S A R A H

Happy Birthday to my baby!

Today in Sharing Time, the Valiant 10 class and I used Sarah's birthday as well as the fact that Jennifer and Lisa's birthdays are coming up to "make" a cake to celebrate and to teach our lesson. There were three answers to our main question so there were three candles for three girls. The plate, the cake, the icing, the candles and the three flames were each scriptures or stories. At the end we called Sarah and sang Happy Birthday to her over the phone. The kids had a great time. I'm not sure about Sarah. I've left five messages for her and I've not heard from her. I hope she's still speaking to me.

So for my baby -

S is for smart. She's one of the smartest people I know.
A is for adorable. She was as a child and she is now.
R is for resourceful. She is able to use what she has to accomplish anything.
A is for awesome. She inspires me to want to be a better person.
H is for happy. Just thinking about Sarah makes me happy.

So - Happy Birthday, Sarah!!

How Do You Save?

With the price of gas going up and all the money issues floating around I thought I'd pose the question - What do you do to help save money?

One thing I do is to take my lunch to work. Studies have shown that millionaires got that way by cutting corners and trying to save where they could. Most said they packed their lunch. Makes sense.

I'm not driving as much as I was before gas prices went through the roof.

Generic brands - most taste ok and cost lots less. One thing I will not go generic on - Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is the best and there is no substitute. OK, got another - mayonnaise has to be Dukes Mayonnaise. I don't know how folks stand anything else.

Sales - I watch for the items I use on a regular basis to go on sale and I buy only when on sale.

So what do you do?

PS: This is my 100th post - wooo hooooo

Greatest American Dog

I watched the show on CBS.com and I enjoyed the whole experience. Of course, my Willow is the greatest dog. Ok, so she's a pain in the behind, I love the stinker. What can I say? The one that won, Travis and Presley, were great and they were my second choice on the first show. I loved Bill and Star and thought they would win. Oh, well.

One thing that I liked about the show was that I learned a lot from watching. I learned things that I was able to use with my sweet monster.

Melancholy

Melancholy - such a strange word. However most people know exactly how it feels.

This is the time that I start getting really sad because most of my family is far away. I miss my kids (that includes their wonderful spouses) and I miss my grandchildren. I have one grandchild that I've never seen in person and have very few pictures of her at all, plus kids grow fast so I'm sure she doesn't look like the pictures I have.. SIGH...

The reason that I start the sad time is the birthday months have started and holidays that scream family are going to be here soon. My girls were kind enough to be born in different months. September starts off with Chloe and Sarah, October is Jennifer, November is Lisa and then comes Thanksgiving and Christmas. Days we used to celebrate were Dad's birthday, Mine and Robbie's anniversary, Robbie's birthday, and Grammy and Grandpa Harry's birthdays and Kyle's birthday. I probably forgot something. It always got busy with lots of cake making (I decorated a kaboodle of cakes in my day!) Now I remember to mail gifts and sit here alone wishing I was with them. Bummer.

Birthday Blues, (and pinks and reds)

Have I mentioned that I love being a Gramama? I'm sure I have at least a time or two (or five million).

Being an absent Gramama isn't as great. I want to be with all the grandkids, at the same time - all the time. For the grandkids that are far away (which is most of them) it means I don't know their likes and dislikes, what toys they have and/or like or want. It's very depressing. The obvious solution is sending gift cards to them or checks to the parents and let them go out and buy the gifts. Very non-satisfying. Half the fun is picking the gift out, wrapping the gift and watching them open the gift.

So I got a few gifts (paying attention to size and weight of the gift) and had a blast wrapping them and then got to get a box so I could send it by mail. I hope that Miss Chloe enjoys and likes her gifts. I had fun getting them. Happy birthday, Chlobear.

Gender Issues

I'm not really sure how to phrase what I want to say but I'll give it a try. I have been the token female for a company before. I have been in several non-traditional positions and really don't think of myself being overly sensitive about any of it. However, in all of the non-traditional jobs I've been in, the men try to make things easier for me "because I'm a girl." Today I felt very uncomfortable about the whole issue. First I felt that I was being "put up with" and not really part of the team. Next I was given a task that is so obviously busy work for the girls while the real men do the real work. I actually understand the task because the other two females are both pregnant and can't lift heavy things and shouldn't be pulling around pallets and so forth. Still, I can do more than they can yet I'm put on the easy task with them. I guess that kinda works out because I'm there to lift the heavy boxes and help them that way. The last straw was when someone came up to us "girls" and told us we needed to train for another task. The way it was presented it felt like the girls in the department could do this and the guys were not mentioned. It turned out that the guys will be training for that also, it was just the way it was presented that felt like a gender specific issue.

Anyway - I want to do everything I am physically able to do and not be pampered. I know these guys are raised to take care of the women but I'm capable and should be allowed to participate in the work that is being done.

I feel better now that I got that off my chest.

Red Alert!

OK, this is just weird! Today I have been evacuated from the building I was in - - - TWICE! Two buildings, two fires, two parking lots and SIX fire trucks. I'm afraid to go home.

First fire was at work. I was waiting on a customer and the fire alarms go off. Noise and flashing lights. We decided it was a false alarm or maybe they were testing the system. Then they called on the intercom, in a very stern, no nonsense voice. Attention customers: Please make your way to the front of the store and out the front doors. This was repeated three times. Then it was Attention associates: Please make your way to the front of the store and outside the building. Four fire trucks. It turned out that the meat department wall caught on fire. They were quick to deal with it and calling 911 so it was contained very quickly. Fun.

Now I'm sitting in the parking lot of a restaurant where I was getting something to go. Electrical fire in the wall. Evacuation and two fire trucks. At least this time I had my car key and was able to sit in the car. The sun was melting me during the first evacuation.