Got a New Toy

I got a new toy last week, a new cell phone.

This is the first phone I've had that I can download ring tones onto it, so I've been having fun downloading them. I haven't gone hog wild though. I've downloaded a few classic rock ones and one of Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas." A girl's gotta be prepared.

Right now I have my ring tone as "I Know You're Out There Somewhere" by the Moody Blues. I also have "Knights in White Satin" by them and the intro of "Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. That and "Knights" are two of my all-time favorite songs.

I have a credit card that I have one more payment to make and then after that, I think I'm going to switch from the prepaid plan. which I have now, to a regular plan. One reason is because the coverage is a lot better, no roaming nationwide, which there is now. Plus I'll have a bigger choice of ring tones.

Knock, Knock, Knocking on Seven's Door!!

THE STEELERS ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!
WAY TO GO PITTSBURGH!!!

The Hunt was On!

Have you ever looked to buy something, you knew what you wanted, or thought you did and kept going back and forth about it? I did that this week.

I had decided that we needed a new comforter for our bed. I was ready for a change. Nothing was wrong with the one we have, I was just growing tired of it, plus as I reasoned, it would give us an extra comforter to switch back and forth on. And since it's been so cold at night, I reasoned that another  comforter would be better than a quilt, of which I already had several anyway. I also wanted one that would hold up to Angel and Max and sometimes Jake, when they slept on the bed. I also needed it to be machine washable.

So, there I was, laptop on lap, looking at several different sites trying to get an idea of what exactly I wanted. I also found out that California king size comforters mean different sizes to different people. I saw one as small as 86" x 86" advertised as California king, not big enough for a California king bed by a long shot.

My first stop was eBay because I have had a lot of luck there finding what I wanted for a descent price. I found one I really liked only it was on the small size, so that was out. Then I decided to search Smart Bargains and Overstock.com. Overstock had one listed, but I hesitated. I then tried jcp.com, macys.com., younkers.com., dillards.com., to name a few sites. There were some at jcp.com that I really liked, but I couldn't decide, so back to eBay I went and then back to jcp.com and so forth. This was becoming an obsession. I kept going back and forth among those sites and seeking out others, I was that determined to find a new comforter.

The second, third, and fourth time I checked eBay, I was finding more comforters than I had previously. It must have been the words I was typing into the search bar. Instead of searching for just Cal king comforters, I decided to do a search on king comforters. The last time I checked, I struck gold. Not only was I seeing the ones I had previously, but now I was seeing ones I had seen at jcp.com. I was like, "Wow, this is great!

It still took me several more hours of searching and going back and forth between sites until I finally decided and it was by sheer luck and being tired of looking, that I found a Ralph Lauren one the size of an extra large king (another name for California king) 110" x 96" for well under its original price. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but since I wasn't exactly sure of what I was looking for, I bought it. I'm hoping it gets here sometime next week, before it's time to change the bed again and before I change my mind again.

WAY TO GO STEELERS!!

STEELERS WIN!!

I was so glad to hear that the Steelers beat the Ravens last night. I don't watch the games because I get too stressed out, especially if it's a close game. I can feel my blood pressure rising with each play, so rather than have that happen, I wait to hear the score after it's all over.

The same goes for the Super Bowls, I used to watch them when I was younger, when Terry Bradshaw was quarterback, but I didn't watch the last two. I caught a glimpse here and there, but not the whole game.

David watched them and during the last one, was making play by play comments, but wouldn't say which team the comments were about. That was after I told him not to tell me anything about what was going on. After they won though, I did watch the handing over of the trophy. That always brings a tear to my eyes. 

They have one more game to win in order to make it to this upcoming Super Bowl. I won't be watching the game, but I'll be praying for them to win just the same.

GO STEELERS!!

A Stray's Prayer (So sad)

(With three dogs of our four dogs being strays when they found us, this really hit home with me, thinking of the life they might have had if they didn't find us.)

Dear God, please send me somebody who'll care!
I'm tired of running, I'm sick with despair.
My body is aching, it's so racked with pain,
and dear God I pray, as I run in the rain.
That someone will love me and give me a home,
a warm cozy bed and a big juicy bone.

My last owner tied me all day in the yard
Sometimes with no water, and god that was hard.
So I chewed my leash, and God I ran away.
To rummage in garbage and live as a stray
But now God, I'm tired and hungry and cold,
and I'm so afraid that I'll never grow old.

They've chased me with sticks and hit me with stones,
while I run the streets just looking for bones!
I'm not really bad, God, please help if you can,
or I have become just a "Victim of Man!"
I'm wormy dear God and I'm ridden with fleas,
and all that I want is an Owner to please!

If you find one for me God, I'll try to be good,
and I won't chew their shoes, and I'll do as I should.
I'll love them, protect them and try to obey....
when they tell me to sit, to lie down or to stay!
I don't think I'll make it too long on my own,
cause I'm getting so weak and I'm so all alone.

Each night as I sleep in the bushes I cry,
cause I'm so afraid God, that I'm gonna die.
And I've got so much love and devotion to give,
that I should be given a new chance to Live!
So dear God, please answer my prayer,
and send me someone who will REALLY care..

That is, Dear God, if YOU'RE REALLY there!

Unknown

Where Did Pets Come From?

And Adam said, "Lord, when I was in the garden, you walked with me every day. Now I do not see you anymore. I am lonesome here and it is difficult for me to remember how much you love me." And God said, "No problem! I will create a companion for you that will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will know I love you, even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish and childish and unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourself."

And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam. And it was a good animal. And God was pleased.

And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and he wagged his tail. And Adam said, "But Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and all the good names are taken and I cannot think of a name for this new animal."

And God said, "No problem! Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG."

And Dog lived with Adam and was a companion to him and loved him. And Adam was comforted. And God was pleased. And Dog was content and wagged his tail.

After a while, it came to pass that Adam's guardian angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam has become filled with pride. He struts and preens like a peacock and he believes he is worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught him that he is loved, but no one has taught him humility."

And the Lord said, "No problem! I will create for him a companion who will be with him forever and who will see him as he is. The companion will remind him of his limitations, so he will know that he is not worthy of adoration."

And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam. And Cat would not obey Adam.

And when Adam gazed into Cat's eyes, he was reminded that he was not the supreme being. And Adam learned humility.

And God was pleased. And Adam was greatly improved.

And Cat did not care one way or the other.

Unknown

Weight Loss and Other Ramblings

Well, as you know, I started back on Weight Watchers on Wednesday and I am pleased to report that so far, it's going well. I do like the new plan better. It actually feels easier to stick to because you start out with more points and fruit is 0 points, or most of it is. So far, I haven't found one that isn't, so I've been putting bananas back in my cereal in the mornings. I quit doing it before mostly because I was getting sick of bananas. The one bad thing about the new plan is that all of the old books and calculators I have don't apply anymore, so I had to order new ones.

Tonight is Dave's company Christmas party, I think I told you in an earlier post that it was. I'm sorry now that I didn't buy that jacket I saw at Younkers that would match the pants and new boots I bought perfectly, but then I think, I'm trying to lose weight and do I really want to buy more clothes that fit me now but may not later? When I put it that way, I told myself "no," but still, it would have gone perfectly and it was only $14.99. I do have a jacket I might be able to wear, I'll have to check and see. If not, no big deal.

Speaking of the boots, I bought a pair last week that I realized weren't really dressy enough and would cause the pants to drag on the ground. They'll go great with a couple pair of jeans I have though. So, I decided that I needed a new pair, of course. I found ones on eBay that not only had a heel that was not too high since I tend to be a klutz, but were the exact style I was thinking of. Not only that, the price was a steal and they offered expedited shipping which meant that I would have them by today; they actually came on Thursday. They look great with the pants and this way, I can wear socks, warm socks instead of stockings and with the temps expected to be in the single digits or lower, I won't have to worry about my feet freezing.  And the snow we're expecting is holding off until tomorrow night and Monday, which is good too. The last time we went to one of these, we had to drive home in a snow storm.

Speaking of snow, hopefully we'll get enough so that we can go cross country skiing on Monday or Tuesday. We haven't been yet this winter, we haven't had enough snow for it. If we do and go for 30 minutes, it'll be worth five activity points. Cross country skiing is very good exercise.

I think that's enough rambling for today, don't you?

Another Milestone

It was 14 years ago today that I quit smoking! It's hard for me now to remember that I ever smoked.

I also chose today, because of that success, to start back on Weight Watchers. I noticed that they've changed the plan. I think I'm going to like this one a lot better than the last.

A Milestone Was Reached Yesterday

Yep, you read right and now you're probably asking yourself what that milestone was, right?

This may not be a big deal for anyone else, but my minivan went over the 100,000 mile mark yesterday. When I pulled into our garage it had 100,007 miles on it.

You're probably shaking your head and asking yourself,"So, what's the big deal?" The big deal is that this is the first car/van that I had driven that was new when we bought it that hit 100,000 miles. Yes, we've had other cars and a truck Dave drove and the van he's driving now all went over that mark, but this is the first one I had driven that has done so and that I was responsible for most of the miles, like those two trips to Pittsburgh to pick up my sister and then take her back and the one I took back there by ways of Kentucky. And of course the fact that it's almost 20 miles to the nearest town, one way and 55 miles one way to get up to Des Moines; so the miles have added up.

Right now about the only thing that is wrong with it are the brakes, even though they were just replaced a couple years ago. Apparently it's a problem with these vans, after you replace the brakes the first time, they seem to go through them quicker than ice melts in July.

The good thing is that the van is paid for, we haven't had any car payments on it in over a year and what a good feeling that is. It does need a good cleaning though, both inside and out, but around here, especially on the outside, when I go to run it though a car wash, by the time I get home, it's dirty again, thanks to the gravel roads, but I do try to run it through at least once a year if only to get the salt brine off from the roads.

I like my van though, just as I did the other two we had before it. I like the fact that I can see over other cars when I'm driving and that there's enough room for all four dogs in it. I don't usually take all four of them at once, but when I do, I know there's room for them. I think they like that fact too.

I know when it comes time to let this van go to get a new car, I'll be sad, but excited at the same time. I love getting a new car. When we got this van, it was because we got a deal from the dealer we couldn't pass up for the trade in of our last van. We bought that van from them too. The van before that one I totaled which is why we bought that one. I hit a deer with this one, but luckily the damage was minor, just a dent in the front bumper, not a big deal, at least not for the van. The deer though was another story, sorry to say.

Happy Birthday Judy!

I have a very close friend whose birthday is today. She's the same age as me now, but I won't say how old that is. But every year I send her an email to wish her a Happy Birthday.

I do that because I always forget to get a card, but I still want her to know that I remembered, which isn't hard to do since it's the day after New Year's Day. I remember how we used to joke her about that, about the fact that when she turned 21 and if she was at a New Year's Eve party, she still wouldn't be able to drink legally at midnight. She never drank a lot anyway, but she still didn't like it much.

I've known Judy since the tenth grade. It wasn't long until we found out that we lived within walking distance of each other. I used to spend a lot of time down at her house. Her parents were always so nice and welcoming. She's the same way. She is one of those type of people who are always there for you and always makes time for you. We always make sure to get together whenever I go back home.

I remember my senior year of high school, we didn't exchange gifts at my house, so Judy and another friend, Kathy who I'm also still close friends with, wanted to make sure that I had a Christmas and surprised me with gifts one night at our local hangout. They weren't expensive gifts by any means, none of us had a lot of money back then, but it was the thought that counted and I was thrilled. It was also the same night my then boyfriend went to break up with me, but ended up not doing so, at least then, but I don't think of that, I always think of that night every Christmas and the fact that they went out of their way to make sure that I had a Christmas that year.

I have always felt blessed to have Judy as a friend. She is one of those types of friends that not too many people are lucky enough to have. I will always cherish our friendship because I know how lucky I am to have it.

First Post of 2011

My first post of the new year, Yea!

So how was your New Year's Eve? Hope everyone who was partying had a great, but safe time. We stayed home and went to bed before midnight, in fact I was there by 9:00. We're not big partiers around here.

But, we were up bright and early this morning. Well for me it was early. David had to work since he couldn't get there yesterday because of the icy roads. Dave and I went up to Des Moines a little later. We were shocked, the freeways were almost empty. It was amazing! But it didn't keep the stupid drivers off the roads, in fact they seemed to be out in droves.

I mean it, maybe they had hangovers from last night, I don't know the reasons, but they were being just plain stupid. Some were out of state drivers. I've noticed that they're usually the ones who don't use turn signals. What's up with that? Do they not teach it in their driver education classes? There were also the usual ones talking on their cell phones, oblivious to their fellow drivers. You always see a few of those. But there seemed to also be quite a few of those who would get in the fast lane and just sit there passing semis or other cars at their leisure, not caring that there was someone behind them trying to get past the same semi or car. One of those drivers was from Kansas. I don't know if that's the way they drive down there, but he wasn't in Kansas anymore (I just had to say that ☺). When we finally got around him, we had to get back in the slow lane, after we all had finally gotten past the semi, to pass him and then when we passed him, he looked over at us as if saying, "What did you go ahead and do that for?" Cause you were going too slow, that's why! He did finally pull over to the slow lane and did so by cutting off the semi and proceeding at his same pace. I'm sure the semi driver was happy...not!

Speaking of semis, we saw one that had slid off one of the on ramps to the I-35 going north yesterday and rolled over onto its side during the icing we had. They had shown it on the news last night. Dave and I were talking about how bad we felt for the owner of the semi. That's not going to be a cheap fix, that's for sure and the semi may be totaled for all we know. Poor guy.

I did have some great luck in finding something to wear to the company Christmas party next weekend. Younkers to the rescue again! For anyone not familiar with Younkers, pronounced yon-kers, it's a department store like Lazarus or Dillard's but they have great sales. I bought a $44 pair of dress pants for $29 and a $40 sweater for $9.99. It was like buying the pants and getting the sweater for free. I love the sweater too because it's just dressy enough for something like that, without being too over the top or not dressy enough, just right. It's also in my favorite color, red. Now all I need to do is find the right shoes and I have just the type in mind, but if I can't find them, I do have a pair that will do just fine as a backup. Oh and there was a jacket there that will top the whole outfit off perfectly that I think I'll go back and get on Monday. I just hope it's still there and on sale.

All in all, today was a good day. Tomorrow comes the task of taking down the Christmas decorations. Thank goodness the one thing I had outside, one of those spiral trees, I took down on Friday when it was warm. I don't have a lot of decorations to take down in the house either, aside from the tree, so that part won't take very long either. I'm looking forward to getting the house back to normal again, but the tree was beautiful this year, so it'll be sad to see it taken down. Now onto a new year, oh and let me not forget my new year resolution. Wish me luck on that!