Cheap Fun

I had so much fun yesterday afternoon & you won't believe where. In the Salvation Army Resale store! I went in to see what they had for babies, and OMG you wouldn't believe all the baby clothes they had that looked brand new (some even still had the tags on them!) I bought BUNCHES for what I'd have spent for just a couple out outfits at the department store.

It was so much fun going through them, & the more I looked at the more excited I got about the coming baby. I'd forgotten how SHORT the little legs are on the newborn size outfits! I know the baby won't get much wear out of that tiny size, but I bought some anyway because when he outgrows them (probably at about 1 week old) they will be enjoyed by his 3 "big" sisters for their dolls.

While I was looking at the clothes "Sally's Boutique" (as my friend likes to call it) was playing great 70's music including lots of Beatles tunes, so I just had a ball. Who knew being thrifty could be so much fun?!!

House Hunting for DH's Parents

This morning DH & I had fun house-hunting for his parents. They want to move up here from several states away, so rather than make multiple trips to check things out they're trusting us to find them a place. We'll take care of buying it (with their $$ of course) and then they'll come up & move right in. They lived here years ago so are familiar with the area.

We found a nice place in one of those "over 55" manufactured home communities. (In other words a trailer park but VERY nice.) Everyone keeps their yards looking beautiful - landscaped and everything. It's on a lake & you have a boat slip plus all sorts of other amenities.

The lake is the part that got DH's attention - he loves to fish! I have a feeling that if they do move into that community we may be visiting them a LOT! The home that we chose is on a wonderful lot - lots of gorgeous big trees and a porch/deck that his dad would LOVE. He pretty much lives on the porch when the weather permits. DH and my son built one for him a few years back & it has been used & enjoyed SO much - it's the best thing they could've done for them!

DH called his mom & told her about this place & she was very enthusiastic. They just put their home up for sale yesterday & have already had 10 phone calls and 2 people come look at it! It's way out in the country, which isn't good when you get to be their age but will be great for a younger, healthier family. I hope it sells soon. They'd like to get up here before winter.

Sarah Palin

When I first heard that a woman had been nominated for V.P. I was pretty excited. However, as I've learned more about Sarah Palin, my enthusiasm has vanished. I'd like for our country's leader to be compassionate, someone who values life, and after watching this video I'm afraid she's not that person.

I found the video below to be horrifying. What do you think? Is there something I'm missing that makes this behavior ok?

Remembering September 11th

It has been a week now since the anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy. I want to share this poem that I read on-line:

One

As the soot and dirt and ash rained down,
We became one color.
As we carried each other down the stairs of the burning building
We became one class.
As we lit candles of waiting and hope
We became one generation.
As the firefighters and police officers fought their way into the inferno
We became one gender.
As we fell to our knees in prayer for strength,
We became one faith.
As we whispered or shouted words of encouragement,
We spoke one language.
As we gave our blood in lines a mile long,
We became one body.
As we mourned together the great loss
We became one family.
As we cried tears of grief and loss
We became one soul.
As we retell with pride of the sacrifice of heroes
We become one people.

We are
One color
One class
One generation
One gender
One faith
One language
One body
One family
One soul
One people

We are The Power of One.
We are United.
We are America.

by Cheryl Sawyer

Ignore the campaign aspect of this video & just watch it to hear what the soldier has to say.

It stunned me... I guess because I'm wanting to rescue the soldiers & bring them back here so they'll be safe but here's this guy saying he wants to be there. It's hard for me to understand.

Family, Fun, Fondue, and Furry Friends

DH & I had the best time Saturday night with my son & DIL. They had us down for the weekend, & (in celebration of my birthday) had a special fondue dinner out on the deck. The atmosphere was great - with the tiki torches burning and a warm breeze blowing it felt almost tropical. The food was great - there was cheese fondue with a great variety of foods to dip in it, and later a chocolate fondue with fresh fruits & brownie cubes to dip in it. YUM!

The deck is huge, so the furboos had plenty of room to run around with DS & DIL's poodle without being in the way. They (the fuzzywhitedogs) just LOVE to go there to visit! Mr. Poodle is their favorite furry friend; DS gets down on the floor & plays with them (which they love), and DIL slips them tasty treats that they're not allowed to have at home. No wonder they get recognize the exit off I-75 that takes us to their house!

While we were there DS & DIL surprised us with a birthday gift that will be SO much fun!! (DH's birthday is just a few weeks after mine.) What is the fun? Well, they're taking us to see ROBIN WILLIAMS next month! Woo hoo!! That should be great! He is SO funny & outrageous, I've enjoyed his humor for years! What a nice gift - we're counting the days!

Who moved the dogs down? Woot woot..

I just changed the template I'm using for this page (using one of the standardized ones) and now the FuzzyWhiteDogs photo is too far down! Anybody know how I can get it back up to the top?

Don't tell anybody, but...

...If my son-in-law doesn't straighten up I may just have to kill him.

Grrrr!

:-P

Dissecting the Blogging Corner of my Brain

Today I had somebody ask for my blog address. This was the first time that has happened, and I was kind of taken aback. I've never actually bothered to see what my blog address is, so even if I'd wanted to I couldn't have given it to her right that minute.

A little later I found myself thinking that if I were to give her access to my blog I'd first need to go back & edit it, crop the photos I've posted so they'd be "just right", etc. "WHAT?" my brain screamed, "it's just a BLOG, why should it be perfect?" From the depths of my brain came the answer - the reason for my hesitation was that the blog isn't perfect.

When I was growing up I was supposed to be perfect (ahem, note to parents: not possible - I'm not Jesus)and sometimes I have to consciously remind myself that I no longer have to live by anybody's standards but my own. To me, blogs (like e-mail) are a very casual means of communication; they don't need to be even close to perfect. I never use spell check when writing either one, I just say what I have to say & go on.

So.. having dealt with the perfectionist aspect of the quandry, I STILL wasn't sure whether I wanted to give her the address. (If I do this will be the first person IRL to whom I've purposely given access to my blog. A few people I know have stumbled upon it when following a comment thread but I've never actually said "here, come read my blog".)

Most of my blog readers are dear friends from the scrapbooking community. I've never met any of them in person but feel as close (often closer) to them as to anyone I see on a daily basis. I know they aren't quick to judge people...

AHA! ...THERE lies the other reason for my hesitation... it's the fear of being vulnerable... of taking the risk of letting somebody know more about you than you might tell them face-to-face.

So, now that I've figured all this out, will I give her the addy? Probably. Will it be today? Probably not.