Super Bowl and Commercials

SAINTS WIN the Super Bowl!  Wow - their first trip to the Super Bowl and they win all the marbles.  What a good game, but also a fast game.  Guess that's due to hardly any penalties and not that many time-outs either.  I really didn't expect the Saints to win although that's who I was pulling for.  I bet the French Quarter is wild tonight!!

OK and the commercials .... some good and a lot bad!  A 30-second Super Bowl commercial is costing companies $3 million!!  Here are a few I liked:

•  Doritos had a commercial where a man is picking up a women for a date, and she introduced him to her son and leaves the room. The son, who is around 4-5 years old hit his mother's date's hand and tells him "Keep your hands off my mom. Keep your hands off my doritos." He is absolutely adorable.
• The Doritos bark collar commercial was clever. Animal commercials are the ones we remember and talk about.
• The VW commercial making fun of the time honored "slug bug" rule was cute, especially with Stevie Wonder and Tracy Morgan at the end.
• Betty White's Snickers commercial was another favorite.
• The Bud Lite commercial that is a spoof on the TV show "Lost" where a plane crashes onto an island and the survivors of the crash are stranded. A man finds a refrigerator of Bud Light in the back of the plane and worry subsides and a party ensues.
• The Motorola commercial:   A woman sitting in a bubble bath taking a photo of herself and then theorizing what would occur if she sent it out. What followed was a series of vignettes in which a gay couple alternatively slap each other, a man falls to the ground while high on a ladder, etc. Does sex still sell?   Motorola thinks so
• 
  Dennys puts chickens on alert. Silly with bad effects but sometimes silly is good. The TruTV commercial with Punxsutawney Polamalu was funny.

What did you like about the game & the commercials?

When I'm an Old Lady ....

When I'm an old lady, I'll live with each kid,
And bring so much happiness...just as they did.
I want to pay back all the joy they've provided.
Returning each deed! Oh, they'll be so excited!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

I'll write on the wall with reds, whites and blues,
And I'll bounce on the furniture...wearing my shoes.
I'll drink from the carton and then leave it out.
I'll stuff all the toilets and oh, how they'll shout!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

When they're on the phone and just out of reach,
I'll get into things like sugar and bleach.
Oh, they'll snap their fingers and then shake their head,
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

When they cook dinner and call me to eat,
I'll not eat my green beans or salad or meat,
I'll gag on my okra, spill milk on the table,
And when they get angry...I'll run...if I'm able!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

I'll sit close to the TV, through the channels I'll click,
I'll cross both eyes just to see if they stick.
I'll take off my socks and throw one away,
And play in the mud 'til the end of the day!
(When I'm an old lady and live with my kids)

And later in be d, I'll lay back and sigh,
I'll thank God in prayer and then close my eyes.
My kids will look down with a smile slowly creeping,
And say with a groan, "She's so sweet when she's sleeping!"*

God Bless All Moms and Grandmas EVERYWHERE - EVERY DAY!!!

Ten Important Traveling Companions to Take With You

1. Confidence: for when things get tough, when you're overwhelmed, when you think of giving up.
2. Patience: with your own trials and temptations, and with others.
3. An adjustable attitude: one that doesn't react, but responds with well-thought-out actions and feelings.
4. Beauty: within yourself, in your surroundings, and in nature.
5. Excitement: new things to enjoy and learn and experience.
6. Fun: laughter and smiles any way you can get them.
7. Companionship: people to share your happiness and sorrows, your troubles and joys.
8. Health: mental, physical and emotional.
9. Peace: with others, yourself, and in your environment.
10. Love: pure, unconditional, and eternal.  

—Barbara Cage

 

Apache Blessing for you

I received this from a friend and wanted to share it -

May the sun bring you new energy by day,

May the moon softly restore you by night,

May the rain wash away your worries,

May the breeze blow new strength into your being,

May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.

(Apache blessing for the New Year)

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Hope you are enjoying your New Year's Eve celebration! We drove to Austin today, stopping in New Braunfels first at the Outlet Malls! Sonny was a good sport - he took his book and sat in the car and read while Ashley and I popped in and out of a few stores. Surprisingly, we only bought a couple of things. But, Ashley did find a great TV armoire piece that she will probably go back and buy. I just love spending other people's money!! I think I would be a great personal shopper.

Tonight we went to a Draft House movie theatre and saw Sherlock Holmes. Sonny and Ashley loved it. It was ok to me .... just not my type of movie. The theatre was neat though. Each row of seats has a table in front of it. Menus, order cards and pencils are placed on the table. A waiter will come by to take your order (beer, hamburger, appetizers, wine, etc.) Throughout the film you can order food and drinks. About 30 minutes prior to the film ending the server will come by and do “last call”, at which point they will find out if you would like any final items before closing your tab out.

So now we are waiting for the ball to drop on Times Square! Ashley called it "Old Fogey New Years!"

However you celebrate, enjoy and be safe!!

Christmas on the Riverwalk

We got a lot of work done today on getting Ashley's house organized!  She and I started in her office / craft room.  Sonny put up shelves in her closet yesterday so we were able to put all the stuff that was sitting around the room on the shelves.  I lined her stamps up in a loose alpha order as she rolled her eyes at me!  Then I took each set (about 50) and stamped them out on copy paper to put in a notebook so she will know what she has.  Again, another eye roll!  I guess I forget that she is young and probably doesn't forget what she has like I do!!  After getting that room organized, we headed to her den.  We took down the Christmas tree and stored away all the Christmas stuff.  Now, to find a place for that tub.  Then we unpacked a large box of treasures she hadn't unpacked yet.  What treasures we found!  She is a big Beatles fan as well as Curious George.  Every year she get something related to either the Beatles or Curious ... usually from her Aunt Marianne who is able to find the most unique gifts!  In her den, she has one whole wall that has shelving with a window seat in the middle.  I filled 3 of the shelves with Beatles stuff.  Every time I thought I had it all arranged, I'd find something else.  Hopefully, tomorrow we'll finish with the den and the rest of the shelves and I can share a nice neat picture!

We went out to dinner and met up with a friend and colleague of Ashley's and her family.  It was yummy .... Mi Tierra Market Place and Restaurant near the Riverwalk.  The restaurant looked so festive with all the lights and Christmas trees. 

After dinner, we walked around the Riverwalk and had a couple of drinks at Durty Nelly's Sing A Long Irish Pub.  The Riverwalk looked beautiful all lit up also.  It was hard to get good pictures of it though.  Here is a shot of the Alamo with the Christmas tree in front of it.  It was pretty awesome!

Crafters Twas the Night Before Christmas

*Twas the night before Christmas, I’m glued to the tree.


I’m wondering what Santa brought just for me.

Could it be cardstock or inkpads or lace?

Or some stamps, I said, with a smile on my face.

And that’s when I heard him……

“Hi Santa, ” I said

He replied, “You know….good girls should be in their beds”.

“I know I should Santa,and now I’ve been caught.

But I was just so excited to see what you brought.”

“Well, let’s take a look in this room where you work”.

He shook his head quickly, and left with a jerk.

I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear.

“You’ve got enough crap,

I’ll see you next year!”*

A Different Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,
"Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."
" So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum, Iraq

More Amazon $5 Deals

Here's more Amazon $5 magazine subscriptions for you just in time for Christmas giving!!  Click HERE to read about it.

Amazon Magazine Sale

Amazon has a few of it's magazine subscriptions on sale for $5!!  That's right .... $5!!  That's a great deal.  I got a couple of these last year and plan to do it again.  Today is the last day for this offer so if you are interested, check it out HERE.  Will make a good Christmas present for someone - they don't have to know you only spent $5!!  (unless they read my blog)

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!  I will be welcoming my family to my home later today for a Thanksgiving celebration.  I hope you have a wonderful day ... and don't eat too much!!

We Give Thanks

Our Father in Heaven,
We give thanks for the pleasure
Of gathering together for this occasion.
We give thanks for this food
Prepared by loving hands.
We give thanks for life,
The freedom to enjoy it all
And all other blessings.
As we partake of this food,
We pray for health and strength
To carry on and try to live as You would have us.
This we ask in the name of Christ,
Our Heavenly Father.

--Harry Jewell

Elvis and Tanglewood Festival of Lights

Yesterday was a Girls Day Out in our family.  My mom, my two sisters and my daughter drove to Greensboro to the Barn Dinner Theatre to see ELVIS!!  It was a great show!  Tribute artist Stephen Freeman had a wonderful voice and he had Elvis's moves down!!  I would highly recommend this show if you get a chance!

My mother was mesmerized when he came to our table to give us all a smooch!

Don't know what that white dot is on his face - think it's a flash or something - it wasn't on his face at the time!

After the show, I drove over to see if I could find the apartment complex Sonny and I lived in when we met.  At the time, it was a Singles Only Complex.  Well, surprise, surprise, I found it!!  It's not a place I'd live in today - still has window unit AC's in the windows and the iron railings on the balconies is pretty rusty!  There was a swimming pool in the center when we lived there which is gone now and there were several additional buildings added on.  But, it sure brought back some memories!  Even my sisters remembered visiting me there ... when they were about 12 years old!!

From Greensboro, we drove to Lewisville to Enchanted Cottage, a huge stamping/scrapbooking store.  The only other time I had been there, they were closing in about 15 minutes!  This time, we had about an hour to shop (not that my Mom and non-stamping sister loved that!). 

On the way home, we passed the Tanglewood exit.  Since none of us (except Mom) had ever seen the Christmas lights there, we took a detour and drove through the park.  It was wonderful!  Another place I'd recommend to you if you're in the area.

 
Tanglewood Park's Festival of Lights began in 1992.  The first Festival of Lights in 1992 was a 1.5 mile route with only twenty five displays. Today the route has grown to just under 4 miles with one hundred eighty displays, of which seventy are animated.  Tanglewood begins setting up displays during the month of August to be ready for this large scale event which begins in mid November.  There are now over approximately a million individual lights that complete Tanglewood’s Festival of Lights.   Tanglewood’s Festival of Lights has been selected as a Top 20 Event in the Southeast and a Top 100 Event in North America

Black November

When I was a young turkey, new to the coop,
My big brother Mike took me out on the stoop,
Then he sat me down, and he spoke real slow,
And he told me there was something that I had to know;
His look and his tone I will always remember,
When he told me of the horrors of..... Black November;
"Come about August, now listen to me,
Each day you'll get six meals instead of just three,
"And soon you'll be thick, where once you were thin,
And you'll grow a big rubbery thing under your chin;
"And then one morning, when you're warm in your bed,
In'll burst the farmer's wife, and hack off your head;
"Then she'll pluck out all your feathers so you're bald 'n pink,
And scoop out all your insides and leave ya lyin' in the sink;
"And then comes the worst part!" he said not bluffing,
"She'll spread your cheeks and pack your rear with stuffing".
Well, the rest of his words were too grim to repeat,
I sat on the stoop like a winged piece of meat,
And decided on the spot that to avoid being cooked,
I'd have to lay low and remain overlooked;
I began a new diet of nuts and granola,
High-roughage salads, juice and diet cola;
And as they ate pastries, chocolates and crepes,
I stayed in my room doing Jane Fonda tapes;
I maintained my weight of two pounds and a half,
And tried not to notice when the bigger birds laughed;
But 'twas I who was laughing, under my breath,
As they chomped and they chewed, ever closer to death;
And sure enough when Black November rolled around,
I was the last turkey left in the entire compound;
So now I'm a pet in the farmer's wife's lap;
I haven't a worry! , so I eat and I nap;
She held me today, while sewing and humming,
And smiled at me and said: "Christmas is coming..."

Poet Unknown

Missing in Action

Sorry I've been MIA (Missing In Action) but I've been ubber-busy this week!!  We drove to Chapel Hill on Monday & met Ashley and friends for lunch.  Then traveled to Raleigh to go to Archivers.  It was a nice store but not as great as I had imagined it to be from all I'd heard.  I actually only bought a couple of things - and mostly for my sister!!  Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in Winston Salem at Old Salem Village (a Moravian village).  It was really neat.  I'll share a few pictures when I get them downloaded.  On Tuesday, the demonstrations were all from the 18th century and on Wednesday, from the 19th century.  Tuesday was a beautiful day but Wednesday was cold and rainy all day ... bummer.  Thursday, Ashley and I had a little time to play in my stamp room.  She is trying to get a couple of scrapbooks done for friends who are expecting little boys.  We met Sonny for lunch; then headed up to Hickory to the furniture mart to look for furniture for her new house.  Then, back to Mooresville for the Stamp of the Month class at Stampers Alley.  As soon as we finished that, we met Sonny, Marianne and her son, Harrison to watch the Panther game (boo ... they lost).  Friday it was on to the Southern Living Christmas Show in Charlotte ... after eating a great lunch in downtown Charlotte at Mertz Heart and Soul (yummy fried chicken and southern style veggies!)  Today, we are picking up my Mom and getting a pedicure, going for wine tasting and having lunch in Mooresville!

Whew!  I'll need a vacation soon!  But, I promise to post some great cards later this afternoon!

Veterans Day

It is not lost on me that the memorial for the Fort Hood dead in the worst attack in US history on a military base came just one day prior to Veterans Day. An act of war in the fight for our civilization.

What can be said to these unsung heroes who put their lives on the line every day for the idea, the principle, the morality that is America? 

I stand in awe, deeply grateful. And while my words are inadequate, the men and women of the armed forces who serve (and served) this great nation are always in the minds and hearts of patriotic Americans who love this country.

THANK YOU!

Halloween Facts and Superstitions

Americans spend an estimated $6.9 billion annually on Halloween, making it the country's second largest commercial holiday.
The American tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives.

Superstition ~ In 18th-century Ireland, a matchmaking cook might bury a ring in her mashed potatoes on Halloween night, hoping to bring true love to the diner who found it.

Superstition ~ In Scotland, fortune-tellers recommended that an eligible young woman name a hazelnut for each of her suitors and then toss the nuts into the fireplace. The nut that burned to ashes rather than popping or exploding, the story went, represented the girl's future husband. (In some versions of this legend, confusingly, the opposite was true: The nut that burned away symbolized a love that would not last.)

Superstition ~ Another tale had it that if a young woman ate a sugary concoction made out of walnuts, hazelnuts and nutmeg before bed on Halloween night, she would dream about her future husband. Young women tossed apple-peels over their shoulders, hoping that the peels would fall on the floor in the shape of their future husbands' initials; tried to learn about their futures by peering at egg yolks floating in a bowl of water; and stood in front of mirrors in darkened rooms, holding candles and looking over their shoulders for their husbands' faces.
Resource: ~~ History.com - The Real Story of Halloween

Beautiful Fall Colors

I think Fall may be my favorite time of the year.  The colors are changing quickly here in North Carolina and they are just beautiful.  I want to drive up to the mountains to see the colors there.  I'm sure they are spectacular!!  We went out on the lake today with a group to view the fall foilage and enjoy snacks with friends via a "raft-up."  Here are a few of the beautiful colors we saw: (click on the pictures to see the full view!)

Birthday Cards

Yesterday was my birthday and it was a beautiful day here in NC!!  Sonny took me out to breakfast and then filled my car up with gas!!  I had a good day just playing and doing what made me happy ... like NO laundry, NO house cleaning, etc!  We had a Red Cross meeting at 6:30 and after it was over, we went to Chilli's for dinner.  I just love their chips and salsa and had been wanting some for a long time.  My family is coming over Saturday night to celebrate my birthday, Sonny's birthday (10/30), my nephew's birthday (10/16), and my brother in law's birthday (11/1).  Lots of birthdays this time of year!  And we got a call yesterday from our good friends who live in Texas and they are coming for a visit tomorrow.  Margaret's birthday is October 1 so guess we'll be celebrating her birthday too!

The card Sonny gave me had the most beautiful verse, I just have to share it.  We always tease him that he doesn't really read cards all the way through but I know he read this one before he bought it! 

Once there was this guy; A nice guy, really.
And he met this girl.  An incredible girl - truly amazing.
So naturally the guy falls head over heels in love with her,
and pretty soon they're picking out china patterns and rings
and there's a weding and the starry-eyed couple rides off into what will surely be a rosy future.

(open card)
Okay, so now some time has passed and the guy is living in that future.
He's still married to this girl, but now their life includes a lot of stuff -
appliances and bills and loads of laundry and home repair projects.
But between all the to-dos and have-tos, there are these moments
when the guy stops for a minute and looks around him.

(open card)
He looks at his wife, who is still truly amazing,
he looks at their life together, all the ways and different directions it's grown,
he looks at all the responsibilities he's got, and he thinks to himself, so, this is my life.

And then he thinks,
I am one helluva lucky guy.

And then I got a great one from my daughter although it killed her to have to buy a card.  Her stamping supplies are in storage still so she wasn't able to make me a card.  But she found a great one that says it all about our relationship!

Happy Birthday to my go-everywhere, do-everything, tell-each-other-anything ...
couldn't-be-a-better, always-and-forever friend to the end.

I got some beautiful cards from my friends and family and I want to share the stamped ones with you.

From Margaret

from my upline, Carol

from Judy Nelson

from my NCSU Demo group (made by Pat Wilkinson)

I'm heading to my high school class reunion this weekend so you might not be hearing from me until Monday!  This will be the first reunion I have ever attended so it should be interesting!  I have only kept in touch with one gal from high school and she is not attending, so I'm not sure I'll recognize anyone!  For the past 5 years, a group from my high school - South Mecklenburg in Charlotte - (mostly from my graduating year) have gathered at Ocean Drive Beach for a reunion/get-together.  I just found out about it this year and thought this would be a good chance to give it a try.  Being at the beach, if we don't have anything in common with any of these people, Sonny and I can do our own thing!  Other than the price of the hotel, we only have to pay $10/person for a deejay.  Hopefully, it will be fun.  I was trying to let my hair color grow out (and see just how much gray I really have!) but decided last week, this was not the time to do that!  So, I asked my hairdresser to put a few blonde streaks in to blend in with the gray and brown!!  Hopefully I will look younger than some of the pictures I've seen of people from reunions.  Surprisingly, the girls seem to have held up better than the guys!! 

Deal of the Week, Digital Studio and movies to see!!

Back again this year ..... During the month of October, Stampin' Up! will offer several discounted products as "Deals of the Week." No limits and no minimum purchase required.

Trio Flower Punch - $10.99
5 Flower Punch - $10.99
My Way Punch - $11.99

The Digital Studio is now available for purchase.  Watch a video HERE.  I have seen lots of cool things made with this software package.  It is not just for scrapbooking!  I don't have it yet so I can't give you any first hand knowledge.  BUT .... it is on my birthday want list.  My birthday is coming up in 3 weeks and I have already mentioned it to Sonny.  (Although I think it might have fallen on deaf ears ..... Ashley .... hope you are reading this!!)

I accompanied Sonny to the doctor's office today for that wonderful colonoscopy.  The procedure itself is not bad - you're out and don't feel anything.  If they could just come up with a better solution to the "prep work."  But, when you consider it's a test for colon cancer, I guess it's all worth it.  The doc did find a polyp and it was sent off for evaluation.  Unfortunately, that puts him on the "short list" and he'll have to do it again in 5 years!!  Maybe they'll come up with something better by then!

After the procedure, we enjoyed a good breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then headed to the movies.  Our choice today was The Informant with Matt Damon.  Uhhh ... not so good, in my opinion!!  I was falling asleep in the first hour so I got up and wandered around the theatre trying to find another film more to my liking!!  I found the Jennifer Anniston movie Love Happens.  I really enjoyed it!  Yep, it was a chick flick but I like chick flicks!!  Another thing I loved about the movie was all the great views of Seattle!  As you know, we moved to NC from there 3 years ago.  It is one beautiful place!  Anyway, I would recommend the movie although it is not getting good reviews.