fa la la la, la la la!

I love Christmas lights. 
ALL of them!! 
I wish we could have Christmas lights up all year! 
I love the colored one, warm white, cool white, big bulbs, tiny fairy lights, the cool new LED lights, the old ones that are faded and the red looks more like the color of tomato soup and there isn't any purple. I love the icicle lights and the new dripping lights. I love the net lights that people throw over their bushes and hedges. I love big lighted reindeer. I love them when they twinkle and when they don't. I love the tiny little colored fairy lights around my work computer right now, that are battery operated. I love it when people wrap lights up their tree trunks. Seriously, you don't have to do much to participate either. Just throw a strand on a bush! Put one around your door. Oh! I love the 10+ story apartment building when lots of residents put lights on their balconies. I love it when the Christmas tree is in the front window and it's all lit up. It's so cheerful!!

art

My fella and I watched an old movie a couple weeks ago about Michelangelo starring Charlton Heston called, The Agony and the Ecstasy. It was alright. This past weekend we started watching the Vincent Van Gogh movie called, Lust for Life, starring Kirk Douglas. We didn't watch the whole thing. Van Gogh was kind of a nut. Anyway, there was a line in the movie where another character asked Van Gogh what he wanted to do. He said, I want to paint something that moves people and inspires them. He wanted people to look at his painting and think, he felt deeply and tenderly.

Have you ever been moved by art? Excluding music/theater/movies. I mean, art...a painting, a drawing, a sculpture. What does it mean, to be moved by art? I don't think I've ever been "moved." Mostly when I see art, I'm captivated by that person's talent. It never has to do with the subject of the painting. Is that weird? But I've never laughed or cried or felt a personal connection, to art. 

I just can't...

I know there is A LOT of material out there for political fodder. But there just shouldn't be so much material for religious fodder! Alas...

Ok, here's the latest;

https://www.wthr.com/article/pastor-defends-giving-wife-200k-lamborghini

My gripes don't even have anything to do with the car though! But first of all, when the people that you "pastor" live paycheck to paycheck, why on earth would post on social media, how rich you are? Could you be anymore insensitive!?!?!? Holy wow!
Next, pretty sure most people feel like being a priest is some kind of calling. At the very least, a passion to serve God and/or people. Yet here you are saying straight out, I am a husband and a father first, and don't confuse what I do with who I am. HYPOCRITE!!! Seriously!?!?!?!
And how about that comment, it is especially important to honor his wife because none of the men born into his family properly modeled how a husband should treat his wife. "One of the things that I was always afraid of is that I wouldn't have what it took to be a good husband, to be a good father because I never saw that." So you believe that in order to be a good man, husband and father and treat them properly, you need to provide them with expensive cars, etc.? Well, all you've really done is proven once again that religion is all about power and control. I would've thought after Jim and Tammy Faye that the public would have had enough of people like you. Ugh

ho ho ha ha

PUBLISHED: DEC 13TH, 2018 - 7:01PM (EST)

UPDATED: DEC 14TH, 2018 - 8:37AM (EST)

A Santa Claus for a new generation may not look like himself - or possibly herself - at all.

A survey of 4,000 people in the United States and United Kingdom by graphic design company GraphicSprings asked respondents what a "re-branded" Santa would be like.

More than 29 percent of Americans who answered the survey said they thought 2018 Santa would be female (10.6%) or gender neutral (18.6%). The UK response was similar.

Among other popular changes, voters thought the new Santa would have an iPhone (9.2%) and wear sneakers (8.3%) as he traveled in his flying (13.8%) or electric car (10%).

And forget the elves: 16.5% of survey respondents said Santa should use Amazon Prime to fulfill the wishes of children around the globe.

The new-look St. Nick would also be a tattooed (7.35%) beer drinker (6.2%) with a new haircut and a better diet.

While the dream of a different Santa is a fun one to envision, more than 70 percent of those surveyed prefer him just the way he is

torture

When your kids were little, were you overly concerned, or even slightly concerned that your kids would get into the aspirin bottle? Or the prescription drug bottle? I don't think I was. I understand that there are a lot REALLY curious kids out there. Also, a lot of irresponsible or disengaged parents. But does everything have to be child proof??? Do you know how hard it is to press down and turn sometimes? Or squeeze in and turn? Especially in the middle of the night when you don't want turn the sun on to see what you're doing! Or these packages;

This is an Rx for migraines. Do you KNOW HOW HARD these are to open?! OMG! As a manufacturer, WHY would torture someone who is in extreme pain like this??? I hate these.
Dear drug makers, trust me when I say, if you're going to charge me $42 a pill, I can absolutely promise you that NO ONE is going to be able to get to these but me! Please let me!!! Why can't you make them like this?

You can get these out, even in the dark, pretty easily. Humph. I'm going to write a letter :-)

How to get a man!

Funniest thing I've read all week!

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/how-to-get-a-husband-cringeworthy-1950s-dating-article-advises-women-to-cry-softly-in-a-corner-and-stumble-into-a-room-to-attract-eligible-men/ar-BBP9NdD?li=BBnb7Kz

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Greetings, family and friends!

 

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of my annual, “I’m Thankful For…” list. Quite a milestone! I have several milestones this year. My husband proposed to me the weekend after Thanksgiving, 30 years ago. I’ve been at my place of employment for 10 years. We celebrated my mom’s 10^th  year cancer free. Both of my nieces  celebrated their children’s 1^st birthdays. Did you celebrate any milestones or achievements this year? What about all those seemingly insignificant things that you take for granted. The things that make up your day. Do you ever stop to celebrate those? Now is the perfect time of year to do that, don’t you think? 

Let’s get started;

 

I am thankful/grateful for;

 

French vanilla creamer in my coffee

Stories – verbal, short or novels

Music from the 70’s

OMG Twins! - again!!!

Choices

Bluetooth hearing aids –music at work is a lot more fun now

Kindness

Gel pens – lots and lots of gel pens

Funko-Pop

Autumn leaves

Sunshine that sparkles on the snow

Technology

Hobby Lobby, for SO MANY reasons

Extroverts

Sweet Tart jelly beans – thankfully, only available at Easter!!

Mosquito repellant

Extra creamy, gooey mac n cheese

Photographs

Fresh food

Backyard birdfeeders

Tomato soup

People that smile a lot and laugh easily

Weekend getaways

 

Every day, I’m thankful for my job, dependable transportation, a place to kick my shoes off at the end of the day, more than I need and everything I want. Every day I’m profoundly thankful for my family – diverse, wacky, challenging at times and all mine. Even the furry ones! I’m so thankful for the endless patience and love of my husband. He still makes me laugh more than anyone else. My life is amazingly blessed every single day. I bet yours is too. 

 

Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

 

Life is full of joy – Bee Happy!

whew!

Thank heavens! The political season is finally over. It was like some crazy 24/7 soul consuming disorder. Ewwwww. Even if you weren't a news watcher, it was impossible to avoid. Ugh. Movin' on....

In October, the most wonderful husband on the planet, seriously, let me drag him up to South Bend to see Garth Brooks in concert. It was a big deal because Notre Dame has never done anything but football in their stadium. Naturally, when they decided to have concerts in the stadium, they had to think "who could fill this stadium?" because it's 85 THOUSAND seats!!! Well, who else...Garth Brooks that's who! I've seen him several times in concert so I don't have to see him again. But...it was Notre Dame. It was an inaugural concert. It was 85 THOUSAND people. Yep. Had to go. 

Notre Dame is a 3 hour drive. It was windy and cold and raining the whole way up. Walking the mile from the parking lot to the stadium, we were rained on, hailed on and sleeted on. While we were waiting inside the concourse of the stadium, it snowed. Not just flurries either. It was like a blizzard for about 15 minutes. The show was delayed 40 minutes. By the time it started it was still super windy and 42 degrees out. Oh yeah, in case you don't know, Notre Dame is an outdoor stadium. It was epic. 

The other big factor was, CBS was filming the concert, which will air on December 2nd. So, here are my likes and dislikes. Going to a concert that's being filmed, is weird. Several times during the show we, the fans, were asked to; cheer louder, clap louder, do the wave, sing it again, sing it again louder, sing it again with the emphasis on the last note, and more. While that was interesting, it made this concert my least favorite, ever. It took so much away from the performance. Part of his appeal is his genuineness, oh and haminess :-) Both of those were missing. I didn't like it. And 3 hour drive home at 11:00 at night was brutal! BUT...every time I've seen him, it's been the 2nd show or the 3rd or 4th night. This was a 1 time gig so his voice was fantastic. I've never heard him sound so great, live. It was awesome! I'm glad we went, but we are just this side of too old for epic shit. 

Cuteness

I admit, after that last post, we TOTALLY need some cute/happy/joyful things!!!

...just Google smiling baby and look what you get!!! JOY!!!
https://www.google.com/search?biw=1280&bih=730&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=c5CSW_iTAaTCjwTn1IGwBg&q=smiling+baby&oq=smiling+baby&gs_l=img.3..0i67j0l9.45649.47217..47424...0.0..0.65.488.8......1....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i7i30j0i10.7d5bpcjvyjM

Hell and damnation

That's what religion is all about. You know why? Because that's where they're going. Hell. Ok, not all of them, but it's just shocking to me the horror delivered by "men of God" Yesterday I was wondering, where will the Catholic Church be in a decade? It's not just the Catholic Church either! It's really shocking. Don't read them all. It's heartbreaking and it will ruin your day. Sorry. But holy shit!!

This is just the most recent in a long history of, what the hell!!??!!?

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/09/05/catholic-priests-arrested-after-allegedly-engaging-in-sex-act-in-car-near-miami-beach-report.html

It's about 2 priests who got busted for having some kind of sex in a car. 

This one is about a bunch of nuns;

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/aug/23/nuns-charged-in-investigation-into-child-abuse-at-smyllum-park

They've really got problems in Australia!

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-42361874

Other religions are just as bad;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_abuse_cases

https://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=7376057

Buzzfeed isn't the most reliable news outlet, (think The Star) but this story is so horrific I couldn't read the whole thing

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/christinekenneally/orphanage-death-catholic-abuse-nuns-st-josephs

There are more. Incredible as it may seem, many, many more. But to be fair, there are several articles like this one out there too;

https://www.catholicleague.org/irelands-mass-graves-story-is-fake-news/

THIS is the most insane...there's actually a website that lists all the priest that have been accused, sued, convicted, et al, of any form of abuse!! This is where the "fake news" loses it's credibility with me.

http://bishop-accountability.org/priestdb/PriestDBbylastName-A.html  

There are 4,530 of them. Let that sink in for a minute.

In today's world, if I were a parent, I would be hard pressed to take my children to church. 

dream, diy, lol, yumO, cuteness, ideas

oh yeah, I'm talking about Pinterest!! 

Are YOU on Pinterest? No?!?!?!?! You should be. It's so awesomely fantastic and magical! Ever wanted to look for ideas on a cowboy themed birthday? Just go to Pinterest and you'll find a thousand ideas! 

Have you ever wanted to learn how to do string art? Uh huh. Pinterest is the place to go.

How about ideas on what to give your neighbors for Christmas?

Looking for yummy healthy food recipes?? Pinterest has them, THOUSANDS of them!

I have over 5000 pictures saved on Pinterest.  I have folders for everything!
Quilling - 1.4k pictures. Like this dot painting that's just screaming to be quilled;

Christmas - 286 pictures. Things like this gorgeous doo dad I'm going to make;

Artsy fartsy ideas - 520 pictures
Needle Felting, Humor, outdoor stuff, things I just like, adorable pictures of animals, recipes and so much more. Granted, I've had my Pinterest account for about 6 years, so.

Forget Google images. Pinterest is THE place. 

Ummm

Maybe if this Dad wasn't such a prick, his 16 year old daughter wouldn't be so awful.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/a-dad-has-written-a-savage-cv-for-his-lazy-ignorant-teenage-daughter/ar-BBMnrNx?li=BBnb7Kz

Seriously! I know first hand how challenging teenage girls are but come on. Never in a million years would I say such mean and hurtful things to a child.

free, free, free!

I have/had $200 free Amazon gift cards! I love Amazon. I love free Amazon gift cards. I was going to buy something responsible...that wouldn't end up at Goodwill or the Salvation Army. I was going to. I had every intention. But then I said, screw it! and bought something completely frivolous, useless and dumb. I almost felt bad. I got over it though. 

Because I love me some Funko Pop and Moana is my all time favorite Disney movie, I bought these;

   
   

Yes, yes I did. But, I didn't spend all my $$ :-)  Only 1/2. So I can use the rest on crazy kitchen gadgets!!! Oh yeah, like these totally cool lids!

or this completly awesome snap on strainer!!!

Or this amazing thing! I don't even know what I would do with it but I want it!!

Oh wait, I might already own this. OK, maybe this neat breakfast sandwich maker instead;


It's so fun!!!!

Friday funnies

cha cha changes...

Everything changes. Everything. The planet, morals, ideas, culture, faith, religion, education, everything.

My fella and I had a conversation about that this morning. It started because of a local story about a Catholic high-school's employee, who married her same sex partner four years ago. She kept it from the school because, well, it's a Catholic school and apparently it's in her contract not to be immoral? Anyway, the school board found out and suspended her. Now it's national news. First of all, it's a Catholic school. That anybody is surprised by this seems kinda dumb. Beyond that though, how do you feel about that? Would you care if your kid was being taught or counseled by a homosexual? Is your decision based on how you were raised or what you were taught to believe? Do you hold on strongly to the ideas/principles that you were taught as a kid?

Well, I'll be honest...I was raised as a Catholic. I went to a Catholic school that was actually part of a church, for 3rd, 4th and part of 5th grade. So for me, I think the whole lgbt thing goes against the bible. I guess I hold on to that because of my background. But...who am I to judge? I mean, I've never just automatically not liked someone because they were gay. Yes, I'll say that it makes me uncomfortable to see 2 men kissing, but again, that's just something I hold on to. But I don't hate them for it. That would feel wrong to me. I wonder how the iGeneration feels about that? More tolerant than Boomers, for sure. Is that a problem? Oh wait, that's a different discussion :-)

I try not to hold on too strongly to ideas. I like to think that even though I believe or don't believe something, I can still be open to the possibilities. There was a time when people thought the world was flat. As little as 50 years ago, doctors thought that men and women needed the same treatment. Now there are entire hospitals dedicated to the treatment of women. In 1960, only 1/3 of doctors thought smoking was bad for you. Everything changes. All the time.

cutting the cord

Did you know that so far this year, every minutes, 6 people ditched cable TV. That's 8640 people a day! And not unlike the last presidential election, the losing team is blaming everyone else. Even people on their own team!

Like everything though, it was just simply greed that did the cable industry in. The biggest pointed finger though is aimed at Netflix. I think that in the beginning, they didn't take Netflix seriously. Then, when they split the company into 2 parts, DVD rentals and Streaming, the cable industry and the business world in general, was sure that would lead to the demise of Netflix. Consumers would not tolerate that! Well, we did! And it's awesome! No more commercials, no more high costs, who cares about sports! Then came Sling TV and Hulu. Now you could watch your favorite TV shows the next day! Ahhhhh. Life if good. On top of all that, now with HD TV, you can just buy an antennae and get all the local channels for free! 

Cable should've stood up to the networks a long time ago. For instance, Viacom owns MTV. So if Time Warner wants to add MTV to it's lineup, Viacom says ok, but you also have to carry MTV2 VH1, CMT, Comedy Central, BET, Spike, Nickelodeon (all 5 of them) and TV Land. Time Warner says, no, we just want MTV. Viacom says, no deal. So Time Warner caves is because their customers want MTV. Now the customer has to pay for 15 channels just to get ONE. That's why there are 500 channels on TV and only 30 that you watch! It's so dumb. The consumer was bound to get fed up with that.

you know who the BIGGEST loser is though!?!?!? The news media!!! Because if people are ditching cable, they're ditching MSNBC, CNN, FOX, and all the rest! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I love that!!!!

I'm a man!!

OMG this is the funniest thing ever!! I can't stop laughing about it!!!

There's link on facebook where you can see what you'd like as the opposite sex. Of course I had to do it. What CRACKED ME UP was, I'm a little old man!!!! You know, because I'm an old lady!!!! hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!

Seriously! Laughing my head off!!! It's gonna crack me up all year!!

Random rants

Last year sometime, I posted this comment on Facebook, "racism exists mostly in the media."
Talk about a hot button! I still believe that's true. Oh, and look!!!! Here is an article about just such a thing!!!

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/critics-say-the-media-makes-innocent-blacks-look-dangerous-here%e2%80%99s-their-latest-example/ar-BBL4W5X?ocid=ientp

Umm, yeah. Pay attention people.

This is an article I just read the other day because someone brought it up...It's all about the cost of school supplies these days. I was just flabbergasted at how much teachers spend, of the own money!! Oh, and that students use an average of 45 pencils a year. Seriously? Are they eating them? dang.  

https://www.wthr.com/article/back-school-shopping-rush-full-swing-some-surprising-items-lists

I remember when we had 2 in high-school at the same time. I hated August. It was more expensive than Christmas! Book fees, lab fees, parking, pictures, yearbooks, class rings, equipment...good grief! And that was 16/17 YEARS ago! Now there's even more! It's just crazy.

And last...tomorrow is the FIRST DAY OF AUGUST! sigh. I sear it was just June.

food!

Look at how fun this is! It's a list of the most searched for food dish, in every state. It says a lot about the state :-)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/recipes/here-are-recipes-for-the-most-searched-dish-from-every-state%E2%80%94plus-dc/ss-AAA9Za1?li=BBnb7Kz#image=1

Also, read this article. It's about how bogus vitamins are. Not the first time I've heard that but it's still interesting. We should talk more about nutrition in this country, instead of taking vitamins.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/heres-what-protects-your-heart-better-than-fish-oil-or-vitamins/ar-AAA0Y8A?ocid=ientp

old movies

Do you watch old movies? Do you like them? What's an "old movie" to you? I like to cruise through the menu for Turner Classic Movies. They have old movies! I watched part of a movie called Reefer Madness, made in 1936. It's the craziest movie!!! You should check it out if you ever get the chance.
The opening Foreword says;

"The motion picture you are about to witness may startle you. It would not have been          possible, otherwise, to sufficiently emphasize the frightful toll of the new drug menace          which is destroying the youth of America in alarmingly-increasing numbers. Marijuana is      that drug - a violent narcotic - an unspeakable scourge - The Real Public Enemy Number One! Its first effect is sudden, violent, uncontrollable laughter; then come dangerous hallucinations - space expands - time slows down, almost stands still...fixed ideas come next, conjuring up monstrous extravagances - followed by emotional disturbances, the total inability to direct thoughts, the loss of all power to resist physical emotions...leading finally to act of shocking violence...ending often in incurable insanity......"

I have definite favorites;
Them! from 1954, about the giant ants
Rebecca from 1940
The Day The Earth Stood Still  from 1951
Forbidden Planet from 1956 and the original, The Body Snatchers.
Gone With The Wind, 1939!!! Man does this movie stand the test of time! Not to mention The Wizard of Oz. Last night, I watched Earthquake, one of the original disaster movies! Oh my gosh, it was so lame. I laughed out loud and I'm pretty sure they didn't mean it to be funny. It is fun to see what's in the movie though - like, cops in uniform drinking in a bar. I guess that was ok in 1974? Funny. And the clothes and hair styles. That always cracks me up. I'm still waiting to see some of the real classics though. Like Spartacus, Singing In The Rain, Rebel Without a Cause, Vertigo or any movie with Marilyn Monroe.

regrets

Do you have regrets? As you get older, I hear you have more regrets. Oh, it's that older thing again. I guess I just need to accept/embrace it! I.Am.Old(er). OK. Movin' on...

There's a new study - I love those - that lists the top 50 things people regret, after 50. Ready?

1. Ending relationships with people you loved
2. Not being more adventurous
3. Wasting time hating you body
4. Trying to live up to your parents' expectations
5. Not eating healthier when you were younger
6. Taking life too seriously
7. Not traveling more
8. Holding on to grudges
9. Not standing up for yourslf
10. Worrying about other people's opinons
11. Prioritizing practicality over fun
12. Not attending to your health
13. Quitting school
14. Not accomplishing more
15. working too much
16. Not telling people you love them
17. Ignoring your instincts
18. Being an inattentive partner (put your phone down)
19. Not taking vacations
20. Getting divorced (23% of women and 39% of men have regrets)
21. Letting friendships fizzle out
22. Missing out on the little moments
23. Not saving more
24. Not trying to land that dream job
25. Being unkind
26. Not doing more for others
27. Not seeing someone before they died
28. Not appreciating your youth
29. Not being more romantic
30. Muting your real personality (you know, trying to be someone you're not)
31. Not spending more time with your kids
32. Missing out on investment opportunities
33. Not admitting your feelings for someone
34. Being ungrateful
35. Not asking that person out
36. Setting aside your passions
37. Not being more present (put your phone down)
38. Not appreciating our body
39. Spending too much time worrying
40. Being inattentive to your kids (put your phone down)
41. Not getting to know people better
42. Letting the passion die
43. Not standing up for other people
44. Spending too little time with your parents
45. Acting your age
46. Forcing your opinions on our children
47. Not being more spontaneous
48. Not apologizing more
49. Ignoring your personal happiness
50. Not leaving a legacy

I am happily surprised to say, I don't have too many regrets. Out of those 50, there are only 4 or 5 things that I feel I haven't done. But, I don't necessarily regret it. Does that make sense? Like #49. I've ignored my own happiness. But I don't regret that because I did it to make other people happy. That's not really a bad thing. See what I mean? And by the time you're 50, you still have lots of years left to pay attention to your own happiness and passions. I don't think you should regret some of these.

how do you 'feel'

Are you sympathetic or empathetic?

Do you sympathize with people or empathize for them?

Sympathy or empathy?

Empathy is understanding how others feel. You don't have to care about their predicament or feel sympathy for them to understand their plight. 
Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone else. Empathy would help you feel sympathy, but you may not understand their feelings.

Sympathy is feeling compassion, sorrow, or pity for the hardships that another person encounters, while empathy is putting yourself in the shoes of another.

I stopped watching the news for many reasons. But the catalyst was the day I read a couple stories in the paper...one was about a child who died in a hot car after his parent had forgotten about him. All I could think about was his pain and fear. No one heard his screams and crying. He was completely alone, left to die. OMG! 

The other was one of those sidebar dog rescue stories. Here was dog, laying 1/2 off a curb, clearly starving and dying, while people just walked by. A rescue group came by and when they approached the dog, he slowly, with all his might, wagged his tail. Just the thought of human kindness, even in his misery, made him happy. OMG! 

By the time I finished that story, I was in tears. Actually sobbing. I felt awful. 

The next day, Saturday, I told my fella I had to take a drive. Somewhere out in the boonies where there weren't any people and just stream music in the car so I didn't' have to hear the news or commercials. I felt like I really just needed a minute to detach from the world. We had a lovely day. And for the rest of the weekend, we listened to music and watched a couple really cheesy movies. It was good. 

Since then I've stayed away from TV news almost completely. After a couple weeks, I started looking at headlines, online. Sometimes I'll read an article. I've had to stop doing that again. It's too heartbreaking. I can't take it. I finally figured out why...I have empathy. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it can be daunting.