Something I read on another blog reminded me of a defining moment in my life. Our family of 5 (3 boys) had just returned from a vacation and we were anxious to get our pictures developed to show family that evening. This was before all the digital stuff and before there was a photo developer on every corner. So, for us, the nearest one was at the Winn-Dixie. I took the pictures there and asked for the quickest developing….they said 1 hour. So, I along with 2 of my sons and my husband decided we would wait and do some grocery shopping while we waited. Now, on this whole earth, the one person who I least like to shop with is my husband. He is Mr. Bargain. If there are 6 varieties of macaroni…we must pick up each one, examine its qualities, and compare it to the other 5. Only then can we place it in the buggy to take home…confident that we have made a selection worth of being called a “good steward.” This applies not only to macaroni…but to every item which has a selection of brands. So, in a grocery store like Winn-Dixie, that would be quite a few. Oh…it takes a big chunk of time to go shopping with him. Well, when we were finally finished with our “comparison shopping”, I went to pick up the pictures while Don went to check out. I went up to the counter and asked for my pictures. Girl looks around…can’t find them in the completed box. “Surely they are there, I left them almost 2 hours ago.” She looked in every box and finally she found them…over to the side..UNdeveloped! Well, I was all kinds of upset. I needed those pictures then…I had spent 2 hours in the grocery store with the most price concious shopper in town, and I had answered countless questions from 2 little guys who couldn’t understand why they could buy it when Mom was shopping, but not when Dad was. I was tired and put out and mad! The words welled up in my mouth to tell this young girl just what I though about her and Winn-Dixie and my husband and my children and the world. Oh, I was so angry…I would have gotten everybody. When all of a sudden…I heard a voice(in my head) say, “Shut your mouth.” I am assuming it was the Lord and that He used those strong words with me because that is all that would stop me at that point. And stop me it did! I shut my mouth, regained my senses, and said to the girl, “that’s o.k., I make mistakes sometimes too. Do you think you could run them now, please?” With tears in her eyes, she said yes and that I was so kind and she was so sorry. I told her I would be back in an hour and turned to go. There standing right behind me was son #2. I didn’t know he was with me. He looked at me and said, “that was a really Christian thing to do, Mom.” Well, of course I felt like a worm…because doing the Christian thing was not my idea. But, I learned alot that day about listening to that voice within. You never know who is watching or listening. You never know who you will be impressing and what kind of impression it will be. Thank-you ,God, for the lesson.

O.K. just a little play on words….but I’m loving having Target here. I’ve been twice already, and I can see I’m going to have to put a limit on myself! HA! HA! Just kidding…like that would work anyhow. 🙂 Oh, they have the cutest little summer tops and pants…and if I ever lose these extra pounds that have homesteaded on my body…I’m gonna get me some. For now, I have to be content with the stationary, and home goods, and purses, and shoes, and…..just kidding.

But, I do have some info to pass along to you. If you love SPANX…and who doesn’t? They’re just the very best things to come along since….oh…forever. Well, Target has Spanx packaged under their label…ASSETS. They are of the same quality as the Spanx you get in the dept. stores. They even have the designers name on them-Sara Blakely. AND…they’re quite a bit cheaper than the others. Now I have bought these before and I can not tell a difference at all. In case you aren’t familiar with them…these are footless pantyhose (they do have some with feet in them, too) and they are terrific to wear under pants and capris. They are very comfortable, too. Just thought you’d like to know.

Now, I know this is going to hit some of you square on the nose…but, I have to call it as I see it. After all, this is MY blog and I think one of the blogging rules in the blogging handbook says,”To thine own self be true.” I’m pretty sure that is where I heard that. So here goes:
I abhor CALL WAITING! (I heard that collective gasp). I think it is rude to put me on hold to check and see if there is someone calling who you would rather talk to than me. I mean, who among us is so important that we absolutely CANNOT miss a call? And, isn’t that what caller I.D. is for? It just annoys me to think that my call is not as important as someone elses. Now…this does not apply to calls at a place of business. When I call my BFF at her work…I know she will have to answer other calls and put me on hold. Expected. But, if I call her at home…I don’t expect the same treatment. Now, if you are expecting a very important call such as your son calling to let you know he got back to school safely, you should tell the caller at the start of the call, so she will know to expect that…and not think you the rudest person on the planet. Some of the nicest people I know use this service, and I love them still…but you will never hear me say…”Hang on a second, someone is beeping in…”. Remember that this is my opinion and it’s worth exactly what you paid for it. I feel better since I vented. Thank you very much.

I am not a neat person. In fact, my husband says I’m a slob. Now, I wouldn’t go that far, but I am messy. I think a slob is someone who doesn’t care. I care, it’s just so time consuming to stop and clean everything up and put it away when I am going to get it all right back out. Does anyone else get that besides me? I have a very ADD mind. I have so many ideas and thoughts and they come so rapidly. I feel the need to start on a project, but then I have another idea and I MUST leave what I’m doing and do a little work on that. It’s not always a choice…it’s a HAVE -TO. And sometimes in the middle of a project…you just cannot tell where I’m going with it. Truth is…I probably don’t know either. It’s one of those …I’ll know it when I see it..things.
I asked Alex why he didn’t throw away something, and he said, “around here, I never know if it’s trash or art!” How clever and perceptive of him. Not that I think my art looks like trash…but that he recognizes that what looks like a pile of trash, may indeed be great art! I know I should do better…but when I am in a creative frenzy…all good sense goes out the window. And truly, the mess doesn’t bother me in the least. I know where everything is…if I cleaned up and put it away…I’d never find it again. Oh, it’s not easy getting mere mortals to get this. I’ve been trying for nigh on 35 years…and I haven’t made much headway with the husband…the boys are a little better…they grew up watching me get involved with project after project. At least I don’t have to worry about Alex tossing out a great work of art. Thanks Al, for getting it.

“When a woman is gloomy, everything seems to go wrong;
when she is cheerful, everything seems right.”
Proverbs 15:15

“We don’t laugh because we’re happy;
we’re happy because we laugh.”
Barbara Johnson

I WISH I WERE A TEDDY BEAR :

Everybody likes them…….
Nobody cares how fat they are…..
The older they are, the more they’re worth.

ENJOY LIFE………….THIS IS NOT A DRESS REHEARSAL!!!