Happy Thanksgiving!

There is so much to be thankful for!! I am so incredibly blessed!

God Bless Everyone!

Dammit!

I have been so frustrated trying to contact Borghese to get my order correct. Apparently, there is one customer service person and she is never there. It's impossible to talk to a human. I ordered what I need from somewhere else. On a whim, I opened the container box that holds the makeup. I had not opened it because on the outside it said "creme" and I knew that I didn't want that. Well, inside the box was the correct "natural finish" that I ordered. WTH! INCOMPETENCE ABOUNDS in the main office and in the shipping department!

Ouch!!

This morning I went to the doctor to see about my hand. Seems he doesn't know what it is, but the possibilities are a deep tissue infection (most likely), cancer (unlikely because cancer doesn't hurt) or a staph infection (not likely...not the same characteristics). He pushed on it and I told him if he did that again I would have to kill him. It really hurts! We are going to try some meds first (sulfa drug, a shot of some sort, and ointment). If that doesn't work, he will do a biopsy. After that it will most likely have to be cut out!!! HELLLLL_OOOOOO! I'm praying for the drugs to work. He did give me some pain meds as well. (Yay!) I also got my flu shot since I saw a graphic on TV that showed Louisiana and Florida with the most reported cases!!

I love the Internet (part 2)

I love the internet, butI hate incompetence. I received the make up today and it was the wrong freakin' kind! In the box there is a note that said the box was carefully inspected! I don't think so. A few times I came home from Dillard's with the Creme makeup instead of the Natural Finish, so I finally learned to double check the morons. I tried the creme one time. That's how I knew it was the wrong kind. I didn't like it. Both kinds are in exactly the same box, so you have to read the box to get it right. Morons obviously didn't do that. If I am going to pay that much, it must be the correct kind. I have called customer service for Borghese Cosmetics and had to leave a message. It has not been answered. I sent an email and it has not been answered. Not only that, but the packing slip says they will not pay for shipping it back. So I will have to pay to ship the damn thing back and wait yet again for the correct one to be sent. I am out of makeup and I am steamed!!

I Love the Internet!

I have used this makeup since sometime in the '80's. Dillard's has always carried it and now that I also have my mom using it as well, Dillard's doesn't carry it anymore. Fortunately, I came home and found it online and ordered immediately. Only problem is shipping is over $6 making the total price over $40. Why can't I like the cheap stuff EVER? I have tried the cheap stuff and just have not found any other make up that I like. I guess I'm just rotten!

Hella Day....

I was up at 6 this morning to take my mom for her colonoscopy. What should have been rountine......well, not so much! I paced a hole in the floor because they told me 30 to 40 minutes and it would be over. An hour and a half later, they brought her back. I was so afraid something had happened. Right after they brought her back there was a Code Blue for the Endoscopy wing. If I had heard that before they brought her back, I would have died. Turns out she has way more than the average colon in length with lots of sharp twists and turns, so it just took longer. Plus, they found 3 polyps which they removed. The doc said they looked benign, but still had to be sent to pathology. She will hear from them later. She told me this one really hurt. I didn't know there was ever any pain with one of these tests. I never had any and never remembered anything. I think it's nap time for me. I'm exhausted!

Alive again!

My energy was back today and I got a lot accomplished. I was most surprised when I moved a bookcase away from the wall and found all kinds of dead bugs...no roaches, but BUGS! I decided then that I would call my pest control people, who only do the outside for termite control, and get them to start doing the inside as well. I have a problem with tiny spiders all along the baseboards as well. In fact, I have had a place on the top of my hand that I don't know what happened there, but it has been sore and hurts a lot. I cannot even let a shirtsleeve touch it. It has been there for about 3 months and I have decided it must be a spider bite. I was going to call the doc this week, but they are on vacation this week.

I also found some strawberry plants today....pricey ones, but nevertheless, strawberry plants. I have some hanging bags to plant some of them in and I did it and then read the directions. Of course, I did it all wrong!! As soon as I have them rooted good, I will take one bag containing 5 plants to Dad so he can watch them grow. I will keep one bag here because I will fertilize it. He won't do anything but water it. Tomorrow I will go to his house and fix a bed to plant the others in the ground.

I feel sorry for Mom. Her tooth had to be pulled and she cannot eat today or tomorrow. Today because of the tooth....tomorrow because she is having a colonoscopy on Wednesday. It's not fun being her.

Sinfully WORTHLESS!

Yesterday I spent the whole day taking naps. I was completely worthless. That seems to always happen if I don't have anything on my agenda and I have taken Tylenol P.M. the previous night. I thought we had a work day scheduled to work on the Mardi Gras float, but when I got to the float den, no one was there, so I went by Sonic for a breakfast wrap and went home to start my naps. Today hasn't been much better, but I did make it to Bible Study and church and to my brother's for lunch, but I haven't hit a lick since then. Tomorrow I will be taking my mom to the dentist for another broken crown. I hope he can fix it and not have to pull the tooth because she is about out of back teeth on both sides. She will have nothing left to chew with.

Thanks to the Veterans!

Non-stop day...

Most of this day has been spent working between two computers that don't like each other. I am the chairperson of the Grande Ball Program this year for the krewe. This involves getting head shots, bios and ads for the program. I don't have to sell the ads, but I do have to get them into the program and ready for the publisher. All of this is coming to me through email. It's a pain in the butt trying to do things right and learn how to do it all on a new computer with Vista and a new Windows Mail program, which isn't playing nice! Vista tells me I need Microsoft Outlook to use the "sent to" option in Microsoft Word. I have to try to find some answers to this online because I have Windows Mail that came with Vista and not Outlook. I tried to just attach the file to an email in Windows Mail and it told me it couldn't find all the attachments. WTH! It's just one page with a paragraph and a picture. Does that seem so hard to find!!! Damn computer can't find it!!

We had our ladies day out lunch today, but I ate light because I knew we were going to my brother's favorite restaurant for dinner. Today was his birthday and we ate catfish. He has everything he needs so since he didn't need anything, I gave a gift in his honor to his church's building fund. He said that was the best thing I could have done. Looks like I may have solved a Christmas gift problem as well. Of course, we have to have a few little gifts to open on Christmas Eve, so I still have to come up with something.

STOP! PLEASE!

Is this ever going to STOP?

Today was not my day....

I don't mean that in a bad way. It just was entirely devoted to helping out others. I love to do that, but it usually doesn't take the entire day. This morning was spent taking my friend's son to the dentist, then taking him back to school. This afternoon was devoted to getting my mom to a cardiologist appointment in Shreveport. She doesn't have to go back for a year barring any unforeseen emergencies, which we do usually have at some time during the year. She got a good report and for that I am grateful.

Funny story..

My mom dreamed last night that Dad came to wake her up to cook breakfast. She got up, cooked breakfast, and went to get him from his room. She said he was fast asleep and she didn't know why he had gone back to sleep after telling her it was time for breakfast. He got up, came back to the kitchen and asked her what was wrong. She said nothing. Breakfast was ready. He asked her if she had looked at a clock. Well, no! It was 3 A.M. He said there was nothing to do, but eat the breakfast and go back to bed!!!

Please, please NO!

Both my TV's and my desktop monitor are on the verge of going belly up! I cannot even think about replacing any of these right now. I'm still paying for my extended road trip!! I also have some expensive car repairs that need to be done. I hope the car doesn't go belly up, too!!! I refuse to go into debt if I can possibly avoid it. Time to suck it up and watch the terminally pink TV. The desktop monitor isn't much of a problem because I have my laptop to fall back on and when I do get a TV, I want a nice one.

I'm done!

It's been a wonderful day in the neighborhood....well, at least it has for me. I have been in the yard all day getting the yard winterized in preparation for our first frost this week. The mowing, edging, blowing, winterizing, and watering is all done. The flower beds have been cleaned out and I have even planted a few bulbs in some pots. They are always good for a nice surprise when they come up and bloom.

As for the rest of the neighborhood.....not so much! I found out today that another "across the street" neighbor almost died and went back to the hospital today. Another neighbor 3 doors down DID die and I didn't know until last week. She was elderly and her husband died a few months ago. Their daughter had moved them up here from South Louisiana because she was tired of getting them out of the path of hurricanes. Her father fell almost immediately and had to go to a nursing home where he died soon after. Then just a few months later, her mother died. My neighborhood is really quite small....only about ten houses, so I really should be more in tune with what's going on. I'm not a very good neighbor!!!

Laid Back Day

This morning was nice and cool and perfect for me to get out and plant some new flowers. Yesterday I found a nursery I have never been to. It's beautiful with plants that are well cared for. I am on a mission for my dad to find some strawberry plants, but that's not happening. Even the places online all say "sold out". I did, however, score some fall plants for me and I got them planted today. Also, got some other yard work done.

In between my naps, I also got a lot of scrapbooking done. Between last night and today, I got 8 pages done. That's a major accomplishment.

Tonight I went to a friend's house for dinner. I was in the middle of watching the LSU/Alabama game, but I knew the right thing to do was go to dinner. I did and I still don't know who won. I guess I'll know in a few minutes when the news comes on. My pastor is big time Alabama. I am going to my mom's church tomorrow, so I'll miss his antics over the football game. The majority of the congregation is LSU, so he is in the minority!!

Holy Moly!

I spent all this week going through crap for the garage sale. Trips up and down a tiny ladder into the attic are hard on this OLD gal, but I had everything down and marked and ready to go. WTF! I went to lunch with some ladies and found out an email had gone out canceling the garage sale due to lack of interest and not enough items. I didn't get the email! I spent the afternoon putting everything back up and out of the garage. Tonight I went to work on the float. Riding in those parades and throwing beads is going to be so much fun!! I have been ordering more beads off the internet. Those things aren't cheap. It's like throwing money away...Oh yeah.....that's exactly what it is...throwing it!!!

WooHoo!

Once again I have shocked myself. Having never had a computer that would burn CD's, I have never done that. Well, today I was playing around with my new laptop and decided to see if I could burn a CD of songs from my Ipod. It was so easy and right now I am listening to that CD through my home system. It's awesome. Elvis is singing "How Great Though Art" right now. Technology always just amazes me!!! I'm even more AMAZED when I do it and it WORKS!

BOO!

Good intentions...

Today I went to Mom and Dad's early to make some fried fruit pies so I could take some to my neighbor across the street. When I got there, Dad's hearing aid had just died AGAIN! He has so much trouble with that thing, but he cannot do without it. I took him to the hearing aid man here in Minden, but he had to send it off to get it fixed. Thank goodness, he made Dad a temporary hearing aid to use while his is sent off. It seems to help him hear better. After all that drama, I didn't feel like cooking fried pies. Maybe another day!!

Awesome day....

There were so many options for me today and I did most of them. When the weather is as perfect as it was today, I am energized and get a lot done. I made one trip out to where our garage sale tent will be on Saturday and took STUFF. Tomorrow I will continue to go through and get rid of stuff. There is so much stuff in the attic that I just don't need. Two tennis rackets that were very expensive twenty years ago are finally going to have to go. They survived the move to Louisiana, but now they are going to have to go. The strings, of course, are dead in them and I'm sure a real tennis player would laugh at the rackets, but a child just getting started could use them. It's hard for me to part with that part of my life. I used to play competitive tennis and had so much fun. I still have my $12 wooden frame racket that I bought when I took tennis in college. It's staying!!!!!

Overwhelmed...

I get nervous when I am in charge of doing something that I have never done before, so until this program gets printed I will not completely relax. The Bal' is on January 4th this year, so there isn't much time. After I spent the morning working on the float, I spent the afternoon looking for stuff for a garage sale that will be happening next weekend as a fund raiser for the royalty this year. It is very expensive to serve as royalty. Next weekend is an annual event called Main to Main and there are garage sales set up along the highway from Main Street in Springhill, Louisiana, which is about 30 miles north of us, to several miles south of Minden Main Street. We have a big tent that will be set up in a prime location for our garage sale. I'm glad to get rid of some more stuff. I got rid of a lot before I moved, but I figure if I haven't used it since I have been here, then I don't need it. Next week I will continue to get rid of stuff!! I like doing that.

AWOL?

We have seriously begun working on the float for the Mardi Gras parades and all events are beginning to heat up. I am heading up a committee to get the program booklets printed for the Mardi Gras Bal' this year. The Mardi Gras season is short this year, so time is of the essence. I feel like I am in over my head with this program because it is filled with paid ads and all kinds of good wishes for the Royalty...plus all the bios for the royalty. It must be done correctly, be pretty, and done on time!! I think I have committed myself to riding on the float in three parades. That's lots of beads that I have to purchase and I have purchased none yet!!! Our theme this year is "Hello, Broadway!" I like it!

è I had an invitation several weeks ago to a Halloween party at someone's house that I do not know. All the local Mardi Gras krewes were invited. I do not like to have to find and wear costumes, so I made no plans to go. Sunday, a friend called and said she and a couple others were going and I should come, too. I declined because I just don't want to deal with a costume. Meeting new people is not a problem; it's the costume thingy I dislike!! I did go to one last year for the krewe that I eventually joined, but I was a judge of the costumes, so I didn't have to wear one.That one was really fun. Maybe next year!!!

My kind of day...

It's been cold and cloudy and dark all day and I love it. I have not hit a lick...nothing but hanging out on my bed in my flannels watching TV. Seriously LAZY. I have plenty of scrapbooking that needs to get done, but today wasn't that day. I have fall gardening that needs to get done, but today wasn't that day. I have yard work that needs to get done, but today wasn't the day. I have errands that need to get done, but today wasn't the day. It's like the first day of winter and time to kick back and chill out. However, turning on the heat has not been necessary yet. I'll hold off as long as I can.

Two are gone..

Before I left on my trip, I mentioned that there were three people that I expected to die before I got back. Two of them died this week. Yesterday and today I went to two different funeral homes. It really hits home and makes me think of losing my own parents. I know how lucky I have been to have had them this long and I think about their funerals quite often. I kind of know what my dad wants, but I have no clue about my mom. She has never mentioned it. The only thing she told us is that they both have burial insurance with the funeral home worth about $17,000. I had no clue how much funerals cost, but she said that would cover them. Well, isn't this just cheerful!!!

Three way battle.....

My brain is battling against itself three different ways. I am torn between watching LSU football, election results and just going to bed because I have to get up at 3:30 to take my cousin's children to the airport. They flew in this morning and have to go back to Virginia early tomorrow morning. They came to spend the day with my aunt, their grandmother, who broke her hip last month. LSU is losing right now, but it looks like my candidate, Bobby Jindal, may have an outright win without a run-off!!

Louisiana has a horrible,well -deserved reputation for crooked politicians. It's TRUE! Tomorrow, as a new Louisiana citizen, it is my plan to vote against every incumbent. How did we get in this shape? Those morons got us that reputation and I say it's time for a house cleaning. I will do my part......Democrat or Republican....I don't care. If you are an incumbent or one of the legislators who was term limited and just switched from running for representative to running for senator or vice versa, then I am voting against you. You need to go HOME! Today was another day filled with those "Robo" calls from politicians. My brother asked me tonight if I knew who to vote for tomorrow. I told him that I wasn't voting for any of them if they didn't stop calling me. It's highly annoying and not covered by the "do not call" list.

Holy Crap....

If my dad gets a cold this winter, it is over for him. He cannot breathe. Last night was a better night. Someone told him to take an allergy pill before going to bed. He did that and did not wake up gasping for breath. I hope this will make things better for him. I need to stay away from him because I feel like I may be getting sick. I am doing a lot of coughing and that usually preceeds my getting sick.

Louisiana is in the throes of an election which is over on Saturday, Thank Goodness! I got 10 phone calls today, all of them politically motivated. I do not answer any call from "out of area". I know who I am voting for anyway.My mailbox has been full of flyers everyday and I had 8 messages when I returned home, 7 of them being political in nature. I am sick of it all.

I have a confession..

Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. I bought Rosie O'Donnell's new book while I was on the road. It is no secret that I cannot stand her and disagree with everything she says and does, but I am addicted to her blog and I know not why. I would not have bought the book if the money were going in her pocket, but the proceeds go to support her Rosie's Broadway Kids organization. I probably would have bought it used on Amazon, but the money wouldn't be going to her pocket. She does good charity work and is generous with her money. Unfortunately, much of it goes to left wing loonies. I read it, but it was not very good. Waste of money. I may sell mine on Amazon now.

My dad

Mom told me that Dad had a really bad night last night. He simply could not breathe and he was on oxygen. He wanted her to call me this morning and tell me he was not doing well. He also had her write down where all their assets are for my brother and me. After sitting up in the chair for a while, he decided he felt better and that she should not call me. After I talked with her, I jumped in the car and went to visit him. I know that always makes him feel better. This breathing problem seems to mostly be at night. He even went to Mom's room and woke her up last night when he was having such a hard time breathing. He told her that he didn't mind dying, but he didn't want to die that way. I think that he thinks his time is about over on this Earth and he is OK with that. I'm not so sure I'm OK with that, but I have never seen him when he was really struggling to breathe.

I went to visit my neighbor that broke his back on a four wheeler . He has been in the hospital for 3 weeks now, but has been moved to the Rehab floor. He is in bad shape. He takes two steps forward and one step backwards, but I guess that is still progress.

Still dazed!

I have so much to do in order to get things back to normal around here. Leaving home for more than two weeks allows spiders to set up housekeeping in every corner in the garage and the patio. Today we had much needed rain, so I didn't get around to cleaning those up. Clothes still must be washed and one bag is still not unpacked. Of course, I had to take a nap this afternoon when it was raining and dark...yep, that was a must!

This morning I went to Mom and Dad's and cranked up the tiller to get the fall garden started. I got some turnip greens and squash planted. They needed to be in the ground before the rain. I still have some collard greens, onions, and cabbage to plant. My yard still didn't get mowed because of the rain, so it looks shameful.

Bye, Bye Kiddos!

Jake called me Grandma Baby the whole time I was there. This was taken as I was leaving yesterday morning. Jake told me to "Come back Thursday!"

Home, Sweet, Home!

It's all been wonderful! Every day was something special...well, except those when all I did was drive! I didn't really check, but I probably drove 2,500 to 3,000 miles. Today I made it to my brother's in time for Sunday lunch. I didn't even go to my home first. Since I got home, I have had the sprinklers going nonstop. Several things lost their leaves from lack of water. My grass is dead in some places, but it will come back. I will mow it tomorrow, but it needed water first. My neighbor has already been over and told me she missed me. I told her I will never be gone that long again.

Last leg

Tonight I am in Meridian, MS. I drove 9 hours and really wanted to go all the way home, but I just couldn't do it. I should get home fairly early tomorrow. After a couple of days recovery, I will be back up and running. I know there is lots of yard work waiting for me. I just hope my grass isn't dead.

Myrtle Beach

I can now add Myrtle Beach to the places I have been and don't have to go again. Just like most of the other beaches, it is too commercial and covered with condos. The almighty dollar has hijacked the ocean. I have also kicked up my departure to Louisiana by one day. I will head home on Saturday and hope to make it home Sunday even though I am really tired of driving.

On the Road Again

Once again I am a traveling fool, but I am getting really tired. I miss my home and my bed. My sister-in-law told me via email that my parents really miss me. I asked Mom what they did when I lived far away. She said they didn't expect to see me then!! Now I am on a guilt trip. Tonight I am somewhere in North Carolina. Tomorrow I plan to visit Myrtle Beach since I have never been there. Thursday I will be at my next to final destination in Aiken, SC for a couple of days seeing the babies. Then I will try to make record time getting home.

Good Bye

I just came from Angela and Jason's condo where the last festivity of the wedding was held. We had grilled burgers and all the trimmings and more wedding cake. Angela and Jason are trying to get rid of wedding cake. All the guests have to travel to get home and they are going on their honeymoon tomorrow.

This morning I took the Metro, which very conveniently has a station right next to my hotel. I went down to the National Mall and got some culture. Sunday morning is a good time to do that.

Tomorrow I will be going back to my cousin's before heading south again. It's been fun, but I am ready to move on.

It's OVER!

The wedding was sensational at Mount Vernon. The wait staff was dressed in period clothing just as they would have for George Washington. We partied until the bride and groom left and the last bus left for the various hotels. It was HOT there. It should be cooled off here by now, but that hasn't happened. The wedding ceremony was under a tent on the patio at the Mount Vernon Inn. They even had food that would have been served to George Washington...hoe cakes topped with lump crabmeat, steak and crab cakes.....real crab cakes...not those stuffed with bread crumbs. They even had two chocolate covered cherries in a gift box at every plate (get it?...George Washington ...cherry trees!!) Everything was perfect. I even sat at the table with the groom's mom and dad and brother, so at least I knew someone. I actually knew several people there. The groom's uncle performed the ceremony, so I knew him as well. Tomorrow I plan to get on the Metro and do some touristy things. Most people are going home tomorrow, but I will get a chance to see everyone again at Jason and Angela's home tomorrow at the bar b que. The mothers are doing it.

I'm Exhausted already!

I have been on a mission to find some hairspray. Old Town Alexandria is not a good place for that. After walking at least a mile searching for the CVS, which I was told was there, I finally found it.....but then I had to walk back. I would be skinny if I lived here. Either that or I would never go anywhere. The car is in the parking garage and I don't want to retrieve it until Sunday afternoon when I go to Jason and Angela's home for a bar b que. Traffic is just too scary for me. Tonight I will ride the Metro to the festivities and tomorrow they have a bus to take guests from the hotel to Mount Vernon for the wedding.

Two crises averted!!

Tuesday night my cousin's daughter cooked dinner for us in her tiny 500 sq.ft. condo.(Yes, that is correct square footage. She is an American Airlines flight attendant with 10 years experience and could only afford this tiny place. Why? Because it's freakin' 225,000 dollars) Imagine a 27 pound cat in a space that small. There is thick cat dander and I am highly allergic. As soon as I started having a reaction, she gave me a pill. It worked like magic...Allegra. Turns out she is also allergic to cats!! Why would anyone who is allergic to cats have a cat for a pet?? I don't get it. This cat is huge and is named Fat Boy. Then yesterday the daughter drove us to do touristy stuff in her car. Yes, Fat Boy had been in the car. Once again, I started having my reaction. Another pill.....crisis averted.

Today we were going to take my car to breakfast. Could not find the keys. We searched and searched....emptied suitcases...everything. Damnit, I was ready to call the Lincoln dealership and try to get a new key made. Then I opened the suitcase again to look. I picked up a pair of shorts and felt the keys in the pocket! Thank God.....$300 saved from my stupidity!!!

Destination #2

I arrived at my cousin's home on Saturday. She has a beautiful, huge home on the Rappahannock River near Fredricksburg, VA. All her family came on Sunday. We all went to church together, then spent the afternoon on the deck at the river or on the boat. She had a lovely dinner for all Sunday night. Monday we just chilled. Tuesday we went to Richmond and had lunch with an acquaintance that I have not seen since high school. Then we drove up to Alexandria to my cousin's other home. Wednesday, we visited Hillwood, which was Marjorie Meriweather Post's home. Had lunch on the grounds at their cafe'. Last night we had wine at her son's home in Alexandria before all going out to dinner. It's been a whirlwind. I am now checked in the Hilton ready to get going on the wedding festivites. I think a rest is in order first.

HOLY CRAP!

I am really tired, but 500 miles closer to my first destination. Tonight I am at a brand new Hampton in Wytheville, VA, but still at least 5 hours from my cousin's house. I didn't think it would be that long, but I talked to her and that's what she told me. I'm ready for a long bath and bed. My crunchy taco bell tacos were not crunchy, so I am still hungry. Too bad. I'm not going out for real food....vending machines will suffice. This will be my last post probably until I get to the hotel on Thursday.