out-of-the-closet-germaphoeb

This isn't me.
At least not yet.

I am a Germophoeb.
I admit it.

I'm not a murderer.
I don't cheat on my husband.
I don't beat my children.
So, why is it so disgusting to people when one is an out-of-the-closet Germaphoeb??

I admit I carry Sanitizer in my purse and in my car.
I admit I open & close bathroom doors with a paper towel.
I admit that I never grasp a handrail on stairs or an escalator.
I admit I never open a public door if there is someone who will open it for me.
I admit I keep a supply of extra food, "just in case".
I admit that after cleaning toilets in my house I wash my hands with alcohol.

"This little piggy went to market . . .
and he made lots of people sick."

We are traveling out of state this weekend to see family.
This usually means eating out a lot, but not this time.
I will be packing sandwiches and snacks for us to eat.
And, I have talked to those we are visiting and arranged for us to eat all our meals "in".

"Bring it on!"

I'm ready for a fight.
My husband will not be excited about this plan.
He'll try to reason with me.
I'll listen.
But, I won't budge.

Course if he were to get sick you know who will take care of him!
Wouldn't you like to have me as your nurse??!!

Say "NO!" to germs,
as much as is possible.
Err on the side of safety!

*In case you're wondering,
NO, I don't constantly wash my hands while I'm home.
And I don't wash my hands till they bleed.
It's just my "thang",
not a mental illness.

My favorite 4 letter word!

For moi'?
I love to get mail.

Like a kid at Christmas I tore into the envelope.
"And what to my wonderous eyes should appear?..."

(No. Not reindeer)

but a gift ( my favorite 4 letter word!)
from one of my newest

Blogger friends!

What beautiful note cards,
each one actually pretty enough to be framed!
And each one bearing an uplifting scripture.

My heart is full.
I am blessed.

You are WONDERFUL MiMi!
(Devotional Daze and Screaming Mimi)
Thank you so very much!!

*note
My day began with a trip to the dentist. Ugh!
And to make matters worse I had two cavities.
Blah! Blah! That's how I felt...
Then I came home to find this wonderful gift.
What a lift on this dreary, rainy, blah, day.
God's timing is perfect!

Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks came to my house yesterday!!!
I've had this love "thang" for Garth forever,
but I never actually thought he'd come to MY house.

I just sat and stared at him for a LONG time.

Say "Hi" to Garth Brooks!

Oh my!
You surely didn't think I meant "theeee" Garth Brooks.

BTW, "Elvis" is alive and well in Princess' room.
I admit this does sound a little fishy. (great pun, huh?!)

Name that Candy

Let the record show:
This is day five of me-on-a-diet.
I WANT CHOCOLATE!!
(but I grudgingly settle for Yogurt. *sigh)
I'm in withdrawal.
So with that thought in mind, here's a game I thought you might enjoy. Post your answer in a "sweet" (pun!) comment for me.
I'll let you know how you "Score" (<--- candy ).

NAME THAT CANDY!

1. __________ a Feline
2. __________ to partially stifle a laugh
3. __________ favorite day of the week for those employed
4. __________ Indian burial grounds
5. __________ red planet
6. __________ celebrity explosion
7. __________ dry cow
8. __________ famous swashbuckling trio
9. __________ home to movie stars
10. __________ flotation devices
11. __________ famous New York street
12. __________ nut happiness
13. __________ wealthy person
14. __________ tots of the cane
15. __________ apt to let things slip or fall (slang)
16. __________ galaxy
17. __________ Ms. Witherspoon’s bits

Calling all Church Brats!

After a weekend of BIG rain,
today dawned without even the slightest hint of a tiny cloud; a "Cloudless Day". Is there anyone in the world, besides me, who remembers the old church hymn, "Cloudless Day"? I just couldn't get this song out of my head today.

"They tell me of a home far beyond the sky
They tell me of a home far away
They tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise
O, they tell me of an unclouded day

O, the land of cloudless days,
O, the land of an unclouded sky
O, they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise
O, they tell me of an unclouded day"

I grew up in church, a real "church brat".
We were there every time the door opened.
This preceded the time of "Children's Church" -
there was no such thing.


I attended the
"sit-in-your-pew-and-don't-you-say-a-word-and-whatever-you-do-you-better-not-laugh-at-the-guy-leading-the-singing" church. So, my friends and I sat in silence (most of the time), passing notes and Life Savers back and forth to pass the time. We occasionally played Tic-Tac-Toe or the Dot Game, but as teens what we loved to do the most during the quiet of the service was take the Hymnal and whisper the titles of the songs adding the phrase, "In the bed" at the end of the title. We thought this was hysterically funny and of course it's a well known fact that "everything is funnier in church", just 'cause you're not supposed to laugh. It was always a challenge to see who would be the first to laugh (and get in trouble with their parents).

Here are some old hymnal song titles.
Give it a try.

Trust and Obey (in the bed)
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms (in the bed)
Standing on the Promises (in the bed)
Abide in Me (in the bed)
Count Your Blessings (in the bed)
Breathe on Me (in the bed)

We thought we were so clever!

Any other "church brats" in our midst?
'Fess up!

Spring Fever

Geez Louise, I've got a case of
Spring Fever.
For me the symptoms include:

1. A manic NEED to plan a vacation
2. The urge to pull weeds (this hardly bears mentioning as it passes quickly.)
3. A severe disdain for my white-glow-in-the-dark legs.
4. A larger than life LOVE for Lowes garden center.
5. An intense prayer life which mainly consists of
"Please God. Let me fit into last summer's clothes!".
6. A hunt through Walgreens for the perfect "pink" summer shade of lipstick & nail polish.
7. AND MY FAVORITE PART OF SPRING: new & assorted
*Flip Flops!!*

So, are you feelin' the on-set of Spring Fever?
What are your symptoms?
Inquiring minds (and nosey people) want to know.

Photo past. Photo present.

This little girl grew up to be -

This Beautiful, Talented, young woman.

Taylor Swift!

I just love photos.
They visually record a person's history.
My Mom has captured my entire life in photos and I have done, and am doing, the same for my children. The more time that passes the more precious all my photos become. I love to see school photos of my adult friends who I didn't know as a child. Fun!
Are'nt we fortunate to live in the digital camera age?!

Na-Nanny-Boo-Boo!

Do you know who this is?
*Guess*
Na-Nanny-Boo-Boo!
I know something you don't know!

The Griswold's Easter Vacation

It's a 10 hour drive from Louisiana to Atlanta, GA.
I am pleased to report that the Griswold's made it there safely in twelve hours, and we were all still speaking to each other; an Easter miracle for sure!
We blew into Atlanta midst storms on Friday and left midst storms on Monday, but in between the weather was great, and so were we.
We had a great time visiting with our "baby boy" and his sweet little Mrs. Living far away from those you love really sucks, but it makes for a bounty of fun on the occasions when you can be together.

Aren't they adorable?

This is our oldest Grand dog, Lexi.
She is lovely, sweet, and docile, taking after our DIL's family.

This is Luther, our 140 lb Grand pup.
Princess says he has her Dad's "evil eyes." . .
and my lovely (?) disposition.
'Nuff said.
She's a teenager.
What does she know?

Shout Out!!

52 Followers!
I am into EXCITEMENT OVERLOAD!!

Followers rank right at the top of my list of "Things That Make Me Smile!", followed closely by Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Yellow Roses, and Toilet Paper.

Now, a Shout Out to my newest Followers!
(I'm gonna do this each time I acquire 5 new Followers.)

MaMa Ducky @ Princesses and Pickles
Great Mom with a great sense of humor!
Love those Easter cupcakes!

Chocolate Covered Day Dreams
Lots of variety here,
so prepare for the unexpected.
You'll enjoy the surprises!

So, aka Shanna @ Just So
Pure FUN!
A-very-feel-good-lots-of-photos-happy Blog!

Joy @ Joyful Ramblings

This is a true treasure of Smiles & Hugs,
and even some belly laughs.
Way too good to miss out on this one!

Tonya
Thanks so much for signing on as a Follower!
Seeing you've signed on makes me smile!

Listen and Learn (a lesson)

This is a very delicate issue, so if you tend to be squeamish it might be a good idea to read this with only one eye open, and the other closed.

Let me remind you that it is not in good taste to laugh at one's pain, especially when it is the result of a medical condition.
Got it?!

I am plagued (love that intense word) by extremely sensitive skin.
I am allergic to lycra & spandex, which doesn't sound like such a big deal until you read the label of 99.9% of all bras; they all contain some of the offending substance. . .
The good news is I have small breasts
(yes, that IS good news in my situation),
so I seldom wear a Bra.
They make me sweat and itch and break out in a rash.
I am much happier sans bra.

Today I put on a summer tee shirt.
Darn! My nips showed through like headlights.

I'm a creative person so I reached for a package of bandaids I had bought just for this purpose. They were small and round (the bandaids & my boobs) and the bandaids promised to be non allergenic.
Check out the photo -

I have priced "Petals" but they can only be worn a few times before they no longer adhere to the flesh, which makes them too expensive for everyday wear. On the other hand, these little bandaid dots held great promise because of their affordability.

I looked in the mirror and oh-so-carefully positioned the dots and they fit EXACTLY over my nips. Problem solved!
I put the tee shirt back on and off I went to run a days worth of errands.
I bounced through the day with never a thought of my "dots",
until,
about mid afternoon when I noticed a bit of itchiness.
At this point I was in the car heading home; errands done.

*LISTEN & LEARN*
What I forgot to include in my thought process regarding the bandaid dots was -

"at some point those bandaid dots have to be removed".

I reached under my tee shirt and wept into my Sonic diet coke as I RIPPED those freakin' dots off my boobs.

I am going to rethink the use of Petals.

In praise of Women over 40!

(This was written by CBS news corespondent, Andy Rooney.)

As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, 'What are you thinking?'
She doesn't care what you think.

If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting.

Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it.

Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved.
They know what it's like to be unappreciated.
Women get psychic as they age.
You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40.

Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.
Older women are forthright and honest.
They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one.
You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons.
Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal .
For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40,
there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress.
Ladies, I apologize.
For all those men who say, 'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?', here's an update for you.
Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage.
Why?
Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!

"We love you Andy Rooney!!"
(but puh-leez do something about those eyebrows!)

$10 for all NEW Followers today!

I just noticed this is Blog Post #101 for me!!
I'm feeling like royalty at the notice of that.
(Do all the Royal folks blog in their pj's at 1 o'clock in the afternoon? I'm just askin'?)

47 Followers!!
I love ya'll!!

I remember when I was a lonely Blogger, throwing my words into cyberspace with no one to read them. Then Blog Stalkers Unite came into my life and I have made some wonderful friends through them. Thanks BSU!!

And Thank you to Susan @ This Day. She was my very first Bloggy Friend!! I'm sure there is not a kinder person on the face of this earth. Stop by and check her out and you'll leave with a smile in your heart every time!

And just this past week I have added 4 new Followers! Yeay!!
That makes you my "instant friend"!!
I'm feelin' the love!!



My wish for this momentus occasion would be to have at least
3 new Followers sign on today.
How honored and down-right sassy I'd feel
to have 50 or even 50+ Followers!!
So if you're not a Follower please sign on
and if you are a Follower please BEG one of your Blogging Buddies to "Follow" me and MAKE MY DAY!

OK.
I'm buying a round of Sweet Tea for everyone . Drink up!

*And yah, the $10 offer was bogus, it was
just me being pitiful and needy,
but desperate people do desperate things.
I sure hope you'll forgive me and "FOLLOW" me anyway.
If you sign on today be sure to tell me you did, in a comment.
I'll be sure to come by and PRAISE you on your Blog!!
I'll make it good & sappy and I'm thinkin' that's worth
about $10!

Before and After photos

A clean room is a beauty to behold.
You have seen the "Before" in my previous Post.

Now, the "After".
It was the "no texting" that reformed my prisoner, er, child.

The warden is smiling today, and I'm sure the Prisoner is totally reformed and will NEVER, EVER have a messy room again.
(This is MY fantasy. Could you let me enjoy it, at least for a day?)

&%$#! ^&$#!

Warning: This is not intended for the delicate eyes of those who have children younger than 14 years of age.

Dear 14 year old Teenager of mine,

You are in "deep do".
There will be NO weekend TV, Phone, or Activities until this mess is cleaned to MY specifications. Dinner will be your only privilege this evening (and trust me that's not gonna be a big treat).

Things are gonna change around here, Missy!

~The Warden