It’s My Imagination

Cinco de Mayo

Myspace Cinco de Mayo Graphics

I hope you have a day filled with fun, food and fiesta! May you enjoy a magnificent margarita (or two) and a plate filled with all you can eat Mexican food!

Tell me, do you do anything special to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? I believe a margarita is a requirement today!

Spreading Happiness – Thanks Coke!

I received the link to this video in an email. I am NOT being paid to post this and I didn’t receive anything for doing so. I do enjoy drinking Coke though and I love the idea of bringing smiles to people in such a simple way! Way to go Coca-Cola!

Wordless Wednesday – Turkey

Busy, Busy Busy!

I went back to work part time in January and since then, I feel like I’m going from one task to the next and not really completing much of anything.  I’m only working part time, and you’d think that would still leave me tons of time to get things done for myself, but working 20-25 hours a week really does cut in to my computer time!

I typically work 9-2 during the week and pick up a few hours on the weekends when I have to. Before work I try to get laundry done and the kitchen cleaned and after my shift, I try to work on my blogs for an hour or so while checking my email.  I am working from home, so I don’t have any commute time thank goodness!  My daughter gets home from school around 4, so I try to be done with things by then so that we can spend some time together before dinner.  I start dinner around 5 and when my husband gets home around 6, we sit down to eat.  We try to spend time together as a family in the evening, and I try not to sit with my laptop, but it seems I just can’t keep up with returning comments and visiting all my favorite bloggers.  I feeling stressed and losing the enjoyment that blogging has always brought me in the past.

Today is my day off.  I started at 6 am by taking my husband to work.  You see, he was in an accident on Monday and so our other vehicle is out of commission and is sitting at the body shop waiting on the insurance adjuster.  So, I took him to work today.  At 6:30 I was on my work computer building my next schedule, something I have to do every Thursday morning.  At 6:50 I drove my daughter to school for her early morning band sectional.  I then picked her up at school at 8:40 to take her to her 9 a.m. orthodontist appointment.  I dropped her back off at school at around 9:45 and finally got myself home to a cup of coffee at 10.

I was going to sit with my laptop and enjoy some downtime, but then I realized I needed to get some laundry done and decided to get dinner going in the crockpot.  I went with bean & suasage soup, I hope it tastes good and that my daughter will eat it!

So, finally, at 11:30, I am sitting down and writing this post.  I feel bad that I can’t keep this blog updated more regularly, it frustrates me.  I am going to pamper myself a little this afternoon.  I’m getting a hair cut at 4 and it’s long overdue!  I’ll pick my husband up from work on my way home and we’ll come home to eat the meal that’s cooking now in the crock pot.  I need a day to breathe!

Crabs vs. Blonde

I received this in an email and thought it was so funny, I wanted to share, enjoy!

A man boarded an airplane in New Orleans with a box of frozen crabs and asked a blonde, female crew member to take care of the box for him.   

She took the box and promised to put it in the crew’s refrigerator.

He pointedly advised her that he was holding her personally responsible for the crabs staying frozen, mentioned that he was a lawyer, and proceeded to rant at her about what would happen if she let them thaw out.

Needless to say, she was annoyed by his behavior.

Shortly before landing in New York, she used the intercom to announce to the entire cabin,  “Would the gentleman who gave me the crabs in New Orleans , please raise your hand?”

Not one hand went up … so she took them home and ate them.

Two lessons here:
1. Men never learn.
2. Blondes aren’t as dumb as most men think.

IRS Audit

Here is something to tickle the funny bone. 

The IRS decided to audit Grandpa and summons him to the IRS office. The IRS auditor is not surprised when Grandpa shows up with his attorney. The auditor says, “Well, sir, you have an extravagant lifestyle and no full-time employment, which you explained by saying that you win money gambling. I’m not sure the IRS finds that believable.” “I’m a great gambler and I can prove it, “says Grandpa. “How about a demonstration?” The auditor thinks for a moment and says, Okay. Go ahead.” Grandpa says, I’ll bet you a thousand dollars that I can bite my own eye.” The auditor thinks a moment and says, “It’s a bet.” Grandpa removes his glass eye and bites it. The auditor’s jaw drops. Grandpa says, “Now, I’ll bet you two thousand dollars that I can bite my other eye.” The auditor can tell Grandpa isn’t blind, so he takes the bet. Grandpa removes his dentures and bites his good eye. The stunned auditor now realizes that he has wagered and lost three grand, with Grandpa’s attorney as a witness. He starts to get nervous. “Want to go double or nothing?” Grandpa asks. “I’ll bet you six thousand dollars that I can stand on one side of your desk and pee into that wastebasket on the other side and never get a drop anywhere in between. The auditor, twice burned, is cautious now, but he looks carefully and decides there’s no way this old guy can possibly manage that stunt, so he agrees again. Grandpa stands beside the desk and unzips his pants. Although he strains mightily, he can’t make the stream reach the wastebasket on the other side, so he pretty much urinates all over the auditors desk. The auditor leaps with joy, realizing that he has just turned a major loss into a huge win. Grandpa’s attorney moans and puts his head into his hands. “Are you okay?” the auditor asks. “Not really,” says the attorney. “This morning, when Grandpa told me he’d been summoned for an audit, he bet me twenty-five thousand dollars that he could come here and pee all over your desk and you’d be happy about it.”

8 Random Things About Me – A Meme

One blogger I visit on a regular basis has tagged me for a meme and I have to tell you, I had so much fun reading her 8 Random Things post that I knew I had to participate. I’m not sure my responses will be quite as entertaining as those of FeeFiFoto, but I’ll give it a shot!

1. I only began sewing on a regular basis when I purchased my new Viking sewing machine less than 3 years ago.  Since purchasing that machine, I have grown to love sewing and creating new things out of fabric.  I actually purchased my new machine because I had begun to make costumes for my daughter, at her request, and I was using a machine that was about 25 years old.  I just wanted something new!
2. My love of sewing also stems from the fact that, for years, I was “dragged” along by my mom to go visit quilt shops.  She is a wonderful quilter who creates beautiful quilts both by hand and on the machine.  I would go into the quilt shops and be somewhat bored because I had nothing to do but look at the fabrics.  After purchasing my new sewing machine, I had a different outlook the next time I walked through the doors of a quilt shop.  I found a wonderful pattern for a small tote bag, picked out some fabric and, the rest is history.
3. In case you’re wondering or not familiar, my sewing is showcased on my other blog, The Sewing Mom.
4. I enjoy playing Wii games with my daughter.  Truth be told, I think I enjoy them as much as she does.  The 2 we play the most are Animal Crossing and Mario Kart.  I realize they suck up a lot of time, but we have fun anyway!  My daughter consistently wins any game we play together, but at least we’re playing together!  Growing up, I had always wanted a handheld Nintendo game in order to play things like Tetrus.  I never did get one, but I was more than happy to buy one for my daughter many years later!
5. I have been married for over 22 years.  We held our wedding aboard The Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA and spent our 1st night as a married couple in one of the ships state rooms before heading off to Maui for our honeymoon.
6. My Dad taught me to fish and hunt when I was a kid.  I’m not so sure that I really truly enjoyed either of those things, but I do know that have I have wonderful memories of spending time with him.  He tended to drag us kids to some very out of the way fishing holes and I will never forget those experiences.
7. I attended boarding school in Texas from 9-12th grades.  My parents were working overseas and there was no school.  It was a very difficult time for me, I hated being away from my mom and dad.  To this day, I have no idea how my mom handled it.  My daughter is in 7th grade now and I can’t imagine being 3000 miles away from her, ever.  Things worked out in the end and I am very close to my mom.  I also think that my sisters and I have a closer relationship than we may have otherwise because I turned to them during those years when I needed anything.  They are 5 and 6 years older than me and were both married during my high school years.
8. I have a case of forgetfulness.  You can tell me something right now and 10 minutes from now I will have forgotten it.  I HAVE to write things down or I will forget.

These are the rules for this meme:

1. Each blogger starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and to read your blog.

5. For the recipients, leave a comment for the person who tagged you, so they can go and read your answers. Let the fun begin. Tell me more about yourselves so I can get to know you better…

I’m breaking a rule here by not tagging anyone, however, please feel free to play along if you like.  If you do, let me know and I will add your link to this post. 

Things I’ve Done and Not Done

I was blog hopping today and ran across a very interesting meme at Contemporary Concepts and decided to steal it! There seems to be a theme with stealing of this meme, you see, Contemporary Concepts stole it from Following 31, who stole it from At The Creek, who stole it from Mommy, I’m Home, who got it from A Day With Twins, who stole it off ScrapbookChic, who stole it from another…and so on. (sorry, the blog links weren’t posted or I would give them credit here).

I found this fascinating to read and decided I should do it for myself. Feel free to “steal” it for your own blog! The items I’ve personally done are in bold. I have to say that I’m very pleasantly surprised at how many bold items are in my list!

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to a charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch-hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David.
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visted the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a marial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

Yardwork and Fire Ants

It was a beautiful day here in north Texas and I decided to take advantage and get my prescribed dose of vitamin D by doing some work outside. So, armed with small and large trimmers as well as yard shears, I headed out into the back yard. We have several yucca plants out near our patio that had bloomed and needed the dead stalks cut off. This is not easy task because yucca plants are very stiff and the points of the leaves can break through your skin and cause bleeding, so, I have to be very careful as to where my hands and arms are in proximity to those pointy leaves.

I then used yard shears and trimmed the ivy like plant that grows abundantly at the base of the yucca, again, making sure not to get myself poked. I was just about finished when I stuck the pointed end of my shears into a mound of dirt and a gazillion little fire ants came pouring out. The mounds was completely covered with plant matter and I would have never seen it. I came very close to sticking my hand in that mound and that would’ve been disastrous.

I felt helpless and thought about arming myself with Galco holsters to hold guns loaded with fire ant killer. Unfortunately, I have to be careful what I use in the backyard because our little dog might get into it. Of course, right now I have to watch that she doesn’t get into the ants. But, except for the area right around the ant mound, I was able to get quite a bit of clean up done outside.

I hope this good weather holds on for another week or two at least, it’s really quite enjoyable!

Time Change

Good morning!  I hope you remembered to set your clocks back one hour.

I actually remembered to change my bedside clock last night, but, apparently the change didn’t hold, so my alarm went off before it needed to.  I then fell back asleep and was awakened by my daughter this morning, 30 minutes AFTER I was supposed to get up.  Needless to say, I am now running behind.  Thank goodness she was running ontime and made it out the door just as the school bus was coming by.  Otherwise, I would’ve had to take her to school in my pajamas!

I’ve got a pile of paperwork to clear up today, so think I’ll get started.  Have a great day!