Mouse Elbow

My WRIST, FOREARM and ELBOW hurt like crazy. A whole LOT. I think it's either carpal tunnel or tendonitis or mouse elbow. So I am grumpy.

I'm leaning toward mouse elbow because the symptoms match a little better than the other two. Here are the recommendations:

1. ice

2. rest

3. ibuprofen

4. maybe a brace

Okay fine. In the meantime I am partly cloudy with a chance of storms.

On the HAPPY, SUNNY side of life, I am headed to Time Out For Women on Friday. Joy! Delight! To be with good girlfriends and a few thousand sisters will be oh so wonderful. Ya know when you need some good laughs and music and inspiration and tears of testimony? It's all there.

And I will be taking the camera! Imagine.

P.S. The top one is a mouse. I'm not sure about the bottom one. But who cares. They are adorable.

AAAGGGHHH

Was I nuts?

What a terrible picture!!

But I do like my owl nightgown.

If you all laughed then it was okay. I just rolled my eyes and groaned.

Have a lovely day.

Blimped out

Although I am most dissatisfied with my total self, I thought I would make you laugh. Ha Ha!

Here is me in my owl nightgown, feeling amazingly fat. And it is all the fault of the U.S. Census Bureau. Since I started that job back in November, my cute self has turned into an unrecognizable blimp self. Dirty shame it is.

For instance: tomorrow someone is bringing bagels in for breakfast and then we are having barbecue for lunch.

Oh and maybe one little teeny tiny other item - the lack of EXERCISE. Imagine such a thing.

One more week of work.

And the tears will flow because I will miss all the grand people I work with. I will also be happy because I will get my life back! And maybe a semblance of the old cute self.

YIPPEE!

Inspiration from Ardeth Kapp

I just found the most wonderful idea from Ardeth Kapp. She was the Young Women General President during some of the years I served in Young Women and is a HUGE inspiration to me.

See, with my weeping and wailing about not having children and being a new member of the church etc...etc...I learned that she didn't have children either and LIVED to TELL about it!

Anyway, I just read that when children come to her home, she reads them a story, they sign her guest book (how cute is that?!), she takes their picture and then they get a treat from the Treat Basket.

I SO want to do that. I think I will.

What stories?

What kind of treats?

And I have to find a guest book that doesn't look like it belongs at a wedding reception.

This is going to be FUN!

LARRY - he is fine, just a little blue. I think it has to do with not feeling needed at a job any longer. And being 64 is a little traumatic. We need a VACATION!!

Were you counted?

The 2010 Census is almost over.

I am almost out of a job.

But what a good time I had!

The guys, most of them anyway, were great to work with.

I laughed EVERY DAY!

Our administration area was the best in the region 'cause we had an incredible team with the best manager. He taught me how to LEAD as opposed to how to MANAGE.

We are planning our reunion already (October 7th.)

Now remember our friend Larry? The guy I am married to for time and all eternity? He usually looks like this:

Lately, he has been looking like this:

He is Grumpy Gus. His birthday is Monday and he doesn't even want to celebrate. It is very sad. He doesn't even want a CAKE. That is bad. He says he will celebrate when he feels better. The poor man makes me crazy.

P.S. MANY thanks to all of you who tried to find a way for me to get bigger pictures on this blog. I tried. Really I did. Now, I can't even change my template. It is very weird. I am usually not so computer challenged.

And Katrina, where are you??

28 years ago tonight

Your friend and mine namely Larry, (here he is ----)

is taking me to the 1000 Islands for a few days, our FIRST time away together in almost TEN years.

Isn't he just too adorable?

So we are going to take a couple of boat rides and wander around Alexandria Bay and Cape Vincent and Kingston, Ontario and maybe stay at a bed and breakfast.

His birthday is next week. He doesn't want to celebrate or have a cake or anything. He is BLUE. So taking me away for a few days is a huge sacrifice for him. It would be lovely if he actually WANTED to go but he doesn't. It's like the cruise. He doesn't want to go but he does things to make me happy and eventually has a good time anyway.

Sweet man that he is.

This was an arranged marriage you know.

God whispered in my ear to marry the man.

When God whispers, I listen.

Good thing Larry did too!

OH and August 15, 1982 I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Click HERE to understand why I love the church.

Like I say, when God whispers to me, it's always a good thing to listen.

Randomness

I miss Christmas.

No really I do.

But I also wanted to see if I could get my pictures bigger yet. And no. Well maybe a little bigger.

Thank you Katrina!

If this is the worst that will ever happen to me I'll be lucky, right?

By the way, The finger is better. Still slightly swollen and still hurts a bit but 75% better I would say.

You can stop worrying now.

The Story of the Fly and the Finger

Excuse me while I scream. Please, can somebody tell me why oh why my pictures are small when I explicitly click LARGE on the upload page???

Some of the Cousins

ANYway, after a very wonderful reunion last weekend with the cousins (and OH how we love to be together) I was in a blue funk. P.S. These are only some of us. We were 18 altogether I think, with so many more who couldn't come.

THANKFULLY, my friend Sonnia showed up from Las Vegas and entertained me with answers for problems of the world.

But then,

every dang time I turned around, there was a fly in the house. A GROSS, DISGUSTING, DIRTY OLD FLY. My apologies to all you fly lovers out there, don't tell me who you are.

So I was swatting and shooing flies for fun and enjoyment.

One landed on the screen door. I opened it up to shoo it out and whilst I was waving my arm to get rid of the thing, smashed my middle finger on the door frame.

OHHHH the pain.

I do not know if it is broken or sprained. At this point I don't care. It hurts and it is swollen and black and blue. Larry tapes it to my ring finger for stability.

So I am mad.

I'll get over it. Really. But right now I am mad and sad. And need to go to bed.

BUT - I am giving a talk in church on Sunday and need to do some research. So no bed for a while.

Ciao for now...

The Cousins, 1957

Could we be any cuter?

On vacation at the 1000 Islands -

Yours Truly, Big Joe, Ricky, Mary, Dolores, Little Joe and Chuck. Eugene wasn't born yet . Can you tell which one is my YANKEES baseball pal?

There may be a fish somewhere in the picture.

Oh these events!

FAMILY TIME!!

The most awesome family around, of which I am a part, will be here this weekend for a reunion and I am EXCITED to the max! Here is what to expect:

Food

Bocci

Food

Singing

Food

Trivia

Food

and Talking into the night


Updates to follow.......

Happy Independence Day!

I don't know about you, but I love the 4th of July.

I am terribly grateful to our founding fathers who were guided by God to make this country the best in the world.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

P.S. It's really hard to take pictures of fireworks!

What earthquake?

We experienced a 5.0 earthquake today here in Rochester - well actually it was centered in Ottawa, Canada but it sure traveled far.

Of course I never felt it, although it seems most everyone else did. I was at work, oblivious, when a co-worker got a call from his mother saying she felt the house shake and that her television went off.

My alert self went into action and I called Larry to see what he knew. He reported that there had been an earthquake but he didn't feel it either.

I feel deprived. Those of you who have actually been in major quakes think I am loony, I know.

A couple of other times I have HEARD the rumblings or rattlings of quakes around here but I never actually FELT one.

It's always something. Excitement abounds here in western New York.

Almost finished!

Remember the old family room? Before - nice and comfortable, but a little boring. See previous post below.....

Now, here is the new living room furniture in a pretty newly painted room! I love it all, it's almost perfect. Now we just have to find something wonderful to put up over the couch and the rest of the walls. I think we have the curtains but I'm still not REALLY sure.

The cushion is sticking up. I hope the checks don't give me cross-eyes!

And The Chair, our new leather chair that I could live in and be happy. It is SO incredibly cozy!!! Larry fell asleep in it today.

Men and Meatloaf

I work with a bunch of guys. There are only a couple of us female type people in an office full of retired military men, young and old. I love them.

No really. I do.

Let's see. There is John our fearless leader, and another John. Dave and Big Paul. Big Mike and Young Paul. Rick and Tim. Chris and Kyle. Jim and Lee. Bob. Not to mention all the other guys who wander around from other parts of the office.

And there is Bart, or Bait as we now call him. When the decorator wrote "Happy Birthday Bart" on his very lovely birthday cake, she wrote the "r" of Bart more like an "i" so he is now Bait. Not to mention he is cute and available. You know, bait.

Well anyway, today we had a Meatloaf Bake -Off. There were FOUR meatloaves. Then there was potato salad, mashed yams, green beans, rolls, baked beans, potato chips, pickles, pop, and dessert. Those guys were so happy. Men love meatloaf. The one that turned out to be the winner was Lori's. She puts those crunchy fried onions in hers along with SAGE. Imagine sage in a meatloaf. It makes you think you are eating pork or turkey. Very interesting and good.

The others were all jealous. I tell you, our part of the office is the happiest place to be.

P.S. The new furniture comes tomorrow!! (Saturday)

Major Announcement

Drum roll please...................

This is NOT about paint. Or furniture. Or carpeting.

This is about TRAVEL. And LARRY.

I will announce this if you all promise not to faint.

Those of you who know my darling husband knows that traveling is about as much fun for him as kissing a cactus (his words.)

So, when I tell you that we are going on a CRUISE, you probably won't believe me.

But HA! It's true!

Yessiree, the man I married almost 29 years ago, the love of my life and my eternal companion, agreed to it, after much persuasion from good friends telling him that he would have a blast on a cruise and that he needs to go.

At first he said, "Well, I MIGHT... MAYBE... BEGIN... to think about CONSIDERING it." Which turned into, "Well, okay."

Could have picked me up off the floor. Bless the man's heart.

We have many months to wait, so I don't talk about it much or he gets weird. But we are going and that's that. HA! HA! (That's me being happy.)

During...

So while we are still in a mess, the project really is almost done. I cannot WAIT until this is over!!

You can kind of see the color of the kitchen here. It's a darker blue but looks Beautiful.

I need to find something snazzy to jazz up the soffit.

And here is the mess in the family room. The creamy color is up though and I like it but it doesn't show well in the picture. It will be pretty with the new furniture and curtains.

Before, during.....

Family room BEFORE. Comfortable, boring. BORING. And off kilter.

Family room DURING. It's a mess. This is before the yellow paint went on. Hopefully I can post an AFTER picture, with the creamy walls that will look just the way I hope!

And the kitchen BEFORE, not too bad, just a little dated. After 15 years, ya think we need a change? Oh and any ideas what we can do with the window over the sink?

This is the general mess of furniture and STUFF moved all over. This is what makes me nuts. There is nowhere to sit, without climbing over things.

And there is a suspiciously furry tail vacating the photo. Little white feet, too.

It's a beautiful day. Not too hot, not too chilly. The Yankees are winning so I need to go outside. My mother needs a ride to her church tonight, and I still have to finish preparing my Gospel Doctrine lesson. Man, there is so much to do.

Painting and a Big Mess

You know, redecorating is fun. Kind of. But the mess is driving me absolutely crazy. Don't get me wrong. I am grateful that it is being done. Really I am. But the paint cans and drop cloths, the dust and stuff, the furniture everywhere, clothes and things out of the closets, those are all bad for my psyche. Have you ever been happy and miserable at the same time??

Well anyway, the furniture and carpet are ordered. Hurray!

Paint wise, the creamy look that I wanted in the family room turned out to be YELLOW. No, no, no. That had to go. So another trip to the store for another, much lighter "cream" and we will see how it looks.

The kitchen is gorgeous. I am happy. As much as I try to get away from blue I just can't. I like blue. Larry likes blue. That's just the way it is. So the kitchen is blue and white and it is lovely.

I will post pictures. Before AND after.

Man, I missed this blog. Hello to Facebook friends!

Decorating woes

Guess what?! After 17 years we are redecorating the family room and kitchen. Imagine. Whoo hoo! I thought I would know EXACTLY what I want. Colors? No problem. Style? No problem. I am a woman who is confident in her decisions.

HA!

I think I found the sofa. Well um, maybe. Brown and teal for the walls. What? Maybe not. Found a gorgeous deep red leather chair and ottoman that I sank into and could have read there for hours. Where does THAT fit in?

The kitchen dream colors are cobalt blue, white and yellow. How do I do it?

See this little bottle? That's the color I would like to use somewhere in the kitchen. It's beautiful.

So I am in decorating limbo. Suggestions are welcome. I am a mess with too many choices.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.

The blog is BACK!

Okay so I quit Facebook.

I missed the blog and apparently I cannot do both. ADHD.

Work is good. Larry is good. My mother is good. I am good. Tired all the time, but good.

How ARE you all??

Love you guys.