Curious as a Cat Monday

1) How often do you whisper?

I rarely whisper...no reason to...now...about to have a child in my house before long...that might change.

2) When was the last time you called a help hotline? Did it solve the problem?

I have never had a reason to call a help line either...hmmm, am I living a sheltered life?  No whispering and no help lines...

3) How much time do you spend on yourself daily on average?

Maybe 30 minutes...or an hour...really depends...

4)Show and Tell.What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or, tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Public Domain Photo

This picture makes me want to take a trip on Amtrak and just ride around the country...maybe I will get to do that next year with my new child...

My Bucket List

Every day I say I am going to blog, and then...I don't...I like to have time to sit and think so if I don't then I don't blog.  Yesterday I did, but then I did have time other stuff and never got around to blogging...

I am really trying to get away from doing meme's.  Yesterday hubby and I watched Griffin and Phoenix.  It is a love story about two people who are dying from cancer.  Neither know the other is dying nor do they know that the other has cancer also.  It stars Dermot Mulroney and Amanda Peet.  I think it is a must see...really.   But the reason I bring it up is because it got me thinking of what I would want to do if I knew I had an incurable disease.  So, here I go with my bucket list.

1.  I have always wanted to go to Machu Pichu in Peru. (will definitely need to lose weight to be able to do this walk)

2.  I would like to stay three to four weeks on the Waterford Coast in Ireland.  Preferably in a cottage...maybe even a thatched roof...

3.  I want to visit Australia

4.  I want to walk on the Great Wall of China

5.  Visit Hawaii for a week or two

6.  I want to vacation in the Mediterranean, preferably Greece and explore some of the old caves known for being used to worship goddesses in past history

7.  I would like to spend a summer in Tuscany, Italy.  

8.  I want to go dog sledding in Alaska.

9.  I want to walk through the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.

10.  I want to visit Yellow Stone park.

11.  I want to attend an opening ceremony of the Olympic games.

12.  I want to sky dive.

13.  I want to climb to the top of Kilimanjaro.

Okay, those are the things that come to mind right off the bat.  I reserve the right to add to this list...and as I accomplish these things...well...that will just be tinder for blogging...

Going Back to School

I got my acceptance letter today from Tarrant County Community college.  I have registered for one class and would like to register for another, but it says I need to take some placement exam or provide my SAT scores.  It has been over 23 years since I took those exams so I don't know how to get the scores.  I am going to send the paperwork off tomorrow for the transcript from the college I attended in GA in 1990.  Yeah, it has been 20 years since I attended school.  I am excited and nervous...

The main reason I decided to do this is because I need 24 hours of accounting to qualify for other jobs in the finance area at work or other agencies.  Though that is the main reason I figure I might as well get my Associates degree because I already have on year done and with these 24 hours it should not take that long.  Of course part of that depends on how many credit hours they will accept from before.  The only ones I think they may not take is biology.  Well, at least BIO102...I can't remember what I made in BIO 101, but I know I got a D in 102.

Once I am done with this then I need to decide if Iwant to go on for my Bachelor's Degree.  I really don't need it for work, but there is the sence of accomplishment and then what if I need it or want it when I retire to do whatever it is I am going to do then.  I heck...maybe I'll go for my Phd or something then...lol  We'll see...but this is the first time in a long time I have wanted to do this...and am excited and looking forward to it.

Small Garden Patch

Last year I planted Gerber Daisies in the little piece of flower bed we have out front.  For some reason after the first blooms were dying and then pinched off they never bloomed again.  Kerry planted a very small rose bush that only had to stems and it did fine.

So, Kerry decided to try his hand at it again this year.  We bought a tray of Portulaca today to plant out front.  Kerry already has them in the ground.  This year he put newspaper down and then mulch over it.  He really needs more mulch based on what I learned at the Garden Show this year, but we can always add more.

This is the full space he had to plant in.  It is right in front of our porch.  We brought the St. Francis statue from Mississippi and we have had that little tiny bird bath since we lived in Euless, TX.

This is the Portulaca.  They like to spread out.  They are one of my favorite flowers for a flower bed.

I picked up this dragonfly garden decoration at Hobby Lobby about a month ago.  It was only 3.00 that day.

Friday Question #109

Friday's Question

What herbs/spices do you love? What herbs/spices do you loathe?


Okay, my first all time favorite is basil.  I love the taste of basil and it can go with so many things.  The other items I use the most are garlic and this Smokey Sweet Pepper spice from McCormick.  I actually use this Smokey Sweet Pepper on everything...it is awesome for flavor.


The only item I can think of that I really, really don't like is Rosemary.  I really don't care for the smell nor the taste.

Personal Support Network

As we are getting closer and closer to being approved to be able to adopt a child in the state of Texas I am becoming more and more aware that because of all of our moving our support network is spread far and wide.  As we think about who is local to watch our child, especially during the fostering period, we are very limited as we have many acquaintances, but few people we would call "good friends". 

We talk about going to church more regular and getting involved, which would help us to meet people.  I even joined a couples meet-up group, but we have not had a chance to make any of their gatherings.  Kerry is only off every other weekend and we just seem to never want to give up that 2 hours on Sunday and then to invest the time for other things during the week.

I even have a cousin that lives in the area.  We were never real close, mostly because of the difference in our ages and that our parents were not close and we grew up far apart.  It would be nice to get to know her better and maybe then our children would have a chance to know each other better.

We also have Kerry's sister and her family six hours away.  A little far for calling over and asking if she could watch our child, but still close enough if it was a major emergency that they could make arrangements to come offer support.

I am closest with Kerry's sister than anyone else in the area, though she is somewhart far for day to day contact, but I fortunately do have a couple very good friends we have made over the past few years and a new one that I am becoming attached to...so, we have a small support network and will just have to work on making it a bit bigger.

As we go through this process it really makes you look at your life and how you have lived it and what will be changing.  This causes me to go through a gamut of emotions, but I find it somewhat refreshing also.  I am working on making some meaingful changes in my life from all of this introspection...stay tuned for the new me as I evolve...

Evening with a Stranger

I had no clue what to call this post.

We decided to go to Pizza Hut for dinner, which we have not done in over a year.  When we walked it there was an elderly man sitting there by himself just waiting on his food.  We ordered and then went to sit down.  The gentleman noticed the W on Kerry's work shirt and thought it was a Westinghouse shirt.  Kerry told him it was for Isle of Watermere and that is a retirement community.

After that the gentleman started talking and we would talk once in awhile, but did not say very much.  He just talked the whole time.  It was great, he was involved with that space craft with the two monkey's in the 60s.  The same two monkey's that they have in the Smithsonian.  He worked with Bell Helicopter his whole life and has bee n all over the world.  It was a great dinner.

I always lover talking to elderly people.  It also made me think about my Grandpa and now much I miss talking to him and hearing his great stories of his life.

So, I wanted to share that...I guess I am a little melancholy now.  I have Grandpa's picture right in front of me here all of the time in the living room...miss him so much.  I find lately I have been talking about him a lot to people.  Little things they say will make me think about him...so he is on my mind a lot.  But not being able to pick up the phone and call him and hear that unique voice and his wonderful laugh will always be hard...Nights like tonight bring that home to me...

TMI Tuesday #232 - Good vs. Evil

1. If you could be a super hero or a super villain, which would you be and why? 

I would be a super hero.  I am a person that wants to do good....I get no thrill out of evil.

2. What's your super alias?

The Sophisticated Liberator

3. Name a friend as your sidekick, tell us who they are.

The Illustrious Ninja, or caligal...

4. What's your weakness(es)?

It would have to be chocolate.

5. What's your power(s)?

Time Control, yeah...I have control issues...

6. Does your costume have a cape? Do you wear a mask?

Uh...no...I wear comfy clothes...no "time" for costumes...lol

Bonus (optional): Give us some back story on your character: Where did they originate? Do they have a secret lair? Does anyone know their secret identity?  Stay tuned...will expand on this more tomorrow or this weekend.

What I have been Reading

I have picked up three books over the last few weeks to read and they were not intentional reads.  Well, when I added them to my Shelfari bookshelf one of them came up that I had added it in the past as a plan to read.  The other two were just ones that showed up unexpectedly through friends or such.

The first one was Revenant by Carolyn Haines.  I like mysteries, but other than J.D. Robb's futuristic cop series I have not read very many.  This was a quick read.  It was an okay story line, but it left me still wanting in the end. There is so much talk in the book about the reporters personal life, but I never feel like that part is addressed successfully by the end of the book.  And I was able to figure out "who did it" before the end of the book and I like to be kept guessing until the last few pages.  So, it was an okay read, but I will probably think twice before reading this author again.

Okay, the second book was Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks.  A friend was reading this on the train and let me have it after she was done.  We all seem to be falling in love with the movies from his books and I had read Nights in Rodanthe before it became a movie.  So I already liked his writing also.  I did love this book, but the ending broke my heart.  I cried so hard.  I think a writer that can do that to you is just awesome.  Of course I hated the ending because who wants a story to end where it makes you cry so hard, but the story was great either way.  The book was written by the author because his mother had passed and he was watching is father mourn her sudden death.  It made him wonder if it is possible to find true love twice in a lifetime.  The question is still there, but he wrote a story that allowed one man to do just that...

The book I finished this morning is Sleeping with Fear by Kay Hooper.  I picked this up off a shelf at work were people leave books for others to pick up and read.  It was a really good book.  I did not figure out who was doing what until it was revealed.  I love that.  What I did not realize when I started reading this book is that it is #9 in a series of books...so guess what...now I feel compelled to read the whole series.  I have so many unfinished series I reading and so many I want to read...so many books so little time...LOL  This is a mystery type book with a tough female FBI agent that has psychic powers.  A pretty interesting twist.  In this one those powers are compromised and she had to figure out what and how it happened and stop it.  Not a bad story, well, good enough for me to want to get book one and read the series.  

So, not sure what book is next.  I down loaded The Spark: The 28-Day Breakthrough Plan for Losing Weight, Getting Fit, and Transforming Your Life to my Kindle PC version about a month or so ago, so I might actually get started on that.  I read a couple pages, but have not really got very far in it yet.  We'll see.  It is either that or finding the next book in the Stephanie Plum series I think.

Friday Frustrations -- Do People Care Anymore?

OMG, I guess I was a bit to optimistic today.  I went to work thinking the day was going to go smoothly and I would get the things done I needed to get done to prepare for the staff I have working overtime tomorrow.  A couple of them are new so I am having to pull some retro pay info that I want to show them how to work and get them started on.

Well, it didn't quite go that way...I just don't see how people can work for a place that certifies timecards on the same day with the same deadline every two weeks and still not be able to get it done.  It isn't like they even bother to look at the cards to see if they are accurate, because if they did we would not have the number of corrections we have every pay period.  And even if they were checking, most supervisors don't have more than 15 people assigned to them so it should not take longer than 15 minutes to review their source document that they keep track on...yeah, right...I doubt many do that even though I have told them to...enter a Y after each card that they check and then enter an electronic signature code...how freaking hard is that???  

I just feel that they don't care...well, they don't care until their employee does not get paid...then of course it is all payrolls fault...and it is actually rarely payrolls fault when an employee is not paid properly or at all.  If they truly cared they would have these done by the 2:30pm deadline.  I should add that is it only about 10% that don't get them in on time, but it takes us two hours and a ton of time on the phone to get those 10% in, when we could be doing more productive things.  And it still ended up today with me telling the payroll supervisor to sign off on the last two timecards and they were not even her employees their way from two other services.  If IG ever pulls these cards we will get dinged, but dammit what are we supposed to do at 4:30p when everyone is gone and we still have two people without their timecards signed?  I say let IG write me up, I feel we made the right decision to get the people paid.

Okay...I am done...can you tell I am frustrated tonight?  Well, it is 9:10pm and I am going in early on my day off...yep, only getting one day this weekend before I start it all over again.  But I am trying to figure out a way to take off next Friday...wish me luck!!

"I Want...." Wednesday #76

This weeks question is:

What do you WANT your neighbors to do?

I would like for them to get someone to take care of their lawn or to sell the house so that there was someone living in it that would take care of the lawn.  It is beginning to look really bad...and it used to be the best lawn on the block.

What else do you want this week? Share it all.

Nothing special this week.  Hubby works this weekend and I am working Saturday until 2p.  We don't eat beef much anymore, but hubby wants to grill steaks on Saturday when he gets home so I guess I just want to have a nice evening on Saturday with hubby...but then all of my evenings are nice as long as I am with hubby. :-)

Philadelphia Teams

I do not believe I have devoted much time in this blog to my love for Philadelphia Phillies and the Philadelphia Eagles.  Football is more my passion than baseball, but as I am getting older I am beginning to enjoy baseball more and more.

Why Philly?  Well, I am an army brat.  Grew up mostly in Germany and then in GA.  Dad is from Philly so as a young child in Germany it was natural to root for the Philly teams.  And it just kinda stuck.

Now, it was nice to see the Phillies come out swinging and kick some Washington butt in the first game of the season.  It was also nice to see Polanco with the highest number of RBIs for the day in MLB and Halladay's debut with the most strike outs for the day in MLB.  Atlanta and the Mets also played well today.  It will be interesting to watch these three teams again this year...and to see if Florida will improve as they did last year.  The National League East is always an interesting group to watch with great players and great fans.

Okay, on to the Eagles... I am sorely disappointed in losing McNabb.  So, that leaves Kolb and Vick.  Kolb has never shown me that he has it.  I just don't know what they see in him.  Vick might actually be the better starter...The Eagles have either traded or allowed other players to leave during this off season that have just killed me.  I can't imagine what this team will look like in the up coming season...All I can do is try to stay  positive that all will work out...but it is very scary...

Sunday Stealing: The 35 Questions X 2 Meme: Part Two

36. If you suddenly became single or are single, do you think you could last in a relationship for 12 months or more?


I would not want to...if I suddenly became single it would break my heart...I would have lost my soul mate, the love of my life...I can't even think of allowing another person in my life at that point.  Besides that relationships are a lot of work and it has taken us almost the whole of our 19 years together to have such a strong relationship.  I do not know if I want to go through that again.


37. Do you forgive or forget?


It depends.  There are things I have had to actually work on forgiving and then there are things I have easily forgotten.  It really depends on what it is to me...


38. Do you trust people?


In general, yes...often to a fault...I often have been hurt by giving to much trust, but it does not stop me from giving it again and again.  It is just my nature I guess.


39. What are you not looking forward to?


Going to work tomorrow!!  I need a vacation...June seems so far away....


40. Do you get mad easily?


No, not really.  I used to, but I don't really think I do.  Now, I just asked my husband and he says it depends on what it is about on whether I get mad easily...I personally think I have improved upon this in the last 14 years.  Amway did wonders for me to teach me to be a better person.


41. Tell us about the last time you were told you that you have pretty eyes.


I don't believe I have ever been told this...eeeevvvveeerr....


42. Do you have strange dreams?


I rarely remember my dreams...but when I am too hot I seem to have strange dreams..


43. Ever licked someone's cheek or forehead?


No, but as a dirty trick I have licked hubby's eye.  Something that my parents would do to us and to each other when I was a kid...it is yucky...but hilarious when you get that reaction from the recipient.


44. Tell us about the last time you fell asleep in someones arms.


That has been a long time...hubby and I go to bed at different times most of the time and he is usually already asleep...so I really don't remember.


45. When did you last play a game?


What kind of game?  I played card games on the laptop last night while watching North and South.


46. What do you have on you at all times?


My earrings, wedding band, past, present, and future diamond ring, the ring I got for Christmas and my necklace.


47. Do you go out in public without getting all dressed up?


All the time...I am about comfort...I just want to clean, matching, and no holes in my clothes when I go out.


48. Do you like fruity or minty gum?


I like fruity with a hint of mint...LOL


49. Favourite musician or group?


I love Phil Collins and the Four Seasons...


50. Do you like anyone?


I like a lot of people...would be pretty lonely if I did not.


51. Favourite computer game?


Computer, huh?  I guess Etherlords.


52. First album you ever went and bought with your own money?


LOL, Wham! Make it Big was my first album that I bought with my own money...wow, had not thought about that in years.


53. Think back five months ago, were you single?


Nope...


54. Do you believe in celebrating anniversaries?


I celebrate my and my parents marriage anniversaries...don't have any other dates that are important to celebrate right now, but I believe we will probably celebrate the date the adoption of our child is made permanent once that happens.


55. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now?


I hope so...


56. Last thing you bought?


Groceries!!


57. Are you a jealous person?


No, I don't think so for the most part.  I think I used to be a little, but I have grown into a better person and don't have those insecurities.


58. Does it take a lot to make you cry?


Uh, no....though I am a very strong willed person...I am very empathetic and cry easily and happy and sad moments, real life, reading a book or watching a show/move.


59. Do you have a friend of the opposite sex you can talk to?


Yeah, at least two outside of my marriage.  Thankfully hubby knows both and does not have any jealousy about the relationships I have with these two mean.


60. Have you ever had your heart-broken?


Yes...and I really don't want to go into it here.


61. Have you ever done something while drunk that you still cannot believe you did?


Other than sing Karaoke like I could actually sing...but couldn't...no


62. Is there anyone you secretly wish you could be spending your time with right now?


Not secretly...wish I could have been in GA with my family this weekend.


63. Do you text?


All the time...but I twitter more than I text.


64. Do you wish someone would call or text you right now?


Not especially...well, yeah, my brother...


65. Is your life anything like it was a year ago?


Yes, other than taking the adoption classes and getting ready for the adoption.


66. Go back one year on your blog. Leave us a link to your favorite post.


OMG, that was difficult...my blog really sucks...will need to work on this...I came up with this one: http://creativeselfbelief.blogspot.com/2009/04/okay.html


67. You can only drink ONE liquid for the rest of your life, what is it?


Water, it is what I drink 99% of the time.


68. Tell us about someone that you have lost contact with someone you wish you didn't.


Sheila Kinney, I thought we were good friends...I introduced her to her future husband and was dropped like a hot potato.  We talked a few times in the first few years after they married, but when they moved up north to Delaware we lost touch.


69. What is the last thing you said out loud?


Mmm, something about getting my hair cut shorter in two weeks.


70. Will this year be better than last?


Of course!!  Every year is better than the last...but this year will be even better because we will have a child in our home.

Friday Question #107

Friday Question #107


How much television do you watch a day (on average)? Do you think it is bad for you if you watch too much?


This is actually one I would love to answer.  I have really cut back on my TV watching.  I watch 1-2 hours on Sunday evening, none on Monday, 1-2 hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, none on Friday.  Now Saturday it really depends on what we are doing, but I love movies and sometimes we will watch multiple movies on Saturday, but with the good weather I see that not happening as much.


I think too much TV keeps us sitting and not being active and that is what is bad for us.  The TV itself is not bad, it is that we are not active usually when we are watching it...and there are so many other fun things we could be doing that would get us up and moving.

Thursday Thunks

1. It's the first of April, do you play April Fool's jokes on anyone?
No, but I thought someone was playing one on me this morning...they told me that as of April 12th Union Station would be closed for 45 days...I just knew they had to be kidding...the only reason it would be closed is because they are having to make changes for the new Super Light Rails that we will be getting...but that has only taken a weekend at all of the other stops...so why 45 days...well, looked it up at dart.org and sure enough...darn it...so, now...do I take the green line to West End to catch the blue line or do I take the TRE into Union Station...it will be going into an Amtrak area and then I would have to take a bus to Convention Center to catch the blue line...none of it appealing...ugh

2. Do you like to eat sardines?

OMG, no...but I used to when I was a kid...why?  I have no clue other than my dad ate them and I guess I wanted to do what he did...

3. Have you ever played racketball?

No, but watched my dad play it...does that count?

4. If eating at a fast food joint that has a dollar menu, do you order a bunch of different dollar items or just go ahead and get a regular meal?

I get what I want, not what is cheap

5. Have you ever taken a brand new pencil and sharpened it in an electric sharper until it was almost gone just because you were bored?

Uh, no...so glad I have never gotten bored enough to do that...lol

6. Do you have any old broken computers still sitting around your home?

Thank goodness, no...it is sitting at my dads...I think...

7. Ricky Martin came out this week stating he is gay. Were you shocked, had a feeling, "who?" or just didn't care?

Didn't have a clue and didn't care...good for him is all I have to say...stupid that people have to hide it...

8. If marijuana is legalized, do you think it should have a luxury tax added onto it?

Sure, maybe then less people will use it and our streets will be safer...I think legalizing it will go a long way in cutting down on people using it really...I think the younger gen does stuff that is illegal just because they can do something against the establishment...

9. What's the oddest thing you have sitting on your computer desk right now or where ever it is you may be sitting with a laptop (you could be sitting at a Starbucks with an alien from Mars for all we know)?

Odd?  or Unique?  You decide...

10. Have you ever bumped into a former lover and found out they were now gay or straight depending on your relationship with them?

Nope, not many to bump into...thank goodness...Now, if anyone knows Phillip Tralies I would love to know what became of him....had a huge crush...we messed around a little after high school...but nothing ever came of it..won't say why or what else...but would be interesting to know...

11. Have you ever held a tarantula?

Uh, no...and won't...EVER!!

12. Shower- curtain, door, walk-in, or do you just roll around in the dirt to get the stink off?

Shower Curtain with the curved rod so that I have a lot of room!!


13. Which commercial is the most annoying to you on TV or radio?

Some lady selling insurance in this area...

This One's for Mel

Mel...I thought of you when I read this on my twitter...well, that would be because you are the only person I know that has issues with Gluten...can I say I know you?  Well, I guess I know you as well as I know some people that I see every day...

I love pretzels, can't imagine life without them...not sure if there are other gluten free pretzels out there, but Snyders of Hanover makes the best as far as I am concerned...check it out...

http://www.facebook.com/notes/snyders-of-hanover/snyders-of-hanover-has-gluten-free-certified-pretzel-sticks/10150165756570347