43 Minutes

Time is money ... at least that's what the partners in my law firm say about my billing rate. Now, there is no way I want to jeopardize my bi-weekly paycheck (what? no trips to the local craft store?) but I have to respectfully disagree with my partners on this one. Time is so much more than that!

43 minutes of time spent driving my Sebring with the sunroof open and my hot pink IPod in my ears is not money. That's called debriefing, unwind, take me away Calgon! {This is on my way home from work, mind you!}

43 minutes of prayer is not money. It's peace for the heavy heart. Or praise to an ever-faithful God.

43 minutes of talking to my son on the phone is not money. It's love, at its finest hour.

In 43 minutes I can make a tuna casserole and cornbread for a meal with my honey at home, in our jammies, with the TV on, and the cat lurking, and the clock ticking the evening away. That's called the good life.

In 43 minutes I can walk around the neighborhood 2 times if I don't talk to the neighbors, and 1 time if I do. That's called exercise.

43 minutes browsing the isles in my local craft store is called inspiration.

43 minutes of lunch with a dear friend is not money. That's essential girlfriend time.

Sometimes when I cannot sleep at night, I can count 43 minutes worth of sheep. That's not money. That's idle time to reflect on the love and needs of my family.

Did you know just how important 43 minutes are? What's your 43 minute list?

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.

Just being random ...

Life is a mix of silly and serious ... so is this blog. Lately, I wondered how is it that my kids are now grown? Wasn't it just yesterday that I had (1) continuous piles of laundry (2) greasy fingerprints on my television screen (3) spots of Kool-aide on the kitchen floor?

Seriously Part 2

A friend shared this with me and it's worth passing along. Obama is "seriously" scary. Watch this: http://www.breitbart.TV/?p=158353. I want to remind you that at the end of the 2008 GOP Convention, John McCain challenged all of us to stand up. I'm asking you to stand up for McCain & Palin.

“Fight for what’s right for our country. Fight for the ideals and character of a free people. Fight for our children’s future. …stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We’re Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.”

Seriously?

Is it already TV season premier week? Oh my heck, I'm glad. Not that I have any TV time to spare. I mean, let's face it -- we are in a serious Presidential Election here and everyone should be a news junkie right now. {BUT I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU DO NOT -- I repeat DO NOT watch MSNBC political coverage who has TICKED me off royally with their one-sided reporting. Who DO they think they are, taking away MY right to vote by using their media ploys to actually elect the next President of the United States? Seriously?!}

Okay - let's get back to TV season premiers. Yes, I know The Office is ever-so popular and I DO love their quote "It's so much cooler to sit on your chair after you spin it around." But let's just talk Grey's Anatomy for a nano-second. Dr. McDreamy dead? Merideth, an old spinster? A Denny scene? I'm hooked. Seriously!

So -- Joyce & Larry should be back in the good ole' US of A soon. Good thing -- cuz my cell phone bill misses talking with Joyce (SO much crafting to discuss!). I wonder how Mr. L will react to our financial crisis that happened while he was away? I fear we should not ask him, or you might get the same reaction as when you say to him "talk to the hand". Not so good. You would probably be better off to watch MSNBC than say that to him! Seriously!

Kudo's to neighbor Fran on her retirement! Well, kinda sorta mostly. She did get a retirement party complete with cake and ice cream and presents. But next week she starts working on contract for them 2 days per week. I guess she just can't get enough of that place! (perhaps she sits on her office chair after she spins it around?) So next time you see her in the "hood" give her a high-five. Seriously!

Speaking of the "hood" --- Kevin & I are excited to host the neighborhood gang's first Colts Rally of the season. I'm pulling out my lucky socks for the occasion. Go Blue! After their first few games, we all know something is seriously wrong here. Peyton, help me help you! We are behind ya babe - now go spell W-I-N.

Tomorrow, we are scooping up the little ladies (i.e. mom & Jane) for a day-trip to Brown County. Biscuits and apple butter. Rubber stamp store. No laundry. Life is just plain good. Seriously!

I leave you with a Clayton-ism. Upon returning home from school the other day, here's a conversation he had with his babysitter:

Babysitter: Clayton, we've been waiting for you! We're going outside for a walk around the block!

Clayton: WHAT??!?^#*&%_#!?

Babysitter: Come on, we're all going for a walk around the block, it's such a pretty day!

Clayton: Can't we just take the car?!??!?

Seriously!

Palin Draws Crowd of 60,000 at Florida Ralley

Obama draws crowd of 20,000 in North Carolina. Meanwhile- Sarah Palin draws crowd of 60,000 in Florida! "Sa-Rah! Sa-Rah!" they chanted at every mention of her name, applauding loudly and waiving tiny American flags that were distributed -- along with free water bottles -- by local volunteers.

You want to know how I know this? I'm SO glad you asked! BECAUSE FLORIDA BOY WAS THERE!! Yes, as in "there". Keaton lives a hop, skip, and a jump away .... so he and a few of his friends hopped, skipped, and jumped over to the Villages near Ocala to be part of history. Way to go Keaton! We NEED a large voter turnout in a hotly contested state with 27 electoral votes.

I googled this and --- ah-hem -- I just wanted to mention that the largest crowd Biden has drawn to date is 2000. Sarah's lipstick isn't the ONLY thing that should scare the Dem's!

A Shout Out for the Week-End

Jumping Jimmy - It's the weekend!

• And I can stamp till 2:00 a.m. on Friday Night (check!)
• And I can sleep in till 10:00 a.m. on Saturday (check!)
• And I can shop at the craft stores with talky talky Rhegan (check!)
• And I can out-scram a storm and not get wet (check!)
• And I can laugh at Parker who is walking {yes, I said w-a-l-k-i-n-g kinda, sorta, almost, for real) (check!)
• And I can eat pizza with Mr. Pepperoni Clayton (check!)
• And I can blog and upload craft pics to Splitcoast all night long (check!)
• And I can go to a COLTS GAME (check back for the "check" since that's tomorrow).
• And I can laugh at my sweetie pie honey bun husband (a/k/a paw-paw) who babysat for Parker and put his diaper on inside out (check!) Awww - how cute is that?

Rhegan-isms from today:

Gramwa Kay: How old do you have to be in order to be a grandma?
Rhegan: 10

Gramwa Kay: (to a friend in Michaels) This is my grand-daughter, talky talky Rhegan.
Rhegan: And this is my talky talky gram gram

Gramwa Kay: Do you want the coloring book or the candy?
Rhegan: Can we "deal" with this? We're gonna have to "deal with this!

Rhegan's Cheerleader Cheer: (with clapping hands and hip-action)
1-2-3-4-5 My name's Rhegan and I say Hi
6-7-8-9-10 Back it up and meet my friend!

While strolling through J0Ann's in basket:
Rhegan: Pull over Gramwa!

Speaking of Power

We were out today ... out of power, that is. Yep, I was powerless. Hurricane Ike - now Tropical Storm Ike - is blowing it's way through here. Can you believe I had to manually lift my garage door? I might - like - break a nail or something! SO, no power = no lights. And no lights = no crafts. And no crafts = okay to leave the house. Kevin & I headed to Jane's and the 3 Musketeers hit the local Ponderosa. How long has Ponderosa been around anyway? 90-11 years? It was mighty good for being so elderly.

We enjoyed dinner with good friends Brent/Eleanor on Friday evening. Talky talky Kevin & Kay helped wear out everyone's bum as we sat for over 2 hours together! {yes, that is when I asked the waitress to join the McCain-Palin band wagon!} Brent/Eleanor are such good friends and we are so fortunate to live in the same neighborhood!

I AM BRILLIANT!! Man, I just love it when that happens. Wanna know a tricksy way to get the cat out from under your feet? No, you can't yell FIRE I tried that already --- both yelling FIRE and having a real one in my oven. I don't recommend either. All you need is a Wal-Mart bag! And we ALL know how much I adore Wally World! Shaky shaky your baggy baggy and the cat will runny runny faster than you can say "Bob's yer uncle!" No cat? Hmmm. Try it on your husband or kids -- couldn't hurt!

Speaking of The Colts, we'll take today's win! I gotta remember to get my lucky Colts socks out for next week's game because guess who's going? WE ARE! And all the people said YAY! Remember my lucky socks from last season? You can view them here. I think Brandt wanted me to wear them, so he sent us the tickets - how sweet is that? Well, he probably wants them to win too. Gosh - can you believe it's football season again?! Neither can I.

Palin Power

I've got Palin Power - do you? Wanna know how I know I've got Palin Power? I actually asked a waitress to wear a McCain-Palin button along side her name tag! And yesterday, I almost got into a cat-fight at the nail salon when the customer next to me said she thinks Sarah Palin looks mean. I felt it was my civil duty to show her what mean really looks like so she won't be confused about it next time. Hey hey folks ... the Republican Party is jazzed! Read my lipstick - we're going to Washington!


Excerpt from Sarah Palin's acceptance speech: "Here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion -- I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country. Americans expect us to go to Washington for the right reasons, and not just to mingle with the right people. Politics isn't just a game of clashing parties and competing interests. The right reason is to challenge the status quo, to serve the common good, and to leave this nation better than we found it. "

Yo Yo Thelma and a Pre-Anniversary Interview

THAT'S what my sister said to me one time. Yo Yo Thelma! {Of course, it WAS after I called her Louise.} So that prompted me to find Thelma & Louise quotes from the popular 1991 move:

1. I don't ever remember feeling this awake.

2. There's no such thing as justifiable robbery!

3. In the future, when a woman is crying like that, she isn't having any fun.

4. Well, we're not in the middle of nowhere, but we can see it from here.

5. You awake? Guess you could call it that, my eyes are open.

Onward Ho. Guess who is soon going to be having a 1-year Blog-Aversary? Ah, that would be moi! Me! Self! {insert pat on the back} On September 29, 2007 I took a flying leap into blog-land. Here's the 1-year interview ...

Kay: So, how hard has it been to become a bonafide blogger?
Self: Other than lack of sleep, I'm a satisfied customer!

Kay: What are some of your most memorable blog posts?
Self: Well, I LOVED queen Flo's interview way back at the beginning. And I SERIOUSLY love Rhegan quotes - they melt like lemon drops! But mostly I just love getting all the double-talk out of my head and onto digital paper.

Kay: Is that why you blog? Your head talks to you?
Self: I just want my family & friends to enjoy the ride! And it doesn't hurt to get junk out of my head - the good, the bad, and the ugly. I guess in the end, does that make me pretty?

Kay: Who's asking the questions here, anyway?
Self: I know, I was getting out of line. Sorry - you may continue.

Kay: Should we believe everything you say?
Self: Only my hairdresser knows for sure. Generally, I speak my mind with no remorse and yes, I think I blog the same way. I do try very hard to be thoughtful and genuine when I document my life, but sometimes there is no combination of words for what I feel.

Kay: Do you look for blog-worthy moments?
Self: Of course! Isn't life one big blog? {think about that one}

Kay: I've heard others compliment your music, can you tell us about that?
Self: When I was little, I would curl up in my dad's pee-wee-punch VW back seat compartment located over the motor, and sing louder than thunder. That's the kind of music I strive for. If it passes the pee-wee-punch test, then it's a blog-tune baby! I listen to TV commercials and TV shows for good blog-tunes too. It's all good.

Kay: Do you have blogging goals for the next year?
Self: Well, you know what they say ... if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always got. So I guess the question becomes whether or not I am satisfied.

Kay: Would you like for me to ask if you are satisfied with the past year's blogging experience?
Self: Sure - go ahead and ask that.

Kay: *&$#&%*(???
Self: I'm really glad you asked me that question. I know people are busy, hey we live in a go-go world. But I'm sooper dooper happy with my blog time because (a) it makes me sane, and Kevin likes that part (b) It fosters interaction with family & friends, and (c) It gives me great scrapbook material {and it keeps me from cooking or cleaning too much - capeesh?}

Kay: So - back to your blog goals. Are you going to always do what you always did so you always get what you always got?
Self: Are you nutzoid? {don't answer that} I work for a law firm, for goodness sake! Goals turn into billable hours! My goals for the next blog year include coercing family & friends to post comments, or suffer the wrath of someone who shall remain nameless, but works as a paralegal in an Indianapolis law firm.

Kay: Is this a good time to stop interviewing, before you turn mean?
Self: I don't' know, you could post a comment about it ...

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.

A Week of Lists

5 Things That I Loved About This Week:
1. Went to Beef-n-Boards with my sister and niece and laughed and laughed. Did I mention that we laughed?
2. Slept 12 hours one night. Needed that.
3. The weather is changing -- San Francisco type! Sunny days, crisp nights.
4. Plans are coming together for our annual Scrap Weekend in Atlanta.
5. Cleaning lady will be here today - yeah baby!

4 Songs That I've Listened to on my Cool IPod:
1. Sweeter Than This
2. Somewhere Over The Rainbow (I even sang a part of that to my sister "Where Trouble Melts Like Lemon Drops, High Above The Chimney Tops"!
3. Open My Eyes To Your Heart Lord
4. Butterfly Nets
5. Very Merry Happy

3 Things I am Praying For These Days:
1. My family.
2. A dear friend's family situation.
3. A new friend named Sandy who just learned she has liver cancer.

2 Things I Purchased This Past Week
1. Gas - $3.69/gallon. Highway robbery!
2. Strawberry filled fig-newtons - color them GONE already.

1 Thing I Love About My Life
1. Kevin. Enough said.

McCain-Palin Really ROCK

This is a very exciting election year! At the close of tonight's RNC and McCain's acceptance speech, we will be witness to the next 61 days of debates, media hype, and political ads. We'll all be tired of it by the time we pull the curtain and cast our votes. SO -- let's get to work and make sure that John McCain is the next President of the United States and Cindy McCain is our next First Lady!

Let's talk Sarah Palin here for a minute. She's tough. She's cute. She's got an adorable family. She's determined. She's a hard worker with a servant's heart. And finally, she is teamed up with a candidate that has the heart of our county beating in him for you, me, and all our children. {Did I mention the woman eats Mooseburgers?! Mmmmmm.} I have concluded that there is absolutely no circumstance whatsoever that she would not be a good VP. Even if they tied and gagged her, she would find a way to signal by wiggling her ears.

Yes, this IS the year us Republicans vote red!

Palin Hits Home Run

Okay, so is this the year us Republicans vote Red? Applause ... applause! Alaska Governor Sarah Palin says "Yes, it is!" In a year of political roller coasters, Sarah Palin went full speed ahead with her speech tonight. I say "You Go Girl!"

Okay, so today I enjoyed lunch with Debbie. We can go from laughter to serious to thoughtful faster than Sarah Palin's roller coaster. I am still touched by Debbie's wisdom and grace in her journey through losing her sister, Janet. That's what a good friend does - lead by example.

Okay, so Jane needed to ask for mom's help when she locked herself out of her house today. Haven't we all done this a time or three? Let's just concentrate on this .... she knew to ask for mom's help. On my drive to Rosegate this afternoon, let me just say that God answers prayer. Why does that always surprise and amaze me from our faithful God?

Okay, so Kevin grilled us some nice juicy hot dogs this evening to go with our Taco Soup. Two decades plus eight years, three children, and three grandchildren later ... he's still my guy! (I must have Sarah Palin's speech memorized!?)

Okay, so back to this RNC thing. No matter how you vote ... just vote!

A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.

Labor Day Reunion

We had a fun time at the Beaver/Yancy reunion -- hot hot hot as usual, with lots of food and fun. {I don't even want to mention that Kevin/Shawn beat Kay/Andrea in Rook -- so let's just not mention it, okay?}