Friday Funnies

Travel Tuesday

On the way back from the beach last Tuesday, we stopped on the way home.

We stopped at this little town where some local artist started carving in to dead trees in this little park.

 Now it's become a tourist destination.

 We did a drive by of F. Scott and Zelda's home.

 You could tell that this was an upscale part of town---still is. Like most cities, people are renovating these beautiful old homes.

Just a couple doors down from F. Scott's, I saw another sign. I had Butch back up. It was the home of   Helen Keller's sister, Mary---who Helen visited. The home wasn't open to the public so we just read the sign.

After strolling through the park, (we actually did the drive by of F. Scott's first), we stopped for lunch. Since we were in a little town, there weren't many choices. We went to Jack's--which I thought was Jack in the Box. I don't know if it's the same or not. All I know, is that they didn't carry the tacos---which is what I really wanted!

This was another one of those fast food places that had a sitting area with a fireplace and television. I guess they want to seem more like a coffee shop meeting place. That was fine with us as we watched (or, rather, listened to) Judge Judy while we ate lunch.

But this was the most interesting thing in the restaurant. They had regular bathrooms in the back.

This sink was right in the eating area! I've never seen this before. Of course I used it!! It felt a little weird.

That's it for our recent travels.

Monday Mystery about....

...how long Butch can procrastinate!***

Several months ago, I put a large printer in the hallway upstairs to be taken away.

It sat there with the instruction booklet and cartridges for months. I reminded Butch several times. The funny part is that he hauled down all the Christmas stuff that was around it, but left the printer. I finally gave up and decided not to say another word. I wanted to see how long it would take. All through the holidays, as the "kids" were here, it sat in the hallway.  I think someone even tripped over it. Margarita has had to clean around it. Still, it remained.

When one of the light strands on the outdoor garland went out, I had a spare box. I purposely put it on top of the printer as a "hint" to get rid of it. That didn't happen. He fixed the lights, but the printer still sat. And then there were two. As it turned out, I had another old printer that finally bit the dust. Soooo, I added that one to the hallway. Still, they sat.

All of a sudden, right after Christmas, I noticed the printers were gone. I was so excited---until I found that they had just been moved to the rec room---on the game table. They sat there for a couple weeks until my birthday.

We decided to play games in the rec room so the guys could have football on in the background. I heard Stephanie's exclamation when she saw the printers on the game table---and I was all the way downstairs! She couldn't believe that they had just been relocated instead of taken out to the garage. She decided to fix that for me!

She laughingly did this. She called me to see. She said, "Now he'll have to take them out!" I'd say this was the best birthday present I got!

You might be wondering why I just didn't carry them down myself. Well, that's what I would usually do when things are not done in my preferred timely manner. He can outlast me every time! But since I'm such a faller, I'm not taking any chances with heavy, cumbersome things!

God bless my procrastinating guy! He does provide us with lots of entertainment.

One more mystery solved!

***Update. I wrote this post yesterday. When I went to get something out of the freezer, there was this:

OMGosh!!! The printers have just been moved to the mud room! What's it going to take?? I guess it's still a mystery after all.

Another Birthday Comes and Goes

It was a great day. I spent the morning with friends, the afternoon stitching and watching a movie, and ended with dinner at Char with my girlfriends (it was poker night).

Saturday my birthday continued as I spent the day exactly the way I wanted. I worked in my scrapbook room all morning and went from this:

A huge mess. I used to be really disciplined and cleaned up after each scrapbooking session. As I've been busier and we've been traveling more, I found myself with little time to scrapbook. I was barely able to keep up with my AYM and round robin layouts.

 After 4 and a half hours, I got everything sorted, re-organized and cleaned up.

 The assorted things you see here are some class materials for an upcoming kit.

I got my photos re-organized and back in the appropriate albums. These albums need to be cleaned out as do my embellishment containers. That's a good job to do in front of the tv. Soon (I hope).

This is what I have left to do---put all of these layouts in albums. I'm having a little contest with my friends to guess how many there are. I'm looking forward to finishing this today.

I finished working in my scrapbook room around 1 p.m. I spent the rest of the afternoon stitching and watching a movie. I really want to finish my 3D Santa project. That should happen today. The movie I watched was Mona Lisa Smiles with Julia Roberts---really good.

Stephanie, Nicky, Mindy and Justin came to celebrate my birthday. I didn't want to eat out because we've been eating out so much lately. I planned the meal and the girls brought the sides. We had Cornish game hens, wild rice, salad, roasted carrots and black Forest cupcakes for dessert.

I also made Sandy's crockpot hot chocolate recipe to have with Bailey's and Godiva Chocolate liquer. So good and sinfully rich. But since it was my birthday, I decided to splurge. I sent some home with Steph and Nicky and kept just one cup for myself. I'll have that tonight.

As always, my favorite thing to do is to set the table.

 I did the table first thing in the morning.

 I made "candle" napkin folds.

I didn't really have a centerpiece so I just pulled some things together. What better platform to build it on than a cake plate!

I bought a pair of crystal candle holders at a craft fair years ago. I liked how they used old things to decorate them.

I added the candy jar from the living room filled with "golden" kisses. The white snowball looking things are actually floating pool lights that Elizabeth gave me a few years ago. They no longer work but since they look like snowballs, I kept them. Butch is going to see if there are batteries that can be replaced. I also had silver "ice" scatters that I used.

And then there were the presents. I had already received a few things from friends: earrings, Regal gift card, Kindle book and lounging pants. Shown here are the gifts from the girls. The assorted fun plates and napkins are from Stephanie. Mindy gave me the L'Occitane lotion and body scrub. Sandy gave me the Victoria Secret "paint pen" perfume and the Kate Spade book. I received a few cards too. Oh, and Butch "gave" me a floor frame for my stitching projects. Sometimes, you need both hands! I actually bought it for myself, but he said it was from him. Okay by me!

We spent the evening playing poker. After Mindy and Justin left, Steph, Nicky, Butch and I played Racko.

It was a fun two days of birthday fun. I'm happy to be stretching it out for today too! All in all, it was a fun birthday. My next one is just around the corner. They are coming fast these days (years)!!

Friday Funnies

What I Buy Wednesday

This post is a little misleading because I didn't buy any of this stuff last week. I bought it right before Christmas, but then had too much to blog about then.

About a week before Christmas, I got an email offer for 25% off Toms---plus a free fleece blanket.  I've always liked Toms--not necessarily for how they look, but for how comfortable they are.

I hadn't really planned to buy any new shoes, but when I saw these, I just couldn't resist. They have styled them differently. I actually love these! The same comfort and the same cause. For each pair you buy, they donate a pair. Toms are cheap. They don't last forever that's for sure, but they are worth the price. You can check them out here.

 I find that I am drawn to products associated with a cause. That lead me to "thrive causemetics." From their website: We deliver our products + services to women experiencing cancer, homelessness, or domestic violence by giving to hospitals, organizations + events around the world. I have been using some of their products for a little while now. They are reasonably priced. But I have to say, the lash extension mascara is fabulous!

I didn't buy anything this week. Starting the first of the year, I'm supporting myself with my monthly Social Security check. That means I'm paying for everything I do and buy out of that. I should be okay, I don't think I'm that extravagant! Unless you consider things like this:
*Starbucks--I do like my tea. I go about once a week.

Plus, I'm a sucker for a cause---"give a book, take a book." I haven't given or taken a book yet, but I do like the idea.

*Manicures and Pedicures--I go about once a month for a pedicure with Connie. I used to have my nails done weekly, but lately I've been doing them myself.

*Theater and Symphony tickets--I adore live performances. Connie and I went to the symphony for "An Elvis Christmas." It was fab!! We have many more tickets purchased for the upcoming year.

*Travel--if I'm on a trip without Butch, that comes out of my budget. I have several of those planned this year---even just simple St. Louis trips.

*Stitch Fix---I still enjoy getting the box. I'm being very particular about what I keep---especially since I have to pay for it!

*Needlepoint---Okay, this is a biggie! Once I pay for my latest project, I'll be set for at least two years!

*Books---I'm still using the library, so I should be okay here.

*Movies---I think I can afford once a week.

*Lunches---that's about once or twice a week. Got it covered.

*Bridge---playing bridge is about $5.00 a week. Once a month I play an extra time.

Now, I think that just about covers all of my extravagances---and that's all the fun stuff. I won't like buying tires or paying for car repairs. I hope I don't have any this year. Medical is covered by Medicare. So, I think I'm good! We'll see! I'm going to need a new computer soon. Eeeek! That's a big one!

Guess who has a birthday coming up? I just got this in the mail.

When I opened it up, it is loaded with all kinds of gift cards. You have to do something or register to be able to use them. I haven't read the fine print yet. I certainly don't want to find myself with some sort of subscription! So the birthday gifts are rolling in. I already got a gift certificate for free Bang Bang Shrimp from the Bonefish Grill. Using that for sure!

I guess that's about it from here.

Travel Tuesday

So, with keeping with my New Year resolve, we were at the beach last week. On the way, we stopped off in Montgomery, AL. We just love little side trips to see unusual and the big things along the way. I was really excited this time. 

We had a plan. An ambitious plan. It meant we might not get to the beach until much later than we usually do. But, considering it's nearly an 8 hour drive (which I hate), anything to break it up is good. 

We left early--5:30 a.m. In 4 hours, we were there just in time for things to open. First stop, a photo op with Hank!

 I was not happy about the orange work barrels. That's a way to ruin the shot.

So we got creative. I got a little closer and adjusted the angle. I was so happy with how the picture came out---until I noticed the reflection in the statue. Sheesh!

We spent about an hour browsing through the museum. It was sooooo good! We weren't allowed to take photos so I pulled these off the internet.

Here is his 1953 Cadillac. It is awesome! Hank Jr. inherited it and has loaned it to the museum. This is the car he died in at the age of 29 due to heart issues. He was on his way to do a concert in West Virginia.

I don't know why, but even young people looked older back in those days. Still, this museum had tons of memorabilia from records to clothing to furniture and personal effects. Very interesting. We listened to his music for part of the ride after that.

 Right down from the Hank museum was this building.

 This is the Steiner Loebman building.

 It has a casket on top. No one knows why, but they don't think there's a body inside.

I love when they leave old things alone. I think it just adds character to the downtown area. I don't know how old this water tank is. The Alley is full of assorted restaurants and bars.

When we pulled up to the White House of the Confederacy, I was not happy to see all of the yellow caution cones. Of course, they are meant for people like me who tend to slip, fall and break their ankle on wet, slick surfaces. Still, I don't like them in my photos. I managed to reduce them to this one.

Then Butch got this idea. Perfect! Anyway, the "White House of the Confederacy" is a little misleading. Jefferson Davis only lived here with his family for 2 months. You know how long 2 months is---nothing! But to hear the tour guide tell it, everything important for the Confederacy was decided here! Yeah, right! Still, it was very nice and had some original furniture. We're glad we stopped, but I think we're going to be selective about touring old houses. After awhile, they all look the same.

 While we were there, we had to visit Hank's grave.

After this stop, lunch was next on the itinerary. We were going to the highly ranked, #1 restaurant in Montgomery. We had to drive 7 miles which didn't sound like much, but when it's mostly stop lights, it took quite awhile to get there. We were disappointed to find it in a strip mall. As if that wasn't bad enough, when we got to the door, it was closed. I suggested we just fast food it and be on our way. Butch, not to be deterred, headed on down the road and found the Shrimp Basket.We decided to check it out and we're glad we did. We shared the seafood gumbo (not so great---only one teeny shrimp) and the crawfish po boy. OMGosh y'all! The po boy was incredible! We got the extra crawfish on it since we were sharing. It was heaping! The sandwich more than made up for the gumbo. We'd go there again. Turns out we'll be able to. There's one in Panama City!

After lunch, the rain had started. We decided to postpone the rest of our stops until the next time we're coming to the beach---which will be in February. 

We ended up getting to the beach around 3. We had a fun day that didn't seem so much like hours and hours in the car. 3-4 hour stints is about all I can take! 

This is how we do it! Otherwise, I'm flying!