Moving Day

Hey everyone, I launched my new blog home today. Nothing fancy...just a little more me, I hope. Come visit me!

In My Shoes

Saturday 9: Cruella de Vil

I think we all need something a little fun right now with all that's going on in the world, so I'm linking up with the Saturday 9.

Saturday 9: Cruella de Vil (1961)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In the original animated 101 Dalmations, this song is written by Roger, who gets his best ideas at the piano. Where do you feel most creative?  At my desk surrounded by my books, music, and all my favorite things.

 

2) His piano is tucked away in a crowded attic. Does your home have an attic? If so, what do you keep up there?  No attic. If we had one it would be full of seasonal decorations and all the sentimental things I can't part with.

 

3) The inspiration for this song is his wife's old school chum, the very wealthy and very mean Cruella de Vil. Have you ever found you couldn't stand one of your spouse's or lover's friends?  Unfortunately, yes, but only once.

  

4) Make no mistake, Cruella is a very bad lady. The American Film Institute named her #38 on their 100 Greatest Villains list. Tell us another nasty movie character who comes to mind.  The Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The late Alan Rickman was brilliant in the role.

5) Cruella wanted to skin sweet little Dalmation puppies and make a coat. (We told you she was bad.) As winter wears on, could you use a new coat (though not one made from puppy fur!)?  No, I have several. 

6) This song was written by Mel Leven, who did both words and music. Do you think you'd be more successful as a lyricist (words) or composer (music)?  A lyricist. I have zero musical talent.

7) 1961 was a big year for Disney. In addition to this animated movie, they had a hit with The Parent Trap, about twins who are reunited at summer camp. Approx. 1 in every 250 births results in twins. Are there any twins in your family?  My mother's younger sisters.

8) Also in 1961, IBM introduced the Selectric typewriter. Amazon and Walmart both still sell typewriters. Do you own one?  You know, I'm not sure. My old electric one might be stored somewhere. Oh, wait! I do have a big black antique one that I bought in a junk shop for $20...just for decoration and inspiration.

9) Random question: When is the last time you took a nap?  Friday afternoon. The cold, rainy day seemed to demand it.

**I started this blog very quickly in response to my old one freezing up. It has never really been what I wanted. It's just been a space. Keep your eyes open in the near future for my new blog home. I'm working on it and trying to make it what I've been wanting.

Likes & Dislikes #3

Things I like...

...our big new Dollar Tree store. Just visited it today and it is so much bigger and has so much more stuff that the little dinky one it replaced...

...Ghosts on Paramount+. Off the wall and funny...

...the pink Hyacinth from Aldi's that's blooming on the kitchen window sill...

...the bouquet from the marriage conference that still looks as fresh as the day of the conference...two weeks ago!...

...cold rainy afternoons when I don't have to go out...

...lunch with my daughter, granddaughter, and a client who has become part of the family...

...this country. In spite of everything it's still the best...

...the white chocolate hearts with pink cookie bits I bought for myself at Valentine's Day...

...watching college lectures on Wondrium...

...the smell and feel of books...

And things I don't...

...secrets. They drive me nuts...

...waiting...

...sitting vigil at the hospital or funeral home...

...eggplant, no matter what you try to disguise it with...

...commercials every 5 minutes...

...leg cramps...

...the terminally insulted and offended...

...taking the dog out to potty in bad weather...

Currently Thankful

The name of the post should have given you a clue that, while I don't really know how I'm going to do it (just flying by the seat of my pants here), I'm going to be combining my Currently and Thankful Thursday posts. That's because I'm getting around to it late today and tomorrow (Thursday) I have to work all day.

Currently, the weather is a dismal gray and the temperature has fallen from a high in the 50s early this morning to 34. Winter is back again, but I am thankful we had a couple of beautiful days with temperatures in the low 60s...even if it did rain most of yesterday.

I am currently thinking about work and the fact that I turned in my resignation today. My last day is March 9. In doing the math, it just wasn't paying for me to keep working...at least at this job. It pays halfway decently, but I do not get reimbursed for mileage or expenses. I can only deduct those on our taxes and with the price of gas (and everything else) constantly going up, the deductions aren't enough. I am thankful I had the opportunity to work with my clients. Each one of them is very dear to me and I am sure one or two will continue to be a part of my life. I will mostly likely remain unemployed until at least after our vacation in September. I will be able to help with the grands and enjoy the summer with them. Another thing to be thankful for.

What I'm currently reading is "It's Not Supposed to Be This Way" by Lysa TerKeurst. It tells the story of what happened in Lysa's life that led up to her writing "Forgiving What You Can't Forget." I'm thankful for her honesty in sharing her journey and helping so many others.

I'm currently watching, "Blacklist," and the Robertson's (of Duck Dynasty fame) podcast "Unashamed." I just discovered the podcast is on YouTube. I'm thankful for the oddball faith and family message of the Robertson's. I also just learned that Phil has a daughter that he never knew about. Her story of finding out Phil was her father is very similar to my own journey to finding my father.

I'm currently feeling thankful for my pretty boy, Jasper. That could change at any moment because he has a tendency lately to have late night episodes of destruction, knocking things off the kitchen island and counters or, just for fun, tipping over the electric water fountain (that I had to get because he's fussy about his water) and spilling half a gallon of water all over the floor. It's a good thing he's handsome and has his snuggly moments.

I'm thankful for friends old and new. We went out to dinner last night with all the gang from my old Bible study group. It was the first time we'd gotten together since the beginning of January. So much fun! Sitting at the table behind us was my oldest friend and a current neighbor and then in came the wife of one of the elders at my current church. It was a great night of good food and laughter.

Y'all, I am just so thankful. Life is good and God is great! I am always celebrating my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As long as I have Him in my corner I will carry on and be glad and thankful in every moment.

Odds & Ends

Linking up with the Tuesday 4.

Here we go discussing some personal thoughts this week....

1. Do you have a favorite gem stone? Why is it a favorite.  Well, I can tell you it's NOT my birthstone, the washed out green Peridot, though I own a few pieces set with it. If I want green I prefer Emeralds. I used to like Sapphires and my husband bought me a beautiful gold, sapphire, and diamond ring, which I lost the sapphire out of and decided maybe it was not the stone for me. These days I don't really own too many fancy jewels because I just don't go enough places to wear them and in my daily life I'm hard on my hands. I am attracted to diamonds (all colors) and blue tanzanite matched up with emeralds. I love the blue/green combo.

2. Do you know and understand the doctrines of your religious faith? If you are not religious, do you have a personal doctrine you believe and live? If this question is too personal.. tell us about your pet or favorite pastime.  Yes, I do. I don't particularly consider myself to be anything other than a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. I did, however, recently become a member of a Christian and Missionary Alliance church and to do so I went through a class to learn about their doctrine (which aligns with mine), had an interview with the elders, shared my faith story, and agreed to be held accountable by the elders and pastor.

Anyway, I believe Jesus is the Son of God, born by a virgin birth to a human mother, became the final atoning sacrifice for the world's sin with His death on the cross, defeated death when He rose from the dead on the third day, and is coming back to claim His kingdom one day. I believe God exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I believe that when we are born again the Holy Spirit indwells us and is our guide and helper in this life. I believe that those who are born-again will live eternally with the Lord following their earthly death. I believe the Holy Bible is the divinely inspired, infallible, and living Word of God and that it is always relevant.

I believe the greatest commandments of my faith are to love God and love my neighbor and to share what the Lord has done for me. It is NOT my job to judge or condemn anyone. I am to reflect God's love in this world. No one is going to want to know my Savior, who has done so much for me, if I am judging them and telling them they are going to hell. I believe the way to go is to follow Jesus's example and show love and compassion. When people see that love in me and the peace I have in the Lord...they ask questions. They want to know why I am different, how I can be that way. It opens a door to talk about deeper things.

3. Do you have a favorite décor style... as in classical, traditional, modern, mid century, colonial, etc? What do you like about it?  Oh heavens...I like so many styles. The clean, simple lines of the current farmhouse trend appeal to me, but I also like rustic, country, mid-century modern, cottage, and traditional. Basically, I'm ecclectic. I have things that were given to me, family heirlooms, things bought new, and things bought through auctions, flea markets, estate sales, thrift shops, etc. My basic rule is if I really love something I will buy it and find a way to fit it in when I get it home. I really like this space...

4. Are  there any books or movies you want to see this summer?  I don't have any idea what's coming out this summer. I do want to see the new Mark Wahlberg movie, Uncharted, that's out now.

Sunday Stealing

1) What one event from your lifetime would you change if you could, and why?  It's a personal event that I won't go into here. As for why, because it was devastating and I think it changed me at some foundational level and altered my life. But then again, it brought me to today and helped make me who I am now so maybe I wouldn't change it.

2) If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be and how old would your younger self be when they got it? Do you think your younger self would listen?  I would tell my younger self to finish college, that marriage could wait a year or two, that I don't need to be in such a rush. I'd be 19 and no, my younger self probably wouldn't listen. I was pretty headstrong and stubborn back then.

3) If you could have a conversation with the historical figure of your choosing, whom would you pick and why? What would you talk about?  I think I'd choose either Earnest Hemmingway or Teddy Roosevelt. I know Hemmingway was rather a rogue and a cad, but if you weren't romantically involved with him, I think he'd have a lot of interesting stories to tell. Ditto for Teddy. I'd love to hear of their adventures and would be quite content to just listen and let them do all the talking.

4) What's a safety rule that's very important to you?  Wear your seatbelt. Always.

5) What would you like to say to people in the future?  I'm sorry?

6) What's your favorite dish to bring to a summer cookout?  Taco salad

7) How much time have you spent outdoors this week?  Not that much as we've had a yo-yo weather kind of week and one of the warmer days it POURED all day.

8) Where do you set your thermostat?  I used to set it at 72 during the day and 67 at night, but this year I put it at 70 and just left it there. It seems to be working for us. My husband usually wants to get up and crank the heat to 80, but he hasn't don't that this winter.

9) How did you learn to swim?  Red Cross swimming lessons at the public pool.

10) How do you avoid overheating?  I either stay in the air conditioning or get in the pool.

11). What are you going to do this weekend?  I worked for a bit this afternoon and tomorrow it's breakfast with my husband and the grandkids and then church.

12) What’s your favorite way to spend time?  Reading, puttering on the laptop, or browsing through thrift shops.

13) What’s the most useless thing you own that you would never get rid of?  I probably have a lot of things that fall into that category if you ask anyone other than me, but for the sake of the question I'll say my wedding dress. It's been hanging in the garment bag in the closet for 37 1/2 years. It's not like I'm going to wear it again. It didn't fit my daughter and she didn't like it, anyway. I doubt Leah will want to wear it. Oh well, they can decide what to do with it when I go to the nursing home or die.

14) Have you started planning your next vacation?  Actually, we have. We are going to Chincoteague Island, Virginia in September with our daughter and her family. We've been there several times and I think of it as my happy place, but this will be Colton and Leah's first time. We are excited to get to share it with them. We've already booked the house.

15) Are you very active, or do you prefer to just relax in your free time or is it one and the same to you?  No, I am not very active. I'm good with a normal amount of activity, but I do like to simply relax in my free time, as well. 

Thanks goes to Bev at Sunday Stealing for finding the questions!

Saturday 9: Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy)

Linking up with the Saturday 9 for musical fun.

Saturday 9: Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy) 1972

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) The lyrics tell us that every Sunday afternoon we can find Roy at the racetrack. What are your plans for Sunday?  Tim has started a new tradition of having the grandkids over for Sunday breakfast. He makes pancakes and bacon. After breakfast I go to church and he plays games with them. The afternoon is usually for relaxing or doing the grocery shopping if there isn't anything going on. In the evening I attend my chosen small group from church.

 

2) Roy is fearless behind the wheel of his '57 Chevrolet. But it's just natural to feel fear every now and again. What scares you?  Snakes, sharks, and the thought of being an invalid dependent on someone else to care for me.

  

3) Roy's been photographed grinning with a toothpick in his mouth. Do you often use toothpicks? If so, do you carry them with you?  I use them, but not for picking my teeth. I use them to test baked goods in the oven and to clean out the little holes in Leah's sippy cups.

 

4) Legend has it Roy learned to drive fast when he ran moonshine out of Alabama. Moonshine usually refers to illegally produced whiskey. What was the last alcoholic beverage you drank?  A "Sweetheart Sangria" on Valentine's Day. It had peach vodka, wine, a couple of other types of alcohol that I can't remember,  peaches and strawberries. It was very good and potent.

5) This week's featured artist, Jim Croce, attended Villanova University, where he played in a band that performed at fraternity parties. When his band was chosen to tour Africa as part of a cultural exchange program, he was excited to learn his host countries' customs. Have you ever traveled overseas? What did your trip teach you?  I've never been overseas. The most different culture I've spent time in is that of the Navajo. I learned to be patient there. The Navajo culture is much slower paced than ours.

6) Jim met his future wife, Ingrid, at a party. They discovered that they both loved Joan Baez and Woody Guthrie. Tell us about one of your friends, and what you two bonded over.  My friend, Fran, and I bonded over similar experiences with our children, our husbands, and our churches. I wouldn't say we are each other's best friend these days, but we are still close and we understand each other on a deeper level than any of our other friends do.

 

7) Early in their marriage, while Jim was working hard to launch his music career, Ingrid helped make ends meet by baking bread and canning fruits and vegetables. Do you have any frugal cooking tips or "cheap eats" recipes to share?  Not really.

8) In 1972, Mark Spitz became a sensation, winning seven Gold Medals for swimming. After making money in endorsements and TV appearances, he settled into a career as a realtor in Los Angeles. Are you contemplating a change in residence anytime soon?  No. If I ever move again it will probably be to a nursing home and I hope to never have to do that.

9) Random question: Which of these "top ten" lists would you prefer to be on -- the sexiest, the smartest or the richest?   I would normally choose to be among "the smartest" but with everything costing more every day I think I'll choose "the richest."