'Grandee'--I LOVE it, but------

What a busy couple of days I've had! Brandon and Rachel [and children] are in St. George for Rachel's sisters wedding. I haven't seen a lot of the kids [understandable] but I did have the children for a few hours last night. I knew they'd be over [all three of them] and had really looked forward to it. Oh my gosh, what an eye-opener that was. 3 children wanting 3 different things at the SAME time. Serenity, as usual, was a absolute darling but the child does have to eat SOMETIME! Hannah [who was feeling a bit fussy] wasn't 'up' for not having my FULL attention. That got tricky. Brynna [thank the good lord] is a self entertainer. She also eats 'on the fly' so she was totally no trouble. If not for Breane things could have gotten really REALLY hairy. Dennis [won't tell you what I thought of HIS IDEA] thought It'd be fun to surprise me with a 'date night.' [and yes he DID know I was going to have the Children.] The joke was on him though. 15 minutes of my grandchildren and he was 'out the door.' Trust me, I was PERFECTLY ok with saying good-bye to THAT extra pressure. I'm certain little children weren't that tiring when I was raising mine? I do now, FIRMLY believe that parents need to be younger than my 'almost' 50 years. Today I ended up working a full shift, running to Target, racing home to wrap the wedding gift, running to the reception, coming home and doing the dishes and I'm not half as tired as I was by the time Brandon came for the children last night.

They looked so cute in their little dresses for the wedding. All three girls had black and white dresses with a touch of red. I sure hope Rachel gets a 'bunch' of pictures of them. I sure love those little cuties.

lessons mom taught---what a CROCK!

One day, I swear, I'm going to get even with Mom for all those lessons she taught me when I was young and impressionable. Like, 'when you borrow something return it in as good of shape, if not better, than when you borrow it.' What a Crock!!!! I borrow her car for one day. I go to the grocery store and run Breane back and forth to school. That cost me a car wash and a fill-up. What? Well, thanks to her LESSONS, I could not just take it, use it, and then throw it back at her. Or that lovely lesson of 'do your best to give others what they are paying you for.' Great mom, so I can't just 'clock in' and then hide from the boss all day.' 'Thanks for nothing.' Or my personal favorite, 'Be honest in your dealings with others.' I promise you that one covers a multitude of crimes. I can't even keep Diane's ten dollar bill I found in my driveway. Seems to me it should cost her something for dropping it. I sure hope I didn't burden my own children with such ridiculous lessons. I love you mom, even if your lessons are pretty useless!

AARP????--bad words, bad words--

I've never been so insulted in my life. How DARE they. In today's mail I received a notice from the AARP wanting me to subscribe to their magazine. What are they thinking? I am WAY to young for them. It said in the news letter that is was for people OVER 50 years old. I've got news for them, I am no where near that age. I won't be OVER 50 for another 15 months. 50 is NOT over 50. You can't be OVER 50 until you are 51. Someone should write them a nasty letter informing them of this fact. I think maybe I will. [the 'bitch' switch could come in handy now] This is all 'in fun' naturally. If there's one thing you can't get away from it's your birthdate. What does AARP stand for anyway? something, association of Retired people??? Boy, I only WISH I was retired. Oh wait, no I don't!!!! That would make the face in the mirror AT LEAST 100 years older!

I was talking to Bryon today. He's such a 'card.' Not only are Libby's hours 'down' at Coral Hills', his are 'down' at Smith's as well. He says, and I quote,' I was thinking of getting a second job but- I hate to work.' Now that's looking at our economy with a smile. I do love that boy!
Hugs to all!!

How fair is that?

I have a grateful heart tonight. This would be a good thing if the reason for my feelings wasn't sort of sad. I'm grateful because I'm not any of the people I know and care about. It's just everyone seems to be having so many problems. Just to give you a clue what I mean: Libby doesn't seem to be feeling so well, my girlfriend, that I love so, is having too many issues to mention, a co-worker is getting a divorce--- the list just goes on and on. I look at my own life and feel guilty because everything is going so well. It isn't that my heart doesn't break for my friends it's just that I'm so glad it's not me. Am I bad or what???

Cindy is so funny. I was telling her about my strange mental state today. It's weird, one minute I'll be fine, the next, a total grump, then I'll be fine again. She just laughed [we are the same age] and said, 'my dear, you have developed a 'bitch' switch. You'd better start wearing a sign to warn others.' Now I ask you, 'just how supportive is that?' In truth, she did make me laugh. I guess it is best to just take life as it comes at you----like a locomotive!

Big Brother--I've been waiting for you

Another day in the life of Wendy Doyle, It started by dressing to--paint. However, I couldn't start until Dennis came by for his coffee. [he took his own sweet time about it to] Why? He had a couple of spots that needed texture, and I prefer that he does that because he does a better job. I puttered about waiting for him. When the door bell finally rang what should flash into my mind, but Sally saying to Charlie Brown, 'big brother- I've been waiting for you.' [so he could write her letter to Santa.] So of course I answer the door with, 'Big brother, I've been waiting for you.' For someone who insists that I am CRAZY! he sure gets a confused look if I ACT crazy. 'Huh???' Never did get the joke! I can't believe how much better that wall looks with only one coat of primer. Gee Whiz, I'd have painted it years ago if I'd known it would look that much better. Ok, I probably wouldn't have, I do HATE to paint. Why? 'Cause I spend more time cleaning up after myself than painting. That might explain why the sitting room hasn't been painted in 15 years.

Breane wants me to hurry and put on the second coat so we can go to the health food store. Great, Breane wants food! Not!!!! She just wants more white tea!!! AND she wants me to pay for it, I will too! Why? She says It would be good for me to drink it. She says it'll lower my cholesterol but best off all, it'll make me look younger! Oh yeah, I GOTTA have that!!! Well, back for the second coat of primer!

I want the chair

For those of you that do not have the 'pleaser' personality this may not make sense. That's ok, you have it better anyway. To get to my point, I DO have a 'pleaser' personality. I do/say what I think others want from me. Trent [my neighbor] has fallen on some hard times. He has an old maroon leather armchair that he wants to sell. The chair does not match any of my other furnishings but---I like the chair. Dennis STRONGLY advised me against buying it. The chair is several years old and for the last few has been stored outside. It is the 'worse for wear' because of that. I went and looked at it again tonight. I can't help it--I like the chair and it isn't as if the price isn't a steal, because it is. I asked the girls at work what they thought because I'm having a hard time ignoring Dennis's advice [pleaser personality] they advised me to buy it. As they said, 'If I find I've made a mistake I'm only out 30 dollars.' What do y'all think?

50 years and I've learned---NOTHING!

As I sat glued to the t.v. today, watching the ceremonies for our new president, the thought occurred to me [wish it'd occurred earlier] that in my 'breath away from 50 years of living' I have learned NOTHING! Why, why would I not remember that??? I took the day off to watch the swearing in [yes, it does make me want to swear!] of President Obama. Why? Did I not recall, all the other times I have watched a special event. Network television has some idea [not sure from where?] that I just might want to listen to the friend, of the first cousin, of the uncle, of the head usher at the White House. WHY??? After two + hours of that garbage I exercised my right to turn off the television. I am somewhat optimistic about our new president, and certainly hope for the best. Time will tell. As for the state of the economy, I have a foolproof method of gauging how it is affecting me. My annuity. I got the statement in the mail today, over the past 12 months it has only made $535.19, so I will have that figure to use next year. Hope it does much, much better.

On a happier note, I found a new [and easy] way to clean house. Y'all are going to love this. I "borrowed" the air compresser that Dennis left in my garage . Fill the thing up, plug on the BLOW gun and whalah, instant clean. I may never use a dust mop again. Breane is choking and coughing from all the dust I raised but---at least I can say I TRIED to clean house today. Hugs!

'Elders Rule'

I wasn't expecting to get the tree trimmed until NEXT Saturday. So wasn't I surprised when they showed up today. I felt bad because I had planned to have hot chocolate and doughnuts for them. They were oh so sweet and worked so hard. The tree looks great. When I asked Richard how come they knew how to trim the tree he just smiled and said. 'We all took a class this week so it would be a good job?' What a cute 'come-back!' There seemed to be some sort of mix-up on the date so there were only 5 guys that showed up. I made sure I knew who so I could do some sort of a 'thank-you'. Any ideas what might be nice?? I was thinking something home baked then decided since I'm a lousy cook that's not much of a thank-you. I need better ideas. So help me out. Y'all always have great ideas.

'Take my Cat'----PLEASE!

When my children were living at home I thought that when I got to this point in my life things would be so nice. I could have everything MY way. Be careful what you wish for. The Gods AND Goddesses don't look kindly on such thoughts. There must have been such merriment in their realm the day I unwittingly allowed Breane to bring home Tootsie. Yes, I fondly recall the pre-Tootsie days. How calm, how wonderful those days were. The really sad thing is that I thought it would be good for Breane to have a pet to look after. Breane doesn't take care of Tootsie, I do, Breane doesn't clean the litter box, I do. Breane doesn't buy food for her by the truck load, I do, Breane doesn't----you get the picture! So anyway, Tootsie became a part of the family. The day it went from that to her saying 'you may continue to live here but on my terms', I do not know. So very nice of her to share HER home with us. If I don't jump right up and do the dishes she assumes any food left on the plates is there for her. And I ask you, what in the world does she have against my bathroom rugs. I bought pretty, thick white ones. What luxury!!! Now, they are white with yellow stains. What in the world???? Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!!! Yes, she absolutely DID! If I sit to relax she immediately assumes that I need lap company. Oh yeah, that's just what I wanted. Today she really beat all. I had laid some puzzle pieces out on the table so Bre and I could work on a puzzle during our spare? time. Then we went off to work. I am finding puzzle pieces in the bathroom!!! That cat HATES me. I've told Bre, 'your Cat--don't leave home without it!' I mean it to. If she thinks she's moving out without that cat, she's got another think coming!!!

'Normal is vastly over-rated'

Hi all! Once again I have fallen short of 'normal.' So what was it TODAY, Wendy?? Since you asked so nicely? I'll tell you. Today Dennis and I FINALLY got going on the sitting room again. For those of you 'in the know' that would be the outside and final wall. Dennis took down the wall heater and took it outside. His contribution. Me, I had to take off the remaining trim board [including around the door] , take down the blinds, cover the windows, clean-up the mess, and get the wall heater ready for new paint. I did well with most of it. However, I would like just 10 minutes ALONE with the person who re-installed the trim board after my floors were laid. Someone should inform him that somehow, someday, someone might be taking that board down again so '6 inch nails' were totally inappropriate. [did you get my 'play on words? I'm so clever!] Anyway, that was not my 'abby normal' action. My abby normal was covering the windows after the blinds were down. Originally I planned to hang sheets but as we are trimming around the windows, sheets would have gotten in the way. Then I has a 'bright light' cover only the windows and use the brown packaging roll of paper I have. That worked so well. [if you don't count the jagged edges] It worked so well right up until I ran out of paper with 1 and 1/2 panes to go. What to do???? I know, that Christmas paper I bought at Christiansen's had a brown back. Oh it worked so very well AND was much neater. So the problem Wendy??? Well, there wasn't one UNTIL I walked outside to take Breane to school and realized I had installed it so that the Christmas print faced OUTSIDE! Abby Normal. Hugs to all!

ya'll need Breane

If any of you are still wanting to clear out excess I'll send Breane to you! I'm telling you, this gal is GOOD! However, fair warning, she is BRUTAL! If you haven't used the item in 3 days and aren't planning on using it in the next 3 minutes, it be GONE! I had already cleared the excess from the bathroom, 3 days later she goes through it again. One full kitchen garbage bag!! I kid you not. I must say that my shower this morning was shear heaven. On the bathroom counter there is only a jar with make-up sponges and hand soap. How nice it was to have so much space. When I got in the shower there was a bar of soap, a bottle on shampoo, a razor and a washcloth. Nothing to knock over or spill. Any additional items I needed were neatly stacked under the sinks in the bathroom. Totally where I could get to them easily. I am fast learning. 'less is more!' The living space around here is awesome. Instead of feeling that we live in a small box of 1160 square feet, it's like a mansion. Of course, one must 'draw the line' as it were. My bedroom is totally 'off limit' to her 'clearing out.' I have far too many 'treasures' in here that I simply CANNOT discard. It's so nice to have less, not because we can't afford more but simply because we don't WANT more.

P.S. we have run into a camera lens cover marked 'canon' if it belongs to one of you please let me know. I'll keep it for you. [in my room of course.]

courage

Help!!! I need some courage. Anyone have some to spare. This is over that 'Asian Cuisine' thing. I really REALLY want to try another dish but after almost 'killing' Breane I'm Scared!! Perhaps I have not yet told y'all about my [unintended] near murder. I made a dish of 'hot' noodles 'cuz' Breane didn't like the cold ones all that much. So, I present dinner in the most attractive way I can. I told Breane the noodles were hot but neglected to tell her they were hot! [as in spicy] She took one bite and almost choked to death. I swore [I did] NO MORE ASIAN CUISINE! But I really like it!!! I tell you, this one is without a doubt, her father's daughter. He didn't like food that was the least bit spicy either. Any of you have any ideas of how I can have my Asian cuisine AND not kill Breane? Just throw out some ideas-see what happens. Hugs to all!

Lovely Daughter

this post is especially for my lovely daughter Bridget. Boy, I can ALWAYS count on you for support. I'm going to get worried if I see you walking lopsided one day. Damn Wendy, I TOLD you to stop leaning on her so hard. Now look, she can't even walk straight. But seriously sweetie 'you're the greatest! You will even respond to my silly post. Just for that I'm going to tell you something I'll bet you wouldn't expect from me. 'Mormon's are the GREATEST! No, I'm serious! Jim comes to my door last night to ask if it would be alright for the elders to come and trim my mulberry tree. Let me think, YEAH!! How kind is that! I've been so worried about it but didn't have another 100 dollars to have it trimmed poorly again. Remember how those two guys really took me? Even if this is not the best trim job, they are just doing it from kindness. How cool is that. Almost makes me want to go to church. [I said almost] I must say they have really taken a load off. You know what? Even if they never came and trimmed the tree, just that they thought of me makes me feel good. What super men! Mom

'Yo buddy, yo' momma's a baglady'--

No I am not talking about something as normal? as taking my own bags with me when I go shopping [Breane hates that]. No, no, I mean a BAGLADY! The kind of person other people stare at and wonder?, Is she 'all there?' When you start any new system you really should have a plan of some sort. Take my decision to recycle. Ok, I find out what I can recycle. I place all of the items in the SAME bag and happily go off to do my duty. One bag,mind you. So I dance between the bins discarding my unwanted items. Oddly enough people did stare. Imagine. I not only did this once I have done it on 3 different occasions. Breane refuses to go anywhere near the bins with me. Could she possibly be embarrassed.? Surely not. It's not like I'm like my Mother was when I was a teenager. Oh no! I am much MUCH worse. And it isn't as if poor Breane can even predict what I might do. Take the very normal grocery shopping trip. The store manager is explaining to the overworked checker that there are no 'baggers' available to help her, and the menopausal lady standing in the checkout line [me] pipes up, 'what are YOU. chopped liver??' No one knows what that poor sweet young lady [Breane] puts up with. It's not like I was in menopause when you older kids were at home. You should all sit down and write Breane a sympathy card or better yet a 'Thank you" note, for not killing me. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she hasn't wanted to a time or two. So when someone heckles you with, 'Yo buddy, yo' momma's a BAGLADY!' Hang your head in shame--for it is true!

Something is difinitely wrong!?!?!---

Something is definitely wrong! I just took my trash out for tomorrows pick-up and I have MORE trash than last week. How can that be? 3 FULL trash bags to the recycle bins AND a box and a bag to the D.I. This just does not add up. Besides last week I had a New years Eve party to clean up from. What a chore. [the party was a lot of fun though!] There must be an explanation! I know, I'll bet when my neighbors saw my half full trash can they were so jealous that they filled it up with THEIR trash. How rude!!! Here I am trying to be a responsible consumer and they make me look like an 'out of control' consumer. That HAS TO BE IT! Either that or I haven't even made a dent in the things I'm not using around here. As for me, I prefer to think that I have rude neighbors! Happy clearing out day to one and all!

Resolutions

Question: If you have a new years resolution that you never even attempt-was it a resolution or just a thought, that never grew-up? If it was just a thought, I'm good-kept all my resolutions-but if it was an actual resolution-I'm busted!! How do you all deal with these kinds of questions?

Also, there is a reason I don't post pictures on my blog. Unless you want to see pictures of Breane there is little point. Old people all look alike-OLD! Be careful-it could happen to you. On day you are happily putting your face on when you realize that some evil has taken control of your mirror. It will torment you with images of someone who could not possibly be YOU! You think I lie? you should all live long enough to find out. Don't get me wrong-I adore being a Grandmother. I just want to be a Grandmother who doesn't LOOK like a Grandma. Smile!!!! LIFE IS GOOD!

Recycle

Recycle, Recycle, recycle. Oh happy day. I FINALLY found some Washington County Solid Waste recycle bins. What a find! They are in Harmon's parking. How convenient is that? I shop at Harmon's. They will recycle paper, plastic, glass [wine bottles?] and metal. I'm in heaven. However, house cleaning just got more complicated. Now I need a sack for D.I. [clothing and household goods] recycling AND trash. Oh well, if it helps me do my part. I've been like a madwoman. I not only run through the house finding any and all items to be recycled, I plan my trips out around going past the D.I. or the recycle bins. How nuts is that? I think everyone should have a cause. This seems to be mine. However---there are some things you just do NOT let go of. Like the shelf I'm working on for the sitting room. Besides they don't recycle wood. Dennis just laughs at me. He told me and I quote, 'don't throw out those perfectly good wooden spoons-give them to your mom to burn in her stove. Now that's recycling.' Not very supportive but it is a good idea all the same. Now if I could shed the excess pounds from the holidays as easily. Happy January, you all!

Christmas lights

Oh, the joy of Christmas lights. Let me tell you about all the joy? they have brought us this year. Step one: I said I would bring two strings of lights in for the Laundry room windows. I don't buy new lights every year [ok, ok I don't buy new lights every 10 YEARS] So I took two strings to work. Angie informed me [in the nicest way possible] that they were just not up to her standards so she bought two NEW strings. [oh the waste!!!] That left me with about 6 hundred light strings which I conned Josh into putting up outside. He plugged them into my porch light. That worked for about as long as it took him to leave town. After several days of 'iffy' lights I discovered that the plug that screwed into the porch light had had it. Go figure, it was only about 15 years old. Need proof?? Thad used to use it, so there!!! I plugged them into the outside outlet, problem solved!
Step two: Take down the outdoor lights. I chose today of all days. It's so cold [ok, so cold, FOR US, happy?] My fingers were numb. Smart me, I decided to wear gloves. NOT a good plan. When you have gloves on it is so very easy to pinch yourself with the plyers. If I had a camera I'd prove to you all, that BITES-My poor fingers.
Step three: Confession time. I was so ticked by the time I got the lights down that every single string went in the trash. Here's the problem: By next year I will have forgotten that I threw them away. I'll tear this place apart looking for them. Then I'll 'rant and rave' about how I've been robbed. It's too late to take advantage of the 'after' Christmas sales or I'd go out and buy 5 or6 strings now just to save myself all the stress this is going to cause. If you love me and you see ANY Christmas lights, BUY THEM! I promise I'll pay you for them. Ofcourse this is provided you sell them to me before the end of January. Otherwise you'll just get a blank stare when you try to give them to me. 'But honey, I don't NEED any Christmas lights. I have plenty!

The Perfect Pair of Jeans

Tonight's Post. My quest for the perfect pair of jeans. This whole thing is Dennis's fault. He gave me some money to buy a new Christmas outfit. Now he gave me the afore mentioned money about 10 days before Christmas. I had little or no time for clothes shopping. However, in between things I simply HAD to do I managed some shopping. I wasn't happy with any the the jeans I tried. Not to mention that the mirror in the dressing room at the IFA store was about the size of a postage stamp. I'm not buying any jeans when I can only see about half my bottom in the mirror. Anyway, Christmas came and Christmas went-no new outfit. Sorry kids but that getup I had on was the best I could do. Today I had to go shopping for a wedding gift. I decided to pop into Christiansen's just to have a 'look see.' {can't afford anything in THAT store.} You guessed it. Jean's 50% off. [which still makes them plenty pricey.] However, I simply fell in love with a pair that 'took me back' as it were. Just like ones I would have bought when I was 16. Oh yes, I HAD to have them. Breane says they're not sexy because they are BIG belbottoms but I don't care. They are a size 8[I lie not-but they are a BIG size 8] and they were half off. It don't get better than that. Oh, I also found two holiday blouses so I'm a happy camper. I did find the wedding gift. A fondu pot. [give me a break-this is the second time I've bought a wedding gift for this young lady.]