Hubby Gets A Haircut

Yes, it's true!! He got his haircut!! I can see his scalp and I think it's very handsome on him. I don't know why he is worried about his hairline--Of course I couldn't get him to pose, but this gives you an idea... Yes he is in bed...that way he couldn't object too much....I just got caught because I was laughing so hard...

Nephew Turns 18 and a Prom Pic

My nephew turned 18 this week. Hard to believe, but true. I look at his last year's photo and am surprised to see how much he has changed. To me, he doesn't even look like a kid anymore. Here is a picture of him with his prom date. It has been a busy couple of weeks for him...

Still Going Green

When I go to the store now, I have to explain the cat hair that covers my bags. They are their favorite toys to play in and with each other. So not to be out done, here are Quincy and Katie and their version of going green. Katie, being the only female, takes control and just sits on the bag so no one else can play.....

The Ivy Chronicles

A fun book, a quick read, a good time....even without kids this was a great read!!

Cat's Age/Human years an FYI

Just a little info for the cat person---

This makes Eli about 44 years old.

This makes Wendell about 25 years old.

This makes Katie about 17 ish and Quincy just a little younger.

Joy Rush List

All right, I have been reading some other blogs lately and they suggested a joy rush list, so I thought I would give it a try..

Joy Rush List (in no specific order)

1. Having Wendell (the cat) crawl up on my pillow and go to sleep with me. He's purring like crazy and puts his little paw on my head as if to make sure I don't go away.

2. Driving in the car with the window down on one of the first nice days of the year. The radio/CD is blaring music that you love and life is good.

3. Hanging out with my goddaughter and listening to life and she sees it. Always fun and makes me feel 20 years younger.

4. Reading a good book and just crawling into the story and enjoying it. Thank you John Sandford!!

5. Brownies straight out of the oven. A combination of the smell of the house and the warm brownies. Yumm!!

6. Going on a cancer walk with my sister and my niece. Feeling healthy, empowered and lucky to be.

7. Finding an episode of Star Trek on t.v. that I haven't seen for awhile.

8. The snow storm where the snow is falling and all is quiet, calm, and clean.

9. Waiting for my husband to come home from work and seeing that he is genuinely happy to find me waiting for him.

10. A hot bubble bath and a good book. Life is good..

Going Green Part II

Not to be outdone- Here is Eli enjoying the bags at 11p.m. Don't ask, Mom was not amused..... He was as frisky as one of the kittens......at 11p.m. Once again, Mom was not too happy..

My Nephew Turns 18

I had a nice long talk with my soon to be 18 yr old nephew yesterday. He has turned into a remarkable young man. He called to thank me for his birthday money. We ended up talking about soooo many things. We hit the Star Trek XI movie, because he knows I am a total geek. We talked about prom and girlfriends. He wanted to know any good stories I had about his younger siblings (he is in Texas and misses out). We also talked politics for quite awhile and he had some pretty definitive viewpoints on all the current possible choices. We spent a while talking about Obama, Hilary, and John McCain. He doesn't know who he is going to vote for or if......It took a couple of minutes for it to click in before I realized that it will truly be the first time he is able to vote!!!!!!!! We had to talk about that for awhile, too. I'm hoping as seriously as he is taking it that he will take advantage of the opportunity and vote...I think he will. We also ended up talking about tv shows and their merits. We had a long conversation about the last episode of "The Sopranos" and what we thought about it and the whole last season of it. We also talked about "South Park" and "The Family Guy". We switched topics to his college choices and talked basketball and his summer plans....It was a great conversation!! I was almost in tears explaining it to my hubby. He was a typical guy and didn't get it. Here I am in tears again, just thinking about this "little" boy who I adored from when he was born turning into this very dynamic, interesting young man. Time flies!! I am blessed to be a part, albeit a small one, of his life.

New Favorite Lip Gloss

My new favorite lip gloss is the C.O. Bigelow mentha raspberry. Just discovered it today. We turned the store over yesterday and put out a bunch of new stuff. This was one of them. So if you are at Bath and Body Works, this is the new stuff to try. Yum.....

Neither rain nor sleet nor snow....Yeah right.....

I think the postal service is eventually going out of business. I mean it. I am upset that postage is going up again.....I know gas has gone up, along with everything else, and once upon a time I could have gone along with it, but not anymore. I'm sorry, but in the last 2 years I haven't had mail delivered approximately 10 times. Every time I call the post office, I am told that the weather just got too bad and the postal carriers were able to stop early..........Hmm hard to have any sympathy for them with the motto they have (HA RIGHT) and the fact that I watched her deliver to the house across the street before she quit. Yes, how do I know, but if you saw the amount of mail the next day, you would know, too. Other places have weather worse than us and I can guarantee their mail didn't say "I think I'll stop now" add to that, I'd like her to talk to the people that were expecting payments that may not have got them on time because she just wasn't in the mood to finish her job.. I"m ranting, but it really gets on my nerves...........Now that I am writing.......I will probably go the email Christmas card route this year if I can get away with it. I am just po'd enough about the whole thing.............

Selling Soap

I'm selling soap today at Bath and Body Works. That's what we call it at my house anyway....I'm off to sell soap.........Actually, it will probably be quite busy with Mother's Day this weekend. Lots of people are buying for the various moms in their lives. I like to be there to help them find what they need. It is also a great place to work because the people are so nice. The store manager is Cherie' who I adore and is always there trying to help me do a better job. It's never a negative at Bath and Body. Those who know me, know I've had a lot of negatives in the work world in the past. This is a great experience and I really enjoy it.

Patiently Awaiting My New Book

I 'm patiently awaiting my new book. Truly I am! It actually came out today. The further adventures of Lucas Davenport. I'm getting a signed copy that will get to me the 1st of the week. In the mean time, I'm rushing to finish the other 2 books I'm in the middle of. Those who know me, know I never read 2 at a time so I'm jumping from sci-fi to mystery and back again, hoping to finish both before my book arrives.

Thank you Shawn for showing me how to cut and paste this stuff!!

Eli Visits With Friends

Just had a conversation with Eli, my oldest, who said he was upset he wasn't included in the Fairytale Blogs. Here is a picture of my best boy with his friend Fairytale.....

Fairytale Has A Busy Weekend

Fairytale spent Sunday travelling to the dental convention in Des Moines. Because I am such a newbie Caribou Coffee freak, we had to make a stop at the only one I know of in Des Moines, totally out of the way, but a necessary stop whenever I am in town. The guy at the window was happy to get his picture taken once I told him what was going on. We also hit the Crest booth where we got a couple of new toothbrushes and ordered some toothpaste. Fairytale was very patient while I did business with the Crest guy.





Fairytale Hits the Crest Booth



Fairytale also got to visit the Primary HealthCare booth. This was a first for the company I work for. We weren't giving out any good stuff, so no freebies for Fairytale.



Primary HealthCare





Fairytale and I had lunch out, but the service was so bad at the Marriott Hotel, that Fairytale didn't want any pictures taken.
Like I said, Fairytale was quite busy this weekend..Here is the only picture we got of Fairytale at the cancer walk. I know I look dorky but was weighed down by a bunch of junk. My sister inherited the flower...they don't do well at our house..

Fairytale at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Des Moines at the Waterworks Park

Fairytale Revisits Newton

Fairytale, that lucky unicorn, got to revisit Newton this weekend. We hit the hotspots including the library, where he got to hang out on the big chair, my old apartment house that we lived in until I graduated from High School, my junior high (or middle school), and the Speedway/Raceway/whatever.....Newton doesn't have a lot going for it these days, but we tried to hit the hotspots....Missed out on WalMart, but I figure we've all been there and done that one...

Speedway Pics-they wouldn't let us in there last time to get pictures!!

In Which I Torture My Niece HAHA

Today was a great day!! I asked my sister and my niece to walk with me in The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk today. We had our t-shirts for the walk and our pink baseball hats so we would go as a team!! It's been 3 years that I have been cancer free and after the genetic testing I did, I thought they would want to be a part of it and they were excited! We drove to Des Moines and tortured my niece by singing old songs loudly all the way there. WE WERE PUMPED for the walk!! We did the 3 miles in the cold and windy Waterworks Park and felt like we accomplished something when we were done. See

pics from the day- It was a good one :)

My New Favorite Bookstore

My new favorite bookstore is in Minneapolis. I am patiently awaiting my signed John Sandford book. (HAHA) This is the store that does all the mystery books. It is small and out of the way, and I have only been there once, but I've bought a few books from them. We have communicated back and forth via email. Gary, one of the owners, I had the pleasure of meeting on my recent trip. His wife, Pat, sends me emails about books and answers back. I sent a recent thank you email and he remembered me and my name. These people are great!! You don't find that kind of customer service anywhere these days SO visit Once Upon A Crime bookstore when you are in Minneapolis. It is well worth the time and effort.

Fairytale Gets A Blog Part II

Fairytale, the well traveled unicorn, got to go to the Bath and Body Works store with me today. It was a slow day so I took advantage of it..

Fairytale Gets A Blog

Hannah, my goddaughter, had a school project where they have a stuffed animal that you send with friends and family. They, in turn, send back postcards, money, etc to give the person an idea of where the animal had visited. Anyway, Fairytale is a well traveled animal. He has seen the Eiffel Tower, Stonehenge, been on a Disney Cruise, been to Colorado, seen Germany, etc. The animal has had quite a life including visiting a bank vault, the maternity ward of a hospital (got to hang out in a baby crib), got his haircut, and his teeth cleaned. Lucky guy! I have some photos of recent adventures that I thought I would share. He is going on a cancer walk on Saturday, so that should be fun, too.