in her pool and eat and play games and do all that college/high school reminiscing that we always do when we’re together. Which I love. The only downfall is missing out on hanging out with the Smoochie Girls. I’m still bummed about that.

Well, I guess I better pretend to go back to work. Have a fun, summery day!

I'm hungry/

I like Checkers. It’s not my favorite fast food place, but I like it. And they are cheap. Like yesterday I had a coupon for $1.99 Fish Combo with fries and a drink. (Unsweet Tea, drank way too much sweet tea this past weekend.) The fish is actually pretty decent. Checkers was one of the first places DH and I ate at together when we first met. (All together now “Awwwww”) The fries are pretty good too, if they are not over cooked and this day they were not. But they did give me heartburn. Oh, and TMI, tear up my stomach in other ways too. ICK! Guess you get what you pay for. Ever since I had my GB removed I still have to be careful not to overindulge on spicy foods, my favorite of course.

One problem with Checkers is their website does not give nutritional information. Not a huge deal in the scheme of things, but it would be nice to know, if for no other reason, but to figure out how many calories I should eat(or rather, not eat) for dinner.

I need to get a pedometer and start counting my steps. I have one, I just haven’t opened the package, I’ve been too lazy. But Carol uses hers and she says it helps. She strives to make 2000 steps a day. I’m up and down a lot during the day. I’m not the type to sit still for more than a few minutes or so, I’m always bouncing between offices, picking up files, getting a drink, going to the bathroom. I’m one of those who will get up and run across the office and ask someone something rather than call or email. I’m sure my bosses would rather, as it would increase my productivity, but hey, I just can’t help it. I’m a yo-yo like that.

I had to go to the post office yesterday too, and return my TSV from QVC. I’m really bummed too. The kit was supposed to have a blush brush and an eye buki brush (which I really wanted). But instead I got two blush brushes and no eye brush. The QVC rep told me they couldn’t just replace the brush, so I had to return the whole thing. Hopefully, it won’t take too long to get replaced.

Recovering from the Weekend

Well, you know the old saying, time flies when you are having fun. And this weekend was certainly no exception. Linda outdid herself AGAIN!!! What a great time I had. Lots of food, lots of good friends, and of course, lots and lots of fun. It was such an amazing time. Everyone was just so great.

Of course, I forgot my camera, so I have no pics to post. But, I know Kip and Linda and others have a bunch, so make sure to check them out. And believe it or not I actually got a few projects done, the June “Spring” Hang-Ten kit, the mini album from Inverness, the Drink of the Day album the cruise girls did (and yes, my drink is right side up, LOL!!) and the cute make-n-take that Diana did.

It’s wonderful to see everyone. What a great group we have. Some of the sweetest, funniest, talented people I know. I laugh so hard when I’m with these girls and I can’t wait until Sebring in just 5 short weeks to do it all over again.

And it would not be without Linda and her band of helpers (Dee, Diana, Michele, Ellen) that this would be possible. Even when things don’t go as planned, they will always have a smile on their face. I love each and every one of them.

Now, it’s time to get into Monday mode and get some work done. (When really all I want to do is crawl in bed and go to sleep.) Keep some good thoughts for our friend Jean also, as her surgery is today.

The countdown is on

Oh my gosh, Friday is here. Is it 5 o’clock yet? No, it isn’t. Oh darn!!! I was hoping it was!!!!

Because at 5:00 today I will be Citrus Hills bound and on my way to the Birthday crop. It’s got to be one of my favorites. I haven’t missed one yet. I can’t wait to see the gang. We always have such a good time. Miss Linda throws a helluva party.

I finally got all my stuff loaded up and packed this morning. Of course, Miles wanted to help and explore nature at the same time. And then the other two wanted to follow suit. So it was, put a load in the car, pick up a cat, put a load in the car, pick up a cat. This went on for about 15 minutes. And of course, I forgot my camera. BOO HOO! Hopefully someone will be kind enough to share their pics.

The gang went out to lunch at Mazzaro’s today. I figured since we were moving we wouldn’t be able to make it up there anymore, but my pal Fran thinks we can just hop on the interstate and still make it in an hour. I hope so. I’d love DH to go check it out too. They have a fabulous meat selection. We may have to make a special trip coming back from the beach, just so he can take a look. I had the Italian Panini and also the Tiramisu. They make their own and it is to die for. I took some back with me, completely forgetting that I’m not going home tonite. Oh, well. I’ll just eat it on my way to the crop. Tee Hee!! Oh, and I’m sure Kip already knows, but their wine room looks incredible. Another thing I’ll have to check out when I have more time.

Okay, well, not much longer now. I’ve got a few kits to work on (The Drink of the Day and The Spring Album I started at Inverness) and also the Inverness Kit itself (even though I have no pics, I guess I’ll have to wing it. And a few layouts I can work on as well, if I run out. But, you know me. I don’t go to crop to work, I go to socialize and catch up on everyone. Oh, and eat! But, you know I’m starting to diet now, so I’m not gonna go overboard. That’s what I’m telling myself anyway.

Hope it’s a great weekend.

Ok, I'm an enabler

But this deal on Cards, Scrapbook Trends, Paper Crafts, whatever is too good to pass up.

https://scrapbooktrends.securesites.net/shoppingcart.html?Category=PROMO

I did the math, and it comes to less than $5 an issue.

Damn me!!! I was so good yesterday not getting anything on QVC, and then this came up. GRR!! :)

Hump Day!!

Ah, another day, another dollar.

Made the rounds in South Tampa last night. Had to go to Vinyl Fever and pick up something DH had ordered. It’s a nice store, but I hate shopping there. It reminds me that I’m not 20 and cool anymore, LOL! Actually, that’s not true; it’s a cool place really. It’s everything you’d expect an alternative record store to be. Patchouli scents throughout, lots of colorful posters, and loud music. It’s great and they have a good selection, if that’s your thing.

Afterwards, I had to stop next door at Castellano and Pizzo, a Tampa institution. Great sandwiches. They are remodeling (again) and their kitchen was closed, which was a bummer. DH and I were both craving Palamilla steaks. So, we got Cubans instead. There Cubans are very good. I also got the salad bar, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but did not make the trip through rush hour traffic.

St. Pete has a similar place, Mazzaro’s. They’ve got a great deli too, and a huge selection of stuff. I love to just wander in there. I need to make a lunch date there soon, because once we move to our new office space, we’ll be too far away.

I just found out QVC is doing easy pay on every item today. Hmmm...I think I see some more Bare Escentuals in my future. Need to talk to DH about that one, he owes me!

Are we having fun yet? Oh, boy, I am...

Yeah, I’m in a pissy mood today, in case you couldn’t tell. First off, Delta pretty much cancelled our flight to Phoenix and put us on a 4:00 flight instead. So that means a 4 hour layover in Atlanta. I guess that’s okay, I mean worse things could happen. But why the heck would they delete our seat assignments? OY! I tried calling Delta yesterday and was told that they were “under the control of the airport” whatever the heck that means. (I actually was talking to someone at lunch about this, and apparently that’s a famous AirTrans line as well!) So, I’ll try it again in a few days.

I’d been wanting the new Jennifer McGuire book that came out last week. Everyone on 2P’s has been raving about it. So, I run up to Michael’s in Carrollwood, since I had a coupon and everyone on 2P’s said, oh yeah, my Michael’s had it, and of course, they had nothing! They didn’t even have the newest Scrapbook Trends or Cards I could use my coupon on. I walked out of their empty handed. DH says to me “Why do you go in that store, every time you do, you just get upset?” Glutton for punishment, I guess. That store is just such a waste. Let me type it again... Michael’s, Carrollwood, Tampa sucks!! For anyone who’s googling! LOL!!

And to add insult to injury, I got bitchslapped via email by some woman who basically was mad that I sent something to her email address instead of her step-son’s, who had the info I needed. Now the lady could have just replied a week ago, hey, you got the wrong email address, but no, she had to go on this two page tirade about what a screw-up I was. I guess she’s mostly pissed because she and so-called step-son have been fighting over her dead husband’s money for two years, and I guess it’s not going her way. Well, so much for me bending over backwards for her, she just burned her bridge with me.

To top it all off, I started my diet today, and I had to make a derm. Appointment because some strange bump just showed up on my head, and I’ve had hot flashes all day to boot. Sigh, will it ever end?

Yesterday was Father’s day. We went to the hospital to see DH’s grandfather. They did a trach on him on Friday to help him breathe on his own and wean him off the respirator. He looked good, and the doctor was pleased with his progress. We then had lunch at Hardee’s and then dropped by FIL and Step-MIL to drop off his present and visit for a few minutes.

Holidays like Father’s Day aren’t my favorites. My bio-dad died about four years ago, and I never was close to him. He took off when we were little, he didn’t want the responsibility. We had a step-dad who was fairly nice to us, but my mother drove him away a little over 10 years ago. So he’s pretty much out of my life too. But I try not to dwell on things. I’m a believer in looking at what you have, rather than what you don’t have, you know?

Well, here’s to looking ahead at the week. I’m gonna try JoAnn’s tonite, and also drop off our underwater cameras at Wal-Mart. I keep forgetting them. Can’t wait to see the pics. Hopefully, too, I’ll start getting my stuff ready for the birthday crop this weekend. Can’t wait for that!!

Got the house to myself tonite...

A rare treat this time of the year, so needless to say, I'm taking advantage of it.

I just finished watching Where the Boys Are? Made me think about my childhood growing up in South Florida. The Elbo Room, where the girls go and get their "hot water and sugar" is where my grandmother worked as a waitress in the late 50's/early 60's. And if you look in the background, when everyone is crowded on the beach, you can see Bahia Mar, where we had our Senior Prom. Which in turn made me download a bunch of songs we jammed out to in High School. Lots of Trinere and Debbie Deb and Expose. What they call nowadays "Old School, Miami Style". Yep, those were the days. LOL!

Oh, and you know those old short films they used to show back in the 30's and 40's? I'm watching one now on TCM and it's about Florida. And the very first scene they show is the Don Cesar! How do you like that???? Now, they are showing Bok Tower and Cypress Gardens.

Dh is reliving his teenage years, tonite as well, as he is at the Rush concert at the Ampitheater. He's so excited. A buddy of his who works at the S/O called and said he may even get him backstage before the show. This guy used to be a truck driver/roadie of theirs back in the 70's. Hope he comes through.

I watched the Daytime Emmys last nite. Can you believe there was a tie for best soap this year? Guiding Light (which totally deserved it) and Young and the Restless (which I rarely watch nowadays, but is super popular right now. Best Actress was Maura West who plays Carly on ATWT. Don't get me wrong, I've loved Carly from the start, she's such a complex character. But, I really did not like the storylines they wrote for her this year. And Reva had been so much this year with the whole breast cancer thing, and Josh and her sis, and Jonathan. I think Kim Zimmer should've won. I guess they wanted didn't want to go Old School. This concludes the Soap Update. :P

And of course, there were several Bob tributes. He won his 19th Emmy, which was great. And CBS was smart enough to replay his last show in primetime. I was going to TIVO it anyway, but I'm glad they showed it. The Brandon guy made it up to stage at the very end and made it to the showcase, but lost. And yes, I sniffed a bit as well.

QVC also had a BE today's special value. And they put it on Easy Pay. So it just had to jump in my cart right? Like I need more make-up, like I need a hole in the head!!! Oh, Elle and Dee, did you know they are opening up a BE boutique in Brandon? Yippeee!!

And here's some hugs to my dear Dee. She's going through a rough time right now, and I hope she can rise above it. She's strong and she's got a great network of friends who are right by her.

And lastly, send some positive energy to our friend Jean, an original Hilltop Girl and Florida Scrapper. She's fighting a new battle, and I know she can rally around it and beat it!

So, that's the news from the front. Have a great weekend.

This woman's got to be a scrapbooker!!!

Woman missing in Everglades found alive!


http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?s=rss&storyid=56960

Want a new TV???

So, FIL decided that he wanted to go HD in the bedroom, and get rid of their old TV. When DH first talked to him, he said "well, I may put it upstairs, or give it to your grandmother. We don't know what we are going to do with it yet". Then about 4pm, DH gets a call. "We're on our way to your house, we're going to drop off the TV." Now, this is a massive 36" TV. FIL gives dh some quick measurements, and dh does some quick measuring in our bedroom, and decides to keep the TV.

I get home, and the place is a mess. One TV over here, another TV over there. Stuff torn apart. (I'm sure Linda can relate to that). Now, this "new" TV weighs about 300lbs!!! There is no way we're going to be able to lift it into the armoire by ourselves. So, dh goes across the street to recruit one of our neighbors, Steve. Well, Steve comes over, we all lift the TV up and, you guessed it, it doesn't fit!!!! So now, we've got to put this monster TV somewhere, put the old TV back, hook everything back-up, oh and yeah, clean up the mess.

Now this TV is sitting in the middle of my house, in the dining room. Yep, just sitting. So, if anyone wants a used, but in good condition, 36 inch RCA TV, just let me know. It's here for the taking.

10 things I will never

From Miss Kip's blog

I will never be without a kitty

I will never not have a pool

I will never drink Jagermeister again (yeah, we'll see how long that lasts)

I will never be a sew-er

I will never be on the Price is Right

I will never watch the Sopranos again (GRRR!)

I will never eat peas

I will never be a dancer

I will never eat at Gus's again

I will never see the Police again (after July 11th!!)

I'm just a Broadway Baby....

Walking off my tired feet. Pounding Forty-Second Street To be in a show.

Caught the Tony Awards last nite. I think that's the only real awards show I watch. I love the theater. Always have. As a teenager, I dreamed of being on stage. I love going to shows whenever they are in town, but it's hard to find someone to go with. As you can imagine, it's not really DH's thing.

The big winner last nite was a musical called Spring Awakening. I"m not really sure what it's about. Something about coming of age in 1940's Germany. But the music was great! Really reminded me alot of "Rent" (which now I will have to listen to), and I'd love to see it if it goes on tour.

Jersey Boys, I think, is playing this summer at TBPAC, and I know alot of people want to see that. I'm not a big 4 Seasons/Frankie Vallie fan, so I'm not sure if I would enjoy it. But the boys who play in it sure are hot! I also know The Drowsy Chaperone is playing this year as well, not sure when. I'd like to see that one, because it looks interesting, something I would enjoy.

Speaking of hotness, Hugh Jackman is going to be in a new series this fall called Viva Laughlin. It also has Melanie Griffin and David Palmer's brother from 24. Looks really good, but cheesy too. I'll have to give it a shot.

And lastly, who saw the Sopranos last nite? What the hell kind of ending was that???? With the exception of Phil getting whacked and AJ's truck blowing up, the show really blew. (You're not supposed to park on leaves in an SUV? who knew?) But the rumor on the radio this morning is this maybe leading up to a feature film. But I thought for sure something would happen. Paulie and the kitty cracked me up, too.

Well, Happy Monday folks....

Happy Birthday, Jules!!!

I hope you had a great one! We had a blast yesterday. I met up with Linda and Ginni and Jules at the Expo. As far as expo goes, I've seen better. They seem to be smaller and smaller everytime I go. I'm thinking that the only reason most vendors go any more is to dump their extra inventory. I did find a couple things to spend money on. The cutest (and probably the only thing new) that was there were these little mini letter albums. Here's the sample make and take that they had...

Then Dee and Michele and Alice and Kip and Teri all met us over at the Columbia in Ybor. What a gorgeous place, and what history it has. We had great food and lots of laughs. I'm so pleased that I was included in this group of great girls. Here's a few pics...




It was a great day. Here is the Picasa Link

I also met DH at the Storm game afterwards. They won 69-59. And they are going to the playoffs. Not bad for a team that was 0-5 at the beginning of the season.

A few days ago I mentioned my friend Dawn. Please keep her in her thoughts. She found out yesterday that her brother died in a drowning accident. Also, my thoughts are with our Miss Elle. She just got home yesterday, after taking care of a close friend who passed away from complications with Diabetes.

Mornin' all...

Glad for the weekend. Last nite, dh and I went to one of our old haunts, Gus's in Northdale. It had been quite a while since we ate there. When we got there, the place wasn't busy at all. At 7:30 on a Friday nite? That should have been my first clue.

The service was horrible. The waitress wasn't familiar with the specials, she just brought out the food, and walked away, nevermind the fact that I never got my salad (with came with said special) and I had no more tea to drink. (The glasses were teeny-tiny). It took at least 10 minutes to find her to tell her these things.

And they used to have this really great pizza. But the pizza DH got looked like the frozen ones from Sam's Club. It was horrible. DH's grandmother says they are always looking for help, because the old man who owns the place is a bear to work with, apparently.

Oh, well. We then went to Lowe's. DH wanted to stock up on batteries, since they are tax free this week. And I got a replacement Malibu light for the one that the boys broke.

I'm off to go workout now (don't laugh!). Then shower, clean the house up a little and head over to the expo.

Happy Friday Y'all!!

It's finally here. I have a packed weekend. I'm going to the expo and hook up with the girls to take Miss Jules out for her birthday. I hope she made it to the convention center okay. When I talked to her last nite, she was a little worried. I know that airport area, esp. now with all the construction, can be a little hairy. And I drive it every day!!!

The tomorrow nite, DH and I are going to the Storm game. Nyle Wiren, who lost his wife in childbirth a few weeks ago, returned to practice yesterday. My heart breaks for him and his child. His wife was only 34 when she bled to death after giving birth to their son. You can read more of their story here Let's hope for a big win for them tomorrow.

Sunday we were invited to a wine tasting party. Now, that's not really dh's thing (I'm not sure it's mine either). But our good friends are catering the food. Now Dawn and Mike are experts in the kitchen. I mean they really put us to shame. So, I"d hate missing out on that! We'll see.

Yesterday we got this picture in the mail.

It's DH's cousin's kids. Cute kids. I got this in a plain envelope, with no return address. Nothing inside the envelope. No little note, saying "Hey, aren't are kids cute?", nothing written on the back. We've never got a picture like this from them before, except for the obigatory Christmas picture. The picture (it's kinda small) says "Hugs and Kisses, Love," and then their names.

The top pose just strikes me well, as odd, as well. Cousin's wife Kim has become a bit on the evangelical side, over the last few years. Maybe she's trying to tell us something. Oh, yes, I'm going to hell for my evil ways. But, hey, I'm having fun while it lasts, right? Ah well!

I'll give you an update on the weekends events. Ta-ta for now!

PS Dee, if you're out there, yes, give Linda my CTMH order! :)

Cars Suck!

Yep, yep they do.

So my mechanic calls me this morning. Tells me my PCV line has collapsed. What the heck is a PCV line you ask? Beats the heck out of me, but mine collapsed. And now my car won't go without it. Great. Want so more bad news? My Air/Fuel intake is gunked up and needs to be cleaned out. Uh, okay. Sure. Whatever you say. I mean, what else can I say. I can't say "huh, what, I don't understand", because then they assume you are some dumb female and try and take advantage of that. So, I just say, uh-huh, and wave sayonara to $400 of my money. Sigh!!

I shouldn't complain. My car has 120,000+ miles on it and I do drive the heck out of it. I've been through all the normal wear and tear stuff, tires, brakes, had my air recharged. I did have to spend $60 bucks on a hose right before Christmas, but that was thanks to those morons at Autoway who didn't position it right, and instead placed it next to the fan. Smarrrrrtt!!!! Needless to say, I haven't been back there.

So, sure I could have a new car. With new car payments. Which are probably way more than the $400 here and there that I am spending now. I mean, I could be like my BILs who trade in their new snazzy cars every 6 months for even newer snazzier cars. But I like my car. It's me! It fits my personality. I'm comfortable in it. It hauls all my junk! And besides, Grandma taught me that you drive your car till it dies. She should know. There've been a few cars that we drove well past the time they should have been put out of their misery.

And with luck, the grace of God, and a bandaid, we'll get another 120,000 miles out of this sucker!

The end of an era!!!

Yep, today Bob Barker is taping his last ever episode of The Price is Right. And get this, according to this article, the person standing at the head of the line for the last show, is from TAMPA, FL!!! Oh, the irony! In the meantime, my lifelong dream of meeting Bob has gone down the tubes.

Oh, sure, there will be a new host. But it won't be the same. The ratings will slip. They'll start "tweaking" with the format. And before you know it, TPIR will end up in the Gameshow Network in the sky!

The final episode will air Friday, the 15th, and then will be in summer reruns for a few more months. and then it is gone. My sick days at home will never been the same.

So, I'll leave you with this "Keep your feet in the ground and keep reaching for the stars" Oh, wait, that's Casey Kasem! Oh, yeah, "Help Control the Pet Population, Have Your Pet Spayed or Neutered!!"

P.S. I had 7!! comments on my first post yesterday. Wow, you guys, I didn't expect that! Thanks for the support. I'm not sure I can keep this up everyday (let's face it, my life's pretty boring!), but I'll try and make y'all proud!!!

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!!!

Hey, I did it!! For real! First off, I didn't mean to start this off so maudlin. But life happens that way sometimes. DH's grandfather, Sam, had open-heart surgery about two weeks ago, and he's suffered some complications. Today, a part of his colon had to be removed, as it was not getting any circulation. But he came through the surgery and now hopefully, we won't have any more complications, fingers crossed.

So, why blog now? Well, a long time ago one of my friends said they loved reading my emails. (ELLE!!!) I asked "why?". She said "oh, I just love the way you write, you just tell it like it is." I said, "well, I just write just like I talk, I guess. Like I'm having a conversation". So, of course, this just seemed like a natural progression. But time gets away from you, what, with 50 hour work weeks, two hour commutes, housework and all the other icky stuff that gets in the way. But here it is.

It's not too flashy. I only know how to do some basic things. But hopefully my friends (KIP!) can help me out.

Enjoy!!!! :)

I leave you with a picture. It's of DH and a statue of Big Black Dick. He's quite a local folklore hero in Grand Cayman and he even has a rum named after him. There are several of these statues all over town.