Classified Ads Continued...

WEDDING DRESS FOR SALE

Worn once by mistake.

Call Stephanie...

Classified Ads

FREE PUPPIES

Mother is a Kennel Club registered German Shepherd.
Father is a Super Dog, able to leap tall fences in a single bound.

Apparently, this was an actual ad placed in a British newspaper - 

my girlie friend sent me several.  

Most are super funny, so I will google some pics

and share the laughter :-D

What comes around, goes around the internet...

Some of my email friends have the same sense of evil humor I do!

Muwahaha!

In between fits of laughter, I kind of felt sorry for them!

Their day is not going to end well...

Knock on Wood

The other day when I was in Starbucks (pretty good start to a story, huh!)...

Anyway, the two women sitting next to me were discussing the benefits of Eastern medicine (not that I was eavesdropping) when one of them frantically grabbed the chair next to me and exclaimed “Here.  This is made out of wood.”  She was so absorbed in her story that she wasn’t thinking (she didn't realize she was sitting on a wooden chair), and when she came to reality, she was embarrassed to be caught… 

As I have a tendency to do the same thing, I let her off the hook.  It’s not that I believe something negative will happen, I just don’t want to take the chance that it might…  It’s always nice to confirm that I’m not the only oddball out there :-)

"Mr. Blackwell: A Retrospective"

CSU's Avenir Museum of Merchandising and Design is currently exhibiting the world's largest collection of Mr. Richard Blackwell's original designs.  Although an amazing designer, he is best known for authoring the Worst-Dressed Women's List in Hollywood (glad he can't see me today).  

There are 32 designs, most of which I found stunning - I say most because, frankly, I just don't get high fashion and ostrich feathers...  The dress above was form-fitted than all the braiding was added over the top to hide the darts and seems.  I believe there were three gowns made in a similar manner - the effect was beautiful and I couldn't get over the amount of work involved!

Jan and I went yesterday.  We give it two thumbs up!  Plus, it's free :-)    

'Tis the Season...

Thank goodness I ordered from several girls!!

The first delivery already got polished off...

My all-time favorites are Do-Si-Dos  :-)

The ever-popular Thin Mints come in a close second.

9 to 5 (pm to am)

Early to bed and early to rise

makes a man (woman) healthy, wealthy and wise.

- Benjamin Franklin

This quote popped into my head on my way to bed last night...

Healthy?  Feeling pretty good and lovin' life!

Wealthy?  Still waiting...  Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket?

Wise?  Gave up trying - waayyy too blonde most days!

Holiday Trivia

George Washington's birthday, February 22, was originally established as a government office holiday in 1880 for the District of Columbia and expanded in 1885 for all federal offices in the United States.  It was the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen and was celebrated on his actual birthday.  The observance was moved to the third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1981.

I'd like to say that's when the confusion began, but, as far as I can tell, that started earlier.  The move to "Presidents' Day" started in 1951 (leave it to the government to mess things up when they get bored) with the thought of honoring all presidents - the original date for this to be March 4.  However, Congress voted to keep the name "George Washington's Birthday" as the official holiday in 1968.  The big push by advertisers (go figure) to "Presidents' Day" started in the mid-1980's and now some states celebrate "Presidents' Day" while others recognize "Washington and Lincoln Day" while still others name it something different. 

So...  I'm still not totally clear on the official name of the holiday, but, who cares?!?!  The bottom line is that it's a three-day weekend - ENJOY! 

Love to Shop

This is Bee and Me.

Remember that old Mervyn's commercial?

Open!  Open!  Open!

Doug's words of wisdom/warning:

"Just because it's on sale, doesn't mean you have to buy it."

Huh?  Did he say something??

Chance Meeting

I was running late to the basketball game last night...  As I walk in to the school and hold the door for the lady behind me, I had to do a double-take and then another one.   One of those "I know you moments!"

We used to work together and hung out 20+ years ago, but lost track of each other after we moved.  Apparently, we moved back to FC around the same time, our girls are the same age, they have been going to the same school since junior high, both participated in choir, her daughter plays basketball while mine cheers - we have been at many of the same events over the past 4 years.  What are the odds?

We both whipped out the kid pics and reminisced - how cool is that?!?!  It's both a small and big world at the same time :-)

Go, Team, Go!!

I grew up a Demon.  The boys looked tough in their red, white and black uniforms and we had a strong team that, in my teenage imagination, I was sure struck fear into the hearts of the opponents.

Tonight, I’m putting on my purple and gold and will be cheering on the Lambkins.  Honestly, it took me a while to get past that mascot, but time and again, win or lose, I have seem the teams, the cheerleaders, the coaches, the staff, the parents and (usually) the fans display pride and great sportsmanship.  There’s just something about a team that “walks quietly but carries a big stick.” 

So, once again, I’ll be sitting on the sidelines screaming for my favorite team to kick some…  booty!!

The Windy City

Chicago's got nothing on Fort Collins...

Wind is a crazy phenomenon here 

which has been the cause of many sleepless nights for me.

(I've been up since 4:00 am.)

It's not how it feels when it buffets the house, 

but how it sounds on the approach.

You can anticipate it in a similar manner to how you can see a 

wave swell coming toward the beach and then breaking; except,

it sounds like a Mac Truck coming up behind your Honda Civic.

I'm officially heightening the Small Pet Alert to Red...

Unless you want to look like you are walking a kite, skip it this morning.

Adult Truths #10

“Bad decisions make good stories.”  Maybe…  AND depending on who the audience is. 

I’ve found that a couple of my bad decisions have come in handy for educating my children on what not to do.  However, as I prefer to keep my skeletons in the closet, we’re going to use my friend, Marcy (alias used to protect the somewhat innocent), as today’s example…

Back in college, Marcy and a group of our friends, all decided that tattoos would be a great idea.  However, Marcy’s parents would not have agreed, so she got hers on her foot where Mom and Dad weren’t likely to notice it.  Over the past 25 or so years, it has blurred due to the constant rubbing of her shoes; though, on the upside, her parents are still oblivious – lol!  Her and I have both used it, spicing the event up considerably with pain and blood, to discourage our children from making hasty tattoo decisions.  So far, our success rate is 80% - oldest male child decided to ignore the gory warnings…  We’ve still got 3 teenage females who don’t seem interested at all and one little guy too young to even think about it.  Not bad for this day and age.

Note:  My mother threatened to cut off my school finances, so I’m still un-inked.   Obviously, her method was more effective than the Adult Truths plan…

FC Logo

This should pretty much explain the geese incident I mentioned in January...

Actually, this is the logo we had until last year (or maybe the year before).  

I think the new one looks like Horsetooth Rock turned into a Nike Swoosh. 

Changing the logo caused a big ruckus - citizens didn't feel the new look represented the city and then they found out how much it cost to design... 

Politics give me a rash, so I usually stay away from the topic, but I did have to agree with the "Why change the logo?" movement considering the

 economy, budget cuts, etc., etc. etc.  

Besides, there's no geese on it.  You'd think the new design would have our most honored citizens represented - after all, they don't have to wait for the cross walk signal...  

Pick Your Holiday

I didn't want to exclude anyone, so feel free to 

choose either, or both, holiday greetings  :-)

HAPPY ST. VALENTINE'S DAY!!

or, as my daughter said it can be known:

HAPPY SINGLES' AWARENESS DAY!!

Open Your Mind to the Possibilities

"Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open."

Thomas R. Dewar

I like this quote because it can be applied every day.

Life isn't like a math problem, so there is almost always more than one "right" way to do things, or, at the very least, the other way isn't completely "wrong".   This isn't a lecture - it's a reminder to myself :-)

Compromise, respect each others' differences, be willing to learn new things - 

what a concept...

Sunrise!!

Beautiful view, hot cup of tea...

Perfect start for the day :-)

While the people are away, the cats will play...

My friend, Robin, was told that, while you are gone,

your cats try on your clothes and check their email.

Apparently, her's checks the stock market while he's at it!  LOL!

Adult Truths #7

"Map Quest really needs to start their directions at #5.  I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood."   I might be able to get out of my neighborhood, but it can get pretty questionable from there...

This ties in nicely with my current beef:  Map Quest and Google Maps do not use the same highway names  (or maybe my request was just a special case).  My friends and family know that Denver freaks me out - I get lost, the traffic is awful.  I can only get to three locations without a glitch and that's providing there's no construction:  1)  The Zoo - because I have kids.  2)  The Cherry Creek Mall - because I'm female.  3)  Auraria Campus - because my son attends school there.  

Recently, I needed to locate a business on S. Colorado Blvd. - this shouldn't have been an issue since that is the street I take to the zoo and the mall.  I printed off the directions from Map Quest and the map of the business from their website (they use Google Maps).  The directions looked pretty basic - after I get out of my neighborhood, take I-25 to S. Colorado Blvd.  Got it!!  Now the map...  Where's I-25?  What's the Valley Highway?  I've never heard of it despite it looking like a major thoroughfare.   Houston, now we have a problem!

After a short panic attack and closer inspection of the map, I finally decided that I-25 probably = the Valley Highway.  What's with that??  I gave up and called the business for the directions...

Recycling Slang

Hot diggity (I’m waayyy too young to have used this term) used to describe something great.  I would hear my mother say “hot diggity” when she was quite pleased with how something turned out or went her way.  On a rare occasion, she would say “hot diggity damn” – this was reserved for something extra special, like finishing a puzzle before Doug had a chance to swipe a piece, keep it hidden, then “finish” the puzzle himself. 

I have learned a new form from my daughter:  the bomb diggity…  This term is used to describe something or someone really cool, large, phat, awesome, etc.  For example, Shaun White (the red-haired super snowboarder) is the bomb diggity!

Funny how each generation thinks they invented something new, when, really, they just reclaimed it from the recycle bin and shined it up a bit :-)

Snowy Day

Heading towards an 8-inch prediction - 

sooooo happy it's not my job to shovel !!  :-)

Somebody needs a review, so here we go...

The Star Spangled Banner
By Francis Scott Key, 1814


Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Last Night's Fortune Cookie

"What are you waiting for?  Get moving now!"

What a timely reminder!  I'm not a big fan of the cold, 

so I have been in lazy hibernation mode most of this week.

Time to:  

chase the dog around the house

put on some purple and go to the high school basketball game

work on that drawing I've been procrastinating about for months

clean out the trunk from Grandma's house (a good thought, but not likely)

get the Good Will items boxed up

Lots to do besides surf the net :-)  

Ahhhh....

I just love the smell of coffee!

Mid-afternoon decaf coffee break - that's what floating my boat today :-)

Karma at it's best...

This is when my evil cackle comes out...   Muwahaha!!

This was sent to my email yesterday.  Apparently, it's 

not a good idea to park in front of a fire hydrant in Texas - 

especially if you are from California. 

Happy Chinese New Year!

Just found out that I am a Dragon instead of a Snake...

As the Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar,

I should have been able to figure that out, but sometimes

I miss the obvious and have to be told: 

January babies arrive before the turn of the Chinese New Year.

Eagerly awaiting Punxsutawney Phil's prediction...

If Candlemas be fair and bright,

Come, Winter, have another flight;

If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,

Go Winter, and come not again.

Brrrrrr Day

Garfield by Jim Davis

With an expected high of -1 combined with a 

wind chill of -25 to -35, Garfield's got the right idea.  

Think I'll stay in and do the same thing :-)

Garfield has always been one of my favorite comics!!