Fairy Child, Perfect Pizza, Sticker Scraping

TODAY I SMILED…
~ Watching a 5-year-old fairy walk by her mommy, her wings glistening from the sun

~ Dearborn Italian Bakery, which makes the absolute very best pizza I’ve ever had, now makes unbaked quarter sheet pizzas! The scent of them being baked is as much of a gift to the nose as the taste is to the mouth. Tantalizing!

~ After trying to tear the stickers off my new drinking glasses and mug, and only being able to do it with shred after shred, The Question Club helps with a “soak it in hot water first”. Voila! It slipped right off!

I've Known Angels, Scaaaary Rings, Jeepers Peepers

TODAY I SMILED…
~ Receiving a sweet Thank You card from Aunt Faith for the Seraphim Angel I gave her from mom’s collection. She chose the one with a bird fountain, I’m sure her birdie Charlie will appreciate that!

~ Tina, Stephanie and I each chose cupcakes with tiny plastic rings decorating them, Tina showed off her Dracula ring, Stephanie had chosen the ghost ring and I picked out the Frankenstein face

~ Tina liked my Peanut Butter Eyeballs so much she was telling pledgers on the phone about them. “We’re having a Halloween party and there’s so many good things back there! But I had one of those peanut butter eyeballs and that was enough for me!

Edible Eyeballs, Sharing Words, Late Night Laughter

TODAY I SMILED…
~ Remembering how much I enjoy creating yummies in the kitchen as I made Peanut Butter Eyeballs for the Halloween party at work

~ 5-minute monitoring meeting with Joe turns into a 15-minute heart-to-heart about life, ending in a hug

~ Watching late night TV “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Sex And The City”, two shows I never really watched until Aunt Jeannie moved in and took over the tellie. Now, even though she’s moved, I’m still flipping them on at night

Birthday Package, Welcoming Committee, Caramel Corniness

TODAY I SMILED...
~ Receiving a birthday package from Kristie, newly pregnant and due May 25th!, in the mail. She sent me a Horror Classics 4-movie pack, a mini digital “American Idol” camera, and a “signed!” birthday card. Being the frugal genius she is, she usually doesn’t sign her cards so I can reuse them ( ~though I never do! I like to keep my cards!)

~ As I drive up to my house after work it dawns on me that no one will be there to welcome me home anymore, and then I see Smokie, sitting in the front room window, watching my car pull in

~ After throwing back a handful of Better Made’s Caramel Corn in my mouth I take a swig of water and get a kick out of how it dissolves to just caramel crumbs

Dad's Song, Birthday Treat, Present To Myself

TODAY I SMILED...

~ Carole called to tell me how dad's doctor appointment was and to wish me a Happy Birthday. Dad was with her and he started the call singing his favorite rendition of Happy Birthday to me on the phone, "Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Gloom and misery everywhere, Pain, destruction and despair, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday" We grew up hearing him sing this, eh, "light-hearted" song on birthdays and it brings such good memories of him, I always smile when he sings it.

~ Enjoying half of the BIG "Sweet Obsession" chocolate bar Joanne gave me at work. She also gave me a bottle of Andre' Peach Passion wine. Yum!

~ Rather than driving about, seeking ways to entertain myself on my birthday, I gave myself time to rearrange my rooms and books.

MONDAY: The Bad, The Good, and then we go on

The Bad: Dad is in Bottsford Hospital since last Thursday due to blood clots in his leg.
The Good: I'm glad they caught them in time, and they're only superficial clots and not deep.

The Bad: Dad has tried several times to leave The Marquette House, and has even managed to escape two times -even though he's got a tether on his leg.
The Good: At least, for the time being, he has to stay in the hospital for a few days to get a shot everyday that his insurance will not cover if he returned to the nursing home. There is a "sitter" in his room round the clock.

The Bad: I have to serve on a jury court for the next few days. I'll be in court from 9 - 4 o'clock, then hightail it to work my job from 5 - midnight.
The Good: It will give me a couple extra bucks, and it's an experience I've never experienced before. The week will go by fast, I'm sure.

The Bad: I slept until 2:30 Saturday and didn't make it to the Ghost Conference.
The Good: It will be fun attending the workshops they'll have, one a month for 5 months.

The Bad: I got lost, as usual, in Detroit after I left my jury summons - turning what should be a half hour trip into a 90 minute tour, which included hitting one squirrel and almost a second.
The Good: I made it home and took a comforting afternoon nap

The Bad: Aunt Jeannie's grandson, or his friend, stole lots of silver change (no pennies, mostly quarters) that filled two mugs that were on my dad's dresser last week when they were helping her move her things out, and into her new apartment.
The Good: She should have everything out by the end of the week.

The Good: My birthday is in one week from today!
The Good: ...The Good will always come out on top.

Rabies gone wild, Nice Note, Sitting with my pops

TODAY I SMILED...

~ Watching the "Oh-my-God-hide-my-eyes" horror flick "Quarantine" at the theater this afternoon

~ Reading a handwritten personalized note a nurse left for my dad in his room, "Dear Mr. C, This is your home now. We hope you start to like it here."

~ Sitting with dad, chilling out and watching TV, for the first time since he moved into his Assisted Living Apartment

Lovely sign, La Luna, Cat Scratch Fever

TODAY I SMILED...

~ Our supervisor Sherice walks around the desks holding a "no break" sign at 7:30, making us all happy because it's a sign we'll be leaving work quite early.

~ Looking out the window I notice the moon at the same time Stephanie, who sits behind me, does. We both say at the same time "Ooh! The moon!" There wasn't anything special about it's appearance tonight, we were just two girls admiring the moon at the same time!

~ Smokie persistently pushes my hand over and over to his head so I'll scratch him even though I'm barely awake and it's 5:00 in the morning

More Mula, AJ's 29th -again, Map of Michigan

TODAY I SMILED...

~ Receiving a "$9.50 Extra Bucks" coupon from CVS

~ Aunt Jeannie's birthday dinner at Red Lobster was fabulous! Celebrating her birthday with her was her best friend Mary, cousins Bob and Liz, dad, Jesse and Carol, and me. I ordered a cake that read "Happy 29th Birthday Jeannie" that everybody got a kick over. Our waiter and other staff sang to her. She said it was the nicest birthday dinner she ever had.



~ As we talk about the places we've visited in our home state, Michigan, it's fun to see which place on the hand each person points to next

A before E except after C, Gas Prices, More Mula Money

TODAY I SMILED...

~ Carole, my 41-year-old sister, came by today and in the midst of her conversation told us she was going to pull in some extra credit points for her English Comp College class by being on a spelling bee team on Wednesday

~ It was quite nice seeing gas being sold for under $3/gallon again

~ Walking into work today Joe sees me and says "You're on the top again!" Yay, another $125 bonus for moi!

Comcast comes through, Lots of chums, Birds getting ready

TODAY I SMILED...

~ Thirty minutes after I call Comcast to find out where the closest location is to bring my old cable boxes, controls and wires, an employee calls to say he'll be in my neighborhood and save me a trip

~ I called Carole to see how dad is doing, she told me that when Jesse and his wife Carol visited him yesterday he was found in the dining room chatting with a big bunch of new friends

~ A big group of birds have been flying about outside our work window and with each new day they seem to be practicing their grouping and V-formations to fly down south for the winter

Tummy Warmer, Eureka, Animal Cracker Therapy

TODAY I SMILED...

~ Oatmeal sprinkled with brown sugar warms my stomach at breakfast

~ Cleaning out dad's closet I find my black jacket I searched for last year

~ Chomping off the heads of animal cracker replaces the desire to swear under my breath after closing conversations with rude people I speak to on the phone tonight at work

Anne's animals, Meaningful mugs, The rookie's arrived

TODAY I SMILED...

~ Anne gives her papa a stuffed bunny she made him for his move into his nursing home and explains to me how important it is that the stuffed animals in our lives be treated with much respect and handled just so.

~ Gathering dad's items that will be moved with him into his new place of living, we make sure that his favorite well-used orange plastic coffee cup meets him over there

~ As we walk dad into The Marquette House 15 pairs of elderly eyes widely stare at us and "the newbie" we are bringing in

Never hurts to ask, New food stops, Taco Bell Take-Out

TODAY I SMILED...

~ While choosing new furniture for her new apartment, Aunt Jeannie tells the young salesman helping her, "My husband always told me that when I buy new furniture I should always ask for a free lamp or painting". The salesman tells her he can't do this without the boss's permission but later on, while putting her paperwork through, he asks her "would you like that lamp in black or white?"

~ After furniture shopping Aunt Jeannie and I try out a brand new Mexican restaurant, "El Monterrey", that we both leave liking. I had Chilaquiles, she had enchiladas, we split a plate of sopapillas and the corn chips were on the house.

~ Received Taco Bell's coupon for "two free items" in the mail, and so quickly after contacting them last Thursday for a few yucky mistakes that took place

Free mag, Drinking heaven, Helping the girls

TODAY I SMILED...

~ Sending off the free one-year subscription coupon for "Good Housekeeping" that I received from Kroger's for "purchasing $20 of select items", I have no idea what the "select items" were but I'm glad I got 'em!

~ With eyes closed shut, I felt at one with the universe sipping a tall glass of cold chocolate milk

~ It's that "elementary school fundraising" time of year, and so far I've helped Anne and Sara by buying chunky chocolate chip cookie dough and co-worker Stephanie's granddaughter by picking out a snowflake tea light holder

Ball of brains, Trivia pursuit, Din-din

TODAY I SMILED...

~ Buying a "ball of brains" for dad, AJ, Anne, Sara, and one for me. It's a see-through plastic, sort of like a stress reliever ball, full of tiny plastic brains. I give one to AJ and tell her "Here ya go, squeeze this when you feel you need more brains!" I give one to dad and tell him "Here ya go, squeeze this when you feel like your losing your mind!" I joke and tell them I'm going to put mine in the bathroom, for the times I feel like I shit my brains out.

~ Carole calls me from a birthgday party asking "We're all sitting here trying to think of the Kevin Costner and Sean Young movie, out about 20 years ago,..." I remember seeing it at the theater and Know I know it. After a couple moments of research (I was on the net) I answer "oh! here it is! "No Way Out!" "Thanks!" I love to be able to help with questions like these!

~ We find Saturday night dinner at Max & Erma's, where I dine on incredible Chicken Tortilla Soup and a scrumptious Chicken Salad Croissant, and enjoy a Pomegranate Fizz to drink,

Kookie monsters, Well spoken, Dad's words

TODAY I SMILED...

~ Listening to the song "Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes" on the way to work and remembering cheaply created monsters I've seen on B-movies and Star Trek TV shows

~ Carole came over to tell dad that he'll be moving into a care center Tuesday, as I listen to her I admire her grace and tact

~ Hearing dad say "I thought you signed a movie contract" to Carole after she walked into the house; it's one of his pet phrases and one I hear several times per week after returning from work.

Sunny flowers, This is Halloween, 29 again

TODAY I SMILED...

~ Driving past the golden field of sunflowers next to Ford's World Headquarters

~ Driving past Halloween decorations some companies have already set up to amuse drivers passing by

~ Wishing Aunt Jeannie a "Happy 76th birthday" before she gently reminds me that she's "still 29"


Aunt Jeannie - 29 years old, AGAIN!

Staying awake, Hello October, Happy Mary

TODAY I SMILED...

~ As I lay in bed, just waking up from sleep, Smokie sniffs my hair, nuzzles my neck, and paws at me, as if to see if I'm ready to get up and face the day. He wants to go to the living room but is making sure I'm coming down with him.

~ My favorite month, October, starts off with my favorite type of day, chilly and gray-skied. The beauty of October has a magic all it's own.

~ Co-worker Mary can finally say, after several months of searching, "We've found a new house and we know it's ours."


My Sweet Smokie