Three Friends and a Journal

Last week I went to a beloved friends house for lunch and a much needed visit.  Little did I know that I would be given something she made that truly and deeply touched my heart more than words can describe.  It was emotional to say the least.  It's absolutely beautiful and every time I look at it or wrap myself up in it, such fond memories will always be with me.

It's hard to believe we are already heading into July.  Where did June go? Summer will be over before we know it. 

Honestly, I haven't been down in my studio in a couple months.  Between family, house/yard stuff there just hasn't been time and it's killing me.  There are things I need to get done in there and rather than wait until the last minute, I am planning on starting at least one tonight.  Well, at least that's what I'm hoping.

The sky looks like it could bottom out at any moment and I sure hope we get some rain with all the storms around us.  It's been over a month that we've had any significant rain and we desperately need it.  The once lucious green grass is now brown and crunchy.  I haven't had to cut in 3 weeks.  Not good.  Sure we've had a spit here and there but those have only lasted a minute or two.  We seem to be in a pocket area that the storms are just totally missing.

To my dear friend who passed on that "oh so adorable" idea the other day, you are the best!  I am going to give them a shot as soon as I can get the downloading of the template to cooperate.  I keep looking at them and already have names picked out, if you can believe it.  lol  I can always count on you two ladies to share cute ideas you come across with me.  ;)

Someone please send rain our way.  I don't care if you send a weeks worth, we need it~

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Here are some of the books I've read recently.  I'd recommend all of them.

Everything is Illuminated, by Jonathan Safran Foer

A New Earth - Awakening to your Life's Purpose, by Eckhart Tolle

Without A Map, by Meredith Hall

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, by Betty Smith

Unravelling, by Elizabeth Graver

Into The Woods, by Tana French (I am currently reading this and it is very good).

I'm back to reading about two or three books a week again.  I go in spurts with my intensity of reading, but you will always find me with a book close at hand (or in the car, at the beach/pool).  I don't think there is anything better than reading a good book.  My house is a library of my very favorite books.

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Weird and random question...

If your electric power is knocked out, are you limited to the number of flushes to your toilet?

I'll come back later and explain.

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It's hot as the dickens here.  Currently 94, to be exact.  I can deal with the heat, I love fun in the sun but the humidity is a real bitch right now.  Never fear, I still plug along with a bottle of water always in hand.  lol 

My morning run continues on and I'm "running to the beach".  It's a program going on in our state but I'm not giving too many specifics.  All you do is sign up at a website and log your daily miles.  I'll let you know when I get there! 

I'm tired of the airline woes.  I can understand raising airfares due to fuel costs, but charging extra for your FIRST BAG checked?  Assinine.  How I would avoid that is just use a carry on.  You'd be surprised how much I can pack in a carry on.  lol  What has me most irked is the recent suggestion of possibly weighing passengers.  I think that is stupid and will only cause humility to those that would fall under the weigh in category.  Not to mention slow things up even more at the security gate. 

I have officially started my watermelon kick for the summer. $4.50 wasn't too hateful since a couple weeks ago they were $5.99 for seedless.  Yea, we don't do seeds.  If it were up to me, we'd live off fruit and salad forever. 

Ugh just got a phone call and a loved one will be having surgery soon.  Guess I need to get things in order here as that means I will be traveling. 

Leaving you with a visional funny...my favorite flip flops caused me to wipe out in the carport today.  Just finished up watering plants out front and was putting the hose away.  These flip flops are dangerous with a wet surface and you got it, my feet flew totally out from under me and I landed flat on my back.  I have not an ache nor a pain but hubby was pulling into the carport and was mortified.  I couldn't help but bust out laughing as he is all worried I'm hurt.  It's all good.  I still laugh when I think about it. 

Happy June y'all!

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Earlier today I was shopping in Kroger in a neighboring town.  Upon completing my grocery checkout, the clerk hands me my receipt and another receipt type slip from the register and told me if I took it over to customer service after filling out my personal information I would receive a $10 Kroger card.

Wow!  With the rising cost of groceries, I was thinking what a great way to thank their customers for their patronage.  I filled out my name and address along with my phone number.  Then the next line  read SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.  Helloooooo.  I stopped without filing that in and handed the clerk the slip.  She immediately comes back and says she can't give me my $10 Kroger card without having my social.  I laughed and told her thanks but my social is worth more to me than $10 worth of groceries.

Happy Memorial Day weekend~

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We took a mini vacation last weekend to a place I love. 

I miss packing a picnic lunch, towels, and boogie boards

I miss curling my toes in the warm sand

I miss hunting for sharks teeth and sand dollars

I miss the sound of crashing waves

I miss the cool breeze and the smell

I miss walking out back to our dock and taking the boat out

I miss the fresh crabs from the cage to the dinner table

I miss everything about it

Soon.  Very soon~

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I'm sitting here watching the American Idol finale.  I don't watch AI until they are down to about 7 or 8 contestants because I'm only interested in watching (hopefully) good singers sing.  I hate the auditions.  I think they are the least funny thing on earth because most of the horrible singers are simply attention seekers looking for their 15 minutes of fame and I don't want to be a part of encouraging that sort of ridiculousness.

I'm hoping that David Archuletta wins.  I think he has the best voice of anyone who has ever been a contestant on that show--ever.  And he's only 17.  I've read a lot of criticisms of him, but the kid is 17 and I think he's magnificent.  That's not to say I don't like the other David, because I do.  I just think David A is the better singer.

The weather here has been spectacular although we've had some tremendous storms come through and do some serious damage.  School is out for the summer, so we are all officially slackers until August rolls around again which will be in no time.

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Monday morning I ran to our local Walmart to get a few things.  I figured while there, I would get coffee because you can never have enough coffee in the house.  We drink hazelnut coffee and grind it ourselves, so after opening the bag and placing the beans in the grinder, I pushed the start button.  It ground maybe 1/4 of the bag before the machine cut off.  I fiddled with the stop/start buttons and concluded that the machine was broken. 

Seeing an employee stocking the shelves just a few feet away I turned to her and let her know the machine just broke.  Her response to me was basically too bad for me and that sort of stunned me.  She should have told me she would let her manager know so they could call the repair person to come in.  This employee told me that the store has nothing to do with the machine and they just had to wait for the guy to come in.  Ummm...I don't think so.  Common sense is you tell your manager and he contacts the company of the coffee grinder to come in asap and fix it or replace it.  Here I stood with a 1/4 bag of ground coffee and so I shot back to the woman that I'd just leave the bag on the ledge there and she said that was fine.  My assumption was she would dispose of the bag AND notify management.

WRONG!

Yesterday at approximately 4 p.m. I  made a trip to Walmart.  While picking up a few items I decided I would take a chance that hopefully the coffee grinder was fixed.  I was appalled when I got to the aisle and saw that the bag I had left on Monday was still sitting there.  The coffee grinder was still filled with coffee beans and there was a load of coffee beans scattered all over the shelving to the left of where my intended purchase was. 

Some might say I should have gone to the manager myself and maybe I should have, but I didn't.  It's not my job.  I don't get paid like the lazy woman does to keep the aisles clean and to report broken machines.  Besides, it's common sense. I'm a consumer, I help PAY her wages.  The mentality here for the most part is to do as little as possible to collect that paycheck.  Not to mention it's OK to be rude to customers.  Well, not in my book it isn't and ifyou are going to be crappy to me, the customer, I will be that much more crappy to you in return. 

Yea.  This morning I called and spoke to a manager.  Do you know he went back to the coffee station and it was still a disgusting mess?

I will be so happy when Target opens.  I will have to drive 25 minutes  as opposed to 5 minutes but it is going to be so much more worth it!

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Little things that piss me off:

Gas jumped to $3.79 for regular unleaded

The bender ball commercial where the woman says her husband can't keep his hands off her.  I DON'T BELIEVE HER!  LMAO  Really that commercial is so annoying.

A friend who constantly complains about not losing weight but she won't exercise.  Diet and exercise go hand in hand in weight control.  I can't get it in her head she must be consistent.  One day here and there of walking just doesn't cut it.

Little things that make me happy:

My childrens laughter (this will always make me happy)

A text from the hubby with an "I love you"

Getting my four mile run in this morning

The abundance of red and blue birds in our yard.  A birds haven really.

Having all the laundry done and put away

Chicken caesar salads for dinner.  Easy, healthy and delicious

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