Tag... I'm It!

Phew! It's taken me a while to put this together, but I'm finally done! What is it that has taken me so long to do, you might ask?

I've been tagged!  I've seen a lot of blogs participating in tags over the years, but this is actually the first time it's ever happened to me. I was tagged by the lovely Kir Gallo from Mama Tink's Tinkerings. She's a sassy mama with a great outlook on life and a sweet little Etsy shop where she sells her one of a kind jewelry! Please stop by and say hello to Kir!

OK. Let's see if I can get this right.

1. You must post the rules.
2. Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.
4. Tag eleven people and link them on your post. (OK. You know me... Being the rule breaker that I am, I'm choosing 5 people to tag.)
5. Let them know you've tagged them!

11 "Facts About Me":

1. I have no pigment at the back of my eyes. Sounds a little creepy, right? Not really. It's not the most common thing in the world, but I'm not alone either.  The only real downside is that it makes me extremely photosensitive. I have to wear sunglasses all year long. Even when it's "mostly cloudy".
2. I am addicted to pasta.
3. I used to be an avid white water rafter. There are several places in the Adirondacks that offer guided rafting trips (see video below) that are just a short drive North of where I live, but I've never been on a guided trip. We always used a friend's raft.
4. I only gained 14 pounds with my first born. I ate like a little piggy when I finally could eat, but had morningnoonandnight sickness for the first two trimesters.
5. I've had 2 dogs during my life and both were Golden Retrievers. After we lost our beloved Max in 2002, we made a decision to focus all of our love and attention on the three cats that currently rule our lives, but if we ever decide to get another dog, I have a feeling it will be another Golden.
6.  I have big "big toes". They aren't freakishly huge, (at least I don't think they are. LOL) but my daughter is less than ecstatic that I passed them on to her.
7. One of the doctors I see (2 - 3 times per year) takes absolutely NO insurance. His office visits are $500. And that doesn't include testing or other ancillary expenses!
8. Aside from my darling hubbs, I think the most beautiful man to have ever graced this planet was Cary Grant.
9. My white velvet and satin taffeta wedding dress was tailor made for me and only cost $250.
10. I was married on my brother's 30th birthday.
11. The only sport I've ever followed "religiously" is Ice Hockey. We had an AHL franchise of the Detroit Red Wings here in town and my dad had season tickets. They moved the franchise to another city after about 5 years and were eventually replaced by an IHL team, but I lost my passion for the game when they left and haven't followed hockey since.

My Questions To Answer:

1. What made you start blogging? I needed an outlet after I stopped working outside of the home. It was a scary thing at first, but I'm glad I did it.
2. Have you ever been to a foreign country?  I've been to two. Canada (many times) and Ireland (once, but I plan to go back - hopefully several times)
3. What was your favorite book? Can't say that I have a favorite, but Memoirs of a Geisha was a surprisingly excellent read. I picked it up thinking I'd lose interest quickly, but found that I couldn't put it down.
4. What dead celebrity would you like to meet and what would you talk about? I'd love to meet Cary Grant (see #8 in "facts about me") Not sure that I'd say anything. I'd probably just stare and swoon. (sigh...)
5. What is your current favorite musical artist/group and why? Definitely can't pick a favorite here. I love so many different genres and artists. Lately, I'm really liking Christina Perri.
6. What was your first job? Playground leader/monitor, when I was 15
7. If you could live anywhere, where would that be? Right here where I am. I wouldn't mind having homes in other places that I could spend time at, but this is home and always will be.
8. Who do you like better? Britney Spears or Christina Aquilara? Christina. Without question. She has more talent in her little finger than Brit has in her entire body. (was that a tad strong?)
9. Do you have a fake or real Christmas tree? The real deal. Every year. 
10. What is your favorite current TV show? Hmmm. Another hard one to whittle down to just one. Love Fringe and Big Bang Theory, but there are several that we watch regularly.
11. What is one thing you would change about yourself? My insecurities.

People I've Tagged:

Maureen at It's All Connected

Susie at Little Susie Home Maker

Michelle at Michelle's Little Piece Of Heaven

Pat at Pat's Pink Apron

Dree from Dree's Things

Questions For You (The People I've Tagged) To Answer:

1. Do you currently live where you were born?
2. Describe your blog in 20 words or less.
3. What did you have for breakfast today?
4. Do you prefer fine dining restaurants, family style eateries or downright hole-in-the wall diners and dives?
5. Name 3 things in your pantry right now.
6. How many times a week do you do laundry?
7. Did you have a teenage "crush"? If yes, describe them in 10 words.
8. If you went to prom, do you have any regrets about what you wore or would you still wear it today?
9. Do you ever wear pink? If not, why?
10. Who is in charge of  paying the bills in your household?
11. How many times did you use the word "and" in the previous 10 questions? (Don't count this answer)

I Didn't Know My Own Strength ~ STMUSS

It's Time For Songs That Make Us Sing Saturday!

Just two short weeks ago, the music industry and everyone in the world who loves music, appreciates talent and celebrates a persevering soul, lost one of the most beloved stars of our time... Ms. Whitney Houston.

It doesn't matter that she stumbled. It doesn't matter how she lived her life, who she married or why she divorced. And it doesn't matter how she died.

What matters is that she was born with a gift and for most of her life, she shared that gift with the world. What matters is that through it all, she loved her family, she loved her fans and no matter what challenges she faced, she loved the One who blessed her with that gift.

This song was written and produced in 2009 for Whitney's "comeback" album "I Look To You" by the award winning musical team of David Foster and Diane Warren. The words and music may have been written by others, but the song was Whitney's truth.

Rest In Peace, Whitney.





Come join the party at:

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"Senior" Texting Abbreviations

I saw this on Facebook the other day and I LSHIAWMP BAMAWEIN? (Laughed So Hard I Almost Wet My Pants - But At My Age, What Else Is New?)

Baby I Love Your Way ~ Peter Frampton STMUSS

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Howdy kids! It's time for Songs That Make Us Sing Saturday!

If you're a regular STMUSS partier, you may have noticed by now that I have a tendency to post "then and now" videos. Quite a bit. It's mainly because, well... I'm old.

Let me just start by saying that I have had a huge crush on this week's featured artist.  Peter Frampton was a rock-god back in the 70's and thanks to growing up so close to an amazing concert venue (Saratoga Performing Arts Center, aka SPAC), I saw him perform live many times. I owned all of his albums (for those of you under 30, those are like CD's, except bigger, with a little hole in the center that you put on this ancient contraption called a turntable and... oh he!!, just google it, OK?) and had posters of him plastered all over my bedroom walls. *sigh*

Anywhoooo, after seeing the second clip, it's pretty obvious that my crush hasn't lost any of his talent or charm over the years. He has lost quite a bit of his hair, but at my age, that's not exactly a deal breaker.






Head on over to Ginger or Becca's blogs and join the par-tay!

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How About The Camera Taking Ten Pounds Off ??!!

Are you the family photographer? You know... The one who always ends up being asked to take the annual family portrait at Thanksgiving. Or, the one who makes sure everyone gets a photo of their little clan at the family reunion. If you love (or have been designated as the person) to take photos whenever there's a gathering of friends or family, then you're gonna want to see this!  How does "no more double chin" sound?? Or better still, how about the camera taking 10 pounds OFF of you or the subject of your pictures?? Have I got your attention now?  Good.

This video has been in the "What's Hot" list on Google+ for the past couple of days and I hadn't paid much attention to it until this morning. I'm so psyched about it that I'll probably ask the Hubbs to take a couple of pics of me tonight. Wha...? Oh Golly, No! Not those kinds of photos! Lordy! Just where is that your mind of yours, anyway?




New York and LA based photographer, Peter Hurley is a genius! He's found the perfect method for taking portraits or head shots that are actually flattering to the people in them. The video is about 15 minutes long, but it's so worth watching. What he does, really works! (and it isn't rocket science, either)

Let me know if you plan to give it a try!

Happy Weekend!

Valentine's Day Edition STMUSS

It's time for another Songs That Make Us Sing Saturday!

So... This is the Valentine's Day edition of STMUSS and I didn't have to think more than a nanosecond about what I wanted to post this week.

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I have to preface this video by admitting that I've never seen any of the Twilight movies. OK. OK. Please don't throw rotten veggies or anything else horrid at me.  I just got the cat fur and fingerprints cleaned off the screen. I have nothing against Edward and Bella (is that right?) or the whole Twilapalooza thing happening all over the universe. I just never got around to watching the first one and then I didn't want to see the second before the first and.... well, I just didn't. Sorry.

Anyway... If you're still here and haven't unfollowed me on every possible social networking site, I'll just explain why I had to pick this song for Valentine's week. It's Christina Perri. And the words that she and David Hodges pulled out of my soul and put to music.

I'm probably gonna hate myself for spilling this, but last weekend when Hubbs and I were out for a mid-winter, sunny day, need to get the he!! out of the house drive, this song came on the radio. And... well... I looked over at his beautiful face with the dimples and the cleft chin that I see in my dreams at least twice a week and I started bawling like a baby. Yup. Mascara running, nose running, ugly cry kind of blubbering.  What can I say?  I just love the guy more than life itself and after almost 30 years, I still haven't figured out what I ever did right enough to deserve him loving me back.

So. Enough of my ridonculous simpering. Here it is. (Oh, and join the dang party, K?  It's a blast every week and you have no idea what you're missing.)




Here's the link. You know what to do.

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Yup.... That's him.

Menopause Is So Not For Sissies!

It's been so long, I truly can't remember the source of this pic. 

Yep. I'm going there. I hope the title or content of this post doesn't offend anyone and if it does I'm truly sorry, but I am in no mood to grovel. To be honest, I haven't got the energy (or frankly the desire) to brush my damn teeth some days. I know... That's totally gross. But if it makes you feel any better, I do gargle with a bottle glass or two of Pinot on those days.

Between the hot flashes and the chills I never know what to wear, so I layer. A gorgeous ensemble of PJ pants, over-sized T-shirts and hoodies is pretty much my uniform when I'm lounging around at church home. I'm so tempted to take a page from those young kids (and some sketchy adults?) and flat out wear them to the grocery store. Or, maybe to Walmart.

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I find myself having what I believe to be intelligent conversations with people and  right in mid sentence, the half-heimers kicks in. I'll completely forget words that I've been saying since I was 2.  I'm talkin' easy words, like "the" "yes" and "repertoire".  I also forget who people are.  It's pretty sad when your 27 year old daughter calls, says "Hi Mommy" and you say, "Hi! uhh... who is this?"  Forgetting who people are does have it's advantages, though. My sex life has never been so diverse and exciting! (I'm just kidding, honey. I almost always know it's you. ...ahem)

Menopause or as I like to call it, mental-pause, can last for as few as 2 or 3 years or up to a decade or two. Let's do the math, shall we?  (I'm not making that up. Betty White said so... in her memoirs ~ or was it Nancy Reagan?) I just turned 50 and I've been told by my GYN that I've probably been in "peri"menopause (that's a medical term for stark raving bwitch in training) for about 5 years. Gee! That only leaves, maybe, a decade to go? UGH! Somebody euthanize me now, please!

I suppose that's enough griping for one post, so I'll say fhejqchh, owo;uc, s-o l-o-n-g for now.  Been nice visiting with you! Come back soon to read my next post! ... if I remember how to do it.

I'm participating in the new "Linky Followers" Hop! (it's a new tool for following that could very well be the perfect replacement for the soon to depart GFC - just my opinion)

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Cats Are A Lot Like Toddlers

Have you ever tried typing with a 22 Lb cat in your lap?

Simba doesn't really seem to care...


Linking up with Wordless Wednesday at My Little Drummer Boys

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Where The He** Is Matt? ~ STMUSS

Howdy kids!  It's time for Songs That Make Us Sing Saturday!

I may be one of the last people in the world to find out about this video. It wouldn't be the first time that I was late coming to the barbecue. LOL It isn't exactly your typical music video and it starts out a little wierd, but as you get a wee bit further into it, you can't help but want to sing the anthem that is playing (even if you don't speak the language) and dance right along with Matt. I'd have to say it's one of the coolest videos I've seen in a long, long time.

The thing is.... It's all real. Matt Harding did make each of the video clips, in each of the countries that show up on the screen, BUT his story and the video went up in flames almost overnight, after it had already reached over 17 million hits on youtube. You see, when the video achieved viral status on youtube, Matt got this (now very regrettable) idea to play a little joke the world by coming out publicly and saying that it was all an elaborate hoax. Well... it worked.  It worked so well that even the news media was proclaiming it as a hoax and nobody got the joke.  Everyone believed that the video was a fake and that Matt was the most evil person in the world.

To hear the very true story behind this very real video in Matt's own words, click HERE.  In the meantime, enjoy three minutes and forty-three seconds of grinning from ear to ear. You can even get up and dance a little.  I won't tell anyone.





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