November 7, 2011

Some of my holiday bags from last weekend's
fall festival. Many people picked them up and
noted how cute they are, but I didn't sell one.
Maybe I should rethink my pricing.

I think I'm the natural replacement for Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes. Although he had incredibly bushy eyebrows and I barely have any, and although he only typed with two fingers and I use nine (I've gotten out of the habit of using my right pinky that I severely cut last summer), I can be a grumpy opinionated curmudgeon just like Andy Rooney, as is evidenced by my daily blogs!


Here's one of my "beefs" today: Lindsay Lohan was released from a Los Angeles County jail early this morning, less than five hours after she arrived to serve a 30-day sentence for violating probation. The short stay was due to jail overcrowding. Yes sir, she violated court orders by getting booted from a community service assignment at a women's shelter. So instead of having to perform about 100 hours of community service, she spent five hours in jail. This five hours in jail is certainly more than in 2007, when she was arrested twice for drunken driving. At that time, she spent 84 minutes at the jail before being released. Well, I'm sure she has learned her lesson this time. Yeah, right! Perhaps if something in this girl's life had ever made her take full responsibility for anything in her life, she won't be such a train wreck.


Today I'm creating revisions to a magazine article I wrote last week. Then I'm running errands that I didn't have time for last week. Top on my list is to retrieve my calendar from my deactivated iPhone. I think I might have a board meeting with Women of Wine tonight and then a newcomers meeting with Rodeo Uncorked. Hello Monday!

November 6, 2011

Mitzie and me modeling the fascinators we made
while waiting for the royal wedding to begin.
Happy birthday, Princess Melissa!

Mr. B fell yesterday during the yard sale, straight onto both hands and knees. He is fine, but soar, so we stayed home last night. Unfortunately, there is crap on Saturday night television. With all the channels on Uverse I can't believe I couldn't find anything to watch. Now some of you are questioning, "Why didn't I pick up a book and read?" To you I say: My brain was too tired to concentrate on a book. Instead, I plugged into my computer and watched missed episodes of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. That's about as mindless as anyone can get, even someone such as me who is a reality show junkie.

It's my friend Mitzie's birthday. I won't tell you how old she is, but I could because she hasn't learned how to leave comments on my blog. I met Miztie in 1978. We used to watch Saturday Night Live together, so at one time there was good television on Saturday night. Dan Aykroyd would do a skit with Jane Curtain wherein he called her an "ignorant slut." Back then it was hilarious, but today it's so unpolitically correct. Mitzie and I still call each other "ignorant slut." It makes our children laugh and cringe at the same time. For Mitzie: Happy birthday, you I.S.! You're the best; the sister I never had but always wanted. I hope your birthday is as wonderful as you are!

Today I'm creating time for a visit to the AT&T store. My upgraded iPhone 3GS came in the mail yesterday with easy-to-follow activation instructions. Ha! I tried to activate it. Note the word TRIED. I'm not psychic, but see a trip to the AT&T store in my future. This morning I have two iPhones, neither of which work. Both are charged, but both say No Service. How can that be?

November 5, 2011

Even though my display was good (thanks to Nick),
there were too many people just "dry shopping" at
the fall festival today instead of buying. 

It's was so early! Mr. B woke me up at 6:15 a.m. to start loading the yard for the garage sale. Before daylight people were already circling the house, although the ad we put in the newspaper said, in all caps and bold, NO EARLY BIRDS! People – get a life. Unfortunately the crowd was very light today. Usually by 8 a.m. on the morning of a yard sale, people are yelling to know the price of something while five other people are wanting to know if we'll take $.25 for something instead of $.50. And as always, somebody walked off with something. I repeat, people – get a life.

Around 8:45 a.m., I left the yard sale in the capable hands of Mr. B and others when I went off to set up for the fall festival. Number one son-in-law Nick went with me to help me display everything. The festival was another poorly attended event. What people were there were mainly looking instead of buying. Very frustrating. I almost skipped the fall festival today, and now I wish I had. Really not worth the effort. I did skip the soup cook-off that was overlapping with the fall festival. Although I was the organizer, making soup fell off my list yesterday, especially when I determined that eight other people were planning to participate. Good turn out for the soup cook-off. I've already been asked what's cooking for next month.

Today I'm creating time for a nap. My knees are killing me from standing up for four hours. One thing that was fun today were the number of people who told me that they read my blog every day. One friend said his wife reads the blog and commented that I was a good writer. Well, since that has been my day job for more years than I care to count, I hope I'm a good writer. But I still like the compliment.

November 4, 2011

Purses ready for Saturday's Fall Festival (black & white
plaid and dark green velvet, both embellished with
bright green velvet flowers).

It's Friday! I just looked at my calendar and realized that Mr. B and I leave for Santa Fe in two weeks. It will be so cool to just hang out in the casita without a calendar full of things to do. It has already snowed there, so I'm hoping we will have some snuggling weather during the 10 days we're in Santa Fe.

Yesterday I got all my items organized, embellished and tagged for the fall festival on Saturday. I think I'll have just purses and totes this weekend. I was planning to make some aprons, but that didn't happen. Mr. B thinks there may be some from last year in a box in my craft area above the garage, so I'll spend some time looking for them this afternoon. Otherwise, just purses and totes tomorrow. Next week I'll have time to make aprons before the fall festival at St. Andrews on Saturday, November 12, as well as replenish the bags and totes I sell this weekend.

Today I'm creating time for lunch with my friend Sandy. Then I'm spending the afternoon pricing items for tomorrow's garage sale. I also need to make my carrot soup for tomorrow's soup challenge. And pack up everything I'm using and taking to the fall festival. After a busy Saturday, I should sleep very well tomorrow night!

November 3, 2011

Rose (on the bed) watching over Roz (on the ottoman).

Men: You might not want to read this first paragraph for fear of being grossed out. Ladies: My eyes glanced at my right knee just a few minutes ago and I swear there was a 6" brown curly hair blowing in the breeze. This is disturbing on so many levels! First of all, there's not another stubble on my knee, so how did this lone ranger make it past the razor? Next, I have blonde hair on my legs, so where did this dark brown hair get in the mix? And finally, how did I miss seeing the curlicue for so long? The older I get, lone long hairs appear over night!

OK men, you can start reading again (as if you didn't read the first paragraph after I warned you). I've been on the phone again this morning trying to collect money from the remaining people for the Women of Wine fundraiser. I'm getting there, but I still need a few people to call me back. Now, Rose and I are sitting on the bed in the back bedroom watching a segment of the Nate Burkus show titled "Cheap Chic." Apparently I'm doing everything wrong. I should only buy clothing items that can go with at least three other things in my closet. I never do that. I should wear bright solid colors. I don't do that. And I should mix patterns. I don't do that either, except when sewing or when helping Mr. B select ties to go with his suits.

Today I'm creating displays of items that I'll use Saturday during the fall festival. I have to create these displays before I go, so I can see what I need to sew between now and then. This means an afternoon, and possibly some of the evening, upstairs above the garage in the craft area.

November 2, 2011

I finally found a pair of black suede ankle boots that don't
have a 4" heel and didn't cost a bazillion dollars.

I'm already overbooked for Saturday, and it's only Wednesday. Mr. B and I are having a yard sale with some other people at our house. We still have items from his mother's apartment, plus tons of stuff from our storage unit that we emptied. The yard sale starts before dawn when we begin loading the  front yard. Load in for an outdoor fall festival that I'm participating in beginning at 8:45 a.m. The official time for that is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. But wait, there's more. I organized a soup cook-off challenge that is from 1-4 p.m. So not only have I overbooked, but the events overlap.

Once the yard sale is set up, Mr. B and Dr. Mc can take over there. I'll need to stay at the fall festival the entire time, but I can get others who are participating in the soup challenge to oversee that event until I get there. I thought about not participating in the fall festival, but I have lots of things made and last year I made good money at the small event.

Today I'm creating the mailing for the monthly newsletter I wrote yesterday, as well as a press release. I have my first rodeo committee meeting at 5:30 p.m. Yes, another commitment, but who could resist the call to do publicity for the rodeo's Wine Committee? For now, I'm sitting at my little desk in my Tuesday client's office. Don't adjust your calendars. I'm at the Tuesday client's office on a Wednesday, doing the mailing. The window in front of me is open and there is a nice fresh breeze. Life is good!

November 1, 2011

Kendall and Nick leaving their
Nov. 1, 2008, wedding reception
with kazoos serenading
them with The Eyes of Texas.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

My niece in Virginia wrote on Facebook yesterday that she can't believe that today is November. Sweet Meagan, time goes faster and faster as you get older and older! Wait until you get to be my age. This is something my grandmother Nannu used to say to me. I didn't understand what she meant when I was 24 (Meagan's age). Nannu lived a very happy 92 years. I wish the same for Meagan, me, and all of my friends and family.

Today I'm thinking about Dr. Mc and Nick. It's their third wedding anniversary. In some ways it seems like they have been married much longer. Maybe that's because they dated for almost 10 years before they married. I don't remember Kendall (she was about seven months away from being Dr. Mc at that time) looking so happy or pretty as she did that night. She was also amazingly calm for someone who is a semi-perpetual worrier. This is probably one reason that she and Nick get along so well. She worries and he's the calming force. A little ying and yang is a good thing.

Today I'm creating a newsletter and several press releases. Then I'm delivering several auction items that were purchased by guests at the Women of Wine event a week ago. What a difference a week makes! I'm so less stressed right now, and hopefully by the end of this week our home will be less full (or even empty) of auction items.