The Weekly Smile #12 – Retail Therapy

Today is the first day of our spring break and I spent a very nice day shopping with Miss Dee. We did really well too. Bless her little heart, she heads right for the sale racks just like her momma taught her. 😊  Her senior trip to Disney World is next month so we were looking for some comfortable cool summer shirts and shorts. She also picked up a really cute maxi dress that will be perfect for dinner one night and everything was marked down! Dang! I love getting a bargain!!

After clothes shopping , we stopped by Auntie Anne’s and had pretzel dogs for lunch. If you have never tried these, steer clear because they are totally addicting.  Now they come in little bites so we shared an order of those along with a cup of the world’s best lemonade. Then we made a quick stop at the craft store for some Easter decoration.  I spotted a sign on sale that said “We believe in the Easter Bunny”  so of course we had to have it!

Between work and school, Miss Dee hasn’t had a whole day off in a month so it was quite a treat to just relax and stroll around the stores. The weather was Spring like and I was hanging with my favorite girl. That is certainly worth a smile or two.

This post is part of The Weekly Smile hosted by Trent’s World. Stop by and pick up some more smiles or leave one of your own.

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If We Were Having Coffee…3/5/16

Happy March! Only 16 days till the first day of Spring. Let’s hear it for the light at the end of the cold, dark, tunnel!

If we were having coffee…I would usher you in and pour you a nice strong cup of plain old, no flavor, no froth, no fancy stuff coffee. I’m afraid that is as adventureous as I get. Now and then I may throw in a splash of French Vanilla creamer if I’m feeling wild. The upswing to my boring coffee preference is that I am the person you most want in line in front of you at Starbucks. Two pumps on the thermos top and I’m out of there! Next!

If plain old coffee isn’t your thing, I can offer flavored tea or lemonade? As an added perk, Mr D brought home some fresh made cinnamon raisin bread from work yesterday that is excellent with butter of just on its own. I’m more than willing to share.

If we were having coffee?..I would start off with a bit of a rant on behalf of a young driver I saw on the road yesterday. I was in a line of traffic waiting for a traffic light to change and a bit ahead of me, a girl in a little white car was trying to make a left out of a shopping center drive. This was in one of those areas we find way too often here in Jersey where there are multiple lanes converging and several business exits. That means, of course, that cars were coming every which way.

Some so-and-so in line behind this poor girl started beeping their horn. It really ticks me off when people do that! He or she knows nothing about this driver or their car. Maybe the car has lousy pick-up, or maybe they’ve been in a fender bender before and are very cautious now. Maybe they can’t see clear enough from where they are to judge, but what ever the reason is, they don’t feel safe pulling out yet and the bozo behind them beeping the horn is not helping matters.

My daddy drove an eighteen wheeler for almost fifty years and when he taught me to drive he told me two things….

1. Never believe a turn signal on an oncoming car until you see it slow down and…
2. Never let another driver tell you it’s okay to pull out if you don’t feel it’s safe.

These are rules I still follow today and I taught them to my own children. Lucky  for me, I happen to be a pretty confident driver and have been since I got behind the wheel but not everyone is. My daughter, Miss Dee gets very nervous driving, and let me tell you, if somebody laid  on the horn behind her like that person did to that young lady yesterday, they would have to deal with one angry Mama Bear!

Okay, I feel better.  I’m climbing down off my soap box now. ☺️

If we were having coffee…I would share that Hubby and I got another chance to dance the night away last night. (Yikes! Twice in a month. I’m feeling like some crazy twenty-five year old). We attended a “Beef and Boogie” social that was held to raise money for an after prom event- a safe, chaperoned all night venue where prom goers can hang out, play games and dance after the prom.

Anyway, the social had really good food and a DJ and also offered chances to win gift baskets of all sorts. I didn’t win a basket but I had a really good hot roast beef sandwich and some killer desserts.  We also enjoyed some laughs with a group of Hubby’s coworkers and of course we danced!! The DJ handed out request sheets when he first arrived and he played everything we suggested. One of our friends in attendance is the gentlemen who plays in the band we usually go and dance to. It was fun seeing him as part of the crowd instead of on stage. What an immense amount of energy this guy has! Pretty sure when he was little he was one of those kids who never sat down in class. 😊

If we were having coffee…I would ask you about your week? Have you done anything new or exciting? Read any good books? Seen any good movies? Hubby and I are going to see the newest Star Wars film tonight and I’m planning on going to the movies with a friend tomorrow afternoon. We were hoping to see Brooklyn but it’s not playing nearby anymore so we may try to see the new film Race, which I believe is about Jessie Owens. I’ll tell you all about it next time we get together for coffee.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Don’t forget to stop by and check out the rest of the Weekend Coffee Share brought to you by Diana at Part Time Monster.

If We Were Having Coffee…1/6/15

If we were having coffee…I would welcome you in from the cold and pour you something hot to drink. We have French Vanilla tea and various flavors of hot chocolate. My tastes are pretty basic  so I would be having a some nice strong coffee which I am always happy to share.

The weather here in NJ is looking up. A surprise snow system passed through early Friday. We awoke to a few inches of heavy wet snow covering the grass and cars. Luckily, because the temperature had been warmer earlier in the week, the streets stayed clear. By yesterday it was all melted, and today, although the air is crisp and cold, the sky is a beautiful blue.

If we were having coffee…I would ask about your week? If it’s cold in your area, have you been staying indoors, hybernating, or do you enjoy winter activities like skiing and cold weather hiking? My Hubby is a skier. He is planning a trip to Vermont with his ski club in a few weeks. I hope the conditions are good. He has only gotten to go once so far this winter and there may not be many more chances. The Poconos Mountains in Pennsylvania are a much closer drive but he likes the slopes in Vermont better. I wouldn’t know. Strapping boards to my feet and jumping off a mountain has never seemed like a good idea for someone as clumsy as me. Plus, I hate the cold.

Many years ago, before I was married, I went on a ski trip with a group of friends. It was a really beautiful area and we rented a nice townhouse with a fire place that looked out over a frozen lake. Everyone skied except for me and another girl named Sue so we spent the day ice skating on the lake, building snowmen and taking photos of the landscape. Then we went back to the house, built a fire and ate snacks and watched movies till everyone else got back. It was the best non-skiing, ski trip ever! ☃

If we were having coffee…I would tell you that Jack had his yearly check up this week. He is never very happy about being stuck in a carrier and having to ride in the car. I’m glad it’s a short drive because he told me, quite instantly, how unhappy he was the whole way there!!!!😳 I am happy to report, however, that he was very well behaved once we arrived. Of course all of the ladies at the vet made a big fuss over him, telling him what a handsome fellow he was.

He lost a pound which is a good thing, and the doctor gave him his rabies vaccine and another shot to help with his skin issues. This time of year, the dry heat seems to make him itch and he ends up pulling out big patches of hair. The medicine she gives him usually clears it up. I’m glad because he is looking considerable less handsome with big chunks of hair missing and I’m getting very tired of vacuuming up pieces of him from all over the house!

To Jack and Chrissy, weekends mean a bowl of cream for breakfast!

If we were having coffee…you would notice that I’m a bit of a geek because one of the high points of my week was the new table I got for my classroom. The cool part is that it’s a dry erase table! That means the students can write on it with markers and it wipes right off. It’s great for working out math problems or practicing spelling words. The kids think it’s really cool too! I’m hoping it will make them love practicing their multiplication tables but I won’t get my hopes up!

If we were having coffee….I would mention that the Weekend Coffee Share is brought to you courtesy of Diana at Part Time Monster. Don’t forget to drop by and check out the rest of the posts! 

Have a great week. Thanks for stopping by!!

The Weekly Smile #5…Music, Wine and Pizza

Hubby and I were invited to join his father and step-mom at a nearby winery this past Saturday night. They had visited before and raved about the wine and the stone oven baked pizza. They also wanted us to hear the band that was performing there that night. My father-in-law has very eclectic taste in music so we just never know what to expect but this band was quite good. They did a sort of folk/blues/county rock kind of thing and the male singer had a deep swampy southern voice that was fun to listen, and tap your feet to.

Listening to music is such a wonderful way to lift the spirits and celelbrate life. My favorite way to enjoy music is to listen to it live and in a small intimate setting like it was Saturday.  When the band begins a song and I recognize the first few notes, I automatically start smiling and if the people around us react the same, an instant bond is formed. Soon the audience is all swaying and singing along. Personally, I have no musical talent whatsoever so the only time I sing in public is when an entire room of people is on hand to drown me out!

We left the winery feeling full and happy and I started thinking about how many different kinds of music there are and how they can bring joy in so many different ways. I couldn’t even begin to list all the songs that make me smile but here is one that I really love. I suppose, because it is such weddings staple,  it always makes me think of love and possibilities…

How about you? What kind of music makes you smile?

Don’t forget to visit the rest of “The Weekly Smiles” brought to you courtesy of Trent’s World! 😀

If We Were Having Coffee…1/31/16

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This post is part of the Weekend Coffee Share hosted by Diana at Part Time Monster. Run over and check it out!

If we were having coffee….you might take a look at the mug I’m using and think, “Hmm, I suspect that it has been a rather challenging week around here.”

You would be correct. It has been a long, cold, dark week and I was overjoyed when Friday came along. It’s not even February yet and I am already so done with winter. See, my feeling about the cold weather is that once Christmas is over we should move right into spring. I’m craving sunshine so badly that I actually moved the cat yesterday and stole her sun spot.

I am not proud of this behavior.

If we were having coffee…I would ask you how you spent your week…and…if you live in an area enjoying warmth and sunshine please tell me all about it…….in detail! Did you walk around in bare feet? Did you open the windows and dig in your garden? Did you sit on your porch with a good book and a glass of iced tea?? Come on, throw me a bone! I’m losing it here!!!

Sorry. Maybe we should just move on.

I’ll tell you about my week instead.

If we were having coffee….I would share that I actually did have a highlight to my week. One of my favorite authors responded to a Facebook note I sent her! Sue Grafton writes a series of mystery novels based on the letters of the alphabet. She started with “A” is now on “X” so she and I have a had a very long literary relationship, but I’ve never written a fan letter till now. The reason I felt the urge now was because she picked my son’s full name to use for a character in this book! Oddly, she also introduced said character at the beginning of the chapter that is the same number as his birthdate! It was such a thrill for me to see his name in print and such a weird coincidence that I wanted to share it with Ms Grafton and tell her how she “inadvertently made my day!”

Her response was short and to the point but she “sounded” just like I always thought she would….

“What a lovely surprise for you. Can’t remember where I came up with the name. Maybe a spirit visit in the dead of night. Tell him he’s now been immortalized and not even as one of the criminal element. Thanks for your note. What a hoot!…Sue”

If we were having coffee…I could also tell you about the lovely evening Hubby and I had last night listening to music at a local winery (I know it seems like I spend a lot of time at wineries, but I don’t, really 😉). We were invited by my father-in-law and his wife and had the most amazing pizza ever. I think, however, I will save the details and share them in my “Weekly Smile” post on Wednesday. It was definitely a smile worthy outing!

Well, I’m off to be productive (hopefully). The temperature is suppose to go up to 50 today so that makes the prospect much more likely! 😊 Thanks so much for stopping by!

If We Were Having Coffee…11/29/15

If we were having coffee…

I would apologize for all the noise and ask you to speak up a little. As you can see (and hear) there are men with chainsaws hanging in our neighbor’s tree and several more operating  a wood chipper down below. Hubby and I have been worried about the branches hanging precariously above the power lines so we are actually quite happy to have the tree trimmers here before the first snow/ice storm hits.

WHAT WAS THAT?! Perhaps we should take our coffee to the kitchen at the back of the house….

There, that’s better. Now what were you saying? How was my Thanksgiving? Quite well, thank you. My husband’s brother and sister-in-law hosted again. This year they fed 20 of us including my sister and her family. It was fun watching little Squish have his first taste of sweet potatos and cranberry sauce. Holidays are so much more entertaining when there is a one year old at the table! Hubby and I are lucky in that our two families get along and enjoy celebrating holidays together. Most couples are forced to choose where to spend which holiday.

If we were having coffee…

I would ask you how your Thanksgiving was, or if you live outside the U.S., how your weekend was in general? Did you do anything new or exciting? Have you seen any good movies or read any good books? Personally, I am about half-way through a novel called “Empire Falls” by Richard Russo. So far, it’s quite good. The main character, Miles, is a likable kind of guy and I’m hopping things work out for him. I will let you know next week.

If we were having coffee…

I’d share that last evening we went to our town’s annual Holiday Parade. It is always held the Saturday after Thanksgiving, sort of a kick off to the season. Miss Dee and her tennis teammates walked in it so that was exciting and there were lots of other things you would expect as well; bands, floats, fire engines, several pageant queens and even a few horses. Unfortunately, it was drizzling Off and on and the temperatures have been unseasonably warm so feeling “Christmasy” was a bit of a challenge.

If we were having coffee…

I would tell you that I’m very excited about the new watercolor set I purchased. It is portable and has its own mixing tray and a lot more colors than my other set.  This is my first project. It was taken from a photo Miss Dee took up in the mountains of a stream filled with autumn leaves.

I’m still playing with the paints trying to get used to how watercolor works, but I’m pretty happy with the results. I’ve watched a few videos on different techniques so maybe this week I will try and get more adventureous!😊

If we were having coffee…

We could talk about young Mr D’s new gig selling Christmas trees. This is his second year helping out at a tree farm that a friend’s father owns. It is certainly hard work, cutting and hauling the trees for the customers and then netting them up, but he seems to enjoy it. He said everyone is so happy and excited and the tips aren’t too bad either! The bonus for us is that, not only does he come home every night smelling like pine trees, but he also cuts our tree and hauls it home for us!!

Well, I certainly have enjoyed our chat. Listen….I thinks the tree trimmers are finished!  Now I can crank up the Christmas Caroles and work on some of these holiday decorations. I’ve also been working on a special theme for my posts throughout December. You may have noticed that I’m sort of a Christmas-holic!  If that is not your thing, you may want to steer clear for the next few weeks because I can get kind of obnoxiously joyous! 😊

Have a great week!

This post is part of the Weekend Coffee share brought to you courtesy of Diana at Part Time Monster.  Don’t forget to stop by and visit!

It’s a Major Award!! (sort of)

So I got this award. A Liebster award to be exact. I was nominated by my pal over at Spences’ Girl a blog friend who grows the most lovely flowers and never ceases to bring a smile to my face whenever I read her posts. I want to thank her for giving me this chance to share a little bit of trivia about myself. Hop on over and check out her blog!

For this nifty award, I am required to answer a list of questions about myself. So here goes…

What is your favorite birthday cake or pie?- I’m a vanilla girl all the way! Vanilla cake and vanilla whip cream frosting. Throw in some berries and I’m a happy camper!

Peanut butter – smooth or crunchy?-Crunchy, for sure

What is your least favorite household chore?-I would be perfectly happy to never have to cook another meal. 

Curly, wavy or straight hair?-Well, my own hair is straight and fine with just a few weird flippy parts here and there but I’ve always wished I has curly hair.

If you could live anywhere else, where would it be?-Somewhere next to the ocean in a house with a porch (of course).

Left-handed or right-handed?-I’m a lefty!

What is your favorite adult beverage?-White wine or beer. I’m not much for mixed drinks.

What talent do you wish you had?-I would love to be able to sing. I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, as my mother would say!

What made you decide to blog?-I felt like I needed a creative outlet and it seemed like a great way to learn about new people and places!

Best decision you ever made?-Answering the advertisement my Hubby posted in personals 24 years ago. It was the first time he had ever run an ad and the first time I had ever answered one. Fate was busy at work on this one!

Person you admire most?-Audrey Hepburn; a wonderful humanitarian and a truely kind person! I have never read or heard a bad thing about her. She seemed to spend her whole life (a pretty challenging one at times) looking out for others and she did it with such grace and beauty.

Audrey Hepburn actress. Ref:PHPS055038 Date:19.01.1959
COMPULSORY CREDIT: Uppa.co.uk

Now  it’s my turn to pass this Award on. I nominate:

Rhio’s Comics

Alison Lee Chapman

Christine R

A Texan’s View of Upstate New York

(sorry, I could only come up with 4- I’m still new to this!)

Here are your questions-

1. Favorite book or author?
2. Favorite way to spend your free time?
3. Cats or dogs, both, neither?
4. Beach or mountains?
5. Favorite song or singer?
6. High heels or sneakers?
7. Do you have siblings? If so how many of each?
8. How long have you lived in your present house or apartment?
9. Favorite kind of cake or cookie?
10. Favorite color
11. If you could have dinner with one person (living or dead) who would it be?

Here are the rules for accepting the Leibster Award:

Make a post thanking and linking the person who nominated you.
Include the Liebster Award sticker in the post too.
Nominate 5 -10 other bloggers who you feel are worthy of this award. Let them know they have been nominated by commenting on one of their posts. You can also nominate the person who nominated you.
Ensure all of these bloggers have fewer than 200 followers.
Answer the eleven questions asked to you by the person who nominated you, and make eleven questions of your own for your nominees or you may use the same questions.
Lastly, COPY these rules in your post.

Is it Just Me?

I need some feedback here because I’m wondering if it might be me who just doesn’t get it, so help me out, okay? I heard the tail end of a news story on CBS the other morning and it made me say, “Wait…..what?”

So I Googled it to make sure I heard correctly. Apparently some politicians in California want to pass a law to have new warning labels placed on soda containers. This is right from CBS web site:

“The SB1000 bill’s hypothetical warning label would read: “STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. “

See, this is where I go, “Hmmmm?”

Is there anyone who is old enough to read these labels that doesn’t already know this? I have six year olds at school telling me that they can’t drink soda because it is bad for their teeth. Maybe they aren’t clued into the dangers of diabetes yet but they know sugar in large quantities is bad for you.

And, if someone is about to buy a soda and they spot this warning label are they going to say to themselves, “Dang! I didn’t realize sugar would rot my teeth and cause weight gain. Well I’m just going to put this back and get a bottle of water instead!”

It just seems to me that there are other things that these guys could be focusing on if they really wanted to help the public make healthier choices. Maybe, if they could find a way to make eating healthy foods more affordable that would be a start. My son asked me the other day why he could buy a hamburger and fries some place for $2.00 but a salad cost $5.00? I thought it was a pretty good question.

So what do you all think? Is it just me?