Sunday, September 20, 2009

Ralph and Edna - A True Love Story

Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.



Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Ralph suddenly jumped into the deep end.

He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there.

Edna promptly jumped in to save him... She swam to the bottom and pulled him out. When the Head Nurse Director became aware of Edna's heroic act she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now considered her to be mentally stable.

When she went to tell Edna the news she said, 'Edna, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you're being discharged, since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of the person you love... I have concluded that your act displays sound mindedness. The bad news is, Ralph hung himself in the bathroom with his bathrobe belt right after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he's dead.'

Edna replied, 'He didn't hang himself, I put him there to dry…. How soon can I go home?'

Happy Mental Health Day!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Unbelievable Photo!


I received this in an email awhile back. Since it's so spectacular, I thought I would share... I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


Sunday, June 21, 2009

My Starbucks Weakness


Anyone that knows me well knows how much I love Starbucks' Caramel Frappuccino. I can't go by Target in Wake Forest without stopping and going by Starbucks for one of these overly sweet delicious frozen drinks.

I came upon this recipe on the internet and tried it. Wow, is it close.....very, very close to the one Starbucks makes. Plus....it costs a whole lot less. Try the recipe out and see for yourself.

Starbucks Caramel or Mocha Frappuccino Recipe

Ingredients

* 3/4 cup double-strength coffee, cold
* 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
* 1 cup low-fat milk
* 2 cups ice
* Caramel topping, 3 Tbs
* Whipped Cream
* Hersheys Chocolate Syrup 3 tbs


Directions

1. Make double-strength coffee by brewing with twice the coffee required by your coffee maker: That should be 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per each cup of coffee. Chill before using.
2. To make drink, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until ice is crushed and drink is smooth. Pour into two 16-ounce glasses, and serve with a straw.
3. CARAMEL Version:
4. For this version, add 3 tablespoons of caramel topping to the original recipe and prepare as described. Top each glass with whipped cream and drizzle additional caramel over the whipped cream.
5. MOCHA Version:
6. For this version, add 3 tablespoons Hershey's chocolate syrup to the original recipe and prepare as described. Top each glass with whipped cream, if desired.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Dear Dogs and Cats







(The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door at a friend’s home.)


Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.


The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn’t help because I fall faster than you can run.


I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.


For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.


The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat’s butt. I cannot stress this enough.


Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:


TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

(1) They live here. You don’t.

(2) If you don’t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That’s why they call it ‘fur’-niture.

(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.

(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don’t speak clearly.


Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they

(1) eat less,

(2) don’t ask for money all the time,

(3) are easier to train,

(4) normally come when called,

(5) never ask to drive the car,

(6) don’t hang out with drug-using people;

(7) don’t smoke or drink,

(8) don’t want to wear your clothes,

(9) don’t have to buy the latest fashions,

(10) don’t need a gazillion dollars for college and

(11) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children.


The Best Valentine Day Gift & It’s Free!

If money is tight at your house like it is mine, you’ve probably decided no Valentine gifts this year. Great news! You don’t have to. You can give a very nice gift without spending money and all you need is a printer, paper and access to the Internet.

There’s a website called “Valentine Love Card”. valentines3.gifOn this site you can make Valentine cards and print them, Love Poems, Love Songs, Love Jokes, Valentine Coloring Cards, Love Coupons, Flower Bouquet Cards, and Valentine Envelopes all that you can print. There are options for lovers, friends, and family.

Print out a page of Love Coupons for that special someone or make a special card for that bouquet of flowers you picked up for a steal at Wal-Mart making the low cost flowers more special than those that come from the florist. Print out a poem or special coloring cards for your kids. Each area is very easy to use and what you make will look professional.

So if this is something you’d like to check out, click here to begin: Valentine Love Card

Happy Valentine’s Day!

valentine.gif

Do You Want to Know the Top 36 on American Idol Today?

I’ve been a big American Idol Fan since Season 1. My favorite Idol of all time is Taylor Hicks. I would say more about this but I’m going to save him for a blog all to itself. For now I want to let you know how you can find out who the top 36 are going to be on American Idol.

If you have been watching America Idol this season you know that Hollywood Week is not even over. At least it doesn’t seem like it’s over since tomorrow night’s episode are individual performances. On Wednesday, the top 36 will be revealed. The thing is this, Hollywood week happened in January. That’s right, January. So there are a lot of people out there that know who made it and who didn’t. Those that made have no problem keeping the secret but those that didn’t, well what do you think? Although, not every secret that has been leaked comes from a contestant. Anyone that has a connection with Idol whether directly or indirectly can let things slip. Also until about the top 6 or 8 the performance shows are taped, even some of the beginning result shows are taped. The audience members leak a lot about the performances, what the contestants are wearing, what the judges say about the performance and so on.

There are two places that I go to get my Idol spoiler information. Spoiler - that’s what the information is called that is leaked out before a show.

The first place I go is called “Joe’s Place Blog”. You can find it here: http://www.joesplaceblog.com/
There are always great spoilers posted at Joe’s Place.

The next place is simply called “Idol Forums”. It is located here: http://idolforums.com/
You will have to join the forum to see the posts but it’s easy to do and I have never received spam from them. So if you are interested in finding out who the top 36 will be on American Idol, check out these links.

If you like to be surprised and don’t want to know anything, be careful where you go at either of these two places. You may see something to spoil your viewing entertainment. american-idol.jpg

~*~ Saturday Freebies ~*~

freebies.gif

Hypoallergenic Pillowcase *Automated Call

Very simple and it says it will arrive in 6 to 8 weeks.

Call 1-888-669-9992 - press 1, then 1 again.

Free HeartSafe Aspirin Pill Tote

http://bayer.apfco.com/w1320/index.cfm

Free Glade Plug Ins (1st 10,000)

http://www.rightathome.com/offers/200902-GiftPack/?
sid=offer&cid=RAH200902&rid=111200844&om_rid=Bqycsk&om_mid=_BJiLdjB7eSWdWn&

Free Mivodesign scissors

http://mivodesign.com/freescissors/

Remedy Magazine (3 yr subscription)

https://register.remedylife.com/index.php?zid=347&CID=15409&DID=68784&pid=45768&uid=CD930_

3 FREE Downloadable PC Games From Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_82997671_2?ie=UTF8&docId=1000319381&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center
-3&pf_rd_r=1ADER3JX1VNNDG7RMG0M&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=468589331&pf_rd_i=979455011

Free Sample of Crownies Sugar Free Chocolate Chips

http://www.splendiddelites.com/Free_sample.htm

FREE Copy of “Savoring The Best of World Flavors” DVD Set!

http://www.unileverfoodsolutions.us/operator_tools/dvd_offer

Free Digilake’s Pencil

http://www.digilake.com/free-pencil.html

Free Space Camp CD & Poster

https://register.spacecamp.com/cd_web

Dogs Can Talk ~*~ At Least On YouTube They Can!

I’m always on YouTube looking around on a regular basis. There are videos about everything there. If you need to know how to do something, there is probably a video there that will demonstrate how to do it. From repair to cooking, crafting, technical, gardening…..even picking up women. The videos that I am more drawn to are the humorous kind……babies, kids, animals, animations and parodies.

You have to be carefully though. Search for laughing babies and as you click on different ones to watch, what you searched for sort of gets off somehow and before you know it you could have videos with nudity on the list…..or something weird like “My 10 Year Old Daughter Still Breast Feeds”. That actually happened to me. I was watching a few of the videos of laughing babies (they are so contagious) and there it was a video about a woman who still breast feeds her 10 year old daughter and plans to let her do it until she doesn’t want to anymore. Of course I couldn’t believe it and HAD to watch it. I’ll save what I have to say about THAT video in another blog.

This is one is really great. Especially if you love dogs like I do. My favorite is the last dog in the video. Which one is yours?



My Favorite Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe

I wanted to share my Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe. I have yet to find anyone that didn’t love it. It’s easy to make, almost foolproof and doesn’t cost a lot to make. There are only 4 ingredients.

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

All you do is put the sugan and milk in a pan and bring to a boil. Boil 2 and 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir just until mixed well.

Pour into buttered (margarine is ok) 8 x 8 pan (using a smaller pan will make the fudge thicker, if you rather have that). Cool and cut.

If you like nuts in your fudge substitute crunchy peanut butter for the smooth. Also, try melting a Hershey Bar in the microwave and drizzle over the fudge for a fun design.

A tip to make it easier to remove the fudge from the pan and cut into squares is to line the pan with foil and then spread butter or margarine on the foil. You can lift the fudge from the pan by the foil, fold down the foil on the sides and cut.

Enjoy!

peanut-butter-fudge.jpg

Meet My SweetPea

sweetpea.jpg

There is a new member of my family. Her name is Sweetpea. I got her from our local animal shelter back at the beginning of October of last year. I had seen her on the animal shelter’s website and fell in love her instantly. Our animal shelter is only opened for limited hours a few days a week and on Saturday morning.

On Monday the website had about 8 dogs listed. On Thursday there was only Sweetpea (her then name was Fancy). I had decided that I wanted to bring her home that same afternoon BEFORE I saw she was the only dog listed on the website. I worried all that night and all day Friday (the shelter was closed) that someone else would get there Saturday morning before me and want her.

Needless to say I was there 20 minutes before they opened. I even stood at the door determined to be the first one in line which I was I’m happy to say. I got my girl and she’s the sweetest, cutest thing. I don’t know why she ended up at the animal shelter but I believe at sometime she belonged to a family because she was housebroken and took easily to her inside kennel. This little girl is so full of energy and such a clown. She even rides in the car just fine.

I would recommend to everyone if they are thinking of getting a dog to go to their location animal shelter. I went to the animal shelter get Sweetpea thinking she was the only dog there. I don’t know exactly how many were there but all the stalls were full…every single one of them. I asked why none of the dogs had pictures up on the website and she said she hadn’t had time to do it. Isn’t that sad? How many of those dogs might not get to get a home because she didn’t have time to take their picture and post them on the website. I even offered to help but she didn’t seem receptive to the idea. So if you don’t see any dog you like on the animal shelter website, go check out the dogs in person. Odds are you will find the dog you want.

sweetpea1.jpg

Out of Commission - Bronchitis to Blame

Friday before last I didn’t feel all that great but I had no idea what I was up against. Saturday I began coughing. I don’t mean every now and then coughing. I mean every few seconds. I thought I would go mad from all the coughing. It wasn’t deep down coughing but little coughs, one after the other. Nothing helped and I mean nothing! I tried over the counter cough medicine, medicine to loosen mucus and get rid of it….even tried regular aspirin.

The cough had changed to a chest rattling cough but needless to say on Monday I didn’t go to work; I went to the doctor. After telling him about the constant coughing, he looked in my ears, down my throat and up my nose and said I had bronchitis. No other tests just that. I had no idea you could see bronchitis hanging around in a nose or the back of the throat but I guess you can.

Since I’m allergic to penicillin, he gave me an generic antibiotic no one I knew had ever taken or heard of. I was relieved when I went to get the prescription filled the pharmacy had some in stock. Of course maybe they had it in stock because no one else had had a prescription for it before. He also gave me some pill samples that had codeine in them. They were awesome. All it took was one to knock me out for the night. If I coughed I didn’t know it, I was too drugged up. The antibiotic was shaped like a football and I had to take 2 a day at the same time. I have a hard time swallowing pills period and when they are the size of your thumb well it’s hard, really really hard for me to get down. I’ve done though….everyday.

I didn’t go back to work until Friday. Yep, it was payday but that is not why I went back to work. I had to get out of the house. It’s one thing to stay at home when I want to but when it’s not my choice…that’s different. I guess you could say I need to be in control.

Today is Sunday and I’m still coughing. The coughing is becoming less frequent but where all the yuck I’m coughing up is coming from, I have no idea. Apparently, I thought I was fat but I beginning to wonder if it isn’t all mucus. I have lost weight since I’m been sick.

bronchitis-dino.jpg

Is It Cold Where You Are?

I live in the Piedmont area in North Carolina, pretty close to the Virginia border. It hasn’t been very cold so far this winter but the forecast for tomorrow and Friday will change all that. The lows tomorrow night and Friday night are suppose to be around 12 degrees. Now I know that is rather mild compared to the frigid temperatures the northern and some of the mid-western states have been experiencing but last week a few days were in the 70s.

Compared to the heat of the summer, I prefer winter. I can put on enough clothes to get warm when it’s cold but from where I’m from it’s illegal to remove enough clothes for me to be cool enough when it’s 95.

Unfortunately tomorrow it’s going to be windy. That can make a cold day very miserable. Although it’s rare, I hate being chilled to the bone. It sours my mood to no end. It rips through even the stiffest hair spray making my hair mess. I could tolerate the wind more if there were a few snowflakes blowing around but nooooooooooooo. Here it gets too cold too snow. I don’t know if such a thing is an accurate assessment but I don’t like it. It will snow for hours, nothing will stick. Weatherman says the ground is too warm for it too stick. It gets really cold and they say it’s too cold to snow. I want a happy medium and I want it NOW. Is a foot of snow on my birthday too much to ask?

Let’s Start Off the Week With Something Free!

I thought it was time I posted a few freebies for those of you who love getting things for free. When I say free, I mean free. No charges of anykind…no shipping…no handling…no anything. So here you go . . .

Quaker Rice Snacks (Choice of 2 different samples)

http://www.startsampling.com/sm/100545/captureAddress.iphtml?item=100545&source=

Keyring (scroll 2/3 down the page for the form)

http://thevideoglasses.com/

SoyJoy Energy Bar

http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid63152.aspx

Skinner’s Vaporizing Salve (Put mailing address in Comment box - then click Submit)

http://www.skinnersalve.com/site/492198/page/113638

Free TurboTax 1040EZ & Simple Returns + Free Efile

http://turbotax.intuit.com/

Free Open-Heart Hope Cross (Can request up to 2)

http://www.thehopecross.com/cross_request.htm

Magnetic Clip with Mailfinity logo (Can be used for papers or as a bag clip)

http://mailfinity.net/free-magnetic-clip.html

And just for fun:

Free Land!

http://www.ownapieceofamerica.com/

I own land in Hawaii now!

I was shown a map with a star indicating the general area my land was located but it was VERY general.

I wonder if it’s here hawaii_1.jpg or here? hawaii-vol.jpg

~!~ No Gold Star for Starbucks ~!~

I was in the neighborhood this afternoon and thought I would visit Starbucks for a Caramel Frappuccino. That’s a lie. I live nowhere close to a Starbucks. I have to drive 20 miles to the closest one and yes I went there just for that. I love those Caramel Fraps with a passion. It’s probably a good thing I don’t live closer. Their beverages are not moderately priced and don’t mention the calories. Who knows what I would have to give up to pay for my Starbucks habit.

starbucks.jpg

Anyway, the purpose of this blog is to express my disappointment. Starbucks was out of caramel for my Caramel Frappuccino. Can you imagine that - no caramel for a caramel drink. This is not the first time something like this happened. About a month ago I made yet another special trip to Starbucks for, you guessed it, my favorite drink. This time they were out of the regular mix and only had the lite. That’s right, they only had DIET Caramel Frappuccino. I know, I know the diet is more healthful but please, if I wanted healthful I would have order…..water. I wanted the full calorie, full flavor. The sweet sales girl promised it tasted just like the full calorie frap and I’ll admit it was close but it was NOT the Caramel Frappuccino I so loved.

So Starbucks, that’s two strikes. One more and you’re out. I’m not sure what that is going to mean yet but I feel a letter to the corporation coming on. Better than that, I’ll just send them a link to this blog!

Sprite vs 7UP vs Sierra Mist

spritecan.jpg7up.jpgsierra_mist_1.jpg

Since Sprite, 7UP and Sierra are so close in taste I thought I would do a quick comparison. All three of these soft drinks are caffeine free, bubbly and clear. They are available with zero calories and come in both cans and bottles. The ingredients are closely the same as well as the amount of calories in the non-diet soft drink. All of the drinks contain dyes. Apparently it takes a mix of blue and yellow to make 7UP clear. I don’t know the dye mixture for Sprite or Sierra Mist. The biggest difference between the three soft drinks is the preservatives that they use. The diet versions of all three are also very similar.

I can find very little differences in the taste between Sprite, 7Up and Sierra Mist except that I can put Sierra Mist in the freezer until it’s half frozen (Sierra Mist is best icy cold). When it thaws out it’s not flat. Sprite and 7UP lose some of their bubbles when they are frozen and then thawed. So for me, Sierra Mist is the winner. Which do you like best?

Just for fun, I’ve included a recipe that I sometimes make with Sierra Mist. Enjoy!

Sierra Frozen Fruit Smoothie

  1. 1 cup Sierra Mist diet soda
  2. 1 cup frozen fruit

Place Sierra Mist and fruit ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and frosty.

American Idol - Here It Comes!

american-idol.jpg

American Idol will hit your local FOX station on January 13th and 14th, 2009 at 8:00 pm with their season 8 premiere. I’m a big AI fan all the way back to Season 1. My favorite all time idol is Taylor Hicks. I was lucky enough to see him and the other season 5 idols in concert and it will be a memory I will cherish forever.

Season 8 will have some changes this year. The wildcard is back, there will be less of the ridiculous auditions and more Hollywood week. There will be 36 semifinalist instead of 24. How they proceed to the next week will be changing too.They will still be cut to 12, though, just like previous seasons. Also there will be no “American Idol Gives Back” show this year. It may return next year though.

The biggest and most talked about change is the addition of a 4th judge. Her name is Kara DioGuardi. She has been involved with helping different Idols make their albums.This is suppose help her know what the powers that be at American Idol are looking for.

aijudges.jpg

Even with the changes I’m looking forward to January 13th. I bet all American Idol fans are too!

Only 1 New Year's Resolution for me!

I usually make the same resolutions each year as most people but this year I’m only making one. The best thing about this resolution is that I’m sure I can keep it. My New Year’s resolution for 2009 is……….(drum roll inserted here) “I’m not making a New Year’s resolution this year”. Am I a genius or what?

This means I don’t have to diet. I don’t have to exercise more nor do I need to deposit any money in my savings account. I can if I want but I don’t have to. All I have to do is make sure I don’t fall off the resolution wagon and make another resolution. I know I can do it. I’m strong that way.

happynewyear.jpg

Independence Day - No Not the Holiday - The Movie!

Do you know the movie I’m talking about? The action packed alien attack movie from 1996 starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman. It comes on TV often although I don’t have to watch the broadcast. I have 3 VHS tapes and a DVD of the movie. If you haven’t guessed it’s my all time favorite movie. I’ve seen it at least a 1,000 times. I know all the dialog to the movie and it drives everyone crazy when they watch it with me because I will say the lines right before the actors say it. I can’t help it. It just spills out.

independenceday2.jpg

If I can’t sleep at night I will put the movie in. As long as I can hear it I don’t have to watch because I know what the characters are doing frame by frame. I can turn my back to the TV and enjoy it just as much as if I was watching.

I can’t believe they haven’t made an “Independence Day 2″ yet. I have the perfect idea for it. If any producers are reading this and are interested, contact me! Ummm, it could happen. Oh! That reminds me of another movie - “Angels in the Outfield”. The one with Danny Glover. I probably should save that one for another time though.

If you haven’t seen “Independence Day”, watch it. If you have seen it before. watch it again.

You WILL enjoy it!

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MySpace - Not Just For The Young


First I’m going to start out by telling you my age. I’m 54 and I have a MySpace page. Granted there are more teenagers and twenty somethings on MySpace than the older generation but we ARE there. I have met some great people on MySpace, young and old.

It’s fun to redecorate my page every once in a while. There’s probably a million different themes and I can change them as my mood changes. The applications, fondly called aps, are a kick too. I don’t display them on my page, though, only because I’m not sure others would appreciate my choices.

The music player is my favorite thing. I have found so many of my favorites artists and songs and added them to my player. They are right at my fingertips whenever I’m online. I’m able to share the ones I want to share with those who view my page or not share them. The choice is mine.

It’s easy to search out people my age and in my area with the MySpace friends search feature. I can approve friend requests or not although I approve everyone. At least so far I have.

If you would like to check out my MySpace page, please feel free to do so. I would love the company.

http://myspace.com/ladykittrell