Last call for comments

Today is the last chance to get your name in for the romantic basket drawing. Leave a comment about a romantic event......we will be drawing a name tomorrow morning. Thanks for all the comments you have already left. And good luck everyone.

Happy Birthday to the Love of my life.....

Today is Hut's birthday. He didn't want to do anything special...so this morning we had a yard sale and L.D. and Skylee came over and helped us and gave Uncle Hut a present.....he got the Transformer movie. We had coffee and donuts from Dunkin' Donuts. This evening the grandbabies are coming over and we are having cake with them. Hut's outside working on his fountain....so he's doing exactly what he wants today. Happy Birthday to the most wonderful man on the face of the earth. I love you!

Heeeeeeeeere's Tyler!!!!!

Tyler sleeping in Aunt Bon's arms. Isn't he beautiful?

You all know that I got the phone call surprise of my life last night. I have a new great-nephew. We are so excited. The baby is perfect...no problems. But I have no stats on him. No length, no weight. Doesn't matter...he's beautiful. His name is Tyler Lionel Hart. Not sure where the Tyler name came from but Lionel is my dad's name. I am so thrilled my nephew wanted to use my dad's name and his wife let him. And I want to clarify something from my last blog. L.D. and Jen knew they were pregnant but THEY didn't tell anyone else. And as of last night....my sister Holly (L.D.'s mom) had only gotten a voicemail because she wasn't home and Jen's parents still didn't know. Boy are they gonna be surprised.

The proud momma, Jen, with her beautiful baby boy, Tyler.

Proud daddy, L.D. and "Big" sister Skylee.

Skylee wondering what all the excitement is about. Isn't she a dollbaby?

I know others out there have babies, grandbabies and great-grandbabies being born where the weather isn't so great. Welcome all and please be careful when travelling in the awful weather out there. Here it's gonna be a beautiful day. Everyone have a great one.

PS. Don't forget about the romantic giveaway. You have until January 31 at midnight to submit a comment on something you think is romantic or made you feel special and loved. You can enter as many times as you want as long at the comments are different. And don't forget your "Love Coupons" on these blogs, lol.

What a GREAT Surprise......

I was just trying to catch up on reading blogs when I got a phone call that surprised the heck out of me. My nephew called and asked me how I was related to his daughter, Skylee. I said, she is my great-niece....I am her great-aunt. Then he said, "Well now you have a great-nephew too." I was stunned....trying to figure out which other nephew or niece might have been pregnant and had a baby. I asked him what he meant and he said Skylee had a brand new brother. My nephew L.D. and his wife Jen were pregnant and no one knew, NO ONE. Not his mom, not her mom...NO ONE. The baby was born today, this afternoon actually. His name is Tyler, no middle name yet. Hut and I are going to the hospital after dinner to see the new baby. I am so thrilled, even though, financially this will be a burden for them.....but then again, families are here to help with all that. I promise there will be more info on baby stuff and pictures, lots of pictures either later this evening or tomorrow. What a great surprise.

Job Worries

Imagine my shock when Hut came home from work yesterday (he gets home 30 minutes after me) and tells me that State Farm is going to quit writing homeowners policies in this state. I don't work for State Farm, but I work as Security at State Farm. And I had no idea. Our Govenor in Florida says if State Farm doesn't want to write homeowners policies, then they shouldn't be allowed to write any policies. We won't know anything for sure until April. The state will not allow State Farm to increase it's rates (State Farm wants a 47% increase). State Farm pays out $1.21 for every $1 they bring in. I can see State Farms point of view, you can't run a business that's not making $$. Now these are just the basics that I've read in the paper and heard on the news yesterday. I don't claim to understand it all. But I do understand that if Govenor Crist gets his way....alot of people are going to be out of work, myself included. So yeah, I'm going to be watching this pretty closely. So keep all the good people at State Farm in your prayers. We all need our jobs. Thanks for letting me vent. You guys are the best.

You've been tagged (But only if you want to be)

My friend, Mary Anne, tagged me on FaceBook. I thought this would be great to share. I am not going to pick 25 people to tag. If this is something you would like to do, please feel free. I just thought it would be fun to share some random things about me. Oh and don't forget to post a comment about romance on any of my blogs. Or don't forget your coupon.

Rules, Once you've been tagged, you're supposed to write a note w/ 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you! At the end , choose 25 people to be tagged. You need to include the person who tagged you, if I tagged you it's because I want to know more about you!!
1. I don't know 25 people in Facebook, so I'm gonna put this on my blog.

2. I am a licensed Security Officer

3. I finally cut all the color out of my hair and now I'm naturally gray.

4. Chocolate Chip is my favorite ice cream flavor.

5. I live in a 'hood

6. I got my first tattoo at the age of 43 and my second one 2 days later for my 44th birthday.

7. If I had met my husband while in school, I wouldn't have given him the time of day. Now I don't know how I could live without him.

8. I went to a liquor store with my SIL, who is only 7 years younger than me, and someone there thought I was her mother.

9. I want to learn sign language

10. I LOVE Ghost Hunters

11. Steve & Tango are my favs & they're hot.

12. Yellow Roses are my favorite flower along with Lillies of the Valley.

13. I hate going to classes in Tampa.....but hey I got a 100% on my supervisors test today!

14. Blue is my favorite color.

15. I love Celtic things.

16. I bought my husband a hula girl......that looks like me.

17. I have diabetes....and it's hard to live with some days.

18. Eeyore is my favorite Disney character.

19. I know Tigger personally.

20. Santa is the man of my dreams.......(wink, wink).

21. My favorite car is a Camaro. I have owned 2 and will own one again someday.

22. Between grandfathers, father, uncles, brother in laws, someone in may family has served in all branches of the military. That includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.

23. I have never done illegal drugs.

24. I don't like to take legal drugs if I don't have to.

25. I am insanely protective of my friends and family

My Romantic Giveaway

I just wanted to thank everyone for the comments you have left so far. And I want to let everyone know that a romantic moment doesn't always include jewelry or flowers. Like Andi's comment where her husband got her the bulldog from McD's. Or Granny Annie's husband waltzing her across a shop floor. To me these are very romantic. And my husband is like Cecile's and Andi's, in that we don't think they are romantic, but he does little things that let me know he loves me even if he really isn't romantic. To me those are "romantic" moments. So even if you don't think it's romantic...share a special thing with us. I can remember wanting a flower garden for the front of my house right after Hut and I got married. I never got around to it because I didn't know what kind of flowers and I just never seemed to have time with work. Well I came home from work one day and there in the front of my house was a flower garden. Hut and my son, Scott, had built and planted a flower garden for me while I was at work. That was romantic. I think when Mike makes his famous biscuits for Missy, that's romantic. When Jeff makes his mom's recipes for the holidays, for Cecile, that's romantic. Any thing that has happened to you, that makes you feel loved, that's romance. I didn't mean to ramble on, but I know there's alot of love going on out there. Plus I'll be posting some "Love Coupons" so you can mix up some romance of your own. Feel free to print and put in a lunch box, on a pillow, on the bathroom mirror, on the steering wheel of the car.....use your imagination and have fun.

My blogs may be few and far between this week. I have a supervisors class tomorrow in Tampa, followed by Weight Watchers and then Tues, Wed, Thurs I will be working doubles....from 7 am to 11 pm. I will try to stay on top of things though.

Everyone have a great week. Spread some love!!!!

Romantic Giveaway

I just love giveaways, don't you. And I love giving away things too. So I decided that I am going to give away some gifts for Valentine's Day. I'm not sure exactly what I'm giving away. I just want to pick up things that I think are romantic as I see them and put them together for a special giveaway. What I would like for you to do is comment on a romantic event that happened to you. You can enter as many times as you would like. It has to be a different event each time. Starting today and ending on my wonderful husband's birthday on January 31. I will pick the winner on February 1. I want enough time to make sure a package gets to the winner in time for Valentine's Day(I had problems with a package at Christmas that I shipped at the end of November and it still hasn't reached it's destination). Like I said, I'm not sure what's going to be in the package...just things that strike my fancy as romantic and Valentinesy.

And since I KNOW we all LOVE giveaways, check out Annie's blog at http://anniekelleher.blogspot.com/. She is having an awesome giveaway on her blog. Check it out.

History will be made??????????????

Okay so I wasn't ever going to post anything political because I just don't like to get into it. But I am sick and tired of hearing about history being made with this Presidental election. I'm sorry, but history is made every time a new President is sworn in. This one is no different. And for those of you going for the "Black Man" angle......let me point out that Obama's mother is WHITE! So how does that make him a black man? Let's get off this racial rollercoaster and hoopla about the black man and let him prove himself for all his worth. I believe he will be a good President, but not because he's black. He's not. Give him credit for something other than his color. And if he messes up....let's not blame his color for that either...because he's not black. I'm sorry if I pi$$ed some people off today. As far as I know it's still a free country and I have the right to my opinion. So here you have it. Enjoy the inauguration. I haven't watched it for any other Presidents and I won't be watching this one.

FRIENDS

I received a wonderful award from my friend, Andi!

Thanks, Andi! And I wanted to do a more upbeat blog than all the Obama blogs going on today (of which I am guilty too). And for a "sweet" blog, check out Pea's blog at http://peascorner.blogspot.com/, you're in for a yummy surprise.

I "borrowed" from Andi the guidelines for this wonderful award.

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbon's of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. So do pass the award along and stop by and introduce yourself to some new friends along the way. Please give more attention to these kind writers as kindness is so important.
When you pass the award along please include these guidelines. I am to choose eight friends to share this with. Some of you may have already received this award from another blogger and if so, please accept it from me as well. I send this award to Annie,Brenda, Granny Annie, Jamie Dawn, Pea, Sue, Susie Q, and Gary. Most of us all know the same people so it's hard to share without duplicating. But all of you are deserving of the award. Thanks for being my blogging friends. I love you all.

I've been tagged by Andi

My friend Andi tagged me to do a Meme. Check out Andi's blog at http://www.andiseverydayadventures.blogspot.com/ She has some pretty awesome "adventures".

Now here are the directions: Open a document or photo folder, choose the 5th folder and then the 5th photo in that folder. Do a post describing the photo.

Okay, so I went to the 5th folder and opened it. Guess what???? Only 4 pictures in it. So I decided to go to the 5th folder from the bottom. So here it is......

Most of you are familiar with photos similiar to this. Every year my wonderful husband plays Santa for alot of great causes. And sometimes I get to help by, of course, being the Mrs. Here we are doing Project Outreach that the wonderful Winter Haven Police Department does every year. The officers all choose children from a list provided by schools to "adopt" for Christmas. Then on the 2nd Saturday of December, Santa joins the officers in delivering gifts that the children ask for (and some they don't) and groceries for a holiday meal. Pictured with Santa is Officer Terry Bowden, who is Winter Haven's DARE officer at the schools. The young lady and her son were very thankful for their gifts and goodies. In this particular family, the father is in the military. But he used to be one of Officer Bowden's DARE students. So he made plans to be home on the day we would be there. And he was...unfortunately no pics of that. So this was a wonderful day for everyone.

Now I get to tag five friends to do this Meme. The five I pick are......Missy (of MissyMadeIt), Cecile (Scrappin' Cecile), Granny Annie(Fools Rush In), Sue(Sassy Sue's Stuff) and Brenda (Country Romance from the Heart). Okay ladies, the rules are simple.....now go!

MMMM.....MMMMM.....GOOD.....

Last night was cold, rainy and just yucky in general. Not complaining about the rain....we desperately still need it. But the cold can stay away ( I know....you guys up north are getting slammed with snow, so I should stop whining). My wonderful husband decided that cold weather meant HOT brownies. Yeah, my new leaf for trying to be healthier was just shot down the drain. I figured one hot, moist, yummy brownie wouldn't hurt. And it didn't.....it tasted soooooo good. So I had another one. Yeah two will probably hurt, but not so bad, lol. So today I will walk extra....because even though it's cold and going to get colder....I have got to try to start my new schedule...and walking is the easy part. So everyone....bake some brownies and stay warm.

No sissy size brownie for me.....

My Friend Kevin.....World Traveller- Musician

Isn't he just the cutest?

I'm mainly doing this blog to show you all that "fat, old ladies" know some really HOT guys. LOL. I've known Kevin since 2001. He was one of my managers at Walt Disney World when I worked there and we became good friends. Kevin is a very passionate person and music is probably his biggest passion. His love for music has given him the opportunity to see the world. Kevin is originally from Franklyn, KY but he now resides in Hong Kong. Just before Christmas, Kevin and his group "METRO" came off a tour of singing on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea. What a way to live (sigh). I wanted to share with you some pics of Kevin in some of the places he has visited. And I have to tell you, since this is a blog about a HOT guy I know, it was hard to find a picture of him without a lady or ladies all over him. Kevin is 33 and YES he is single. I am going to try to remember where all these differnt pictures were taken.

This is Kevin holding up a bridge in Australia.

Kevin holding a koala in Australia with a friend. ( I believe her name is Amy)
Here's Kevin on the Great Wall of China. How cool is that?!!!

Kevin on the steps to BIG BUDDHA. Not sure exactly where that is.
Kevin getting off a plane in the Philipinnes with his friend Iroy.
Kevin scuba diving in Boracay. He's holding a blue starfish.
Kevin lounging on the beach in Macau. How sexy is that?!!!

This is either in Japan or Thailand...can't remember. Kevin with Captain Jack Sparrow at Hong Kong Disney. Dapper Kevin. He used to sing with the Dapper Dan's at Walt Disney World in Hong Kong.

Kevin now sings with a group called METRO. They are based out of Hong Kong but all of the members are from the good old USA. These guys are phenomenal. I tried to upload a video but couldn't quite figure it out. If you get a chance please check out their website: http://www.metrovocalgroup.com/. Watch the video and listen to their demo. They are an acappella group (probably didn't spell that right ,but oh well).

I miss my friend Kevin. We keep in touch as much as possible. We had many, many good times at Disney with all of our friends. Dancing the night away at Pleasure Island, then going to breakfast at Denny's or IHOP. I feel grateful to have a friend like Kevin. (Besides, how else am I going to see the world, lol)

To A Healthier Me

I didn't really make a New Year's Resolution, but I know I need to lose weight and get healthier. So after being in a post holiday slump.....I am ready to begin. Those of you who have been reading me for awhile know that my bike trip ended up being a bust (bike broke). I have a closet full of size 16 clothes that I haven't been able to wear in awhile. I am in a size 20 right now and some of those are snug. I have gained over 25 pounds in a little over a year. Part of the weight gain is from side effects of some meds I'm on. But I truly believe the majority of the weight is because my job requires me to sit on my fat butt most of the day. The job before this was at Cypress Gardens and I walked between 10 and 20 miles a day. So today I made the decision to get up and move and start a healthier life styToday I took TinkerBelle to the walking trail to walk. I used to walk the trail 6 miles a day at least 3 times a week. Today I made it a mile and 1/2, but that's because TinkerBelle gave out, lol.

While I was walking I worked out a schedule in my head. I took boxing a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. Plus my friend Jane teaches the classes. Her story is an amazing story and someday I'll have to share it with you. Jane lost an amazing 150 pounds and has kept it off.

This is Jane in all her glory.

My schedule that I hope to keep with goes as follows: Walking at the trail on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Boxing on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Weight Watchers on Mondays. Hopefully now that you all know my schedule, you will help me keep on track. Not only do I want to lose weight, I want to get my diabetes under control. I did well for awhile and now I'm off track again. Losing the weight and exercising will definitely help.

So here's hoping I can keep up at least part of this plan for awhile. And here's wishing all of you the willpower to keep up with your resolutions.

Southern Hospitality

Don't let the blog title fool you....there is store in Plant City, FL by that name and that's what this blog is about (mostly).

My husband has been feeling crafty lately and his new thing is wagons. He is going to try building some small wagons. We were on a mission to find some small wagon wheels. Years ago, we used to go to a place called Southern Hospitality for craft supplies. I knew the store was still there but wasn't sure if they still had craft supplies. So we drove to Plant City today to check it out. The store is really HUGE now but only a small section has limited craft supplies. We did find his wagon wheels there though. Now hopefully he will build some wagons.

The store itself has change immensely over the years. I wish I had taken some photos. 1/2 of the store is furniture and we didn't bother to look there. But the section we were in has all kinds of florals, baskets, signs....all kinds of decor. Plus I noticed they had a framing section and a kitchen section. The prices were fantastic too. And Coke and John Deere collectors, they have a great selection for you guys there. It was so much fun to look up and down all the aisle. And Hut got some ideas for some more fountains (if he ever finishes the one he started).

After that we ate at Fred's, which is one of our favorite places to eat. They have 3 locations close to us, Lakeland, Bartow and Plant City. We have eaten in Lakeland & Bartow quite a few times. Plant City is the home of the original, which opened in 1998. If you enjoy good ole southern cooking then you need to eat at Fred's. It's buffet style and everything is served in old cooking pots and pans. Or they have a menu if you aren't into all that good ole southern food. If you are ever in this area, I recommend Fred's.

Getting out today hopefully got me out of my slump. I was just feeling out of sorts after all the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Seemed to hit me kind of hard this year, probably because of everything we did. I have been keeping up with all your blogs, though. I read you guys everyday from work. Have a great weekend.

Life Lessons

I recieved this in an email today and thought it very worthy of sharing.

This was written By Regina Brett of The PlainDealer, Cleveland , Ohio.

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 70 in August, so here goes:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn' t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness, except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative--dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

You are Awesome

I want to share this awesome "award"(for lack of a better word). I couldn't sleep last night and so sat on the computer for hours and found all kinds of cute little signs and sayings. So I'll be sharing quite a few in the near future. This little "award" I am sharing with all my blogger friends because you are ALL awesome. You don't need to pick 5 people to share with or 6 favorite things or reveal any secrets. Just share this with whoever you want and how ever many you want. I enjoy reading each and every one of your blogs. Thanks for making me a part of your world.

HAPPY BELATED NEW YEARS!!!!!

Here's wishing all my friends the Happiest, healthiest, most profitable New Year! My resolutions fall pretty much with everyone elses. I really want to get healthier this year. Weight is definitely another issue I will be dealing with. I want to be able to visit friends and family more. And I want to the best person I can be to all my friends and family. Mend some fences with old friends and family. I know I am going to give 150% to everything I do this year. And I want to thank everyone for all the kind words you had to say about Santa, Mrs. C. and D'elves. We do it for the enjoyment.....we aren't anyone special. Any of you out there would do the same. And you all do.....in you own special way. I hope this New Year treats all of you the way you should be treated. You guys are FANTASTIC friends and I'm proud to call you friends of mine. And I wanted to share this bit of motivation for all of you. Please feel free to add this to your blog because I KNOW you all CAN! Happy New Year!