Flip Flops

I hate shoes. But being diabetic I have to wear them. I am not supposed to wear opened toed shoes, but hey this is Florida and I'm wearing them. Flip flops are the next best thing to barefoot. Plus I like to walk and have always wished for flipflops you could walk in. I know, you CAN walk in flipflops but I was talking about like walking shoes. About a month ago I saw an ad online for flipflops for just that purpose. They are at Victoria's Secret of all places. They are also $50+. Well I'm not paying that much. So I recently acquired an Avon lady (been looking for a few months now). In the Avon book, there's my flipflops. Curves has the same type as Victoria's only 1/2 the price. I bought some. I got them today. I LOVE them. They are all cushiony. They tone your legs when you wear them. I have only been able to wear them around the house but I can feel them working on my calves already. I was going to test them out at the walking trail, but Hut wanted to wait until after "Charmed" to go. Low and behold, we got a rainstorm. No walk. That's okay, I can walk tomorrow. We need the rain. For those of you who do alot of walking and hate sneakers, I suggest you get a pair of these. They are soooooo comfortable. They have natural shock absorbers that challenge your muscles to strengthen them. I can't wait to give these a work out. They are $29.99 right now from Avon but pssssst.......in campaign 15 they are going to be on sale. I'm buying a 2nd pair then.

And here you go.....don't those look comfy???

Too much sun & heat

Yesterday Hut and I went yard saleing(?). We had a great time, but only lasted a couple of hours......it was too dang hot! We got some great deals. I bought a black dress, 9 tank tops (new), a denim skirt, green pair of pants (new), striped top to match pants or jeans and a brand new shirt for my husband($42 price tag still on it). I paid only $7 for it all. I was thrilled. I never get good deals like this. And to find something that fits my husband is a plus (literally, he's a big boy). My black dress (everyone needs one). It has laces down both sides. I'll probably never wear it but it was only $1.

These are 8 of my 9 tank tops (I'm wearing a gold one). I love tanks and believe me as hot as it's been I'm glad I found them. Only $2.

My striped shirt, green pants and denim skirt. The shirt has a green stripe in it that is the same shade as the pants. I don't know why I bought these either, I never go anywhere where I need to dress up. Only $2 for the lot.

Disney Hawaiin shirt. Price tag on it was $42, we got it for $2. Best bargain of the day. Can't tell I was proud of my finds, can you LOL.

We also went to a local celebration in Eagle Lake which is the next town over. Except for the HUGE hotdogs they sold, it really wasn't anything to brag about. They had a few vendors selling wares, most food vendors though. I did buy some crocheted dish cloths (I absolutely love those), 2 sets of necklaces and earrings (handpainted) and some ties for my hair(1 pirate and 1 red,white,blue). My husband bought a confederate flag, but this was the original confederate flag, not the one everyone see's and has a fit about. This original one we actually learned about when we went to St. Augustine. We had actually bought a small version of this while we were there, but in Eagle Lake they had big size to hang outside the house.

This is what the original Confederate flag looks like. I wonder how many people know that. All in all it was a good morning, but couldn't wait to get out of the heat.

To go gray or not to go gray......that is the question

I have been fighting gray hair since I was 16. It's a family trait from my mom's side. My grandmother was totally white at 32. I am about 97% gray under whatever color I am this week. I had almost let it grow all the way out until about a month ago. Then I did the unthinkable and colored it again. Now I have the gray "line" showing. Now I'm thinking about just being done with the coloring and going "au natural". I can't afford to go the to hairdressers and have the coloring done. I have a hard enough time getting to the nail salon to keep my nails done (the only girly thing I really do). Let me give you some facts.....I'm 47. Gray hair is inevitable. My gray is actually a really pretty shade (like my granny's, I was afraid it would be dull like my mom's). I have 2 son's. On my side of the family is premature gray, on their dad's side is baldness. Guess what??? My oldest gets gray hair (has since he was 18) and youngest will probably be bald. How funny. Anyways.....give me your thoughts. It is a vanity thing...I'll be honest. And any suggestions on how to deal with gray hair while it's growing in would be a big help. Thanks.

This is one of my favorite pictures because #1 Griffin is in it and #2 my hubby is in it and #3 I love my hair! (Thanks for taking this pic Missy, I stole it from one of your earlier blogs.)

This is also a fav pic because it was for my wedding vow renewal ceremony. If you look close you can see the remnants of blond and all the gray. I am currently a medium brown with the gray line.

Looking for the Weekend

Double Rainbow in the sky.

Well the boss comes back tomorrow. The bright side is, it's gonna be Friday! Whoo Hoo! Got some more needed rain tonight. A big thunderstorm. My little girly dog is afraid of the thunder. I have to sit and hold her until it's done. She survives every time. Max could care less. Fed my husband leftover Chicken Penne Alfredo. Made this last month and he loved it. So I made it again. For being a big guy, he is a very fussy eater. So I like it when he will try something new and he likes it. Glad it's coming up on the weekend. Eagle Lake is having fireworks this Saturday night. Getting an early start on the 4th. They are having a Patriotic celebration. Going to have to go check it out. Seems everyone wants to celebrate the 4th early. Winter Haven is having their 4th of July on the 3rd. I'm very glad next week is a 4 day week.

Weather

Tonight we are getting some much needed rain. We've already lost power once, probably will again. It's thundering and lightening, but it's RAINING! Winter Haven is known for it's chain of lakes. There are 20 plus lakes on the chain. Only problem is....we've been in a drought for so long, boats can't get through the chain. The water in the canals is ankle deep. So we will take our rain in any way, shape or form that it comes. I wish there had been some way to pipe the water down that is flooding other parts of the country, to our location. Would save everyone some grief. I am excited to be getting rain. I actually tried to take some pictures of it, but none of them turned out. I will however share with you this morning's sunrise. I have to be to work at 6:30am. I carpool with my supervisor, Bill. When he saw the sunrise, he stated that he wished he had a camera. Low and behold, I just happened to have one. Bill pulled on to the Lake Summit boat ramp so I could get a picture.

ENJOY!!!!!!

When the boss is away........

Three glorious days without the boss. Don't get me wrong, I like my boss. He buys me flowers. But sometimes you just need a break. I am a lobby receptionist at State Farm's Regional Office. I work for AlliedBarton Security. I work in an office with 2 men. David is my boss. He sits directly behind me. Bill is my supervisor, he works behind me also. It's not so bad most of the time, but there are days David talks over me, doing my job. I usually just sit there and let him do it. It can be pretty annoying. So every 3 months David has to take a trip around the state. He has offices in Orlando, Tampa, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Broward. So he is gone for 3 days. It is really nice having this reprieve. Bill enjoys it too, because him and David never see eye to eye. I call this their "Alpha Dog" syndrome. So it's nice not to have their little disagreements going on behind me, too. It really isn't as bad as I'm making it sound. I work with 7 guys, no girls. I've said this before, it's like having 7 other husbands sometimes. But they all treat me great. Here I am rambling on when all I wanted to really say is, with David gone, it's like a mini vacation.

Our Furry Kids

My husband has a daughter, Alicia, from his first marriage. She has 2 children. I have 2 sons by my first marriage, Wade and Scott. We never see Alicia or the grandbabies (her choice), which is why I never mention them. Wade & Scott are a big part of our lives even though they live an hour away. Hut and I don't have any human kids together, but we have our furry ones. We have 2, Miss Piggy and Max. Back in March we had to put another one of our furry kids to sleep. Cosmo. He was 14. We miss him very much, but Miss Piggy and Max keep us going. They are such a treat. Max is our quiet one. We got him from an abusive home. He was kept in a cage, only getting out twice a day to eat and go potty. We've had him for 5 years now and he is just now coming out of his shell. But he is a very loving dog. Max would get car sick anytime you put him in the car when we first got him. Now he's the first one in. And his favorite place to go is the ball park. He LOVES to run. I think it's because for the first 2 years of his life he was confined to a cage. The ball park is a great place for him ,because he can run and run and run. He has just discovered stuffed toys. He doesn't really play with them, but he won't let you have his. Miss Piggy was found abandoned on some rail road tracks. My next door neighbor found her and brought her home. My neighbor ran ads in the local newspapers and put signs up all over town. No one would claim her. My neighbor was going to take her to the pound, but I took her to the house to tell Hut about it and Piggy jumped in his lap. He said she wasn't going anywhere. Piggy is a wire haired daschund. She was fixed. I couldn't believe no one claimed her. We've had her for 3 years. We've had Max for 5. They are such a joy.
Any one who is a dog lover knows what I mean. They love you unconditionally and never expect anything in return. Of course a treat or belly rub wouldn't be turned down. I've had many pets growing up, but dogs are my life.


This is my Cosmo. I miss him terribly. He was always a clown. He was abandoned and we took him in. We had him for 14 years. We also had a black daschund/cocker spaniel mix named Earnie. We had him for 10 years and had to put him to sleep in 2003. I don't have any photos of Earnie downloaded, so will have to share pics at a later date.
This is one of my favorite pics of Miss Piggy. She is sound asleep in her daddy's arm.


This is Max, smiling. I know, you think he's showing his teeth because of the pizza, but Max is not an aggressive dog. He really is smiling.

Back in the groove

When I first started blogging I mentioned a diet I was on. I did really good, I lost 10 pounds. Well, I haven't done a darn thing since then and gained 5 pounds back. The plus side to that is I'm still under 200 (but not by much). So today I go back on the diet and start exercising again. Today I'm going to start walking again. I also have a glider that I call my torture device. I use it when I don't want to drive to the nature walk or when it is raining too hard (which hasn't happened much lately).

This is my torture device. It really gives a good workout all over but it kicks my butt. Before I got lazy I was using this for an hour. I thought about joining a gym, but I carpool and know I won't drive back to a gym. I do enjoy walking so I don't mind driving for that. I took boxing awhile back and did really well with that. Plus my friend Jane teaches the class so it makes it nice. I am thinking about doing that again. For right now, though, I just need to get moving again, especially with this Diabetes Walk coming up in October. I found a quote that I abolutely love and I'm sharing with you( no Cecile, I'm not taking your job LOL). " Wish it......Dream it.......Do it......" That is my motivation for today. Everyone have a great day!

The Law of the Garbage Truck

This came in an email I got and it made alot of sense to me. I thought I would share it.

Law of the Garbage Truck"

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.So I asked, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.*The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day*. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so..... *"Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't."*

Acne

I was just wondering if anyone else going through the change has experienced acne. I have never had acne, not even as a teen ager. Now that I'm going through menopause, I have the worst case of acne. I know my hormones are changing but I didn't think this would be part of it. I'm dealing with hot flashes and night sweats and that's bad enough. I think I'd rather go through a second childhood than a second teenhood. I don't recall ever reading anything else about this. Am I a freak??LOL! Thanks for letting me get this off my chest.

Simple Man

Well it finally happened. My husband has a blog. It is a simple blog because he is...............a Simple Man. I will be adding his blog to my list of blogs. It is called Simple Man. Check it out if you dare. Please visit his blog and leave a comment. Because he is..............a Simple Man.

Here he is...........................my Simple Man!

Birthday Remembrance & Father's Day Gift

Today would have been my mother in law Syble's 75th birthday. She passed away when she was only 43 and I never had the opportunity to meet her. But over the years I've never heard anything but wonderful things about her. I wish I had had the chance to meet her. She has wonderful children that I am proud to call family. Happy Birthday Syble, these Birds of Paradise are for you. I know they were your favorite flower.




Hut got a PS2 and Guitar Hero 2 from the furry kids, Max and Miss Piggy, for Father's Day. He had played at Wade's house last weekend and really enjoyed it. I was able to get a really good deal on the package so we decided Daddy really needed it. He played this game for 2 1/2 hours straight after he got it.

Here he is trying to play. He is actually really good at it. I tried it, it's not as easy as it looks. I messed up twice and quit. Not sure if I'll try again, lol.
This is my attempt to show you what you need to do. There are different color keys on your guitar and you have to play them the same time as the screen shows you to. Let me tell you, the timing has to be perfect. You play along with popular rock songs. You get to pick a character for yourself, name a band (Hut's is the Possum Band). If you mess up to much you get booed off the stage. Hut always wanted to play a guitar, this is probably as close as he'll get.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Happy Father's Day to all you wonderful men who are lucky enough to be fathers. This includes dads, step-dads, foster dads, adopted dads, godfathers, uncles,friends, neighbors, whoever has a hand in helping raise children as a father figure. You make all the difference to a child. Mom's may be the mainstay (for the most part) but children really do need a dad on the scene.

I have 2 sons with my first husband Jim. He is a good dad. I got very lucky, however, when I married my second husband, Hut. He really bonded with my 2 sons and when we were all together, he treated them just like his own. My sons consider themselves fortunate to have 2 loving dads, especially when a lot of kids don't even have one. This is one of my favorite pics of Hut and the boys. When they were younger I caught them all playing with cars and trucks in the living room. This picture looks kinda funky because they were all laying on the floor.This is another favorite picture. This is Hut and my dad, Nellie, on our wedding day. You can tell by the look on my dad's face that he knew I made a good choice. My dad passed away in 2001. I miss him terribly. I was very close to my dad. He was a great man. He worked 3 jobs when we were all young so that my mother could stay home and raise the kids. I believe that made a big difference to us kids, although we really didn't get to see alot of him. We knew he loved us, though, because everyday before work, he would give us all a kiss. And my dad was a stepdad too. He raised my oldest sister,Paulette as his own, and if anyone made a comment about her not being his, he would tell you in no uncertain terms that she was. I love my dad.
I don't have very many pictures of my father in law, JC. But he was a great man too. All his kids loved him dearly, as did the grandkids (even the step ones). JC treated us all the same. JC left us in 1998 and has been missed terribly ever since. My fondest memories of him are "arguements" we would have. He liked to get my goat all the time because I was a "damned" yankee and he was a good ol' southern boy. I don't remember exactly whose party this pic was taken at, but then again, we really didn't need an excuse to cook some food and have a good time. JC lost his wife Syble(my hubby and 2 sils mom) in 1976. My husband had just turned 17 and Missy was just a week shy of her 7th birthday. JC finished raising his family and did a terrific job.

I thank God for these 2 wonderful fathers that I knew personally and the 1 I am married to. I thank God for all those men out there who are filling those shoes. And to all the fathers (and mothers) who are fighting for this country's rights and freedoms, I salute you for making it possible for us to live the lives we have.

Everyone have a wonderful Father's day and make sure you let your dads know how much you love and appreciate them.

Friday the 13th

I was born and raised in New England, not far from Salem, so I grew up very superstitious. It's a way of life, always has been. Don't put shoes on any table in my house. Spill some salt, better shake some over your shoulder. Never bring an old broom with you when you move. I could go on and on. One superstition that I don't take to heart is Friday the 13th. Or at least I don't any more. My first date with my wonderful husband was Friday, March 13, 1992. We married less than 2 months later. In 1994, we moved into our new home on Friday, May 13. So for me, Friday the 13th is a lucky day. I no longer think something bad is going to happen on that day. I've had really good luck on Friday the 13th (of course I probably just jinxed myself). Now if I could just get over the other superstitions that easily. Hope everyone had wonderful, lucky Friday the 13th.

Fighting Diabetes

Okay everyone, this blog is going to be a little different. I have been diagnosed with diabetes since 1997 (Type 2). I am one of the world's worst diabetics. I am fortunate that I am not on insulin yet. I take oral meds. I am supposed to follow a certain diet (which I don't, but I do try). I am also supposed to exercise (which I am pretty good about most of the time). Which explains why I am on a diet now. I am trying to regain control of my glucose readings. Those of you who are diabetic or know someone who is, knows what a challenge it can be. Diabetes runs in my family. My grandmother died of complications from it. My dad died of diabetes related heart disease. My sister has Type 1 and has never really been in the best of health. I may not be great at controlling mine, but I am a BIG advocate for finding a cure. So all the history out of the way....here's what I'm leading up to. On October 11,2008 they are having a walk for Diabetes. It's called Step Out Walk for Diabetes. I have never done anything like this before. I usually buy the magazines, make the donations through the mail, easy on the couch type things. I am determined to get healthier, by exercise and diet. This is my motivation. My 2 sons, Wade's G-friend Christina and my hubby are part of my team. We are called Rebels with a Cause (play on words for James Dean movie, Rebel without a Cause and the fact that my husband and sons were born in the south and in the Civil War, of course, the south was rebels). This blog is a heads up to Old friends and New that when I get my Team Page set up, you will be recieving an invite through your email. I know at this date and time with gas and everything else going up, monetary gifts are hard for some. If you are able to donate $$ (when the time comes) great. But I will need all the support I can get emotionally, mentally and physically. So encouraging words are a MUST from you guys (Cecile, you are in charge of quotes). So thank you for listening to me and hopefully you won't mind an email about the cause when I get set up. Thanks again everyone. You guys are the greatest.

You Might Be A Redneck If..........

............you have a Chicken Tree in your front yard. My neighbor has a ton of chickens running around. They like to roost in a tree in our front yard. We used to have around 30 of them in the tree, we are down to 5 hens & roosters and 3 chicks.

This is a hen and rooster roosting together. They all head to the tree around 8pm every night.

This is a white hen. She hangs around with a black hen, that wasn't ready to roost yet. I call them Salt n Peppa.

This is a momma hen with 2 of her 3 chicks (the other chick was trying to get up the tree when I was taking pics). The chicks are right underneath her. I don't know how they all stay up there. When the 3rd chick got there, he climbed under her too. The tree at the top is a crepe myrtle and that's where they roost.




This picture has nothing to do with the Chicken Tree. It's my friend the Sandhill Crane at State Farm. I love how he looked in the window so I could take a photo of his face. Love this pic and wanted to share.


And to finish this off.....Gary tagged Missy, who tagged everyone else. If anyone is left, I tag you! Here's my version:

"As we finished lunch and began setting up our equipment, we agreed to take the warning seriously. We had brought along our newest toy........ a thermal-imaging camera that would show us variations in temperature in more dramatic terms than any electronic temperature gauge.

Grant and I headed for the room where the first sergeant had hung himself."

This is from Ghost Hunting by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson of TAPS. One of my fav shows and the book was really good.

Tagged by Missy

Well Missy tagged anyone who had 5 products that were making their family happy. I could easily list 100, but just chose 5. We were going to use the John Deere gummies and Cool Pops too, but the Cool Pops are gone.....and I didn't want to copy Missy. : ) So here are some of our "happy" items and they are all food items.

These are the best....mini IC sandwiches from Mayfields. They have the best. Even the dogs like them. Totino's frozen pizza. Who doesn't like those. My hubby's fav is the Mexican pizza, but it was at the bottom of the pile in the freezer, so Triple Meat will have to do.

I LOVE Sam's Choice Mandarin Orange water. Love it, love it, love it. Diet Dr. Pepper used to be my drink of choice. Then I got kidney stones and was told to cut out caffiene. Bill, one of my co-workers, told me Sam's Choice was a good flavored water (I just can't drink plain water, yuck!). The strawberry is good, the key lime is good, but the orange is pretty much all I drink. You should try it.

These are awesome. I started a diet the 1st of May (have lost 10 lbs.). These are sooooo good. They taste just like popcorn. Great for when you get the salt cravings. They also have cinnamon(yummy), sour cream, cheese. Those are the one's I've tried. They are mini rice cakes, but don't let that scare you. Even my fussy hubby eats them. And he has a phobia of anything diet, low cal, sugar free.

Finally, we couldn't forget our furry "kids". Hut bought these for the dogs the other day and they LOVE them. Our dogs are spoiled in that they have 4 different types of bones to choose from everyday. Now they have 5. But this is their new favorite. They like Milk Bones Beef Basted, the green bones Walmart sells (can't remember the name). Publix brand of big crunchy bones and Marrow Bones (I think Pedigree makes these).

Well these are our 5 "happy" items at this time. So "TAG" you're it!

COCOA BEACH

Yesterday Wade and Christina decided to go to Cocoa Beach. They called to see if we wanted to go. We haven't been to the beach yet this year, so we went. Savanah(who used to date Scott)is their room mate and she went with us too. The temperature gauge in the truck was registering 107 degrees when we left, but it really wasn't that hot. There was a nice breeze and the water was just right.The beach was not really packed. That is me and Wade walking up from the water. Glad it's not a close up shot.

Here's Hut lounging under the umbrella, checking out the sights.

Christina, trying to get some color on her skin. She's be the perfect model.

Here's Savanah, giving Christina a run for her money, trying to get some color first.

A Great Place To Work

It's the Easter Turkey. Wild Turkeys hang out right outside our building. This picture was taken on Easter Sunday. There were actually 2 turkeys but I scared them while trying to take this picture and one flew away.

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I work at the State Farm Regional Office building in Winter Haven (well maybe not in so many words). It is a really great place to work and it's also a beautiful place to work. I took some pictures early on Easter morning while I was working. I haven't been able to share because I didn't have a scanner. My wonderful husband just bought me a new printer/scanner. So here are some pics of the beautiful place I get to work.

This is the front of the building. The big tree in the foreground was there before they built. State Farm saved alot of the original trees when they built. This building has been here since 1992.

This is the back side of the building. You can just see the building in the background. You can see the pond, which has a trail around it. It also has a picnic area on the side closest to the building. Ducks, squirrels, alligators (they don't stay long) and other wild life can be seen around the pond.

This is a not so great picture of one of the orange groves. If you look really close you can see oranges on the trees.

I wasn't the only one working Easter Sunday. This poor man was out spraying our orange groves. This picture is of the groves at the front of the building. The other picture was in the back of the building.

Finally.....the Drive-in

This is the sign for the Drive-In and the entrance where you pay to go in.

I finally got some pics of the Drive-In. I drive by there on my way to the bank. They are kind of boring because it was during the day but it's still kind of cool to have a working drive-in not far from home. I read an article not too long ago about drive-ins and I believe there are less than 2 dozen left in this country. The Silver Moon Drive-In in Lakeland,FL is celebrating 60 years this year. It has only had 3 different owners. My kids love it, it something most other kids will never get the chance to know. I remember going to the drive in when I was a kid and then again when I was dating. I remember going to one in North Andover, MA and they bulldozed it when I was about 13 and built a shopping center. And I went to one in Haverhill, MA that is now a hotel. When we moved to Florida, I used to frequent one in Lockhart. Now I believe that one is a shopping center also. That one was really neat, because it was a single screen and the screen itself was actually a house where the owners lived. Can you imagine living in a movie screen? I'd love to hear from you guys about your drive in memories.

The Silver Moon Drive-In has 2 screens (for a total of 4 movies each night). This is the one that is by the road. This is the screen that faces the road.



This is the snack bar. The awning is used for the weekend flea market they have. These are the reserved spots.

This is really blurry I know. This is the projection building. It is actually underground. This building comes up to my shoulders and I'm 5"2".

These are the old time speakers you hang off your open windows. You can still use these if you want. However most people choose to keep their windows up, their air on and just tune in their radios to the movies.