2009 Resolutions

Yeah, yeah, yeah…….it’s that time of year again where I make New Year resolutions I might not keep up with. But I do them every year to sort of provide a game plan for some things I’d like to get a better handle on. I don’t make them so far fetched that I might not attain, but something that has me looking at what I do and gauge whether or not I want to continue those actions.

So having said that this is my list of New Year resolutions:

· Savings – I started this some months ago, so I plan to continue and attempt to step it up a notch if possible.

· Paying down/off debt – I have one store credit card and Visa with a measly balance I’d like to completely pay off. And with shear determination and some self discipline I can do them both in one year. Then I’ll be able to concentrate on my mastercard and student loans.

· Hair maintenance – I wear a pony tail entirely too frequently, so I’m gonna commit to a better hair care regimen.

· Home Projects – new windows, new ceiling fan, new living room lighting, new carpet downstairs

· Healthy living – I’d like to lose at least 15 pounds and exercise at least twice a week. I understand that by exercising the weight loss might turn to weight gain because muscles, but I’m cool with that, better fab than flab. Additionally, I’d like to increase my fruit and vegetable intake and cut down on the snacking.

· School – maintain focus to finish in December

· Hobbies – take some classes for professional development as well as fun. I’d really like to take a class in cake decorating and banking & investing.

· Reading – expand my reading selections; my personal reading preference is fiction by African American authors, well I’d like to expand to include self-help (personal finance) and mystery

· Living – this year I’ve been much of a homebody, sitting around awaiting invitations to go out and be about. Well in 09, I aint having it. If I have to hit up happy our all by my lonesome, well I’ll do just that. I want to get out more; after all I have one life to live, so I might as well live it. Tomorrow is not promised people!

So there you have it, my New Year resolutions. Now what shall I do to bring in the New Year?

Whatever you do, please be safe!

I wish you a HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Still passing, reimburse me.........

Not sure if I mentioned that my employer does tuition reimbursement. Upon submission of proof of registration they give you half the cost and then the other half upon successful completion of the course. And as such I'm entitled to the other half for the class I just took. (I did say I didn't so well, but I passed.)

Can we say:

RUN ME MY MONEY!

Off to complete and submit the necessary paperwork.

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Not so great performance

Well I checked my grading information and it seems my last minute efforts didn’t prove too impressive. I didn’t do so well in the class and will have to re-take it this coming semester.

There is a slight glimmer in this, if that’s possible, class doesn’t start until February 2 and runs through May 15. So I have two more weeks of rest and relaxtion before class starts again.

I'm off to register. Have a good day!


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Yeah, I’m lazy……

I’d been meaning to post over the long weekend, but well……..it felt too dang on good doing absolutely NADA.

I left work abit earlier than the scheduled 3 pm departure. I had to hit up AC Moore to get a gingerbread house for my little cousin and I to make. And they were sold out, so I settled for the gingerbread tree. Then I hit the grocery store, which was crowded……what did I expect right. At any rate I met my aunt for a sec and then went to pick up my little cousin.

He and I had a nice time putting together the gingerbread house. It really takes time and patience doing that and man I was so ready to give up and toss it in the trash. But we pressed on and finished. Of course it looked nothing like the box, but it was cool and we were happy with the end results.

After dropping my little cousin off home, I got back home and attempted to coax hubby into opening up one of his gifts. His response: “No, it’s not Christmas yet.” LOL

Thursday morning, I was jolted awake on several occasions by repeated text messages: “Merry Christmas”……..I think I finally got out of bed about 12:30. I went downstairs to grab a cup of Gatorade and my new coat was hanging just outside of the kitchen……I got such a kick out of hubby’s creative way of presenting it to me. And being the big kid that I am, I put on my new coat and made some eggo waffles.

Hubby headed out about 4:30 to his parents house and I was about 45 minutes behind him. And then about 7 we headed to my mother’s house where her side of the family was gathering. We did a white elephant gift exchange that’s always fun. This year, three people showed up unprepared, so my mother had to provide two extra gifts and an aunt provided an extra. Well, seems folks done up and forgot the guidelines. Two aunt purchased gag gifts that weren’t worth the agreed upon amount of $25. And guess who got stuck with one something not worth $25, yep I did. So by the end of the night, two aunts were on probation and will have their gifts checked at the door upon entering next year.

Friday was my oldest god daughter’s 16th birthday. So I headed over her house to put up decorations for the party we had. I put forth some serious effort and love into the favors and was glad to hear that people liked them. All in all a good time was had by the birthday girl, who made out with a nice chunk of cash, and everyone else in attendance. And by the time I finally got home about 8 I was exhausted and headed straight for bed. Of course I wound up watching TV and blog hopping.

Saturday was really relaxing. I finally left he house about 4 and headed to return some items and grab some lunch. I met up with an old friend and chatted. Oh, and I purchased a new pair of shoes…….I know I shouldn’t have, but they were on sale and who can pass up a great deal on shoes? Certainly not I.

And yesterday..........can we say pajamas all day? Yep, I was in the house all day. I think I finally got out of the bed about 1 and then took a nap about 2:30. JUST PLAIN OLE LAZY! I did wash and put away a few loads of clothes.

Hope you had a GREAT holiday.


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Fwd: I Believe

Another little something that was sent to me via e-mail:

Things you should believe

A Birth Certificate shows we were born

A Death Certificate shows we died
Pictures show we lived!

Have a seat...Relax. ..And read this slowly.

I Believe...
Just because two people argue,doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue, doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe...
We don't have to change friends if
We understand friends change.

I Believe....
No matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe...
True friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I Believe...
You can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I Believe...
it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I Believe...
You should always leave loved ones with
Loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe...
You can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe...
We are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe...
Either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe...
Heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of consequences.

I Believe...
Money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe...
My best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I Believe...
Sometimes the people you expect to kick you When you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...
Sometimes when I'm angry, I have the right to be angry, But that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe...
Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had And what you've learned from them, and less to do With how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe...
It isn't always enough to be forgiven by others; Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself..

I Believe...
No matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe...
Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, But we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe...
You shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different..

I Believe...
Your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...
Even when you think you have no more to give, when A friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...
Credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of anything



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Inspirational Message

If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I think I am living for, in detail, and ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for. Between these two answers you can determine the identity of any person.
~ Thomas Merton





Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Fwd: Text message

The Police are looking for someone wearing a diaper and bicycle helmet carrying a bag of tater tots. Are you drunk again?



I thought it was rather funny.......so I had to post it....





Peace, Blessings and Laughs

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Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Fwd: 12 Days of Christmas

My aunt sent this to me via e-mail and I thought I'd share it.

The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership and Mercy.
The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control
The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.
The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone!

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

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Peace, Blessings and Laughs

30 days????

So I previously mentioned waiting on pins and needles for the final grade from the class I took this past fall semester. Well I just checked and still no grade. So I called the school to inquire about a deadline for submitting final grades and was told:

online class - 30 days from the last day of class

So, the professor has until January sometime to submit my grade. That is so WHACK.


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Countless down with 5 to go.......

I can't believe I still have gifts to get........woo's me. I totally forgot about my younger cousins. So now I have them (3) and my step father and husband left. At least I have a general idea of what I'm getting. And it goes a lil sumtin like this:

Cuz A - gift card for Target

Cuz B - gift card for Bath & Body Works

lil Cub G - something Pooh bear
Stepfather - Omaha Steaks, from my oldest niece

Hubby - Omaha burgers; his gift is a ski trip, so I've booked the trip and will frame the printed reservations. But I want him to have something to unwrap for Christmas.

And I just thought about it, I guess I have to get something from my oldest niece for my mother, so I'll grab a gift basket from Bath & Body Works.

Dang, I need to $25 gifts for the white elephant gift exchaneg we do.........I wonder if I can skip out of here early today?????

Oh, and I decided to give my grandmother a 8x10 picture of my nieces, so I need a frame for that.

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Decent weekend

I had a pretty decent weekend. I didn’t do anything Friday night, but Saturday I awoke with a list of tasks I wanted to complete. And first up was the post office to mail my holiday cards. Yeah, I know I’m late. I got to the post office and the stamp machine wasn’t working and the sales counters were closed. I was shocked to say the least, the busiest time of the year and no sales counters?

Next stop was the library. I had quite a few books on hold and needed to return two. I returned Secret Life of Bees even though I still hadn’t finished it, but someone else had reserved it so I had to return it. I did get to Keeping Misery Company by Michelle Larks. It was a really good book, had me all tearing up and what not. Moving right along…..I picked up 9 books and finished reading one of the books already. I read Just Too Good To Be True by E. Lynn Harris in two days.

So I’m thinking if I can read one book in a weekend, provided it was a page turner, I can get some serious reading done. Huh, I’ll have to keep that in mind. At any rate, my plans were to read three books over the course of this 5 week school break, so that’s two down and one to go. And the way it looks I’ll surpass that goal; I have 8 books at home and 6 more to pick up from the library. I wonder how many I can get thru.

Dang this will be sort of a long post……..

After the library I dropped the books off at home and grabbed the items I needed to return. I hit A. C. Moore to return an item and re-purchase with a coupon I had. Then my mother called with a gift suggestion for my step father, so I hit up the Best Buy and grab that. I ran into my mother at Kohl’s, she wants perfume by Gwen Stephani, where I grabbed a gift for my niece from my grandmother.

Next stop was Kmart to return a slew of items I had put on layaway for both nieces. And I go a few pairs of pants for my cousin’s baby as well. Then I headed to the grocery store for a book of stamps to mail the holiday cards, and then to the post office for mailing. I was back home by 6 and proceeded to read that book and couldn’t put it down until the wee hours of the morning.
Sunday, I just lounged for the morning. I was hoping my little cousin would call me to tell me he was going to church. That way he and I could have hung out for the rest of the day. But my mother in law called first, so she and I rolled out to Annapolis Mall. And as soon as I picker her up, my little cousin calls and asks me to pick him up. I agree to pick him up when I get back from the mall.

After my trip to the mall where the only gift I got out of the way was my great grandmother, I headed on over to pick my cousin up and we went to visit my maternal grandmother. We dropped off some wrapping paper and addressed some cards for her. The night ended with lil cuz and I hitting up Target, eating pizza rolls and me taking him home.
So yeah, I’d say I had a pretty decent weekend. I’m looking forward to this coming weekend already.


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Cold? More like FREEZING!

To say it's cold in the DMV (DC, MD & VA area) would be a huge UNDERSTATEMENT.

It's freezing outside.

Has me yearning for hot cocoa and I don't even like hot cocoa. So instead I'll go grab a cup of hot tea.

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

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Peace, Blessings and Laughs

I’m cool, are you cool? Anthony Hamilton cd review

Anthony Hamilton’s latest cd was released Tuesday 12/16/08 and being the fan I am, I had to go grab a copy. When I got to work Wednesday I put it on and with the exception of the first single nothing really stood out to me. But I had to give it a try, so when I got in the car that evening to drive out to Laurel, I popped it in the cd player and really gave it a listen.

The first song to grab my attention is track number 4: Diamond in the Rough. Anthony sings about meeting someone that has been thru some things and him wanting to make things better for her.

Next is track #5: I Did it For Sho, man I’ve been grooving…….the melody has me smiling……anyway it’s about him finding someone that give him those things he missed in his previous relationships. I can’t stop cheesing and bopping to this one, so it’ll stay on repeat in my cd player for a while. I think I’ll get niecey this weekend so she can dance with me; she likes to act silly with me. Yeah I know, that bit had nothing to do with the cd review.

The next attention grabber for me is # 10 – Falling in Love. When it first came on I immediately thought of the Temptations. And of course I’m bouncing to the catchy tune about his meeting someone and his being drawn to her and the feeling of love hitting him.

Track # 11 – Prayin’ For You/Superman – is a catchy tune that has me bouncing along, the tune reminds of the country and everyday items used as musical instruments. The track then switches to a bluesy melody that has me swaying right along with the music.

Tracks 12 & 13: Her Heart – an angelic tune about finding someone that has been there for him through the good and bad. Fine Again – a nice mellow tune about getting by and through those tough times.

It’s interesting that with this cd I’ve gravitated more to the up tempo tracks, when normally I prefer the ballads.

The cd also includes:
# 1 – The News
# 2 – Cool (first single)# 3 – The Day We Met
# 6 - Hard to Breathe
# 7 – Soul’s on Fire
# 8 – Please Stay# 9 – The Point of It All – title track
# 14 – She’s Gone (bonus track)

I’m sure as with his other cds, the more I listen they will ALL grow on me. But it’s definitely a keeper, if I had a mp3 player this entire cd would be in rotation.

Don’t take my word for it, go grab the cd and get Cool like Anthony Hamilton and I.

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

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Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Holiday Eating

Ok, so you know how I’m always talking about food……oh maybe you don’t know. At any rate Monday was the departmental holiday lunch. We went next door to Capital Grille. And boy was it a treat. I’d never been there before, but I had suggested it to hubby as a place for one of our monthly night out dining options.

The ambiance is quite nice if I may say so myself. If you want a romantic lunch for two or a business lunch for more, it can serve any purpose and it’s a really chic place. On to the food, the bread was much to write home about, but it was warm and the butter was NOT cold. *don’t you just hate when restaurants serve warm bread, but give you that frozen butte, urgh* Moving on, three people ordered soups for appetizers and the bowl was huge and piping hot. And they gave you just enough time to allow the appetizer to settle before bringing out your entrée. I had the Seasame Seared Salmon Salad with Miso vinegarette. Doesn’t that just sound fab????? And it was really good. Two people ordered the Lobster Crab burger, someone else ordered an entrée sized salad while others had steak. I don’t blame them either, it was someone else’s dime, why not eat up. Everyone was really pleased with their respective entrees.

Dessert was another treat, oh my. I had the cheesecake with fresh berries. Can I say it was beyond wonderful. Just thinking about it has my mouth watering.

Well all that to say, if you are ever in the DC area and looking for a nice place to eat check out the Capital Grille on Pennsylvania Ave in downtown DC.



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

No Grade

Dang.......I'm sitting on pins and needles awaiting my final grade from my last class. I got or shall I say the group project received a 78/100, which isn't bad considering there was major last minute efforts. And my conference participation grade was 60/100 and the mid term was 75/100.......so the final exam is the deal breaker.

I shall return with the results........fingers crossed!


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Fwd: The Good Napkins

This was too funny not to share:

The Good Napkins

Ahhhhh . . . The Joys of Having Girls . . .

My mother taught me to read when I was four years old (her first mistake).
One day I was in the bathroom and noticed one of the cabinet doors was ajar.
I read the box in the cabinet.
I then asked my mother why she was keeping 'napkins' in the bathroom.
Didn't they belong in the kitchen?
Not wanting to burden me with unnecessary facts,
she told me they were for 'special occasions' (her second mistake).

Now fast forward a few months . . . It's Thanksgiving Day
and my folks are leaving to pick up my uncle and aunt for dinner.
Mom had assignments for all of us while they were gone.
Mine was to set the table.

When they returned, my uncle came in first and immediately burst out laughing.
Next came his wife who gasped, then began giggling.
Next came my father who roared with laughter.
Then came mom, who almost died of embarrassment
when she saw each place setting on the table with a
'special occasion' Kotex napkin at each plate with the fork carefully arranged on the top.
My mother asked me why I used these and of course my response
sent the other adults into further fits of laughter.
"But mom, you said they were for special occasions!"

Pass this on to your girlfriends who need a laugh or anyone who has a daughter!

Life is too short for drama and petty things,
so kiss slowly, laugh insanely,
love truly and forgive quickly . . .
and for heaven's sake, use the good napkins whenever you can!

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

You Are Peaceful and Appreciative

You approach the holidays with harmony and thoughtfulness. You realize the holidays can be a hard time for some people, and you're there to lend your support. Not only do you enjoy giving during the holidays, you enjoy receiving greetings, love, and gifts. You graciously appreciate every holiday gesture made in your honor. Of all the types, you are the most likely to give a gift that's meaningful for you and the recipient. You're also the most likely to hand deliver as many of your gifts as possible.

The Wrapping Paper Test

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Christmas TV Programs

Over the weekend I got the chance to see two holiday tv programs. Both aired on TV-1. The first, Santa Baby, had me singing all night long. My little cousin who was visiting was tired of the song by the time I took him back home.

At any rate it was an animated hour long show about the wish of this little girl. She saved a birdie from an accident or something and the birdie, the voice of Pattie LaBelle, granted her a wish. Her wish was for a hit song for her father. Her father is a song writer who is in need of a holiday song, and has been grumpy because he has been unable to compose one. So the birdie puts the father through some tasks, new job, volunteer services to name a few, all in the name of giving him a new outlook on the holiday and what it means. I won’t give away any more details, but I do encourage you to check your local listings to see if and when it will air again to tune in.

Next up was The Boy Who Loved Christmas. I missed the first 20 minutes, but it was a really cute story of a little boy who had been thru more than enough foster parents and finally lands with the perfect adoptive parents. Tragedy strikes the adoptive couple leaving only one parent, and social services had a problem with that. So the child is taken away from that stable environment and put back in the system only to be moved around again. Again, I won’t give away any more details; it was a really cute movie that had me tearing up.

I am so looking forward to watching more holiday programs………


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

You Are a Seasonal Latte

Your holiday personality is energetic. The holidays give you a bit of a natural buzz, and you tend to get a lot done. You are an expert on the holidays, and people often rely on you for support. You know the best places to shop - and the best seasonal lattes to drink.

What Holiday Drink Are You?

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Oh so WRONG

With a minute to spare I finally completed my end of the month tasks. I played it pretty close this month. I started yesterday as I planned, but of course I was lured into laxing. The company had it's holiday party yesterday from 3-5:30 pm. I only planned to go grab a plate or two and come back to my office and work. But naw, they were giving away gift cards and what not, so I wound up hanging around, and when I finally left I came back to my office and commenced to reading blogs.......I know shame on me. And then today I didn't do any better, I goofed off and around until dang on 4:30 and then put my worker bee cap on and put it down. So I can breathe a sigh of relief that come Monday morning my work is completed and accounted for.



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Your Snow Test Says You're Independent

You feel like something good will happen to you in the next few months. You have an amazingly strong work ethic. You are likely to be very successful in life. You are an independent, individualistic person. You thrive when you're doing your own thing. Your biggest worry in life is your family. You stay up at night thinking about them. When it comes time to relax, you really indulge. You are all about your favorite comforts.

The Snow Test

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

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Peace, Blessings and Laughs

I've got work to do

So it's Thursday.........cool weekend is right around the corner. Well just my luck that I've looked up and my month end work is due tomorrow. And guess how much of it I've done.......NADA. Yeah shame on me. I can't believe I've laxed this long, actually I can believe it. I' got caught up in my five week break. Remember this post where I state a list of items to handle during my five weeks, well I've done one thing from the list and that is watch the second season of Dexter. And actually I was done with that a few days after I composed the list. I've also started watching the second season of CSI, I'm on the third disk with 3 more to go, and I did start reading a book. I had to put it down (no further comment from me).

Well I'm off to get my work done. I'm shutting my office door and will crank my music up and get my tasks done.



Graphics for Thursday Comments


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

You Are a Cardigan

You are traditional, old-fashioned, and even a little conservative. More than anything else, you are a creature of habit. You haven't changed much over the years. You shy away from flashy ideas, people, fashion, and foods. You have simple tastes. You go for established quality and longevity every time.

What Kind of Sweater Are You?

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Discipline, I've got it.

So I've just shown great discipline by neglecting to run up to the Chop House for a crabcake for lunch. I haven't my crabcake fix in a few weeks, and I'll well over due. But I'll satisfy my craving this weekend. And boy oh boy I can't wait. I just might have a crabcake for lunch and dinner both Saturday and Sunday.

Hope you had a good lunch.

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Fa.ce Bo.ok Addiction????

At first I was skeptical about Fa.cebook. I couldn't understand why people spent so much time on there and what was on there to do. Well, I've been on there for 3 hours today, and I've become a fan of so many things, groups and people. There really is something to this......I think?????



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

FREEDOM

I's free now.........LOL or at least for the next five weeks. I took the final exam yesterday. And man it was a serious BEAST. The first three questions had a page and a half of story before the questions were asked.........and in case you are wondering the class was internal auditing. Well hopefully the class is behind me now, I'll know in a few weeks the final grade.

At any rate........I went to work yesterday with only my purse in tow. No lugging of the tote bag with the excessive papers. And it felt good to walk in the office and put away just my purse and then when it was time to leave just grab my purse and roll........

So for the next five weeks I'm free to stay up late reading a book.......................




or free sleep in on the weekends........




or free to watch movies all weekend long......this feels really good!

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

McD's commercial

This is too cute:




Peace, Blessings and Laughs

I made a list

Just before entering my local Target, I actually sat in my car for 10 minutes jotting down items I needed to pick up. Awhile back I went to Target to pick up one or two things and left the store having spent about $80. To avoid that from happening, I decided to draw up a list. My list included:

Ketchup
vitamin water
soup (5)
mozzarella sticks
cheetos
broccoli
brush
parmesan cheese (grated)

Well I'm happy to report, with the exception of that Glade candle jumping in my basket and onto the counter I made it out with just the items on my list.


Ok, bad to studying.......Hope you are enjoying your weekend.


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

A New gem

I think I’ve found a new gem for my lunch time meals:

Classic Tomato soup (C.ampbell’s Sou.p at Han.d) and Cheetos. Yum. I don’t know why it has taken me so long to discover this combination, but I’m glad I finally came around. And it’s light on my pockets. Soup is always on sale at the grocery store or at Target and then I can easily grab a bundle of cheetos snack size bags or even buy the big bag to get me thru a week.

So next week, I’m gonna have soup and cheetos everyday.
I’m sure I’ll be totally tired of this combination after day 2.

Happy Friday to Ya.
Have a great Weekend.


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

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Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Christmas shopping list

Every year I try to complete my Christmas shopping by the 15th of the month. And every year I come really close. Last year it was my oldest niece and my husband’s gifts that sent me back out. Well this year, I’ve budgeted and I’m attempting yet again to complete my shopping by the 15th.

Here’s the list of whom I am giving gifts this year:

· Hubby – not sure
· Mother – giftcard: Visa
· Stepfather - giftcard
· Niece 1 – clothes and one toy
· Niece 2 – clothes and one toy
· Godchild 1(birthday 12/26) – giftcards: Aeropostale, American Eagle and iTunes
· Godchild 2 (birthday 12/10) – giftcards: Claires and bookstore
· God child 1 sister (birthday 12/30) – giftcards: Justice, Claires
· Grandmother – giftcard: Visa

So far I’ve purchased two giftcards (for my oldest god child and her sister) and I put several clothing items on layaway for my nieces. My mother and grandmother will be easy; I’ll just grab a Visa gift card for them both. My stepfather and Hubby are my biggest challenges. Hubby has a habit of going through my bags, so I think I’ll hide his gifts at his parents house, that is if I can come up with some gift ideas for him.

How's your holiday shopping coming along?

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Semester Break

I take my final exam December 7 (this Sunday) and then I’ll have about 5 weeks to rest, relax and unwind. Normally I read books during these semester breaks. But this time around I want to plan out my tasks to include some other items that I’ve allowed to fall by the way side. For instance, home projects.

So here’s a list of items I’d like to do during my upcoming 5 week semester break:

· I need to have someone come out and give me an estimate on replacing the carpet in the living room and possibly the stairs.
· Watch the second season of Dexter
· Watch the second season of CSI (the original)
· Purchase a new ceiling fan and have installed
· Get an estimate for window replacement
· Read at least 3 books

Usually this list would include the titles for 5 books. But I think a variation will work wonders.



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

A Gift for Hubby

Every year I’m perplexed what to get my husband for Christmas. And this year is no different. During the year he gets shirts, jeans and ties amongst other things. So this makes it increasing hard for me to decide what to do for Christmas, and it doesn’t help that his birthday is January 12.

I’ve flirted with the idea of taking him to the Poconos for the weekend and that would serve as his Christmas and birthday gifts. But costs always makes me change my mind. So again, I’m back to the drawing board.

Last month I made a laundry list of items I could get him. On that list was a new George Forman grill. The one he presently uses only allows two pieces of meat at a time. So I thought it would be great if he could throw 4 pieces on at once and be done. Well guess what, I forgot that we got a huge indoor grill as a wedding gift that we haven’t used. So I convinced him to go get that from storage and we’ll use that.

But yet again, I’m back at the drawing board……..

Any suggestions?


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Black Friday purchases……

Normally I don’t venture out on Black Friday. I think two years ago, my mother and I headed up to the outlets a few hours after Thanksgiving dinner to catch some sales. Then headed on up to Delaware land of no sales tax to hit up the mall for some deals…….

This year I wasn’t up for all of that……at any rate I finally rolled out the house about 5pm and headed to the mall to see what was left that I could scoop up. And boy oh boy did I get somethings………I came home with some bags and did my dance…..Hubby had a good laugh.

I picked up 4 sweaters and 2 turtlenecks from JC Penney for a grand total of $41…..thanks to a coupon I clip which gave me $10 off $50.

I also got a body butter from The Body Shop for $5. Now this was a real still, their body butters normally go for $20.

Old Navy was decent as well…..they had jeans for $15 and shirts for $5. I got 2 shirts and one pair of jeans, although the sales clerk talked me into going one size smaller on the jeans, only to get them home and I needed my actual size. So I’ll have to exchange or return them.

My last stop was Kmart…….they had shirts and turtlenecks for $4 so of course I grabbed a few……and then I put some shirts and sweats on layaway for my nieces…….

I just love finding deals.

Did you do any Black Friday Shopping?



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Monday again!

Dang it’s Monday again. I can’t believe my favorite holiday has come and gone. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

So back to the daily grind we go……..


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

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Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Just Lazy

I don’t have a real excuse for not posting much/anything these past few days/week. I did get caught with my high school reunion website, and then I got caught up with facebook. But to tell the truth, I could have actually blogged about those. And it’s not that I had a boat load of work to do either, I’ve just been lazy. Pure and simple. I caught the lazy spell right before the trip to Mexico and I just can’t shake it. I have so much to catch up on, but I’m stuck in this lazy rut.

I have a group project (for school) due Dec 7, and I’ve barely attempted to complete my portion. And guess when I am scheduled to take the final exam…………………yep Dec 7. I’ve lost my footing and now I have 12 days to catch up with 15 weeks of school material…….wish me luck.

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Weekend Recap

My weekend was really cool…..I got in a lot of relaxation. Much more than I anticipated.

First up was Friday night’s party, I was the first one there……..and can I just say I was on my phone texting people like it was my party. I was too thru. Even the hostess was an hour late, and she had the nerve to say that she put 7:30 hoping people we arrive by 8 and she didn’t show up until 8:30. The birthday girl finally got there about 9:30………But it was cool, a real nice little spot just off the U Street corridor. Parking was a beast, but that’s DC for ya. At any rate I stayed much longer than I wanted to, because of all the late arrivals, and I missed Lipstick Jungle…….yeah I actually thought I could be home by 10 pm.

Saturday I attempted to sleep until 12, but that was halted about 9:30 when my stepmother called…….LOL. So, I got up and called for my niece who was over her grandmother’s house. I was told she’d call me in a few so that she could spend the day and night with me. Guess what, that call never came. Yeah and I was in the house until about 4. I finally left the house and headed to the library to pick up the second season of CSI (the original). I’m like really hooked on that show. Oh and Dexter, the showtime channel show on the forensics specialist that’s also a killer……..

At any rate I was on a hunt to find some Apple Cider packets. But to no avail.

And yesterday, again I was in the house until 4. I had to visit my oldest god child, she got all A’s and one B on her report card, so I needed to take her a card and gift card to reward her for the good effort in school.

After that I was headed back home for a visit from my father and step mother. They offered some insight on the family movement we’ve been trying to get together.

It seems I keep getting distracted from completing this post. So I’ll end it here and bid everyone a:

HAPPY MONDAY!



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Caught up......

Ok, so I've been caught up on two other network sites that I've neglected my blog.......how rude. A high school mate has started a website for our class and the past few days I've been caught up observing and re-connecting with those I graduated with.

And then there's facebook, ah hum bug..........that think is too complicated. I'm sure I'm making it worse by not taking the time to read anything. But goodness, who has the time to do all of that.

At any rate, I'll be sure to make a few substantial posts over the weekend or next week. Cause really aint jack else going on with me. I've fallen behind in school and a group project is due the top of next month. Not too mention I'm supposed to get my niece this weekend, so how the heck am I gonna manage.......in fact this is the list of tasks I need to complete this weekend:

*get my niece
*costco
*visit Jazz
*scan and upload pics
*homework
*group project assignment
*burlington coat factory
*visit cuzn
*hit the track for an hour or so
*wash at least three loads of clothes
*iron clothes for next two work weeks

I'm sure there are a few other things I'm supposed to do as well, but I can't readily recall at the moment. And I'm supposed to go out today after work, so that's not helping much. But then next week is a 3 day work week.

Anyway.......hope you are having a GREAT FRIDAY, and have a good weekend.



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

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Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Fwd: Inspirational Message

If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I think I am living for, in detail, and ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for. Between these two answers you can determine the identity of any person.
~ Thomas Merton


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Randoms

I've finally caught up some on my blog reading. I have about 300 or so posts to go thru.

If McCain had won, would he commit to working with Obama, as Obama is said to be committed to working with McCain?

If Hilary had won, would she have chosen Obama as her Secretary of State?




Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Sipping

I saw something online yesterday for Lemon Ginger Echinacea Tea. So last night I went to my local grocery store looking for it. And the closet I got was this:

And it's really tasty......I've been sipping on it all day. I've had two cups so far and I'm debating whether or not to go make a third cup.

I'll definitely have to keep this in my cupboard for the winter weekends.

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Vacation recap

Ok, so I have a few minutes to spare. Let me briefly and quickly recap my Mexico vacation.

We left Saturday morning with no real major issues to report. Although we allowed a salesman to waste about 20 minutes of our time when we first arrived in Mexico. He was trying to get us to attend a timeshare presentation.
The drive to the resort was about 45-50 minutes, and the driver barely spoke English. The check in process when we arrived at our resort was fine, no delay or problems. That evening we didn’t do much but relax, unwind and walk thru the resort. Although it was dark we snapped a few pics…..LOL

The first full day, we got an early morning call 8 am from our resort rep reminding us to meet her at 12 noon for a little chit chat. She told us about some excursions and let us know when to check for our pick up information for our departure. We then had lunch and went to the beach and pool.

Tuesday we pretty much relaxed and spent time on the beach and pool side again. Tuesday night the featured entertainment was Moulin Rouge. The group did good and I enjoyed the show.

Wednesday we rode ATV’s, and got so dirty it was a mess………..I mean my black eyebrows were brown from all the dirt and dust…….it was funny. But I had a good time. Wednesday night was the Michael Jackson show. The backup dancers were really good, although Michael look-a-like was abit stiff.

Thursday Mister went scuba diving in the morning while I laid around. Then we had lunch, went to the beach where I kayaked for the first time. Now, I can’t swim so I was too scared to venture beyond the barriers.

Friday we did the Tulum tour. There weren’t as many stone buildings as I thought. But the beach was beautiful. This was a half day activity, so once we got back we grabbed a bite to eat and headed down to 5th Avenue. And can I just say it was much more than I expected. I was thinking we were headed to a little flea market, but to my surprise there were countless stores, they even had a Johnny Rockets and Starbucks. We walked around for about 3 hours before catching a cab back to the resort.

Saturday morning we bid farewell to our room and the resort as we headed back home. The first leg of the trip was cool, but the second………man this lady behind us complained so dang on much I wanted to slap the taste out of her mouth.

And then Sunday, well I had a list of things I wanted to get done, but all I did was lay around the house all dang on day. And now that Monday is gone, I’m hoping today (Tuesday) and tomorrow will go by quickly. But it aint even noon yet!

Hope you are having a splendid Tuesday!



Peace, Blessings and Laughs

I's grinding

I've been pretty caught up thus far with work. So no real time for a post. But I'll definitely do a brief summary of my week in Mexico in a few hours or so. I didn't anticipate being this busy today, but I should have expected. I mentally noted the first few things I needed to get done when I got here:

* complete timesheet
* check and catch up on e-mails
* expense reports
* daily batches

But in addition to that, I've been trying to catch up on my blog reading as well. I had well over one thousand posts to read. And as you can imagine that is quite a task. Not too mention my supervisor came in and reminded me of a deadline tomorrow COB for monthly tasks to be completed. So I'm hoping that by 5 I can start type up my vacation summary and post.

Hope you are having a good day!


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

You Are a Learning Cook

You've got the makings of an excellent cook, and the desire to be one. But right now, you're just lacking the experience. You couldn't be a top chef yet, but you could be an apprentice.

Are You A Good Cook?

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

You Are the Bow Pose

You are an open hearted person. You seek connections and make them easily. You are naturally generous - especially with your love and your time. You have a knack for thinking up interesting ideas. You are an inventor and a creator. You approach everything in life with a relaxed attitude. You accept what you can't change.

What Yoga Pose Are You?

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Your Rapper Name Is...

Brooklyn Assassin

What's Your Rapper Name?

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

I'm back

Hey Blog world.......I'm back from my Mexican vacation. And it was great, I started typing up details when I first got there, but after the first day......um, well what had happened was: Shucks I was on vacation. So for the details, it'll be brief and from memory, which these days is not so great. I'll provide them in a post later this week. But for now I thought I'd share some photos:


Here's a picture of the water fountain at the pool:



Here's me in my get-up for the ATV, nope I didn't drive:

I sat down for a bite to eat the first full day and I look to my left and this is what I saw:

I was totally amazed as the blue water called out to me!

And here's another pic of the beach and water:

We rode ATV's to this park with a pond or lake (can't readily recall the name) but this is the water:

Hope you are having a good weekend!

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

The Castle Personality Test

You are scared of new experiences. It's hard for you to break outside of your comfort zone. You like to think that people see you as dramatic and fascinating. You do your best to seem mysterious. You are a very realistic person. You see the world as it is, flaws and all. Right now, you feel like the whole world is open to you. You see lots of possibilities. Overall, your life is dramatic and unpredictable. You life in interesting times. You are extremely optimistic about the future. You feel like things are always getting better.

The Castle Personality Test

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

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Peace, Blessings and Laughs

What Your Love of Twizzlers Says About You

You have a short attention span and are easily distracted. Your eye can't help but drift toward colorful, bold things. You are a a total kid at heart, and you're drawn toward anything fun. You're the type most likely to eat candy as much as you can!

What Does Your Favorite Candy Say About You?

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Happy 3rd Wedding Anniversary

Three years and I'm still in love with my hubby!





Peace, Blessings and Laughs

The Part of You That No One Sees

You are compassionate, caring, and soothing. You like other people to depend on you... In fact, you don't feel right unless you are helping someone out. Underneath it all, you feel the burden of everyone's problems. Without your guidance, you fear that many people's worlds would fall apart. You like to feel in charge, even if it brings you a lot of stress.

What's the Part of You That No One Sees?

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

You Are a Maze

You can be confusing, tiring, and deceptive. But at the end of it all, you're sweet. You believe there are many ways to get to an answer... And you are willing to explore every single one of them!

What'>http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofpuzzleareyouquiz/">What Kind of Puzzle Are You?

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

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Peace, Blessings and Laughs

You Are 4% Nerdy

You are definitely not nerdy - in fact, you probably don't know any nerds. You probably care a little too much about your image. No one will know if you secretly watch Star Trek reruns!

How Nerdy Are You?

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Cake and Food pics

I forgot to post this picture of the cake I made for my familyt gathering:

Looks scrumptious doesn't it? I made cupcakes and mini cheesecakes as well, but I didn't get a chance to get a picture of them.

I've been trying to find a class for cake decorating. Yep, I've tried my local Michael's and AC Moore. Both retailers offer the class, however none are convinent for me. So I'll keep looking, until then I'll practice on my own.

Here are pics of food the gathering had to offer:

There wasn't much leftover. In fact, there was barely enough for people to take home. I guess that's a good sign that the food was good.

I think for the next gathering I'll try making another dish in addition to a cake.

Oh, my cousin is planning to have a little something for her birthday in January. I offered to make her a cake and some cupcakes. I think I like baking........or maybe it's the opportunity to practice cake decorating.

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

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Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Fwd: The Donkey

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a large well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer looked down into the well and tried to figure out what to do.

Finally, he decided that the animal was way to old, and the well was useless and just needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the old donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and loudly cried.

Then, to everyone's amazement he got very quiet.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing.

He would shake it off and take a step up on the dirt.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal.... he would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up each time. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping and never giving up! Shake it off and always take a step up.

Remember some simple rules to be happy:
Free your heart from hatred --- Forgive.
Free your mind from worries --- Most never happen.
Live simply and appreciate what you have.
Give more.
Expect less.

NOW ..........
Enough of that crap ... The donkey about an hour later came back, and bit the farmer who had tried to bury him. The deep gash from the bite got infected and the farmer eventually died in agony from horrid shock.

MORAL FROM TODAY'S LESSON:
When you do something wrong, and try to cover your ass, it always comes back to bite you.


Peace, Blessings and Laughs

There Are 5 Gaps in Your Knowledge

Where you have gaps in your knowledge: Philosophy Religion History Science Art Where you don't have gaps in your knowledge: Economics Literature

Do You Have Gaps in Your Knowledge?

Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Fwd: Text Messages

I received a few funny text messages over the course of the day and wanted to share them.


Make sure you drink a lot of water today; it’s gonna be a lot of salty crackers out today.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


DC was off the hook last night. The democrats were celebrating, and the republican kept calling the police.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


They didn’t want to give us 40 acres & a mule, so dammit we will take 50 states and a white house!




Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Nose in the air

For the better part of the day, I’ve been walking around with my nose in the air. Why, might you ask……well I smell change. The very same change that has been brewing since Barack Obama announced his candidacy for President. And last night, well it was solidified when he was announced the elected president. So yeah, my nose is in the air.

You see I had and gave excuse after excuse for me being a slacker. I wasn’t too serious about things as I should have. I should have pressed forward and harder. Yet, I got complacent and procrastination became the name of my game. But yesterday’s victory will serve to drive me to greater heights and unimaginable success. I always knew the sky was the limit, but Barack serves as tangible evidence that there are NO limits to what and who we can become and achieve.

So from this point going forward, NO EXCUSES!

No more saying: but, can’t, don’t, or won’t……..……those words should be buried from our vocabulary.






Peace, Blessings and Laughs

Say what now:

I'm at a loss for words......things feel so unreal.........so I'll just post pics:










Peace, Blessings and Laughs

My Polling place and stuff

To record this historical moment, I took my camera with me to the polling place to capture some pictures...........

This is the sign leading to my polling place:

This is the beginning of the line:

Seems, folks started lining up at 5 am..........Mister arrived at 6:45, I got there about 7:15.

This is the first sign as you get closer:

You are close at this point:

Signs up on the doors just before you enter:

As you can see the sign prohibits the use of celluar phones.........slim behind us had a wireless earpiece in and was on the phone when we got in area.......poll workers had to tell him he couldn't talk on the phone!

The last sign before entering building:

Overall, not a bad experience..........my feet are aching from the standing, but it was worth it.

Peace, Blessings and Laughs