25 THINGS YOU DID NOT WANT TO KNOW

My friend IRL Headless Mom over at The Adventures of The Headless Family tagged me. It's called "25 THINGS YOU DID NOT WANT TO KNOW" that you really do want to know because we are all nosey and don't want to admit it!


1. Name someone with the same birthday as you. Chubby Checkers ~ Neve Campbell

2. Where was your first kiss? Don't have a clue!

3. Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else’s property? Only with TP

4. Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex? Definitely!

5. Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people? Not alone!

6. What’s the first thing you notice about your preferred sex? His eyes

7. What really turns you off? Greasy long hair

8. What do you order at Starbucks? Green Tea Frapp

9. What is your biggest mistake? Not keeping fit.

10. Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose? No, but have threatened to

11. Say something totally random about yourself. I love when the phone doesn't ring

12. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity? Never

13. Do you still watch kiddie movies or TV shows? Yes, kids movies

14. Did you have braces? No

15. Are you comfortable with your height? Yes

16. What is the most romantic thing someone of the preferred sex has done for you? Took me to Vegas to see Barry Manilow.

17. When do you know it’s love? When they come back for more i.e. after six years divorced

18. Do you speak any other languages? No

19. Have you ever been to tanning salon? Yes, years ago.

20. Have you ever ridden in a limo? Only at a funeral

21. What’s something that really annoys you? People who live here but don't speak English

22. What’s something you really like? Going out to eat

23. Can you dance? Sure but I look like I'm back in the 70's

24. Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room? No

25. Tag 5 people! YOUR IT IF YOU WANT TO PLAY ALONG!

THIS IS WHAT TOOK A YEAR TO PURCHASE

So if you have read here or even here you would have heard me say that my husband always wanted to be a COWBOY. When he was growing up his grandfather always had a saddle on saw horse in his garage that he would play on. So last year after working on my aunts estate I decided to give my husband the money I earned being the trustee in hopes that he would buy a saddle. (that is because I couldn't have done it without his help) So for Christmas last year I bought him a saddle stand for his office.

I kept nudging him to go buy his saddle. We live near a town called Norco where horses are owned like we own a dog. The town is pretty western in design and we headed over to look at some saddles. We are not riders of horses so we really don't know much about saddles other then he just wanted to own one. The saddles we really like were around $750. to $1,500. He just couldn't bring himself to buy one. So he has been searching the Internet and telling me that there are some really nice ones for maybe $400. I felt that I would rather see it in person and not just get it mail order. So here sits this saddle stand empty for nearly a year.

So just recently he came upon a site that had a great deal on saddles that were only a few hundred dollars. They looked great in the picture and since it is really only for decoration he felt he would rather not pay $1,500. In case you were wondering, yes you can sit in the saddle on the stand, that's what it is made for. So he ordered one that we felt looked really nice and I think he paid under $300. for it. Well it arrived this week and it is beautiful. Exactly what he wanted, looks just like the ones for $700. to $1,500 ones so we now have a happy cowboy! (and oh the leather smells so good)

YIPPIE-I-O- KI-AY

MY HUSBAND WENT HERE AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS.....

You know those t-shirts that say something to that effect. Actually this was one of the sweetest things he has done. He was away on business at this fabulous place in North Atlanta and he brought me home a gift. He knows my love of snowmen and wine! Just wait until I post what he bought recently which only took him a year to purchase! Thanks for stopping over. I can't seem to get caught up on my reading so please forgive me if I haven't been around. Apparently I can't blog and decorate at the same time! Also I can't decorate when I have a glass of wine and am watching a Christmas movie either which happened on Wednesday afternoon! Yes, it was 6PM somewhere!

SO HERE IS WHAT I AM WORKING ON

Actually I am here at the computer so I guess I'm not working on anything. I was able to move my everyday Jim Shore out and put up the Christmas pieces that I have.

These are the containers I keep my ornaments in. I am currently using 7 of them. You don't see the one with my Snowman ornaments here because it's over in the dining room because that is where I usually put the 3 small trees that they hang on.

Now if you look close you will see that there are 18 spots times 3 layers. So each container holds approximately 54 ornaments. I however usually have at least 3 in each spot. Since my collection has gotten so large I did this transfer about two years ago. Each year I would put each Hallmark ornament back into it's original box. TOOK FOREVER So now all of the original boxes have been opened and flattened and saved. Actually the boxes stay even better this way since they are not being opened and closed twice each season. It makes decorating my tree a whole lot faster.

So this is what Skye was working on today.

Just being a cute puppy!

Hope your decorating is moving along. I better get back to it!!

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

(1) They live here, You don't.
(2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
(1) eat less,
(2) don't ask for money all the time,
(3) are easier to train,
(4) normally come when called,
(5) never ask to drive the car,
(6) don't hang out with drug-using people;
(7) don't smoke or drink,
(8) don't want to wear your clothes,
(9) don't have to buy the latest fashions,
(10) don't need a gazillion dollars for college and
(11) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children

Received this in an email and thought it was cute. All in good fun!

"I AM THANKFUL FOR ALL"

That is my new favorite saying! I never got around to listing the things I am thankful for and as I was reading everyone's posts during the week of Thanksgiving I thought I should try it. So many of you had posts full of wonderful blessings and hope. I've been going over my blessings and decided that I would work on one too. Here is my list which is more of a lifetime of thankfulness:

1. I am thankful for being born to two of the kindest people I have ever know.
2. I am thankful that my parents were amazing Christians.
3. I am thankful that my father loved my mother unconditionally.
4. I am thankful to have an older brother and sister whom I love.
5. I am thankful for my grandparents who spoiled me and for all the members of my family.
6. I am thankful to have been my fathers "peanut" and that he still calls me that.
7. I am thankful that I never had to be without food or shelter.
8. I am thankful that my parents went above & beyond at Christmas giving me a deep love for it.
9. I am thankful that I got to experience a summer home and they joys of being there with family.
10. I am thankful for my teachers who really had to have patience with me.
11. I am thankful for having lots of friends and never being teased in school.
12. I am thankful for having the experience of losing a dear friend as a child because even though I didn't fully understand it then I do understand now the deep loss his mother felt and the gift that God had given to her when he left the house that day saying to his mother for the first time "I love you mom."
13. I am thankful for the teenage accidents/happenings where God had kept me safe.
14. I am thankful for falling in love with my high school sweetheart, marrying him, having a sweet wedding and the town home we were able to buy.
15. I am thankful for having two beautiful healthy children, the seven years we enjoyed together before having them and the beautiful home we were able to buy before they were born.
16. I am thankful that my husband has provided everything we needed to live comfortably always.
17. I am thankful that when my mother passed away I knew that she would be whole again and happy in heaven.
18. I am thankful that I have been strong enough not to follow in the family history of alcoholism.
19. I am thankful that I learned a huge lesson when my husband walked out on me, making me the person I am today.
20. I am thankful that I was able to experience being a single mother giving me a greater appreciation for the strength within a woman.
21. I am thankful for the jobs I had that gave me great confidence in myself and the day care centers that watched my children, loving them as if they were their own.
22. I am thankful that my children had the opportunity to enjoy a summer cottage during their youth giving them wonderful family memories.
23. I am thankful to have my high school sweetheart back in my life for the last 20 years.
24. I am thankful that when the wheel was repaired incorrectly on my sons car that the tire flew off the car very late at night on an empty side street and he was safe.
25. I am thankful that my son got caught the night he lied to us about staying at a friends house when they went to one of those midnight illegal races. Thankful that he was safe and that appearing in front of a judge taught him a lesson.
26. I am thankful that when my daughter fell asleep on her way home from LAX, dropping off her marine boyfriend, that the tire rode up the divider bringing her back down to safety.
27. I am thankful the morning my daughter came home safe after we tried to reach her all night when she wasn't answering her phone.
28. I am thankful that all the horrible fears that have run through my mind when it comes to the safety of my children have all been blessings from God and pray that His protection will always surround my children keeping evil out of their way.
29. I am thankful to God for His protection at all times and especially during the scary times.
30. I am thankful for the day when the results were negative, the day I couldn't even speak, nothing would come out of my mouth as the tears flowed down my face. Happiness at its fullest.
31. I am thankful that my children have experienced more good than bad and that they were able to move forward after the storms.
32. I am thankful for the love of all our dogs who loved us unconditionally and taught me just how short life can be giving me the understanding of making sure we love to the fullest each day.
33. I am thankful that we were able to put our son through college and that he graduated with honor from U.C. Santa Cruz and that he has been blessed with wonderful jobs.
34. I am thankful that we were able to give our daughter a wedding at the beautiful Mission Inn in Riverside, CA.
35. I am thankful for our son-in-law whom we love deeply.
36. I am thankful that our son-in-law came home safe from the war in Iraq. We are extremely proud of him and his service to our country.
37. I am thankful that our son-in-law loves our daughter through thick and thin.
38. I am thankful that our son has the most wonderful girl to share his life with.
39. I am thankful for all the company we had this summer, even though I stressed, it turned out better than I could ever have imagined and taught me a lesson that all that matters is that we have each other to love.
40. I am thankful for all the family and friends we have living near and far.
41. I am thankful that my father is 86 and still doing well on his own.
42. I am thankful for an aunt and uncle who left their life savings to my father, brother, sister and I.
43. I am thankful to have had the experience of being a mother because I saw an emptiness in my aunts heart because she was never able to have them.
44. I am thankful for the experiences in my life that have given me compassion and understanding.
45. I am thankful that I am able to give donations to those in need and the feeling it gives within my heart to help where I can.
46. I am thankful that even though I can no longer do things that I use to be able to do (because of my asthma) that I am still here on earth.
47. I am thankful for the movies that bring me joy and take me away from real life. (that goes for books too)
48. I am thankful for my computer and what I have experienced here in the blog world for the last 8 months. Especially all the friends I have made, the women who have touched my heart and the hearts I have touched because of God hands in my life.
49. I am thankful for all the wonderful meals we have been blessed to receive.
50. I am thankful for my husband who continues to love me through it all, for our puppy Skye who brings me joy, the happiness of our children, the beautiful house we live in and the life that God has so graciously given to me.

I AM THANKFUL FOR ALL

I want you to know that without God forming me in the womb and knowing me before I was born that none of this would have been possible. Also that many of the above mentioned situations were extremely painful for me and it is only through the years of time that I am now able to be thankful for them.