Blow Wind Blow

I am so tired of the wind. It has blown nonstop for weeks here, not a soft little breeze that stirs the curtains on the windows or gently sways the trees, this is a 30 miles an hour wind, it blows the curtains off of the windows and the leaves off of the trees. It would be less irritating if it was even a little cooling but no it is a hot straight out of hell wind. I guess I should stop complaining, this is North Texas and you always get wind but like any good whiner, I am not going to stop complaining :D .

I have been reading this summer, (OK, I know it is not officially summer but when the temps get to 100 and up, that makes it summer in my book ) . I have read Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts and Black Order by James Rollins. Both books were really good, I liked Shoot the Moon because it was a nice little mystery that did not require a lot of brain power and I loved Black Order because well...I LOVE everything that James Rollins writes. He gets you to use your critical thinking skills while you are reading and then in the last few pages he wraps up everything nice and tightly and does not leave you hanging wondering what happened.

I am a horrible blogger

Wow, it has been months since I have blogged on here. I am going to try to keep up better from now on.

I spent 3 1/2 weeks on the Atkin's diet and lost about 12 pounds but after feeling like crap for the entire last week, I am off of it now. DH and I are going to work at eating healthier and smarter and I am going to try to find some exercise that I can do without causing lots of hip pain.

Let's see...reading...I have read several great books lately. I finished The Codex by Douglas Preston last week. It was a great book, lots of action and adventure in the South American rain forest. It is the story of 3 brothers who return home at their father's summons to discover him and his half billion dollar treasure gone and a cryptic video left for them from him telling the brothers that he is dying from pancreatic cancer and has taken their inheritance and has hidden it in a tomb along with himself and that in order for them to claim it they must figure out where he is. They all begin their search separately but they do ultimately reunite to find him. There are twists and turns in the story and lots of action and adventure. I really loved it.

I read an old novel from the 1980's over the weekend, it was called Morning Glory and was written by 2 publishing house editors who collaberated on it and used the pen name Julia Cleaver Smith. It was the only novel they wrote together. It was lot's of fluff and chick lit, reminded me a lot of the old Dallas and Dynasty primetime soaps. It was about a wealthy Texas family which was presided over by a matriarch who ran a media empire and her families lives also. It spans over 70 years in the lives of the family. It was a fun read, not much to exercise the intellect but lots of gossip and gratuitious sex :) .

I started She Walks These Hills by Sharyn McCrumb last night. I love her books, she is a wonderful storyteller. I will report on how the book was as soon as I finish it.

Well, I guess I better blog off for now and go catch a quick nap before I have to get ready for work tonight.

Here is wishing you a glorious and blessed day.

Saturday

I have had 4 days off and tonight I have to go back to work. The days off are wonderful but having to go back after so many off really stinks. I used to really love my job but with my hip hurting all the time, it has quickly became a job I hate. I spend my entire last day off dreading go back the next day. I am looking for something else in the hospital, that will involve less physical lifting and walking. I have put so many years into the place that I don't want to have to go anywhere else. I don't think that there is anywhere else that I could go in my area that I could make as much money as I make now. I guess I will just keep sucking it up and eating NSAIDS and keep on keeping on.

Jinkies, how did it get to be 2008 already

Wowsa, talk about time flying. It has been almost a month since I blogged. A holiday, a birthday and a death ago.

Christmas was quite, my hip was hurting so I did not go the big celebration at my sisters. I just stayed home and watched movies. I did not decorate this year so there was nothing to undecorate and that was nice. :)

My 45th birthday was yesterday. I am amazed that I am that old, how did that happen, just yesterday, or maybe last week ;) I was 29 and my kids were all still young. Now I am older than dirt, full of arthritis and bursitis and basically falling apart. It really stinks getting older.

My grandmother passed away on the 6th and she was buried on my birthday. She was 87 and in poor health so it was actually a blessing, she is not suffering any longer. She and my grandfather were married for 67 years on Christmas eve. Both news stations in my local area did really nice stories on them and my grandfather told his secrets for being happily married that long, they were "you have to love each other", and "I stayed out of her hair mostly" . It was funny because he worked as a policeman on the 3-11 shift for years and in the mornings from 8am to 11:30am he worked in his own auto upholstery shop. They had breakfast and lunch together everyday and he came home for his supper break and drank a carnation instant breakfast every night at 7 when he was working. So he was really out of her hair most of the time. They were a very special couple.

Hair Salons and Snickerdoodles

This morning was my every 6 week hair appointment. I love going to the salon. I have a great stylist, she reminds me of the character that Queen Latifah portrayed in Beauty Shop. She is loud, outspoken and friendly. I love visiting with her, she always has a funny story about her family or some adventure that she has had. Add this to the fact that she is a great stylist and you just can't go wrong. I get a cut and color every 6 weeks. It is a really more money than I should spend but my hair is really short and if I wait longer than 6 weeks it doesn't really style like it should and since God decided that it would be funny to send me gray hair starting in my 20s and getting more pronounced every decade since then, I have to have my hair colored. Isn't it funny, how going to the salon makes you feel good about yourself when you leave there :) .

After I left the salon, I went by Big Lots and didn't find much there but I did find my favorite cookies, Snickerdoodles. Stauffer's makes them and they are so yummy. I picked up 2 boxes and a bag of Gingerbread men. I was really weak willed when I got to the cookie isle :) . I love shopping there, it is like a treasure hunt :).

Old fashioned Hot Cocoa

I was at my favorite thrift store a few months ago and found a Mr Coffee Cocomation machine for only $3.00. I passed it up the first time but after I got home and thought about how yummy hot cocoa would be on a cold dreary winter's day I went back a few days later and lady luck was riding shotgun with me because it was still there, waiting patiently on the shelf for me to come back and purchase it. I used it for the second time this morning, I made a cup of delicious old fashioned hot cocoa complete with mini marshmellows dropped in it. It was so yummy and it made me remember why I don't like the envelopes full of powder pretending to be hot chocolate :) . Now if I just had a blueberry scone, I would be in bliss :) .

I am reading a really good book, I started it a couple of days ago and hope to complete it over the weekend when I am off work. It is The Seance by Heather Graham. It is really good so far, murder mystery, ghost story, romance, it has it all rolled up into one novel. :) It is the first book that I have read by this author, even though I have a few of her others in Mount To Be Read :) .

As always, I am proclaiming my intention to blog more reliably. Hopefully I will be blog again tomorrow. :)

Magnificant Monday

Well, I am a decidely poor blogger. I have the best of intentions of blogging everyday and here is it weeks later and I am entering my second entry :) .

I am trying to get motivated to do a little Christmas decorating. It is so hard to pull out the tree and the decorations when it is still so warm outside. If the temps would drop for any length of time I would be more apt to get around to it. All the kids are grown and we are not having Christmas at our house so it is not really a big deal if I do or don't. :)

It is a glorious day outside today, temps in the 60s, sunshine and lots of fat little birds hopping around in the pasture. Speaking of birds, the weirdest thing happened earlier today. I was sitting at the dining table reading other blogs when I heard what sounded like a baseball hitting the dining room window. I looked up just in time to see a dark shape fly off to the side of window. When I got up and went to the window to look out, I found a batch of downy like gray feathers stuck to the window. I guess the poor little feathered bird brain :) saw the dark tinting on the window and thought it was an entryway and flew into it. Harley (my sweet puppy) and I went out to see if we could find it but I guess it was just stunned and had flown off because there was nothing around the window.

Well hopefully I will have another entry tomorrow and not in a few weeks. :)

Woo Hoo My first entry

This is my first entry :) . I am new to blogging so I don't know how coherent or relevant this will be but it will be fun. [stands and faces room] "I am Kathy and I am a coffee addict". I love coffee, cappuccino, latte, espresso, mocha, hot, cold, sweet or not, I love em all. I have to have it fully leaded, none of that wimpy noncaf for this ole Texas gal, fully leaded only way for me. I also love a nice scone to go with my gallon of coffee and a good book to read while I am eating and drinking.

Well, I better go start some supper so that the Mr will have something to keep his tummy from rumbling.

I will write more soon.