Stuff

Hello to my one loyal blog reader, you know who you are. A big snap 'o the strap to you! You never fail to brighten my day.

I can't believe it's the weekend....already. A day had the same 24 hours when I was 18, why does it seem like so much less now? Mary Kay, founder of, you know Mary Kay, said we all have the same 24 hours. Sigh.

I had a busy day, for me. Juneau's foster mom came over and put some medicine in his ears. Then hubby took me to the doctor for my every few month state of the shoulder visit. She moved and now it's a 30 minute drive to see her. Not my favorite way to spend 30 minutes, but she is so worth it. She poked around a bit and said "that's tight as a drum," hubby got a flu shot, and I got a new round of prescriptions. I even got one for something called a "suicide ball." At least that's the street name for it. Goes on your steering wheel and enables you to steer with just one hand/arm. I just need to find out where to get one.

I made a tuna noodle casserole for dinner and Kay came over to join me. Hubs had a cold, got over the cold, and now it has returned. So he spent the afternoon and evening "in the bed," as they say in the south. Kay and I went to my neighbors' house to see their two new puppies. Half Havanese and half toy Aussie Shepherd. Eight weeks old and cute doesn't even begin to describe them.

Then she took me to church to pick up my son, who had been volunteering at the variety show and spaghetti dinner that I wished I had gotten tickets for. Miss Jessie loves riding in the car, and hopped right in. Juneau on the other hand, won't get in anyone else's car, period. Never say never, I asked him if he wanted to go, and he jumped in. Kay was amazed and so was I. He did what he always does - sat right in the middle of the seat so big sister gets pushed against the door. Then he put his big head right between her head and mine, and panted away.

In April it will be three years since we adopted Juneau. To this day it amazes me the amount of heat these arctic dogs can generate. You don't even have to be touching him and you can feel the heat radiating off his coat.

Goodnight faithful blog reader ~ and God Bless!

Baths, or Showers?

Okay, I'm really pressing here, for a blog post subject. Do you take a bath, or a shower, or both? Hey, at least I didn't ask "tampons or pads?"

I shower. If I had a larger tub I might take the occasional hot bath with bubbles and candlelight. Our tub is not very big, and I kinda am - so it's not a great combination.

C'mon Get Happy * Question

I'm a huge Partridge Family fan.

My question today is: What are the last three things that made you happy? They can be anything at all. Here are mine.

Yesterday the dogs and I did a few errands. I stopped at my favorite thrift store and wandered around for about 20 minutes. I spent $5.88 and found several pieces of "treasure."

Two people told me how beautiful my dogs were.

My son called from the birthday sleepover he was attending, to ask if he could play a rated M video game. Dad's rule is nothing rated M. Son knows this, but figures it's worth a shot to ask every now and then. Dad said no. It was a very short phone call. It made me happy that he called because he could have gone ahead and played the game. We would have never known. And maybe he did play it anyway, but I rather doubt it. He's down with the fact that parents can't be everywhere, but God can.

~ Question of the Day ~

Men....are kinda gross. Not that women can't be gross. In fact if there were two lines, one for Not Gross Women and one for Gross Women, I'd have to stand in the latter. But in general, ordinary every day life, I think men are "grosser" than women. They have us beat in the sights and smells departments, and then there is always that cover one nostril and blow trick. And spitting...don't get me started.

What gross thing or things has your man treated you to? I have to be careful here, because hubby does occasionally read my blog. Let me see, I have so much to choose from.....Here is an oldie but a goodie. Years ago (before our marriage) we were eating in the Food Court at the mall. He said "I've got something I want to show you." Being the silly female I am, thoughts of - oh he snuck away and bought me a ring - immediately filled my head. Imagine my surprise when he pulled his shirt down over his shoulder to reveal a large, red, juicy zit - just ripe for the popping. Nice.

We still talk about that zit. He swears I used to tell him I loved his zits. I say I must have been REAL desperate to get married.

Keeping Calm.....

This little pink pendant is available in my Etsy store. Take a deep breath through your nose, and exhale slowly - and carry on.

I am just getting back up to speed, after a 24 hour ride on the Muscle Spasm Express. The only way to disembark is to take the flexeril and go to bed. All the while thanking God you have a husband who is fully capable of handling the household while you are out of commission.

I so enjoyed reading the comments left on my last post. I had forgotten many of those things, and some I never knew at all! The Fotomat huts - wow, that takes you back. Made me think of my Kodak Instamatic camera with the square flash bulb on top. I remember when VCR's were the newest thing. I paid over $500.00 for mine (used my handy dandy Sears charge card) and it was enormous.

My son and I often discuss technology, and how for every positive, there is a negative too. Text messaging has replaced the telephone, and how impersonal is that? I guess at 14 you don't appreciate hearing the other person's laughter, or the smile in their voice. "Mom," he says in a disgusted voice, "I know there are some things you don't text and I do talk on the phone sometimes."

Question of the "Back In" The Day ~

What things do you remember from "back in the day?"

~ I remember when "back in the day" wasn't a commonly used expression.
~ I remember seeing the occasional milk man on his route.
~ I remember when you played outside all summer, unless it was just too hot, then you played board games, inside.
~ I remember when I wasn't wished "a happy period, always."
~ I remember when everyone drank tap water, except for medical offices, where they had Sparkletts.
~ I remember when See's Candy cost $4.30 a pound.
~ I remember watching TV, without cable. Back then you could turn on the set and not have to see commercials for Viagra and Monistat.

I remember not being old enough to wish for the way things used to be, back in the day.

Hi Ya'll

Just poking my head out of the shell for a few minutes, to say hello to my three loyal blog readers.

As of yesterday I am restocked with knobs - pretty and bright, all in a row, waiting to have their faces decorated. eBay has changed the rules regarding what payment methods a seller can accept. I've known about it since October of last year. I've also known January 15th is the deadline for complying, or else.....

I have "fixed" some listings since October, a few, a handful here and there. It's tedious and my luck with Turbo Lister hasn't been great. So I am doing it the old fashioned way. After the first few hundred, the appeal is gone. Did I mention it was tedious? Waiting till the last minute only adds to the tedium. I must like it that way. I can't imagine why, but I must.

My crackerjack assistant, main squeeze and head elf (AKA Hubby) has been working full days this week, which leaves me on my own. I am a bit overwhelmed, but as always I will catch up. Several orders left late because of the Knob Famine. At least we do nice work. Better to send a quality product late, than a sloppy product on time. Right? Right!

I have LOTS of new pendant designs, many for Valentine's Day. I also have wonderful little boxes to put them in. A couple more days and I will be able to get them listed.

Back to the salt mines.....and hi Sam :)

Mother Knows Best

I blog quite a bit about my mother. She truly is an amazing woman. That isn't just my opinion. It's the opinion of countless other people. Her faith is her shining star. People respond to her. People remember her.

She emailed me today in response to my post on January 1st, regarding how she and her friend spent New Year's Eve. I wanted to share her words here. I dare you NOT to smile after you've read them:

"Thanks for the sweet press report about the two elderly
ladies. I love being this age...really I do, and so does Betty and most of our aging sisters. There
are definite advantages and they far out weigh the disadvantages. You'll find out someday and
you'll remember I said this."

Thank you Ma-Ma, for such wonderful words.

"That Was Random."

My son says that to me quite frequently. It is more often than not prefaced by the word "okay." Okay is his most favorite word. He uses it the same way he uses salt - very liberally. Okay can begin a sentence. But it's drawn out a bit, "ohhhkaaay" so as to allow for just a hint of a condescending tone. For example, "ohhhkaaay, that was random." But I digress....

I enjoy being random, and it comes easy for me. I would love to hear five random things about you. Here are five about me:

1) I can only wear cotton. Anything else gives me the heebie-jeebies.
2) I've never had a cup of coffee, or a beer.
3) I'm addicted to the cold noses on dogs. They are refreshing!
4) I swear when I'm angry or upset (sorry Mom).
5) I've been hugged by Maureen McCormick.

Question of the Day ~

I haven't done a "would you rather" question in quite a while. Here goes....

Would you rather:

Check into a room at the most rundown motel in your city, and eat an entire meal directly off the bedspread?
or
French kiss Donald Trump, without stopping, for five minutes?

-- Knobless --

My husband and I decorate and sell ceramic knobs. Lots and lots of ceramic knobs. I order bare, naked knobs from any one of three different sources and a man in a brown or white truck delivers them to my door. It's a system that has worked well for over five years. Until now. The well went dry here in the Land of Knobs. Two suppliers totally out, one tremendously backlogged due to the holidays.

The good news is the folks with the backlog did ship today. The bad news is the shipment won't arrive till Tuesday. I bought some knobs on eBay, and maybe, if I am very lucky, the seller will ship them tomorrow and I will have them Saturday. Hopefully Mr. Murply and his Law will be occupied elsewhere, and I will indeed be restocked on Saturday. I informed the seller I have not been this desperate since my senior prom. Sometimes humor can help hurry things along.

The world will still turn, life will go on, and people will understand - they kinda have to. It's a bit stressful all the same, because I do take my business and my customers very seriously.

Sign me,

Knobless in Washington

* A Story *

I am watching Princess Diaries 2 while I work. This is one of my favorite movies. It puts me in mind of something which happened to me, back in the day. Hence, a story....

I was attending my sister's wedding/reception at the Los Angeles Country Club. My father was a member. It's a gorgeous place, and probably one of the few (maybe the only) segregated clubs of its kind left anywhere. This was in 1997, so perhaps things have changed. To put it in a nutshell, when I was growing up and attending various functions at "the club," they still had lawn jockeys.

All of the wait staff were either Black or Mexican. I guess to be PC I should say African American and Hispanic. There are good people and bad people of every race, everywhere - being PC isn't something I spend a lot of time on. Anyway.....

I was being served a diet Coke, from the can. The waiter was pouring it into my glass of ice and somehow he lost his grip and ended up pouring a good portion of the drink onto my lap. I looked up at him, and before I could tell him it was okay, he began to stammer, in broken English, his apologies. I saw in his eyes a look that could only be described as terror. He looked like his entire employment life was flashing in front of him, and that he would certainly be fired. I told him several times it was not a big deal, and not to worry. I scurried off to the ladies room, where a nice lady helped me blot up the stain.

Shortly after I went outside, just in front of the main lobby doors. I spent a very enjoyable hour chatting with the doormen. In fact, that hour was the high point of the entire reception. Whenever I see examples of this type of "class" system (i.e., the movie I am watching), I think about that afternoon and the man who spilled diet Coke on me. I wonder how he is, where he is, and whether he kept his job.

~ Quote of the Day ~

"It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan."

~Eleanor Roosevelt

** I Heart My Stickles **

And to think, last year at this time I didn't know Stickles existed! I was partnered with a sweet and wonderful lady named Sam, in an Easter basket swap. She put a bottle of silver Stickles in my basket, and the rest is history. This is only half of the colors they have, but more than enough to send me into a state of glitter euphoria. I plan to use more glitter (Stickles and other types) in my projects this coming year.

Thank you for stopping by ~ have a glittery week!

~ Did You Know? ~

That both Virginia and West Virginia were named after Queen Elizabeth I?

* Happy New Year *

That's "New Year," not "New Years" - a pet peeve of mine. It's one year, not several. Another pet peeve is people who say "I could care less" when it's supposed to be "I couldn't care less." Then there's the "at." Oh my goodness, that gives me the cold pricklies. Where's it at? Do you know where my keys are at?

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I want to blog about my dear mother, who is 78, and her BFF, who is 84. They spend every New Year's (see, the apostrophe is okay there) Eve together. In mother's words, "We pray in the new year." Most likely they had take-out Chinese (or is that Asian?) food for dinner. In the morning they eat breakfast in their jammies, off TV trays while watching the Tournament of Roses parade.

They are two of the most gentile Christian ladies you could ever hope to meet. Their friendship is strong and endearing. They are the same as two teenage girls, sharing life's ups and downs. It makes my heart happy to see the adage "Age is just a number" in living, giggling, praising color.

I wish you a year full of "happy heart" moments :).