There is nothing as fabulous as a hot steamy bubble bath (in my book) but for some reason the water slowly drains out and next thing I know I'm sitting in an inch of water.
Here is the thing tho....when taking a shower or cleaning my tub, the water won't drain. While taking a shower, I'm standing in 3 inches of water.
So, whats up with THAT??? Murphey's Law I suppose.

I loved sipping my amaretto while taking my bath. But, how I like it is I have my amaretto in an aperitif glass and as well, a big jug of ice cold water. I take a big gulp of water, then a sip of amaretto and let it sit on my tongue a few seconds before swallowing. Perfect.

Aperitif glass....I wouldn't have those if my MIL hadn't given me a box full of them. My little dictionary I keep by the computer didn't have the word in it...but my faithful Word Menu book did...and it says: drink taken as appetizer before meal." Do you ever do this?


It is perfect for my amaretto and thats all I know.
OK, so while looking up the word, I realized my eyesight is getting worse. I actually couldn't see well enough to see that extra "i" in the word aperitif.
I've always had good vision while all my other family members wear glasses.
Well, many moons ago while I was a swim coach, I got some glasses because I was having problems seeing the score boards at the Meets. But I only wore them to drive at night and for the meets and well, eventually, I stopped wearing them. Recently I pulled them out (can't believe I found them!) and stuck them in my purse for driving at night again. I hate the frames...I bought them in the 90's and hate how they look on me.
I also had to buy those little reading glasses at Target for when I'm reading anything tiny and up close or pulling a sticker out of someone's hand.
The problem with the glasses is they are only good for great distances...and the reading glasses I bought are only good to really magnetize up close stuff. Anything in the middle, no good.

But the other day, my cousin and I walked down the hill to our New Jersey Mike's  for lunch. We walked in and stepped up to the counter. The menu was on a big board on the wall...and it was all blurry to me! YIKES!

Dang.....it's time....


I said  a few posts ago that I'll be posting more in my studio blog and visiting from there. I'm still working on that blog but the thing is...I'm scared to go over there and post. How silly is that? Wanna know why? Cuz, I think that I can't use verbiage like I just typed over there. I have to be all professional and.....well.....professional. I know I should be myself, I'm not going to wear a mask when I'm working or dealing with customers, I'm going to be me. But, for some reason, I feel like when I'm in that blog, I'm "minding the store"...which I sorta am.....but still...crazy huh?

Maybe I'll just have to have my little aperitif glass of amaretto before I go "mind the store". 

It is almost 6pm. I am sitting here in a quiet house figuring out what to do. So, I thought I'd do a blog post.
I have been very lax in posting and keeping up with my blogger friends blogs.

I got so busy with my new business and then my cousin's visit.
Dearman is off in Gatlinburg for the evening, I opted to stay home. I has turned cold and windy here (my two most dreaded weather types) so I felt a quiet night would help me sort out my racing mind and get some stuff done.

Ah, yes, the racing mind. I have a zillion ideas floating around in my head and I can't seem to get anything done.

Let's see.....
TV and season finales:

Dancing with the Stars - I am very happy with the remaining stars and would be fine with any of them winning. Although, as much as I I like Laela, I've noticed she is dancing the same each time, no great improvements. Apolo...wow, wow, wow...he is so dang CUTE and has gotten so good! Joey is a ham and is great as well.

Idol - I'm pissed now....Melinda went home??? Al I can say is that I think it is for the best for her to not be an IDOL...she is WAY better than that! I know she will go on to do great things and have a fabulous career and I will follow it!
I think Jordan will win...the voting on IDOL is stupid.

LOST - Can't wait to see this next week...wow!

Grey's Anatomy - Um...WTF? I'm not liking whats going on...I was really liking Addison, she is leaving for a new show, hope it goes well, but it has Bill Daily. Every time they stick him in a new show it dies, I really hope this one works.
George? I LOVE George, what will happen to him? (he could become a stay at home dad!)
And Izzy's character??? What are they turning her into? I use to really like her.

I am still a fan but it will be interesting to see where this all goes next season.

I have really enjoyed Brothers and Sisters. Hope it continues.

So, its about that time...no more shows, which means getting more movies from Blockbuster (the online version...we did Netflix and switched over...Blockbuster is WAY better)

Watched Matador with Pierce Bronson the other night, good movie.
Our queue is so long and I keep forgetting to add titles...I need to start writing stuff down.

My cats just came into my office announcing it is their dinner time...right on the dot, the little buggers. So, I went in to fill their bowl and they still have food. I dropped a few extra morsels in, they ate a few and are now back in here lounging at my feet. Silly kids...I think the craziness of the last 2 weeks wore them out and they are glad to have a quiet house as well.

I think I'm going to pour myself a little Amaretto and go hop into a bubble bath. I need warmth!

Will go blog cruising afterwards.

Ta for now!

I didn't do so well in posting about my vacation did I?

I attempted a few times but things were pretty crazy and I decided against it.

So, a little recap.

LOTS of amazing food.
A horrible experience at Harrah's Casino...which leads to the question: If a casino has NO competition around, do they pay out less?
Lots of laughter and tears and long deep talks.
A car accident which led to many days of lots of wine, pain killers and movie watching.
MORE great food.

A few pics:



A little photo shoot of my Cuz. Dearman had used my camera and when he does, he always manages to push buttons he shouldn't. I didn't even notice that my ISO was on 800 when I took these....my poor grainy cuz!


This is how you use chopsticks, right? LOL
I took her to all of my fav restaurants here. This one was at Doc Chey's. We had the special that day.
Grilled shrimp in a green curry, coconut and spinach sauce with noodles and veggies....everything there is so yummy!


My youngest daughter and her close friend came for a visit. It was chilly and rainy, so we spent one day drinking screwdrivers and watching movies.


Several days were spent hanging out at the Botanical Gardens here. Lazy days spent laying on a blanket in the sunshine just talking. How often do adults do that? It was perfect.


My oldest daughter came down for the last of her college friends graduation and Mothers day. She treated us to brunch at another of my fav restaurants, Sunny Point Cafe. It was such a beautiful day.
We have always teased my daughter about her 'joker lips'. They can look like Jack Nicholson's as the Joker in Batman. Guess who else has those lips? Yep, dear ole Cuz.


This is one of the things ordered for brunch.....Chocolate Mousse and Champagne Strawberries French Toast. Heaven, pure heaven.

It was an unusual, yet delightful 2 weeks off. Pain and pleasure mixed.
I am very grateful that my car is a tank!

I'l be spending more time over at my Studio blog,and will come visit you all from there.

I'm finally getting back to my routine and life as usual...and I'm off to catch up with all of my blogging friends!
Have a great Hump day!

Three days and counting till my vacation begins! No, I'm not off to some tropical island or over seas...not just yet. But, starting next Wednesday I am going to become party queen of my own little town of Asheville and spend a couple weeks playing like a tourist here. My cousin is going to be here visiting.

We have been composing lists of what we want to do and see. For some reason I have lived in many high tourist areas. As a resident, you tend to overlook what is right under your nose and at your doorstep!
I remember the first time I vacationed at Lake Powell years after moving away from there. I LOVED it! Wouldn't want to ever live there again, but is a great vacation spot!

One thing that my cousin and I discovered that we both loved doing was collecting old postcards. I have a few from this area.

Here is a website called Penny Postcards where you can see old penny postcards from any state.

Here is one that is an aerial view of Asheville


I find it curious that many of the old postcards were 'nighttime images' I wonder why that is?

Here is a nighttime image of one of my favorite buildings here - City Hall


This next postcard is from the Kenilworth Inn. I plan on taking my cousin here and walk around. It has changed since this postcard picture was taken but this is one building that fascinates me...I'll tell you why.
Kenilworth Inn started as that...an Inn. Not in any order, but it was also a Psyche Ward, housed German prisoners during the war, was partially destroyed during a fire and sat empty for years.
Several years ago a developer bought it (after it had stood empty for many years) and renovated it. It is now condos.
But, at the start of the renovations when the place was mostly gutted and only a few condos being worked on, I got a very special tour of the place. Talk about odd energy and ghosts! It was amazing to hear the stories and to walk through areas where you could still feel the heaviness of the years past.
I'll take some current pics when we go walk around there...but one thing is for sure...you couldn't pay me enough to live there now as a resident!!


I'm off to look at postcards from the various areas I have lived and will be posting more this week.

Can't say it was a very productive weekend. I was needing a break from the usual and I did get that.
So, Saturday started off well. I did get my luxuriously scalding HOT bubble bath....boy, that was so nice!
And I watched The Lake House. Now, the previews of this really intrigued me. I like unusual stories and especially if they have a paranormal bent to them. This movie is by no means new and a few I've known who saw it had comments like..oh, a cute romance...no big deal. I kept asking...what about the thing where they seemed in two different realities???? No one answered....I had to see this movie to find out.
What a disappointment!
First, the writing, and sound editing were horrible. I couldn't make out half of what was being said and I thought the writing was confusing.
But the kicker was in the premise that his world was in 2004 and hers was in 2006...and that he caught up to her!
Ok, really...I'm all for thinking outside the box and using a non plausible (in what we consider not in our reality) as a premise.
But, this was just stupid. Her reality of 2006 never moved forward and his world of 2004 did...and even beyond normal?
It wasn't even a great romance.
In the same token, Sandra Bullocks new movie Premonition looks like it could be intriguing...or will it be as stupid as The Lake House?

I expected dearman home around 6...thought we would have a nice dinner. (he cooks on the weekends)
I get a call from him around 7 saying there is a bad storm where he is so he was going to stay there and have dinner with the folks he worked with all day.
Bummer....so I went and grabbed a Wendy's burger for my dinner.
Then I get a call from him much later saying his alternator died on his car and he was stranded in no where, TN.
My car has a bad tire, I didn't feel it wise to go out in the middle of the night in a storm to rescue him. Luckily, the guy at the gas station he made it to gave him a ride to a nearby hotel and he spent the night.
Sunday, my friend Linda and I went in her car to rescue him. I had heard the news calling for snow, especially through the mountain pass we would be driving through.
We picked him up, went and had brunch, then sure enough as we were leaving the high winds and snow began.
A blizzard in mid April.
No probs in driving...the wind made it so the snow couldn't stick...but once home we got to watch a crazy snow storm and felt lucky it wasn't worse for the trip and that as many as were without electricity, we still had ours.

Crazy, yet enjoyable...THANKS Linda for helping us out and for the great conversation and laughs on a very unsual type of day!

But, hey, I did want a break from the usual!

First, thanks to those who added a line for a poem! I added the last line and here is what we have:

I am spring time,
   slowly unraveling, stretching
   seeking sweet elixir,
   dribbling from golden drops of sunshine.
I am the pale green of newly formed leaves,
rustling in the warm winds of April.
I am the bright pink tulip petals
that stand tall in the warm sunshine of May.
I am the color purple,
both passionate and passive,
bold yet soft,
seeking similar colors.
I am fragments of you
I am  an expression of All.

Today has been deemed All About Me day.....(scandalous! LOL)
Dearman had to take a trip for work and since it is to be a chilly, rainy day, I decided I would rather stay home then to tag along with him.
I am one happy camper today!
For weeks we have been in a plumbing crisis. There has been a huge leak somewhere....I kept insisting it was more than the occasional drippy kitchen faucet and that there was more wrong with the hot water heater than what they patched up.
Our last water bill was 4x's the usual amount (and the usual amount has always been higher than what is average even for the ridiculously HIGH water bill city we live in.)
I called, I nagged, I complained....and I was right! There is a HUGE leak in the main water line and I have been paying 100's of dollars to send water into the ground!! I am still questioning why a leak in the main line is only affecting our meter...my investigative nose it still on the trail....
Anyway....as of yesterday, I now have a new water heater, a no longer drippy kitchen faucet, and a repaired toilet!
Now, you may be thinking...big deal!
For 5 years in this place we have had hot water battles. Our hot water/ heating is all on the same system...so in the winter when we wanted a hot shower, we had to turn off the heat...wait 30 minutes, run some hot water...wait...THEN take a shower...and I would have to turn the faucet to the hottest for maybe 2 minutes of hot water...then the rest of the shower was luke warm) It was a constant dance.
As well, if I wanted a long hot bath (which is my ultimate-escape-sanity-keeper activity) I had to run some hot water (I'd clean the bathtub) then wait 30 minutes, then put my big kettle on the stove, ask Dearman to please bring it in when it was boiling (and pray he would remember) add the few minutes of hot water it would give me....sit in an inch of water while waiting on the hot water kettle....add a little warm water after he added the boiling water...repeat...get pissed...repeat...wish for a NORMAL HOT BATH...and finally...maybe if all was in alignment...I could lay back and soak my STRESS away. *whew*
And all along when complaining about this...the PM would act as if this was normal for everyone.
So......NOW....I should have HOT water for more than 2 minutes!!
Hence, the decision to have a Me day....I've had Michael Buble' playing...will crank it up to something more spirited soon (didn't want to wake the neighbors this Saturday am) will eat what I want...have The Lake House to watch....do a little designing...read...have my ultimate bubble bath...snooze...and who knows what else! *BLISS*
Yep, it doesn't take much to make me happy...but I'm glad for that...cuz when we can get excited about the little things...then when the little bit bigger things come along...life is super great!!!

Today is Poetry and Creative Mind Day.
Sometimes I really get into poetry. Can't say that I have a favorite poet, as my taste in what I like changes so often.
I use to write quite a bit of poetry, haven't lately.
My girls are great at writing poetry.
My Dad has become a poet.
Dearman use to write me poems.
 
How about we write a poem together?



I'll write a few lines and you add to it through the comments...I'll post the finished piece.
As a prompt: Write a few lines about who you are...but ask yourself questions like...if I were a color, what color would I be? What piece of furniture would I be? What month would I be? What type of food? What kind of animal? When answering any of those types of questions, get creative with descriptive words.
Write about you...here is my start:

 

Was an odd Easter for us.
I woke up before sunrise yesterday morning...or rather my cats woke me wanting to be fed and flying on and off the bed.
So, after feeding them, getting water then crawling back into bed, I laid awake thinking about the fact that it was Easter.
First, it doesn't feel like Easter. We had snow Friday night and it is to remain cold. The kids aren't here and we aren't off visiting family.
But, beyond that, I don't celebrate Easter in the traditional Christian sense. I celebrate the arrival of the time for rebirth and renewal. Coming alive after the dark hibernation of winter. I read a lot during the winter, reflect a lot, go within a lot. To me this is the time to take what I've learned and to focus outward.
This led me to thinking about what I believe in and how things have changed in my life...big leaps have occurred since the arrival of 2007.
I have studied the Law of Attraction for almost 10 years and am learning more each day as to how to live by it and apply it to my everyday. It seems odd if I'm asked what I believe. Saying I believe in the Law of Attraction is weird. It's like saying, I believe in the law of Gravity. The Law of Attraction is one of many Universal laws that affect us regardless of whether we agree or disagree with it existing. It is there, it simply is.....we live it unconsciously or we live it consciously.
It is a little easier now for folks to know what I'm talking about since the release of the movies "What The Bleep Do We Know" and the very popular book and DVD, "The Secret."
It is mainstream now and not so metaphysical woo-wooish.
So, yesterday felt like an ordinary weekend day. We worked on the taxes, I did some designing, the Masters was on TV all day.
I got a call from Ran and Greg who were in Chicago. They had just been to Ethel's Chocolate Lounge and said it was very cool! I think that would be a great place to visit when I finally get to Chicago.


Dearman made a yummy dinner. He stuffed chicken breasts with manchaigo cheese and fresh basil then breaded and lightly fried the chicken. He also did asparagus (my fav!) with a bearnaise sauce and potatoes au gratin.
I watched Desperate Housewives then Brothers & Sisters.
I'm not sure when our 'normal' weather will be back, but I am sorely missing it!
But, for now, I am celebrating how blissfully happy I am and that winter is over and in so many areas of my life, newness has arrived.

News:  My Studio Blog is finally set up! Come visit me there!

Forecast: It's Easter weekend and we are suppose to get snow. It seems a bit strange, as we are typically with family on Easter weekend. Either the kids are here or we are with Dearman's family. The two older kids are playing in Chicago this weekend. All I can say to that is....BRRRRRRR!!! I think it will be a quiet weekend staying warm.

Movies to watch this weekend:  Marie Antoinette and Keeping Mum

Family stuff:  Got a call from my Dad. He has been spending his retirement writing poetry, learning to fiddle and doing extensive research on the African America Cowboys of the west as well as other 'forming the west' characters. His latest news is that he will be helping in the making of a documentary on this topic and  Jack Thorpe (one of the original Cowboy Poets). I told him, we may have to start living vicariously through him!

Calender: Just 3 weeks till my cousin arrives and we go wild in Ashe-Vegas!!!

Grumblies: Ok, I don't typically gripe about hubby here...but....I am in my 40's and yes, the eyesight thing happened and the memory glitches occur occasionally. Sometimes I pee my panties if I sneeze or cough....you know, the stuff that makes you realize you aren't a youngin anymore. Well, Dearman claims, he has NO signs of age. Eyesight is still great....blah, blah, blah. Well, I tell you...I'm going to start calling him Deafman instead of Dearman...the ole boy can't hear anymore!  
Oh, and the ole boy has taken up smoking a pipe.


Have a great weekend ya'll!!!

Beautiful Carrie  has conducted an interview. She has selected questions for me to answer.


1. So I know that you love Moulin Rouge but what other movies still your heart away?
       My first thought is the movie Serendipity. Dearman and I consider that 'our' movie.

2. If you could meet any celebrity dead or alive, who would it be?  And why?
This is really hard because I have never been 'celebrity crazy'. I'm more fascinated by authors and musicians.
I always wanted to meet the author Alexandra Stoddard. Her books taught me everything my mom didn't. I think talking with Don Henley would be fascinating. Maybe hanging out with John Travolta...he seems to have a great view of enjoying life. Pink would be fun to get to know. Hanging out with Ellen DeGenerous would be a trip! I always thought that Genevive Gorder from Trading Spaces would be the type of person that would make a really great best friend! (she is a lot like my oldest daughter!)
      
3. When was the last time you cried?  Why?
       I always cry during Grey's Anatomy, seriously, that show gets me every time! But the last time I really cried was over a month ago when I fell into a deep dark depression for a day. It doesn't hit me often anymore, but sometimes the dark demon takes a hold and I am at its mercy. I really felt that it was best for me to go and free those around me from the burden of me. It's times like that that I take the disease seriously and really empathize with those who struggle with it!

4. If you could live anywhere in the US, where would it be?
      This is a toughy as I absolutely LOVE where I live! I truly can't think of anywhere else I'd want to live...lots of places I'd want to go visit, but I feel so lucky to live where I do!

5. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything?
      This is one of those double edged swords question! If I did things differently, would I be who I am today?  But, I do look back and wish I had been able to go to college. I wish my mom had lived longer and had been happy to be a mom. I would have done things differently regarding my divorce.

So, I will keep this moving along.
 Although I don't have many readers that are 'commenter's'...if you would like to play, let me know and I'll email you my five questions for you to answer on your blog!