Thursday 13 / "N"

Thursday 13 This week is 'N' week in getting to know me better.

1. I have 3 Nieces- Sarah, Samantha, and Scarlett

2. I have no problem at all saying NO to people. (Hubby finds this hard to do)

3. Since I was diagnosed, I take a lot of Naps.

4. My favorite Number is 22.

5. I can be both Naughty and Nice.

6. I am not a Night person. I'm a morning girl.

7. I was born in North Carolina and lived there til I was four. Still have a lot of relatives there.

8. I have a gallon jar that 'used to be' full of Nickels. Hubby spends them in the machines at work.

9. I think I must have the world's rudest upstairs Neighbor. They throw their cigarette butts on my deck and in my bushes all the time, and constantly play their base.

10. I love Nuts, especially pecans and cashews.

11. I am 'usually' a very Neat and organized person.

12. I adore Nine West shoes and handbags.

13. Show me a Noodle and I'll eat it... love pasta.

Thursday 13 / "L"

This week = Getting to know me through the alphabet- "L"

1. Livin Life - Live your life every second of every day! Don't sit back and wait for it to happen.

2. Laugh! - I love comdedy, but mostly I love smiles! Laugh, it cures most things.

3. Love! - Love your family. My Mom always said for us to love our family, because he gave them to us for a reason, perhaps to teach us how to live and love, and in some cases, teaches us how to accept and be tolerant. We can chhose our friends, but family is what it is.

4. Learn. - Never stop learning. Whether it be a new word, a recipe, whatever pertains to your life, try to learn something new each day.

5. Lily - My precious 2 yr old granddaughter.

6. Listen - I am a very good listener. I'm one of those people who can meet someone at the bus stop and they have told me their life story before they leave. Listen and you will learn a lot.

7. Lucky - Until recently, I've considered myself a lucky person. Now I'm not so sure.

8. Library - a place I could stay for hours and hours.

9. Lake - Give me a lake and a fishing pole and I am a happy lady!

10. Letters - I love receiving and sending letters, but the old fashioned way, through the mail, not by email.

11. Lunch - hubby and I like to go out to lunch. Dinnertime is so crowded, and the lunch crowd and the wait isn't nearly as bad.

12. Lists - I am a listmaker, always have been. I find great pleasure in marking things off the list.

13. Looney - Most of the time, I'm totally looney!!!!!

Love their swimsuits!

Thurday Thirteen- alphabet addition - H

"H"

1. Husband - My hubby Robert is the best thing that ever happened to me, except for my kids.

2. Home - I love being home. I love to travel, but it's always good to come home. Decorating my home is something else I love.

3. Hobbies - My hobbies are photography, blogging, scrapbooking, reading, traveling, and painting (which I never do anymore).

4. Hate - a word I don't like to use. I only hate a few things and they are of no consequence.

5. Halloween - One of my favorite holidays. I love the time of year, the costumes, the fun.

6. Healthy - What I want to be!

7. Humor - Nothing better than a good joke. Sandee over at Comedy Plus has the best jokes.

8. Hero - My brother Chuck is my hero. He rescued me when no one else would.

9. Hello/Hi - the best way to make a new friend is to say one of these words.

10. House - One of my favorite tv shows.

11. Hugs - are the best!

12. Hamburgers - Geez, I love hamburgers.

13. Happiness - The one thing we all strive for, and most of us never find.

Thurday Thirteen- alphabet addition - G

Thursday 13 - The Letter "G"

1. God - Just the name says it all.

2. Grandmother - I love being a grandma to Kelsi, Kenzie, Lily, and little Maddie who will be here in July.

3. Google - I have a kinda love/hate relationship with Google.

4. Gifts - I love presents.

5. Gold - I wear gold jewelry. I've never liked silver.

6. Games- I love card games, board games, and at periods of time, I get hooked on Pogo.com and Slingo.com

7. Gardening - I loved gardening when I had my own house. It's much harder in an apartment, but I love flowers on my patio.

8. Gummy Bears- ok, busted! I love gummy bears and I keep them in the fridge so they will be cold.

9. Green - my favorite color

10. Girly Stuff - I am a girly girl...I love makeup, purses, accessories, jewelry, perfume, and anything girly!

11. Grey's Anatomy - in my top 5 favorite shows

12. Georgia - only because I live here

13. Good/Grateful - Feeling good is something I am so grateful for these days. I tend to have one to two really bad days a week and the rest are pretty good. I love the good days.

Thurday Thirteen- alphabet addition - E

1. Elephants - I collect little elephants under 3" tall.

2. Earrings - I got my ears pierced when I was 13 (YIKES 40 yrs ago). I still love earrings. Got any you don't want? Send them my way!

3. Early - I'm always early. I hate being late to anything.

4. Energy - Something I have very little of these days.

5. Exercise - Something I need but don't do. Does walking from the bed to the tv to the computer and back to bed count?

6. Eyes - I think a person's eyes tell you everything about them. Don't believe me? Watch the person you are talking to eyes next time. Eyes are the windows to the soul.

7. Eggs - Poached in milk on toast, scrambled, or overeasy!

8. Eat - The one thing I love to do and am trying to do less of.

9. Eagle - The golden Eagle was my high school mascot!

10. Entrecard - my newest addiction.

11. ER - One more season. I've never missed a show.. ever.

12. Etsy - I'm also hooked on Etsy!

13. Ellen - The Ellen show is giving away a new GMC Yukon here. I love Ellen!

Thurday Thirteen- alphabet addition - D

Thursday 13 - "D" - in an effort to get to know me better....

1. I have two sons- David and Dennis, who are both my heroes.

2. Even though I am a cat person, we have a great very laidback dog named Buck.

3. Diet used to be my least favorite word. I am now looking forward to it. The new group blog 'She Who Diets' starts on March 21st. Come join us! Let's lose together.

4. Decorating is a passion of mine. When I had my own home, there was not a spot in it that didn't have my touvh on it. I miss that. I no longer have the money for decorating, but it's still my passion. I walk into anyone's house and automatically think how I would decorate it.

5. I love Dragonflies. I would like to decorate my bedroom in a dragonfly theme.

6. I do not like to wear dresses, never did, even as a child. Give me a pair of pants, a tshirt, and some flipflops and I'm happy.

7. December is my favorite month, because of Christmas, hubby's birthday, and a sence of a new beginning around the corner.

8. One thing I cannot do is Dance, and I have always wanted to. Hubby is an excellent dancer and I feel badly that I have no rhythm at all.

9. I save dimes. Now this may seem silly, and you may ask why dimes? Why not quarters or nickels? My grandmother had a 'dime jar' that was decorated by her. It actually was a big coffee can, but she always called it the dime jar, so that's what it was. She started on her birthday every year, and on her next birthday she would count the dimes, and I loved to help. You would really be surprised how many hundred dollars worth of dimes will fit in that jar. Try it!

10. I am a Daydreamer. I always was, and it is even written on one of my report cards to prove it, lol. I daydream every day still.

11. Another passion of mine that I no longer get to do is play in the dirt. I love to garden. There is nothing more refreshing to me than planting and playing in the dirt.

12. Dollars! Something I have very few of these days, but yearn for the day I'll them again.

13. Last but not least is my Daughter-in-law. I have an awesome one named Regina. She is one of my best friends. She's a good wife to my son and a great Mom to my granddaughters. I love her as I would my own daughter. Hopefully my other son's realtionship with a great girl will also give me another wonderful daughter-in-law.

Thurday Thirteen- 129st edition

Thursday 13

13 newly dicovered Blogs I am now hooked on:

1. http://www.thepioneerwomancooks.com/

2. http://www.designspongeonline.com/

3. http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/

4. http://www.asouthernfairytale.blogspot.com/

5. http://fussypants.typepad.com/

6. http://15minbeauty.blogspot.com/

7. http://consumerist.com/

8. http://shamelesslysassy.com/

9. http://www.notmartha.org/

10. http://www.theredneckmommy.com/

11. http://www.skelliewag.org/

12. http://realitybanned.blogspot.com/ (very funny, and real)

13. http://www.mydebtfreegoal.com/

Thursday 13

A list of 13 useful and interesting websites.


1. http://www.gethuman.com/ - Ever get those stupid machines when you call customer service. This site lists how to get straight through to a human without going through the prompts. It has many major companies that I call and I bet you'll save it as a fave.


2. https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal Need to generate keywords for your pics, blog, etc. This keyword tool from google lets you enter a phase, etc, and gives you a list of keywords that go with it.


3. EPOD - http://epod.usra.edu/ - Earth Science pic of the day. Click on Archives for all past photos. Amazing pics.


4. APOD - http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html - Astronomy Pic of the Day.
Both 3 & 4 would be great for homeschoolers, and I like them too.


5. http://www.instructables.com/home - How to do just about everything. I love this site.

6. http://www.healthydiningfinder.com/site/ - You just put in your zip code and this site gives you the nutritional menu for all the restaurants in your area, from McDonald's to upscale restaurants. I use it often.

7. http://www.thedailygreen.com/ - This is the best website I've found that helps you learn how to live GREEN.

8. http://www.utterz.com/ - Ever be out and take a pic with your cell phone that you wish you could post? Or think of something to post while you are away from the computer. This site is great and I use it sometimes. It works.

9. http://sharetv.org/ - Miss your fave soap or show? Now you can watch it online for free. Many to choose from.

10. http://www.miniclip.com/games/en/ - Hundreds of FREE games to play. I'm addicted to Mr Men Pinball. My granddaughters showed me this site.

11. http://festivalsandevents.com/ - Find all the local craft shows, renaissance fairs, etc... here.

12. http://www.free-attractions.com/ - free things to do in any area of the US

13. http://www.home-ec101.com/ - what you wish your mama had taught you.... lots of cool ideas and stuff.

Thursday Memes

Thursday 13 13 Sweeps and Contets Site I love to visit

As most of you know, I am a sweeps girl. I love it! Have won many many things in the past four years, including a check for $20,000.00. Mostly small stuff, but that's ok. I love getting surprises in the mail. Here are a few of my favorite sites.

1. Online-Sweepstakes.com
2. Prizey
3. Laura Williams Musings
4. Contest Beat
5. An Island Review
6. Bloggy
7. My Mom Shops
8. A Bookworm's Diary
9. The Long and Short of it
10. PowerSweeps Winners Blog
11. Writerspace
12. HGTV Product of the Day
13. Bookloons

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3X Thursday
1. Are you content with your job? Why/why not?
I am content with my job. I work online at home activating phones for a major cell company, and I have a few online businesses that I run with my hubby.

2. Are you content with your relationship with your significant other? If you don't have one, are you on the lookout for one?
I have one, and am about 70% content. Marriage is something you have to work on every day, and some days, I find myself too busy to work on it at all, and I think I could do a lot to fix it. That is my biggest goal for this year.

3. How about your friends? Are you content with the ones you have, how they treat you, etc? How so/how not?
Well, this may sound strange, but sadly, I have no friends. Having just moved across country a few months ago, I sove right into work and haven't been very social yet. I miss my friends in AZ so much. Give me time, I'm working on it.
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The Thursday Threesome ::Kidney stone and herbal remedies::

Onesome: Kidney--beans? Lima Beans? Pinto beans? Which legumes do you like to cook with?
Having grown up in the south, beans were almost a daily dinner. I like all kinds of legumes, but my favorite is white beans (great northerns). I just love the taste.

Twosome: Stones?-- Monoliths? Pebbles? Do you use any of these in decorating? Heck, we'll even count marbles in vases!
When I owned my own home and had a huge flower garden, I used lots of pebbles. Now that I'm an apartment dweller, I don't even have marbles in vases.

Threesome: and herbal remedies-- Hey, there's a good one: do you have any herbal remedies for us to try? Anything?
My grandparents would go to the doctor as a last resort after trying all their own remedies, most of which worked surprisingly. Here are a few I still use:

If you have a canker sore, drink a glass of buttermilk. It gets rid of the acid in your stomach which causes canker sores.
Give your dog a garlic pill every day ( or put 1/2 clove garlic in his food) and he will not have fleas. This works!
Wet tobacco will take the sting out of a wasp or bee sting.

Thursday and only 5 days left til Christmas

Thursday Thirteen 13 Things I promiced myself I would do in 2007..... and didn't do!

1. Lose weight.... I promice myself this every year.

2. Have several E-businesses started up and running.

3. Save money...... just not sure where I was supposed to get the money to save.

4. Take a cruise.

5. Move back to California..... instead I find myself in Georgia. What's up with that?

6. Blog daily. I hate my blog. It is not at all what I wanted it to be.

7. Get healthy..... instead I just got worse.

8. Become a better me..... inside and out. Not liking myself very much lately and I don't like that feeling.

9. Have a better marriage... not that it's bad, but I don't want to lose this man and I find myself too many times not putting him first.

10. Get organized. I've alwas been a neat freak til this year. Now I can never find anything.

11. Decorate my home the way I want it..... haven't done anything differently at all.

12. Have a great Christmas... well let's see... I have no tree (for the 1st time in my life), no presents, and will just be glad when it's over with this year.

13. Last but not least... I promiced myself I would sit back this Christmas and look back at what a great year it has been........ NOT going to happen.

but....... I have a new motto- "I will be great in 2008".

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The Thursday Threesome ::Angels we have heard...::

Onesome: Angels-- as tree topppers? ...or spires? Stars? Bears? What do you like to use to set off that tree?
Although I did not put up a tree this year, I have a huge angel tree topper with lights in her skirt. Very pretty!

Twosome: we have-- heard you're getting something special this year! Do you have any idea what any of your Christmas presents are going to me?
Haha! I don't know who lied to you, but I'm not getting anything this year at all.

Threesome: ...heard-- the worst Christmas song ever this year? Which one is it for you? I mean that one that even if Aunt Martha is playing it on Christmas Eve puts you out on the porch!
If I hear "Grandma got run over by a Reindeer" one more time, you will be able to hear me scream.
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3X Thursday


1. Have you gotten any new toys/gadgets lately? If so, what are they? If not, is there anything that you want?
I haven't had the money for any new toys in a long time. I want one of those Ipod Nanos and a portable DVD player.

2. Do you like learning how to use new toys/gadgets? Why/why not?
I love new toys. I must be a Geek at heart. I also love new girlie toys, like a Mercedes, and diamonds, and other things I can play dress up in or drive.

3. Pick an outrageous toy/gadget that you want (price is no issue!). What is it? Why do you want it?
Well the new BMW 650i Convertible would be a nice toy.

Thursday Memes

Thursday 13 (OK.. I'm in a dieting mood)

13 Things I love to do, but Can't do anymore because I'm too dang Fat.

1. Take a long bath...... I love to take a bath, not a shower, but it's too hard to get out of the tub.

2. Go to amusement parks...... I love to ride the rides, especially the roller coasters, but I don't fit and the parks are so big, I can't walk them without getting too tired.

3. Wear Jeans..... I LOVE bluejeans. To me they are a staple in a wardrobe. I cannot wear jeans that fit my waist that don't have legs big enough for small animal families to live in. Haven't worn jeans in 6 years. I miss them.

4. The same goes for bikini underwear... love them, but would like to be able to find them without digging them out of fat spots.... I know...TMI!

5. Go places. I have basically become a recluse in my home so I have few friends now. I go to the doctor, the grocery store and an occasional trip to WalMart. My whole life I have been a goer and a people person... now I'm not. People stare and make comments... I used to be those people. I guess that is a classic example of what goes around comes around. It sucks!

6. A good sex life... no details, just know that everything is more difficult and if you hate the way you look, you KNOW your guy must hate it too. So it becomes almost an unspoken thing. I would love to feel sexy again.

7. Dining out... What a paradox..... I love to go out to eat... but same as #5...everyone stares. So I don't go.

8. Traveling.... LOVE, love to travel. No longer fit even in the seatbelt extensions of the plane. So I don't travel/ but that will change.

9. Boating... We love to camp, go boating, fish, all that outdoorsy stuff I shouldn't admit I love, always portraying myself as a girlie girl..... Camping is a chore.... the boat might sink... and the fish would swim away, hehe...

10. SHOPPING.... God in heaven knows how much I love to shop. It is like a stress reliever... but looking like crap in fat women stores was never something I thought I would do, so my wardrobe is virtually nil.

11. Being healthy... I have always been very healthy... until now. I truly believe about 80% of my health problems will disappear when I lose weight.

12. Play with my granddaughters. I have three , ages 20 months, 7 and 11 and another coming in July. I don't want to just be remembered as the fat grandma who never did anything with them.

13. Most of all.... I miss being ME! I know I'm still here under all this fat and skin, I just have to find a way out!
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Thursday Threesome
'Tis the season? ::'Tis the Season!::

Onesome: 'Tis-- Hmmm... More or less an older contraction? Do you have any semi-archaic words you use regularly?
flittermouse

Twosome: the-- heck you say? Okay, how about a 'regional' saying you're known to be fond of? You know, the one the relatives just don't get when you say it on the phone... Sure, slang will work !
Being from the south, I speak this language very well. 'gonna' is one I use a lot.

Threesome: Season--ings for the season? Mulled cider? Peppermint bark? Apple pie? What do you look forward to in the Winter months?
the coming of Spring!
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3X Thursday

You have been granted 3 wishes! However, you have to use your wishes on 3 separate people. Who would you choose, what would you wish for them, and why?

1. My son David..... I would wish for him a woman who he can spend his life with who really loves him and will always be by his side.
2. My friend Jerry..... I would wish he could break his pattern of self destruction and love himself the way others do.
3. My last wish I would use on myself... for good health and a very long life.

It's Thursday again!

THURSDAY THIRTEEN

13 Things I Wish I could get for Christmas (ok Robert, now you have a list to pick from)

1. CASH BAby CASH!!! Show me the Money!
2. some new cookbooks
3. Alien or Tresor Perfume
4. camping supplies- 2 room tent, blowup mattress, fishing supplies
5. books, cds, and movies
6. more Phaltzgraf (Evening Sun) to add to my collection
7. new curtains for the den and living room
8. King size sheets and mattress pad
9. new towels, lots of new towels
10. concert tickets
11. a vacation to Hawaii
12. that $1650 Fendi purse I told you about... yeah I know I could buy a used car for that, but a woman can dream, right?
13. Mainly I want to be healthy and need your support while I'm going this crap... and that you give me for free.

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3X Thursday
1. Do you think as humans, we'd be better off *without* feelings? Why/why not?
I really don't think we would be better off without feelings, because then we couldn't feel the good things like love, joy, happiness. But there are times (and I've had way too many of those) when I wish I didn't feel anything, like when I lost my baby and when my Mom died, and when I got divorced. The bad feelings are the ones we could live without.

2. So, you have a bad day at work. You put up with the day and then you go home. What do you do to relax and prepare for another work day?
I no longer work, but did for many many years. I came home, started dinner, immediately took a long soak in the tub, got all my stuff laid out for the next day, finished dinner, and then it was like a relief. I could rest.

3. Do you worry about the big things (work, finances, tests) or the little things (broken cars, the house not being clean, a tear in your shirt)? Why?
I used to worry about the everything, but now I only worry about the big things like having money for bills. Little things are nothing in the grand scheme of things.
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The Thursday Threesome
::Chocolate Pop Tarts::

Onesome: Chocolate-- The joy of the Christmas season? Boxes of See's and Godiva and other "Food Pron" showing up at the office? How do you feel about chocolate at the holidays? Yeah, really!
Silly Question! Chocolate is for every day, not just the holidays.

Twosome: Pop--ping into your mind as the next thing that you only find this time of year? What are you looking forward to/forgot to go by to check on/oh, heck, it's time for? Pick one and go for it!
Looking forward to getting my tree tomorrow.

Threesome: Tarts-- ...and is it also "candle time" around the place (work or home)? ...and do you use those 'tarts' to make the place smell nice?
I burn candles a lot... but I really don't like the little tarts. I only buy them to try a new fragrance.

Thurday Thirteen- 121st edition

Thursday Thirteen 13 of my fave toys as a child..... way back when.




The very best toys were the surprises you got in Cracker Jacks.









My favorite game was Candyland.







One of my all time favorite toys was jacks. I was very good at it, especially the twosies and threesie. But back then they were metal, and the the balls had a little bounce to them. I'm sure all the young mothers of today think metal jacks are an awful thing, but I never swallowed not one, and I loved playing this.




Ahhh, pickup sticks. I went through many sets of these, but mine were in a can.









I also loved reading from a very early age, and still do today.
As a child, my favorites were the Bobbsey Twins.








But then I discovered Nancy Drew and I was hooked.


My oldest granddaughter also loves these.






Yes girls, This is an original Barbie. 1959- price was $3.00, high for a doll back then.
Now I had Barbie, Ken, Midge, Allen, Skipper, Scooter, and the original black case FULL of clothes and accesories. I continued to play with these til I was about 10. My Mom sold all of it, are you ready for this... to a lady she knew for $5.00. OMG! If we only knew now what we could get for that today, I'd have a great CHristmas this year.

But I loved Barbie.








For those of you that don't know, this is an original "kissy" doll, 1961.
I got her for my birthday. You pushed her arms togther in the front
and her lips puckered and made a kissy sound.









Had an Original EtchaSketch... was awful at it then, am still
awful at it today.










Who didn't love Lincoln Logs? These were not just for boys,
oh no. Lincoln logs and tinkertoys together could build awesome things.





Tinkertoys... I spent many hours playing with these.

















Slinky, slinky, I loved my slinky!











Chatty Cathy...1960.... I was 6, and Santa brought her.


I was thrilled. You pulled a string in her back, and she


talked to you. I thought she was beautiful, freckles and all.