December 13th

There are only twelve days till Christmas and I'M NOT READY !!

Fun Monday - #48 - What Would I Do ?

Many thanks to Sayre at Sayre Smiles for hosting again ...

Her assignment is:

If you had a WEEK with no obligation and money was no object, what would you do with it?

First, I would reserve a section of rooms at the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, VA. Next, I would book non-stop round trip flights from Colorado to Virginia, California to Virginia and New York to Virginia. Then, I would call my parents and all five of my siblings and their families and tell them to free up the week (for those that work [including me] - I would make sure their salaries would be paid for the week they are gone). Once the out-of-towners arrived at the airport, limousines would pick them up and head to Williamsburg. For those of us that live in Virginia, limousines would pick us up too!

That entire week would be a FAMILY REUNION with no worries or cost to anyone.

37 people - all together at once !!

Go visit Sayre and see what everyone else would do ...

A Sad Day Indeed

Nobody puts baby in a corner!

Dirty Dancing

The love inside - you take it with you.
Ghost

1952 - 2009
"Ditto"

Fun Monday-#47-Yes, I'm a Bag Lady Too !

Ms Cellania is our hostess this week and I send her many thanks for making this such as easy assignment. It is:

I'd like to know 'what type of shopping bag do you favour'-plastic or material? How many do you use. You could even show us what's in your bag!

Here in the United States, we too, are encouraged to GO GREEN and use reusable shopping bags. I keep a stash of them in my car ... Sometimes, when I am in a hurry, I forget to bring them in, but that's OK because the few plastic bags that I do get, I use them in my small waste paper baskets (in the bathrooms, the bedrooms and such).

Here are the ones that I brought in from the car:

I tend to reuse the paper "handled" shopping bags that you get in the department stores, also.

No pictures of the bags filled with groceries, because I was too lazy to go to the grocery store this weekend - just made do with what I already had in the cupboards and refrigerator !!

Go visit Ms Cellania and she what types of bags others prefer.
Save The Earth and GO GREEN.

Fun Monday - #46 - Your Babies

Oh My Goodness - I have returned !! Maybe, it's because summer is over - officially, as of today as it is Labor Day ...

The hostess this week is Sayre at Sayre Smiles. Her assignment is:

I want to see your furbabies. Or scalebabies. Or finbabies. Whatever form your pet takes, I want to see a picture of it/them and hear the story of how it/they came to be a part of your family.

UPDATE: Don't have pets? Share your skin-babies!!!

Sadly, i have no furbabies. No scalebabies. No finbabies. BUT, I do have skin-babies (even though they aren't really babies anymore!)

So ... I present to you - my grandbabies !!

Trevor
Sophomore - Mountain View High School



Trevor - Again !

Tyler
Kindergarten

Tori
2 1/2 Years

(the youngest of my babies!)

Christopher

Freshman - Randolph College

Jillian

2nd Grade

How did they become a part of my family ??

Obvious answer !!

Except for one ...

Christopher became a part of our family when he was adopted at the age of 13.

It feels so good to be back ... it's been a long time. Take a few minutes and visit Sayre to check out everyone else's babies.

Happy Father's Day

Yes, it's been a while ... I am still here, just not very active at the moment. Too much to do and too little time to do it. Someday, I suppose.

Game 7

I guess that most could care less but ...

It wasn't the best of games but the final score is what counts ...

Washington Capitals - 5

Pittsburg Penguins - 4

LET'S GO CAPS !!

Back to Washington, DC on Wednesday where

WE WILL BE ROCKING THE RED

Happy Mother's Day

Real Mothers sometimes ask "Why Me?"

and get their answer when a little

voice says, "Because I love you best."

Real Mothers know that a child's growth

is not measured by height or years or grade ...

It is marked by the progression of Mommy

to Mom

to Mother ...

April 16, 2009

Raise your hand !

It's National High Five Day

April 15th

If you make any money, the government shoves you in the creek once a year with it in your pockets, and all that doesn't get wet, you can keep. - Will Rogers

The taxpayer - that's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take a civil service examination. - Ronald Reagan

Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut saves you thirty cents? - Peg Bracken

If the Lord loveth a cheerful giver, how He must hate the taxpayer! - John Andrew Holmes

People who complain about taxes can be divided into two classes: men and women. - Anonymous

On a lighter note:

The first McDonald's opened on this day in 1955. A hamburger cost 15 cents!

Happy Easter

from ME

and

the newest addition to my extended family

my niece's son

Jayden

born March 2, 2009

Chocolate

C is for chocolate, h is for hand, o is for overweight, I understand.

C is for chocolate, o is for out, l is for last piece, when most of us pout.

A is for apple, t is for treat, but when we spell it, e is for eat.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Today Is (Was) ...

Square Root Day !!

For those not up on their math skills, here is how to figure it:

The square root of 9 is 3, meaning that 3 multiplied by 3 equals 9.

The whole equation in order - 03.03.09

Just thought you needed to know !

Fun Monday - # 46 - Kitchen Counters in All Their Glory !

This week's assignment was rather simple, even if a bit embarrasing ! All week long, the counters are neat and clean ... come Saturday, some little gremlin must come in and mess things up. (That would be me ... I get lazy on the weekend and don't put things away) The sad thing is that if I continued cleaning up after myself on the weekend like I do during the week (this is true for other areas in my house too) - I wouldn't have to spend the weekend cleaning instead of playing !

Many thanks to Ari_1965 at Beyond My Slab for being the hostess this week.

Her assignment is:

It's time for show and tell. What does your kitchen counter look like right now? (And no fair cleaning just for the picture!) Do you have any favorite or unusual items on your counter?

This morning:

Now:

This morning:

Now:

This morning:

Now:

OH GOODNESS - I didn't realize how stained the George Foreman grill was - I guess it's time to get another one ! (It usually isn't out on the counter but I had just used it and it was still hot).

Can you guess what my kitchen is decorated with?

There are many more in places that you can't see from these photos. Some are purchased and many were made by me. Most are filled with infused vinegar or beans or pasta . And none of them have ever been used - they are for looks only.

Go ahead and say it ... I know you are thinking it - she's crazy !!

So, there you have it ... my kitchen counters in all their glory ! Hopefully they will stay the way they are tonight - well, at least until Saturday !

Wander over to Beyond My Slab and check out everyone else's counters.

Oh MY !!

**Scroll down for Fun Monday**

I have fallen victim to Facebook ...

One of my "friends" posted the following link - when I opened it all I could say was
"Oh My Goodness". (Not really, but this is much nicer than what I really said.)

I would assume that the "The Sun" is a legitimate newspaper - I don't really know.

But still ...

See for yourself - I wonder if your reaction will be the same as mine !

Fun Monday - # 45 - Your Feet (Inside your Home)

Gattina at Writer Cramps is our hostess this week.

Her assignment is quite simple !!

It is:


Please show us what you wear on your feet inside your home ! Do you wear slippers, flip flops, shoes or nothing ? just take a picture and show us your feet !


On Saturday - to honor Valentine's Day

But most often ...

If I need to run outside real quick (in the colder weather) ... like today !

And if my feet aren't bare, it's usually this ...

To see other's tootsies (which I am sure are prettier than mine), visit Gattina - OK?

Happy Valentine's Day

Foil Wrapped and Delicious

Hershey's Chocolate was founded 115 years ago today.

Have a KISS or two to celebrate !

Fun Monday - # 44 - Where Do I Live ?

Pamela at The Dust Will Wait is our gracious hostess this week. Her assignment is:

Show me in pictures or tell me in words what defines the place where you live.

She wants to leave the interpretation open to include any possibility.

I live in Prince William County, VA. I live on property that used to be part of the Rippon Lodge estate. I live on Gatehouse Terrace. To read all about that - go here.

OK, so I live in eastern Prince William County. Along the I-95 corrider. The exit I take to get home is Rippon Landing. If you go the other way - Dale City. I live (basically) at the end of Dale Boulevard.

With that said ...

As reported on the news, in the paper ... earlier this week.

Linton Hall, Va. Home To Longest Commute

LINTON HALL, Va. (WUSA) -- A fast-growing Prince William County, Va. community is home to a dubious distinction: the longest average commute in the United States. People living in Linton Hall, also called Bristow by some people, commute an average of 46.3 minutes one-way each workday. The national average is 25.1 minutes.

Bristow / Linton Hall is in the western part of the county.

Three other communities in the Washington area make the top 12 longest daily commutes in the nation. Drivers in Fort Washington, Md. have the eighth-longest average commute in the nation with a 42.5 minute one-way drive. People living in Clinton, Md. rank 11th on the list, clocking in at 41.7 minutes. Dale City, Va. commuters rank 12th, at 41.3 minutes. The rest of the top 12 list is made up of communities in New Jersey, California, and Florida.

The information for these commute times comes from the Census Bureau, looking at survey responses over the last three years. The Census Bureau is examining data down to exact streets, the first detailed research of its kind. The Census Bureau promises this will be an annual list to be published.

No pictures - you can't very well take pictures when you are driving on the very congested interstate. In the morning ... In the evening ... not even when it isn't rush hour !

Take into consideration that the news is reporting on the "average" . Some people commute 10 minutes - others an hour or more. I live 12 miles from where I work - on average, it takes 45 minutes during rush hour - either way. And I don't drive on the interstate.

Heaven forbid if it rains, or snows or freezes - sometimes all it takes is sunshine - the commute gets extended ...

Note: Prince William County is in Northern Virginia- about 25 miles south of Washington, DC. (the part of the county where I live) Linton Hall (western end) is somewhat rural with no "big" businesses out that way. I deal with I-95 - they have to suffer I-66.

Don't forget to visit Pamela to find out about the "special place" where others live.