No Offense But..........

People who know me might find it hard to imagine, but growing up I was painfully shy. Content to stay in the background, not offer any opinions, not make eye contact, not easily making new friends. Well, all that's changed now and thankfully I grew out of being shy. As a matter of fact, there are times when I probably speak more than I should. It's a fine line between holding back and letting it all come out. Well tonight I'm letting it all hang out...maybe not all, but definitely some of it hang.

HOLIDAY DECORATIONS: Holiday decorations seem to run the gamut from nothing to lights on every conceivable surface and the front lawn covered.  No offense to anyone, but I absolutely....strongly dislike, the inflatables. Today I saw my first Thanksgiving turkey, inflatable, on someone's lawn. I had an irresistable urge to get a BB gun and shoot it. In my opinion, Thanksgiving/Autumn decorations are pumpkins, gourds, wreaths in oranges, browns, yellows, NOT big inflatable turkeys in your yard.

Same thing with Christmas decorations. I once saw a yard, a small front yard, with inflatable Santas, reindeer, a snowman, a Grinch and the Grinch's dog all in the same yard, bunched together. Tacky, tacky, tacky.....in my opinion. Inflatable decorations seem to be all the rage the past couple of years, and while I don't care for any of them, if you have to have them, have one or two and call it a day. If you like them, then by all means go right ahead, I'll smile and nod, all the while scoping out my targets for my BB gun.

THANKFULNESS:  For the month of November there is a trend on Facebook for some people to list, everyday, something that they are thankful for. People are very sincere and put a lot of thought into what they are thankful for and some of the things are very touching and emotional. I even participated in it several years back, when I first joined the "Facebook Nation".

Maybe because I am a Capricorn, maybe it's my Swiss/German  ancestry (and probably a little British thrown in for good measure) I tend to me more reserved about public displays of affection, spilling my emotions. So, and I mean no offense to anyone, but I would love to post on the last day that I am thankful that I don't have to read what everyone is thankful for anymore. Does that sound mean, probably but I really don't mean it to be, but that is just how I feel.

Now I do have a facebook friend who is posting what she is thankful for and I actually love it. One day she is thankful for her seat warmers in her car, another day she is thankful for pierced earrings because no matter if she gains a few pounds or is bloated, they will always fit. She is also thankful for the PAC 10, which has 14 teams, which just goes to show that she is not the only one who is bad at math. Now THAT is the kind of thankfulness I can get behind. I tend to be drawn to the snarky and sarcastic, I love it.

JUSTIN BIEBER: Entertainer of the Year.....really.......really??? He's just a kid, a talented one yes, but a kid. What has he done to be Entertainer of the Year. There are numerous other musicians who have paid their dues, struggled, worked their way up and have tremendous talent. As a friend of my commented, it's all about the money, with all his "tween" followers, he has probably raked in the money, but is that the basis of being Entertainer of the Year? I hope not, but, in my opinion, he may better deserve that honor after he has a few more years under his belt. Please!!

Well, I'm done offending people for now but I just had to get it off my chest.  Ahhhhh, now I feel better. Just remember people, do whatever you want, it's a free country. If it makes you feel good that's all that matters, but you might think twice before you ask me my opinion.


Kathy

Crazily, Hopelessly, Head Over Heels In....

in love. My new love makes me feel cozy, makes me feel warm. I met my love at the JCPenny Outlet store a couple of months ago. Now, we've had a previous relationship, but I had felt smothered and constricted, but somehow this time was different. This time I felt strong and in charge, more confident.....or maybe it's because I'm turning into my mother!

You see, I am in love with "the turtleneck sweater". I've always had one or two in my winter wardrobe every year, but usually I've only liked a cowl-neck, nothing tight. If I wore one with a tighter neck, I was constantly pulling on it, it made me feel like I was choking. But all of a sudden this year I've had a change of heart. I'm likin' the tighter neck.

My Mom always says her neck gets cold in the winter and she wears a scarf around her neck a lot of times. She was always asking me if my neck was cold whenever I wore a just V-neck sweater or a collared blouse. Well, even though I am cold natured, having my neck exposed didn't seem to affect me that much, until this year. All of a sudden, if my neck is cold I am cold all over. And I've been kind of doing an informal survey of women at work and apparently "cold neck" syndrome seems to be quite common. Some wear turtlenecks while some just wear scarves around their necks, silky or knitted scarves that go with their outfits. All very stylish.

When I went shopping a few weeks ago, I bought turtlenecks, turtlenecks and more turtlenecks. Different colors, different styles, some heavy for when winter really hits and some lightweight, better for Fall weather.  A few had a more relaxed neck, while the others a more fitted neck. I probably have about a dozen right now, not that I'm obsessed or anything. Even now as I'm sitting here typing this, my neck is cold, even though I keep pulling up the collar of my robe around it. Do they make turtleneck pajamas?

Oh, did I mention that I also bought a couple of scarves, apparently I'm easily influenced. I'm not obsessed with the scarves......yet. I just want a few, you know, maybe as a change of pace from the turtleneck every now and then. I want options.


Kathy

Election 2012

I have deliberately not weighed in on the Presidential election on any social media sights. It seems the vehemence with which people discuss the candidates they disagree with has reached an all time low. Yes, I'm glad people are passionate about what they believe in, but the name calling and personal attacks coming from each side is both distasteful and childish. Plus the fact that anyone who has professed to be undecided must be an idiot, brainless, a fool or have no love of their country.

Well, guess what, I have been one of those demonized "undecided" voters......until last weekend. I take my right to vote very seriously and while I am a member of a particular party, I always vote for the person NOT the party. I have no qualms about voting for the other side if I believe in the other candidate and in what their plans are for the country. I took a long time to decide because I wanted to make sure I was comfortable with my choice no matter who wins.

Do I think that Mitt Romney is an evil capitalist who plans on sending all our jobs our of the country? No, I don't. Do I think he wants to destroy Social Security and Medicare? No, I don't. 

Do I think Barack Obama is trying to destroy this country? No, I don't. Do I think he wants to destroy the healthcare industry? No, I don't.

Of course if you vote for one man, you're labeled a racist and if you vote for the other man, you're not a Christian. COME ON NOW......really.......really?

Call me naive, but I do believe both men just have different visions of what they want this country to be and achieve. I also believe that any candidate can have plans for what they want to accomplish and depending on the make-up of the Congress and what I like to call "that big book of secrests" that each President hands off to the next, they may have to alter their vision.  There is a lot more going on that they don't know about until they are behind that desk.

I studied the issues that both men believed in. There are issues on the right that I believe in and about the same number of issues on the left that I agree with.  So it came down to three issues that stood out and even two of them I could go either way. So now I'm down to one issue and it's one that I am passionate about and that is how I will be placing my vote. Do I have doubts, sure, but feel I have made my decision based on issues and not by party or popularity.  So remember, just because someone is "undecided" doesn't mean they aren't carefully weighing the issues and coming to an informed decision.

Tomorrow morning, no matter the winner, I will respect our President, even though I may not agree with everything he does.  I will also pray that he does the job to the best of his ability and for the good the country. And remember, if you don't agree, the beauty of our way of government is we can work towards finding and electing a different man/woman in four more years.


Kathy

A "Hairy" Situation

My hair and I have a love/hate relationship, or maybe I should say a tolerate/hate relationship. I want long, thick, naturally curly hair. A wild mane that would be uncontrollable and hard to tame. Hair that people all over would envy and covet. But........alas, I have fine, straight, short hair. Nothing that anyone would covet.

I usally keep my hair short, I feel like it is more flattering to me, but mostly because I'm lazy. I hate to mess with my hair and I don't have time before work in the morning to do anything special to it. This way I can wash my hair at night when I take a shower and in the morning I just have to run a comb or my fingers through it....and I'm done.

But every once in a while I get a hankering to grow it out, not particularly long, maybe just to the collar and all one length. Of course if I did that it would then involve "fixing" everyday. And everytime I try to grow it out, it gets to that certain length where it drives you crazy. Hair is hanging in my eyes, not laying right or just plain looking like a big mess. I have a fantastic hairdresser, Tim, who has tried to help me when I have decided at times to grow my hair out by keeping it trimmed up and giving me different products to use, but then it gets to that certain point and I go in and tell him to cut it all off!!

Everytime I start thinking about changing my hair, I become a "hair stalker". I start looking at everyone's hair, trying to find a style that I like or that looks easy to take care of.  I've even, in the past, asked several people if I could take a picture of just their hair to use as a reference. But I think my biggest problem is I'm not really sure what hairstyle looks best on me. I like my short hairstyle, but I'm always afraid it's not feminine enough and I feel the need to always wear earrings when my hair is short. But if I grow it out I don't want to look like a hot mess either.

So here I am, contemplating a change again and unsure which way to go.  I really envy the African American women who can wear their hair practically shaved off and look fantastic. Maybe I should just shave my head and wear a wig. Maybe I should just keep my hair short and use products to "poof" it up, although I'm not really a "poofy" kinda gal. Is there a better way to style my hair than the ol' let it fall where it may system?

I know there are bigger things in the world to concern myself with, the aftermath of epic storms, important elections, terrorists running amok across the globe. But really, think about it, if a woman is not happy with her hair then no one is going to be happy. 

Kathy  

You Ought To Be In Pictures

I think I have mentioned before that I am interested in photography and I would like to explore it further. I really would like to have a nice camera, like a Nikon digital camera, zoom lenses and all that good stuff. But for now I have to be satisfied with a point and shoot camera. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice camera, I like it, and it's a good camera to practice with. I am mostly interested in taking pictures of animals and natural settings. So many times I am out and about and see something, but of course, I don't have my camera with me, but I have been trying to carry it with me when I'm out walking, going about my business and even to work.

I decided to take my camera to work because on several rare occassions I have seen deer, very early in the morning, feeding is a small clearing across the street from where I work. The clearing is at the very back of  a  small park that has hiking trails and playgrounds with picnic areas. It's not a big park but it's nice, set in an urban area.

When I am lucky enough to see the deer, I am absolutely transfixed since it is not something I get to see very often. They come very early and don't stay more than a few minutes, but it is beautiful.  Hopefully, I will be able to get a picture of them one day.

But I may not have been able to get a picture of the deer, but since I had my camera with me I was able to capture this. This is the sunrise that I get to enjoy outside my office window. What a way to start the day!
And every sunrise is different. This is the sunrise the next day.

Makes you feel good for the rest of the day!

My dog, Lola, and I walk quite often in the cemetary. It is peaceful, pretty and lots of people go there to walk their dogs, jog, ride bikes etc. It's almost like a park! Again, I remembered to take my camera and I saw this tree and it reminded me of Halloween. The way the branches come out, the starkness of it made me think it looked like something at a haunted house.

or maybe it's just me.......

This tree is also in the cemetary. I tried to find some info on it but couldn't, but I've heard that it was there before the cemetary was. And there are some who have been buried there since the mid 1800's, so I guesss that would make the tree close to 200 years old.                                                                                        

See how the bark is all twisted, almost like someone tried to wring it out. I wonder, was it from old age or weather. I noticed that a couple of weeks ago there was a big limb broken off during a storm the night before, I hated to see that. It isn't often that something is strong enough to survive for over 150 years and is still standing.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the pictures, my first attempt at any kind of real photography as such. Hopefully they will improve and be much more interesting than sunrises and trees. But it's a start. Til next time.....

Oh, by the way, I DID NOT win the KitchenAid Mixer, surprised uh? Yeah, me too, but there will be other contests to enter!!


Kathy

Contests, Live Tweeting And Other Such Nonsense

I have made no secret of my desire to own a KitchenAid stand mixer. I've even wrote a haiku about it in an earlier blog. Everytime I try to save up for one, and they are pricey, something else always comes up that needs repair or an extra bill that needs to be paid, yada..yada..yada... So my second best try to own one is by entering contests. I follow a blog, The Pioneer Woman. She recounts her life and experience living on a working cattle ranch, cooking, photography, homeschooling, home and garden subjects. She also has a cooking show on the Food Network that I love to watch. ANYWAY...she has contests off and on and gives away cameras, home accessories, clothing, jewelry and...wait for it........KitchenAid mixers!!!! She has one that was personally designed just for her and this weekend she is giving away TWO of them

Isn't it gorgeous, I want it....badly. Of course over 20,000 people have entered this contest. But I really don't think anyone wants it more than I do. So I am asking everyone who knows me and also those who have no clue who I am to enter this contest @The Pioneer Woman/Home and Garden, and if you win, give it to me. I don't think that is too much to ask for........do you?  Then when I have my mixer everyone who is tired of me whining about wanting a mixer will be eternally grateful!!!


When I signed up for Twitter I really just did it so I could link my blog to it, I didn't have any intention to constantly tweet. There is a lot about it that I don't know or understand, "hashtags", "retweet", "instagram" and probably more things I don't know that I don't know about. But I have learned about "live tweeting", kinda. I have discovered that two shows I watch, Grimm and Haven, have been live tweeting during the broadcast. Someone, that I assume is involved in the show, tweets for Grimm and one of the actors on the show Haven does the tweets for that show. It is kind of fun to see everyone's comments and funny remarks about what is happening on the shows as they happen. I've gotten involved in the live tweets, or I think I have. I've used the correct hashtags, whatever that means, made meaningful comments and tried to have fun with it. Nobody has tweeted anything back to me so I don't know if I'm getting it right but I am enjoying it.

Now to the nonsense part, I really don't care to discuss politics and I'm not really going to get into it now, except to say that I have decided to watch the debates this time, which I don't normally do. I really wanted to pay attention and learn something, hear something new, how problems are going to be solved, but after about 10 min. all I could hear was "wawa waaa..wa wa.... (remember in the Charlie Brown cartoons, all the adults sounded like that, they had no real words). Now I am just a casual observer of politics, but one thing I have learned....no matter what side you are on and no matter what you promise, once you are in office it's a whole new world, you know things you didn't before so all the promises you made are really not important anymore. No matter who gets in office, nothing can be accomplised without cooperation from the other side.  Personally, I will be glad when it is all over.


One more thing.....the best thing about this time of year is....NO MORE CUTTING GRASS TIL SPRING. You can't imagine how happy that makes me.


Kathy

Sunday, Sunday

All week long I have thought about several subjects to write about, TV shows, religion, parades and how much I hate them, but here it is Sunday evening and I have decided that Sunday is such a bittersweet day. It is the end of a much look forwarded to weekend. A weekend that almost everyone prays would hurry up and get here, time off from work and or school. A time to decompress and relax or to catch up on chores and spend time with family and friends. Sunday is also the beginning of a brand new week. And a new week can be new adventures, new possibilities and another chance at ....whatever.

Sundays in the summer can mean concerts in the park, Sunday dinners with family. In the winter there could be sledding in the park, a hike or just football on TV while sitting on the couch. It is sleeping late, donuts for breakfast and some go to church. Most businesses are closed, no mail is delivered and everything seems to move at a slower pace.

I have a love/hate relationship with Sunday. Of course I love the sleeping late and donut part of it, but I can't quite get a handle on the relaxation part of it. It's my own fault of course. My OCD tendencies kick in and I feel like I should be doing something, getting some project accomplished, and that everything will go to hell in a handbasket if I don't get all my chores done. Yes, most of it can be put off til another day or even the next weekend, the world won't end if I don't get the yard cleaned up or the floor mopped or the closet straightened cleaned out but I just can't seem to help myself. If I have planned to get certain things done on the weekend and don't, I start feeling anxious and push myself to get it all done.

Well today I had planned to get certain things done and I did get some wash done and made my breakfast muffins for the week, but I had also planned on doing some cleaning. Weeelllll......as the day wore on I kept playing around on the computer, watched a movie, then I caved all together and decided to not even fix dinner. I just ordered pizza just because I felt like it and didn't want to cook or clean up afterwards. Then I sat and watched some more TV, took an early shower and sat some more and watched some things on my dvr. Oh the horror!! I feel so lazy......but I liked it......a lot. Now I am getting ready to watch the Real Housewives Reunion and eat some ice cream.

I am really trying to think of Sundays as a relaxing day, a day for me. It won't be easy, it won't always happen but I really need this day for myself. I have enjoyed today but feeling a little anxious about what didn't get done so it is a work in progress. Wish me luck.

How do you spend your Sundays?


Kathy