Fun Monday - #27 - Your Bedside Table

Welcome to Angela at Lurchers and many thanks to her for being the hostess this week - 59 participants - what a wonderful way to start the "New Year" for Fun Monday.

The assignment is:

For today's Fun Monday, continuing in the spirit of "being interested in people", I would like to know, or see, what's on, in or under your bedside table! So open those draws and bare your soul to us! Is there anything special there that has a story or a memory that you can tell us about? Books that you keep there to delve into from time to time? Trinkets that you don't know where else to put? Let's see!

Mine are rather simple ... but there is one item that I will elaborate on - it's kinda sad that I have kept it and actually have it out in the open, but she WANTS US TO BARE OUR SOUL, so I will, even if it leaves me a bit embarrassed.

Oh, I call them nightstands ...

Nothing fancy, really ...

The alarm clock is one that projects the time onto the ceiling so you can see what time it is without having to move out of the bed (and it automatically resets itself when you lose power - as long as you have it set to the correct time zone). Sometimes, it shows MST - the signal comes from Colorado - but eventually it will get itself back to EST on it's own !!

My neighbor lent me the book - oh, at least two years ago - and I think I got to the 2nd or 3rd page - couldn't get into it and I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so there it sits. Obviously, it didn't interest her either because she has never mentioned it again. A note pad and pencil sit on top of the book - I don't think it has ever been used either!!

The note card on the photo holder ... we will get to that later !!

Top drawer - notebook for my daily scribblings, old glasses that I use when I am upstairs, a weighted bookmark (I never use it because I mostly read paperbacks and it's too heavy), a flashlight with dead batteries (too lazy to replace them, I guess) ...

Bottom drawer - filled notepads and small notebooks (I have quite a few more packed away somewhere). I keep a daily journal - not a blow by blow of the events of the day - just my thoughts or tidbits about my life at that moment in time. I go back to them from time to time and believe it or not, they have gotten me through quite a few "difficult periods " during the past 10-15 yrs. Therapy that you don't have to pay for !! Unfortunately, I was (am) somewhat of a worrier. Instead of dealing with "what is", I tend to wander off to " what if ?". I have gotten better with it, but have finally learned to admit that I still a long ways to go.

The night stand on the other side of the bed ... where no one sleeps, so it doesn't get used. Note: the Mars / Venus book has never been read - why bother?? My bedroom is boring - no sig other to share it with, hence no need to read the book. I often wonder why I bought it so many years ago - it was probably on sale !!

The drawers - just a few bits of stuff - no real significance to any of it - I just won't throw them away. A few months ago, I cleaned out the books that were just sitting there ( and ironically, my brother, just the other day, asked me if I had any romance novels that I had read and didn't want anymore - before you jump to any conclusions, he was asking for his wife - something new for her to read because he says one can spend too much money on new books that just end up in a corner somewhere! and this is his subtle way of trying to "recycle" and save him a few bucks!) Who knew? Now I know what to do with them !!

The note card ... goodness, my face is turning red just writing this down. About 10 years ago, when in a relationship that was having some difficulty, I reverted back to my high school days (maybe even middle school) and wrote a poem - the kind where each line begins with a letter of some one's name. Mind you, I have been out of high school for thirty mumble years!! (so I am not an overgrown lovestruck teenager) (He never saw it, I don't think!!)(and if he did by some chance, he probably just tossed it aside and rolled his eyes). It was written for me - and I still have it ... out in the open and on display, where I can see it and even read it if I want to.

It's a reminder of the not so distant past, a reminder of a time when I was struggling with loneliness and self worth, a reminder of when I didn't quite have my priorities in the right place ... A CONSTANT REMINDER of just how far I have progressed in my life since those days.

He left me a little over 6 years ago when he returned to NH (with no intention of a long distance relationship which I had no inclination about at the time) and I miss him still -as silly as it sounds to write that down ... I was heartbroken for quite a long while ...

BUT little did I know at the time when I wrote that silly little poem that it would be so helpful for me in the years to come. That is why it still sits on my night stand to this day!! He has moved on with his life, but most importantly SO HAVE I !

There ... I bared my soul as instructed ... sorry to have gotten off track ...

Make sure to visit Angela (probably now on Tuesday because this post is so late - Blogger wouldn't cooperate earlier and I worked late (once again - always on a Monday it seems when I have much better things to tend to)) and check out everyone else's (in Angela's words) BEDSIDE SET OF DRAWERS. NOTE: I have a dream catcher too, but it hangs on the door instead of the bed.

Saturday Silliness

Did You Know...

* Parker Brothers prints more money each year for its Monopoly games than the U.S. Government issues in real currency.

* Apples are part of the rose family.

* Pound for pound, hamburgers cost more than new cars.

* Did you know you share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world?

* Ants don't sleep.

* Most toilets flush in E flat.

* Your foot and forearm, (from your wrist to the inside of your elbow) , are the same length.
[YES, I tried it AND it is true!]

* It is anatomically impossible for humans to lick their own elbow. [NO, I didn't try it - well, yes I did AND you can't!]

* Drivers kill more deer than hunters.

* The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point in Colorado.

* It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

* There are more collect calls on Father's Day than any other day of the year.

* The cruise liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

* Pearls melt in vinegar.

ENJOY THE REST OF THE WEEKEND !!

The Truth

The dishwasher repairman is supposed to be here on Wednesday ... I need to get busy!

Fun Monday # 26 Anniversary Edition

Let's give Vicki at Catching Light a wonderful "Welcome Back" as she helps us celebrate the first anniversary of Fun Monday. Maybe, she will be our "annual" hostess and return next year also.

It was her idea the first time and yes, her idea again on the anniversary. This is what you are supposed to do:

Here's the assignment. For those of you who did NOT post a picture of your view from your front door, then your assignment is to post a view from your front door. To do this you stand in your doorway looking outside and take a picture. That simple. We (I) want to see what you see when you look out your front door.
For those of you who DID post your view, link back to that post you posted a year ago, and then re-list your very first post ever. We want to see how far you've come baby! Also, if you can, post the comments you received on that post.

I wasn't blogging when Fun Monday started, but jumped right in there a few months later. It has been incredible fun and a wonderful way to "meet" new people.

I'm rambling because ....

Yesterday, I had no pictures for you to view ...

TODAY - not much better !!

This morning as I was heading out the door to go to work, I came back in to get the camera. It was still dark, kinda, some light was peaking through and the porch light was still on, so I gave it a try ...

At 0 Dark 30 - not so good !!

I thought I would give it a try when I got home (someday, I will learn not to procrastinate).

Supposed to get off at 4:00. It starts getting dark about 5 or 5:30. I LEFT WORK AT 7:00PM.

Just put a BIG "L" on my forehead !!

Will you settle for a picture of my door? Taken about a month ago - when it was dark also - with a sprinkling of icicle lights twinkling their reflection in the storm door?

He's still there ... I just turned the mittens around because, well ... Christmas was about a month ago, but it is still WINTER !

If you happened to look to the right from my front door (about a month ago), you would have been greeted by ...
my friend, holding a shovel, wishing you Happy Holidays! He has been put away ... no hearts, so I couldn't leave him there until Valentines Day.

If you haven't done so already (because I'm late - ), go over and visit Vicki to check out all the wonderful folks who had their acts together and did this assignment correctly and on time. Maybe next year, I will be one of them too.

Fun Monday

Fun Monday this week will be a day late ... it was dark this morning when I left for work and dark when I got home. I will try again for some daylight tomorrow.

Today It Snowed ...

Then it rained ...

Then it snowed some more ...

Then it rained again ...

TONIGHT - it will probably freeze !!

Gotta love the weather in Northern Virginia .

UPDATE: The Green Monsters Are Gone

And my house is somewhat QUIET again. The only hum heard now is that of the furnace which is running because the temps have dropped quite a bit in Northern Virginia.

NOTE to self: next time TURN DOWN THE VOLUME ON THE TV before you turn it on !!

Fun Monday - #25 The Web Site You Can't Live Without

Ann at "For The Long Run" is our hostess this week. Her assignment is:

I want to hear about a web site and not just about any old web site. I want to hear about a web site that's changed your life. A web site that you can't live without. A web site whose inventor you'd like to see win a McArthur Genius Grant.Maybe you want to sing the praises of a dating web site for helping you meet your spouse. Maybe the only thing getting you through the dark days of winter is an Internet comic. No story is too big, no story is too small - I want to hear it all on Monday.

My job has me on the computer ALL DAY LONG so I don't do a lot of web searching when I get home. BUT, there is one site that I could not live without !! GOOGLE !! If I need directions, if I need to find a business or a phone number, if I need to find out how to do something (like tonight - I couldn't for the life of me remember how to cast off when knitting a scarf), if I am curious about something, etc. etc. - TIME MATTERS and GOOGLE finds it for me FAST!!

Of course, my blog and everyone else's out there, I take the time to go to (aren't blog rolls the greatest?).

There are a few sites that I have set as favorites and I check them on a regular basis. These sites are basically journals of people in real life that have touched my heart in one way or the other.

The newest one was found on a post by Wendy at WeSnLani called Confessions of a CH Husband. I checked it out (because she told me too) and I have checked the site (multiple times a day) for updates each and every day since I found it - more than any site ever before. Check it out for yourself - it's an incredible account of a couple's life and a powerful testament of their faith. If anything happens to either one of them, I will grieve as if they were a member of my own family. [my oldest son was a preemie, but not as small as this one is and born under much different circumstances].

Another site is the journal of a family (which happens to be local for me) that has formerly conjoined twins called The Buckles Family - the father used to be one of SJ's band instructors when she was in high school.

If I had more time (or used my time more wisely), I am sure there would be many sites out there that I couldn't live without.

Pay Ann a visit when you have the chance, to check out all the participants and see what websites have made it onto their lists.

It's Been a Week ....

And the constant hum is about to drive me crazy !!

The dishwasher repairman showed up on Wednesday at 1:45 (the window was between 10:00 and 2:00) and he didn't call first like he was supposed to. My entire morning was wasted, as I didn't want "to get into anything" so I waited .... ( for goodness sake, I could have gone to work for half a day!). I finally attempted to make myself some lunch - and he shows up - so lunch was put on hold for a little while.

He was a jerk!

Complete with the "plumber's crack" (no visual provided - use your imagination)! And he didn't smell too good - you see, it was a warm day and he was a "larger" man ... He takes off the bottom panel of the dishwasher and says "Yep, it's broke - the motor's shot. Looks like you got rats, too! He says this as he pulls out a couple of pieces on insulation from under the dishwasher. I ignored his comment! I know what insulation looks like if MICE have gotten into it! These pieces were evidence of it being WET under there! He then takes what seemed like 10 minutes to get back up off the floor. He sticks out his hand and says "either cash or check, we don't take no credit". I was taken aback for a second ... and had to ask him, because he wasn't volunteering any information. "Are you going to replace the dishwasher or repair it?" He replies "Depends". Uh, depends on what? What the Home Warranty people say. And, when will you know? Depends. Could you give me a little bit of an idea? He rattles off a bunch of nonsense, then says You should hear from us by Monday on what we're gonna do. I give him a check and he proceeds to leave. As he is heading towards the door, he says to me "I could never live here - too many dust collectors around". My thoughts, DUH, do you really think I'd want you to live here! As we get to the door, he says "Hold on a second, I got a gift for you - I didn't buy it - I just found it on the side of the road up around the corner." I'm thinking - WHY ME? He hands me a metal snowman tea light holder and says "Lookie there, it's still got the tag on it !" Being the nice person that I am, I take it and politely say "Thank You." He drives away (after something has leaked from his truck all over my parking space) and I look at my "gift". I wouldn't say that it has actually been run over, but at least been run into and dropped a couple of times - the back won't close and what it is supposed to be holding in one "arm" is missing !! I set it on a plant stand on the porch so that it would be visible when he returns, then the DAMN thing is being tossed into the trash!!


Needless to say, I was rather frustrated at this point ... so I sit down and watch SOME MORE daytime TV talk shows ( I am so glad I am not at home all day, because most of it is a ridiculous waste of time). Dr. Phil - about a couple who were going through a divorce and how they basically were committing child abuse, but neither one of them thought that they were doing anything wrong. Oprah - a man and woman get a divorce after she realizes that she is a lesbian while carrying her second child who just happens to be a girl ... then he comes out of the closet that he is really gay and has always been. (Earlier in the day, on Tyra Banks - celebrity rehab stories featuring Brigette Neilson who kicked alcohol and is now sober, Jessica Sierra [American Idol fame] who was/is hooked on coke and how much it is a struggle to kick [with an update that after the show was taped - she got busted again and is facing 11 years of jail time], some punk rocker full of tattoos [didn't recognize his name nor do I remember] and some gay hip hop group who one of the members admits that he has a problem and agrees to attend rehab while on the show). Ellen DeGeneres was the only show that was light hearted and somewhat pleasant to watch (the fact that she is gay doesn't really come across in the show) and she has so much fun AND I just giggle when she dances (she had a marionette of herself and was making it dance).


OK - back to the original subject.


Next thing on the agenda was to call my Homeowners Insurance to file a claim because now it had been determined that the dishwasher was the culprit of the water leakage. It was a much more pleasant experience. I was told that within the next 2 hours, I would be hearing from a water mitigation company so they could come out and access the damage. I heard from them within the first half hour and within 2 hours, they were HERE. Two very nice gentlemen, checked out all the damage (including pulling out the dishwasher which the first guy didn't bother to do). They used moisture meters plus a bunch of other gadgets and sprayed some chemicals that are supposed to stop the mildew from growing (unfortunately, there is a little bit already). It turns out that it could have been much worse, but there is a lot of wet wood and moisture. They left some equipment which is the source of the constant hum that I have referenced at the beginning of what now seems to be a novel.

The kitchen is practically unusable (which makes it difficult to prepare proper meals when you are dieting). The dishwasher is pulled out onto the floor (which blocks the silverware drawer) and the big green thing in the front of the picture is a dehumidifier (which kicks in to second gear every so often - and scared me to almost pee my pants when it did it the first time). Tucked in over on the left in front of the refrigerator (which you can still open) is a kick ass high powered fan. Which is blowing air under the sink and where the dishwasher is supposed to be. The ServPro guys came back Friday evening to check the moisture levels and they determined that it isn't quite dry enough yet. So .... the STUFF is still here.

There is another GREEN MONSTER ...

in the basement, blowing air upwards to the ceiling ...

which now has a honest to goodness REAL HOLE in it !!

These monsters have been running 24/7 since Wednesday night AND it is getting real old. The nice guys at ServPro will be here tomorrow at noon and I hope they are able to get them out of here at last.

Let's hope for a quieter week to come ... that is until the next round of people show up to fix the damages!!

I am not a neat freak ... but the clutter and the lack of ability to do anything in my kitchen is DRIVING ME INSANE.

Somedays - It is Better to Stay in Bed!

Saturday - woke up feeling bad and didn't get much done ...


Sunday - had a bit more energy, but ... discovered this in the evening ...

under the cabinet under the sink ... next to the dishwasher

Decided that I had better investigate ...

AND found this in the basement ...

A few choice words were spoken ...

Finally got to bed after fretting about what to do (and didn't sleep well, because, subconsciously I think I was waiting to hear a gush of water ... sorta like when there is a baby in the house and you sleep light in case they wake up in the night)

Monday AM - made the executive decision to not go to work, spent what seemed like hours on the phone with the Home Warranty folks - the first contractor assigned (I looked them up on the web - aren't you proud of me?) did not have any positive comments on their website and I didn't get a warm and fuzzy about them, so I called the Home Warranty folks again (and sat on hold some more) to be assigned another contractor. That contractor called me back within the hour and I have an appointment for Wednesday morning.

Monday PM - spent the entire afternoon moving EVERYTHING out from that section of the basement over to the other side in order to protect my floor (and possessions) in case the ceiling decided to fall ...

I have never cared for this rose colored carpet but it is one less thing I would have to replace if the stupid ceiling falls in ...

So, this part of the room, that I was so proud of putting back together about a month ago ...

NOW - looks like this ...

Where's that DAMN fairy godmother when you need her?

Many thanks to LB for her assistance and the plastic !!

AND, being the nice sister I am, I treated her to dinner at the Chinese Buffet here in town.

Hopefully, better days are in my immediate future !!

Anyone know of a reliable contractor in Northern Virginia - I think that a certain floor and ceiling are going to need some work !

Out With The Old ....

First cell phone - purchased July 2002

AND IN WITH THE NEW ...

Isn't she cute?

My boys will be so proud of their Mom !!

Of course,

I haven't figured out how to use it yet !!

So many bells and whistles and even a camera!!