I've been tagged!

I've been tagged to post 6 random things about myself by Gloria, aka happytobe. You can read Gloria's random things on her blog, http://wwwhappytobe.blogspot.com/.

Here are the rules...
1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).
3. Write 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

1. My Mom could wrap the most beautiful packages. She would buy all kinds of stuff for me at Christmas and wrap them so enticingly. She always made such a big game of shaking, feeling and guessing what was in the package. I learned my lessons very well, and became the sneakiest package unwrapper/rewrapper perfectionist you could ever imagine! I'd come home from school and there would be all kinds of packages under the tree. When I knew she wasn't around, I'd take a package to a corner and very carefully pull the tape loose and unwrap the package, oh and ah over the present, then carefully rewrap it, and realign all the loose tape perfectly. You'd need a magnifying glass to tell I'd ever been in the package. Mom never knew. However, my dad watched me one time. He didn't tell Mom, thank goodness, but he did tell me about it after I was married. YIKES!

2. My first job was in a candy store for 2 weeks during a strike. If you're around chocolate all day, that's about the last thing in world you want to eat. BUT, the store also served ice cream and I became addicted to bubble gum ice cream. We would dig the bubble gum out of the ice cream to chew. I know, very bad, and I'm appalled at my behavior now, but it seemed like a great idea at the time.

3. I got a Christmas job at Woolworth's because I had experience working in a candy store. Oh joy, I got to work in the candy department.

4. My first real job was a long distance operator on an old cord board. I was 18 and absolutely hated that job, but stayed for 2 1/2 years until I was able to transfer to another department.

5. A friend at work arranged a blind date for me with her boyfriend's next door neighbor. That blind date became my husband! We were 20 when we got married. He worked in construction and was out of work our first Christmas, so he'd go over to my folks house to hang out. I think it probably helped that Mom was baking umpteen kinds of cookies and he was the sampler. One day, Mom made my lunch and he brought it to me. I ate the sandwich and looked for cookies, but there weren't any. He said Mom didn't pack any for me. Well, I called her right before I went back to work to find out why she forgot the cookies. It seems that Mr Piggy ate all of them before I got to the car to eat lunch! He's never lived that one down!

6. Ya know, this is hard to do! Hmmm, I'm 5' 8 1/2". I have a white "skunk stripe" just off center above my forehead, I'm getting gray all around, but the stripe went first. I have hazel eyes, that are more green than brown.

Rather than tagging individuals, I'm inviting everyone to post 6 random things about yourselves.
So if you're reading this, consider yourself TAGGED!

Enjoy!
Diane

Happy Thanksgiving!

May you all have the most wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving.

We have so much to be thankful for

And one of the best is good friends!

Happy Turkey Day! Don't eat too much...

Diane

*UPDATE!* Do you read labels?

I am usually a label reader. I want to know what's in the package. I've been shopping for a white tabletop tree and they don't seem to be the "IN" tree this year. One of my blogging buddies saw white trees at Walmart, so I checked them out online. They looked good and off I went to buy a tree. I walked back and forth, reading and weighing my options. I was visualizing a tree filled with all my snowman ornaments and how festive it's going to look. The 4 ft tree didn't have quite the look I was going for, but at $25, I could make it work. The 7 1/2 ft one had the right look, but it was $98 & I only needed the top portion of the tree, so that was out. I brought my hubby along, and the cart was rapidly filling up while I looked at trees. I needed to hurry up! I grabbed the box, put it in the cart and off we went. When the box was scanned, it was $35. I protested, something was mentioned about the label on the box, I didn't quite understand what she was saying, gave up and finished checking out. We were loading the car up and the tree box was the last one to go in. I started to hand it to my DH when my eyes locked on the label of the box for the first time. 6 1/2 foot jumped off the box! I'm a DORK! I pride myself on reading labels and I was in such a dither, I grabbed the wrong box and didn't read the label. ARGH! I tromped back in, stood in line and returned the tree. No, I didn't walk back to the other end of the store to look for the 4 ft trees. I went home. Yes, I'm white treeless, but I have some time and I'm still looking.

UPDATE! Thank you Melissa for finding the tree on Amazon.com. I just ordered a 3' Pre-Lit Norway White Iridescent Artificial Christmas Tree Multi Lights. Here's the link if anyone else if looking for a white tabletop tree, http://www.amazon.com/Pre-Lit-Norway-Iridescent-Artificial-Christmas/dp/B000PJ9B38/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1.


Product description for those curious folks like me:
3' White Norway Artificial Christmas Tree from GKI/Bethlehem Lighting Item number H81028 848000
The Norway features snowy white foliage with a touch of iridescence producing a shimmering effect. Lights are distributed generously and evenly, every branch is radiant. External lamp locks and Twist-Proof lights provide added security against loose connections and misaligned wire contacts. Designed with safety in mind, the Norway Christmas Tree is made of flame-resistant materials and its sturdy trunk and base add stability to keep it in place.
Features 100 Multi-Color Lights
Approximately 24" base
Tree stand included
Materials: PVC/Metal Hinged branch construction

Whooo Hoooo! One more item off my list of things to do!

Diane

Thanksgiving chuckles...

I seem to have that oh so common ailment amongst bloggers, I'm blogstipated again. Since I haven't thought of anything amusing to write about for awhile, I thought about pursuing this from another perspective. We need some levity to help relieve some of the pre-Thanksgiving stress. Did you know that if you Google funny Thanksgiving pictures , you'll find all sorts of pictures, jokes and general information? Here's a few jokes and pictures to hopefully tickle your funny bones.





Ode to Thanksgiving
May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

Funny Thanksgiving Turkey
It was just before Thanksgiving in Walmart and a woman was anxiously picking over the last few remaining turkeys in the hope of finding a large one. In desperation she called over a shop assistant and said, 'Excuse me. Do these turkeys get any bigger?' 'No, madam, 'he replied, 'they're all dead.'

Dog and Cat - Unlikely Friends at Thanksgiving

Funny Thanksgiving Sparring Partners

Where's the Thanksgiving Turkey?
I know the wife bought a turkey. But where on earth did she put the bird? (Lynne should like this one!) The Turkey - A most difficult bird to cook
Louise was away from home on Thanksgiving Day for the first time and she was missing her home and family desperately. Louise decided to cook a turkey herself, just like her Mum used to, so that she could feel closer to her family.
Louise returned home for the celebrations and recounted her experience to her Mum saying, 'Mum. it was so difficult to eat the turkey.'
'Why was that, dear' asked Mum in a concerned way, 'was it not cooked properly?'
'How would I know?' responded Louise, 'it wouldn't sit still.'

Did you know?
Turkeys can have heart attacks. Groups of turkeys, sometimes known as a rafter of turkeys would drop dead when the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier nearby.
Apparently turkeys can drown if they look up when it is raining.
Excessive turkey breeding has caused turkey breasts to grow so enormous that the turkeys sometimes fall over.
The Pilgrim Fathers would not eat lobster because they thought it was a giant insect.

How were Turkeys so Named?
It may have come from the noise a wild turkey makes when it become frightened: it sounds like 'turk - turk – turk.'
The original inhabitants of America called the bird a 'firkee.'
Christopher Columbus, the explorer, took some of the wild turkeys of North America back to Europe. People enjoyed eating the meat. It is possible that traders along the Mediterranean casts , known as Turkes, may have brought some of these birds hence they came to be called 'turkey birds.'
In Spain, the turkey was often referred to as Indian fowl, an allusion which is repeated in the French 'dindon' formed with d'Inde which means 'from India'.
Some say Columbus thought the turkey was part of the peacock family. So he decided to call them 'tuka' which is the word for peacock in Tamil, a language spoken in southern India and Sri Lanka.
The wishbone is a tradition of Thanksgiving. Allow the wishbone to dry. Then, two people grasp each end of the wishbone. After making a silent wish, they pull it away. Whoever gets the joint portion, gets their wish. This is the same at Christmas in the UK.

Enjoy!

Diane

A Bookworm Award!

My blogging friend, Kristen, passed the Bookworm Award to me! Kristen has been busy decorating homes for the holidays and sharing her beautiful work with us on her blog, http://kristenscreationsonline.blogspot.com/. She has some of the greatest ideas to decorate our homes.

Here's how it goes:
Pass this on to 5 blogging friends.
Open the closest book to you, not your favorite or most intellectual book, but the book closest to you at the moment, to page 56.
Write out the 5th sentence, as well as two to five sentences following that...

Time-Kissed Destiny by Constance O'Day-Flannery

"My God!" she whispered aloud, as a shaking took over her body. "What just happened?"

With an unsteady hand, she grabbed for the towel lying on one of the built-in shelves and wrapped it around her wet hair. As she stood, staring at volumes of nautical books, Kate unconsciously fingered the gold medallion that hung from her neck.

I'd like to pass this award along to the following ladies:

Buffy at http://buffiesblaaaahg.blogspot.com/

Bridget at http://bigeeesblog.blogspot.com/

Cindy at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Deb at http://lavenderchick.blogspot.com/

Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

This was fun, pass it on!

Diane

Just a note... For those of you who are interested, Constance O'Day-Flannery has written a number of books where characters travel back & forth through time. The subject has always fascinated me. I had a stack of her books, as well as some others that I need to re-home. I'm always trying to clear out what I now consider clutter, that I used to hold dear to my heart. I was once an avid reader, but my aging eyes seem to go wonky sometimes, so I don't read as much as I used to. My tastes have changed too. I was addicted to historical romances for many years, now I prefer books dealing with forensic medicine & crime scenes. I watch a lot of Dexter, NCIS, Bones, CSI & Law & Order type shows on TV too.

Female Heart Attacks

FEMALE HEART ATTACKS: I was aware that female heart attacks are different, but this is the best description I've ever read. Do you know how to recognize all the signs of a heart attack? This is valuable information, and may save our life some day. To sum it up, call the paramedics immediately!


Women and heart attacks (Myocardial infarction)

Did you know that women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have, when experiencing a heart attack? You know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor, that we see in the movies.

Here is the story of one woman's experience, with a heart attack.

"I had a heart attack at about 10:30 PM, with NO prior exertion, NO prior emotional trauma, that one would suspect might've brought it on. I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and actually thinking, 'A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft, cushy LazyBoy, with my feet propped up.

A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when you've been in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like you've swallowed a golf ball going down the esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable. You realize you shouldn't have gulped it down so fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly and this time drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. This was my initial sensation---the only trouble was, that I hadn't taken a bite of anything, since about 5:00 p.m. After it seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight, it was probably my aorta spasming), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically when administering CPR).

This fascinating process continued on into my throat and branched out into both jaws. 'AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening -- we all have read and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of an MI happening, haven't we? I said aloud to myself and the cat....

Dear God, I think I'm having a heart attack!

I lowered the foot-rest, dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead. I thought to myself, if this is a heart attack, I shouldn't be walking into the next room where the phone is or anywhere else. But, on the other hand, if I don't, nobody will know that I need help, and if I wait any longer, I may not be able to get up in moment.

I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next room and dialed the Paramedics ... I told her I thought I was having a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my jaws. I didn't feel hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if the front door was near to me, and if so, to unbolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me when they came in. I unlocked the door and then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as I don't remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me onto a gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to St. Jude ER on the way, but, I did briefly awaken when we arrived and saw that the Cardiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap, helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance. He was bending over me asking questions (probably something like 'Have you taken any medications?') but I couldn't make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist and partner had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral artery into the aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by side stents to hold open my right coronary artery.

'I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home, must have taken at least 20-30 minutes before calling the Paramedics, but actually it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St. Jude are only minutes away from my home, and my Cardiologist was already to go to the OR in his scrubs and get going on restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my arrival and the procedure) and installing the stents.

'Why have I written all of this to you with SO much detail? Because, I want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned first hand.'

1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body. Not the usual men's symptoms, but inexplicable things happening (until my sternum and jaws got into the act). It is said that many more women than men die of their first (and last) MI, because they didn't know they were having one and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some Maalox or other anti-heartburn preparation and go to bed, hoping they'll feel better in the morning when they wake up ... which doesn't happen.

My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine, so I advise you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly happening that you've not felt before. It is better to have a 'false alarm' visitation, than to risk your life guessing what it might be!

2. Note that I said 'Call the Paramedics.' And, if you can, take an ASPIRIN. Ladies, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!

Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER - you are a hazard to others on the road!

Do NOT have your panicked husband/wife who will be speeding and looking anxiously at what's happening with you, instead of the road.

Do NOT call your doctor -- he doesn't know where you live, and if it's at night, you won't reach him anyway, and if it's daytime, his assistants (or answering service) will tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesn't carry the equipment in his car that you need to be saved! The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN that you need ASAP. Your Doctor will be notified later.

3. Don't assume it couldn't be a heart attack, because you have a normal cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it's unbelievably high and/or accompanied by high blood pressure). MIs are usually caused by long-term stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in there.

Pain in the jaw, can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive.

A cardiologist says, if everyone who gets this email sends it to 10 people, you can be sure that we'll save at LEAST one life! Please be a true friend, and send this article to all your friends (male & female) you care about!

An Autumn Friends Award From Gloria

My sweet blogging friend, Gloria aka happytobe, awarded me with the Autumn Friends Award. This is so cute!

Now for the rules:
I need to list 5 things I've always wanted to do, then contact 3 bloggin’ buds, and pass the award along to them. Only I'm going to skip the part about passing it along to 3 buds and let anyone who wants to play along, play! That means, TAG – YOU'RE IT! Please let me know you’re playing so I can read your post! :0}

I loved Gloria's answers to the 5 questions, and you can read them by clicking on her link, http://wwwhappytobe.blogspot.com/

1. Have a white Christmas at home, which isn’t very likely because it doesn’t snow here.

2. Move to a single story house with LOTS of STORAGE! I’m so tired of carrying laundry up & down the stairs, and I still have a bunch more to do.

3. Finish all the remodeling projects in our house! Hmmm, that means lots of painting, sheetrock, taping, texturing and on and on and on...

4. Start the cabinet and furniture refinishing projects that I keep saying I’m going to do but haven’t started any of it yet because I don’t want brush strokes. Yeah, I’m anal & I admit it…

5. Get a boob job to pick the girls back up & put them back where they belong! (Maybe I should have said a breast reduction & relocation!)

So what 5 things have you always wanted to do?!?

Enjoy!
Diane

Pumpkin Cookie Recipe

It's that time of year again and I'm thinking about baking pumpkin cookies. About this time last year, my annual pumpkin cookie cravings prompted a search for my favorite cookie recipe, but it was nowhere to be found. I was on a mission to find a cookie recipe at least as good as the missing one. As luck would have it, I stumbled across one on All Recipes.com that's even better. Everyone loves these cookies!

I'm a huge fan of the All Recipes.com web site. Recipes can be rated and reviews can be posted, which I find extremely helpful. I'm pretty sure it's a great recipe if it has 4 or 5 stars!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Cookies-V/Detail.aspx

Pumpkin Cookies V
Submitted by: Peggy Ackerman
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 150 members

Yields: 18 servings

"Soft, cake-like cookies with caramel icing."

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups shortening (I use butter Crisco)
2 cups white sugar (I use organic sugar, gives a bit of molasses flavor too)
2 cups canned pumpkin
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground
cinnamon (I love cinnamon & use a ton of it! I also add some nutmeg.)
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons milk (I use vanilla Soy milk)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cream shortening, white sugar and pumpkin. Add eggs and mix well. Sift together the baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

2. Drop from spoon to cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). (I use a meat ball scoop, & bake the cookies about 15 minutes)

3. To Make Frosting: Cook butter, milk, and brown sugar until dissolved. Cool and add confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Spread over warm cookies.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2008 Allrecipes.com

Enjoy!
Diane

A play on words...

1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

3. She was only a whisky maker, but he loved her still.

4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.

5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.

6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

11. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.

12. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

13. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, 'You stay here, I'll go on a head.'

14. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

15. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'

16. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'

17. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.

18. It's not that the man did not know how to juggle, he just didn't have the balls to do it.

19. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

20. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

21. A backward poet writes inverse.

22. In democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.

23. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

24. Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects!

Have a great day!
Diane

I've got mail again and my latest projects

Ok folks, my mail opens again! I rebooted the computer & tried again. This time Incredimail opened up. I had visions of losing everything that should probably have been printed and wasn't a happy camper this afternoon. In fact, I was quite grumpy!

I know this is a little late, but I made a couple of things for my DIL's school Halloween celebration. She and 2 of her fellow kindergarten teachers were characters in the nursery rhyme "The 3 Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens". The ladies had their costume parts but my DIL couldn't find a tail, so it was Mom2 to the rescue. I found black faux fur at Joann's, & sewed a tube. The fur looks a lot like my Murphy's fur. My DH supplied heavy duty automotive strapping wire, which I doubled & taped with blue painters tape, then wrapped in batting & taped again. Slid the wire contraption into the tube and sewed the top flap so it attaches to a belt. Then shaped the wire into a cute kitty curl and voila! We had an adorable kitten tail! I also stumbled across Disney Mickey & Minnie fabric that resembles a pair of Mickey & Minnie Halloween dolls she's using in her classroom. My DIL was thrilled when she saw the fabric and asked for a round tablecloth. There were just over 3 yards of fabric on end of the bolt, which wasn't quite enough. I had to "wing it" with a solid fabric for the top. (Isn't this cute? I didn't have a 36" table for the picture, but you can get an idea of how it should look.)

Diane

MY #&*@$%# E-MAIL WON'T WORK!

Oh no! Oh horror of horrors, my Incredimail e-mail won't open! It's been like this for hours. This is not a good thing. I keep way to much stuff in my e-mail folders and I can't get to anything! Now I have to beg my son to fix whatever isn't working and he has the patience of a gnat with me when it comes to computers. He didn't think it was a good idea when I moved my mail from Windows to Incredimail so that I could have cute little emoticons on my e-mails. Did I listen, oh no. I tried to re-activate my old Windows e-mail but it's not working either.

I'm not having a good day here.....

Diane