Candy Crushed

I'm just back from a mini-vacation.  It was a great time.  Got to relax at the beach, see a couple of my girls and one of their boyfriends, spend time with my best friend (my husband) and do absolutely nothing. 

The girls in Phoenix met us in Corpus Christi for a short 4 day mini-vacation.  We had a super great time.  I took a break from the computer and sort of a break from Facebook.  Just made a few posts from my phone.  But now it's back to work and regular life and back to Facebook and my Facebook games. 

Now one of the games I play is Candy Crush.  This is a very addictive game.  And quite frankly - many, many people play this game and are just as addicted to it as I am.  This was brought home while on vacation.  All of us there play Candy Crush except for my husband.  Now Candy Crush can be played on your phone or on a computer.  They even advertise this game on TV! If you're not careful you find yourself watching the clock wating until you know you have another life so you can go back in and fail again. 

The girls planned on treating me to a pedicure for a late Mother's Day gift.  So after much hassle we finally arrange appointments for all 5 of us to have pedicures.  Now apparently on your phone you cannot accept lives or tickets to advance to the next station.  On Facebook you can.  So we get to discussing what level we are on in Facebook.  You get a new life every 30 minutes.  On Facebook your friends can send you more lives (which I have accepted but never really get.  I don't know what they do with them but I don't get them).  Your friends can send you 3 extra moves.  This I do get and I use every extra move I can. 

Don't you know - every one of the ladies doing our pedicures also play Candy Crush and are addicted to it.  Now, we all agreed that matching two chocolate sprinkles is awesome!  It wipes out the board almost.  Matching two wrapped candies causes a boom- boom and clears several candies.  Matching two striped is also pretty cool.  

We all also agreed that if you manage to match up three striped candies it should count for something good.  Doesn't matter if they are all a different color it should count for something!  But it doesn't!!!!!  I think I've been gypped many times because of this!  

We all discussed what level we were on and the various levels we have been stuck on.  I currently am stuck on level 86 and don't think I will ever get past it.  I've been here a very long time! So right now this Candy Crush game has got me crushed!  I'm unable to get past this level I'm on.  Hope that the rest of you addicts are having better luck than me. 

Exhausting Relaxation

So my daughter and I spent a few hours in the pool with the kids the other afternoon.  We have quite an assortment of items for use in the pool; your plain old noodles, some air mattresses, a chair, some wave boards, and some aqua riders.  All pretty cool and all designed to allow you hours of relaxation and fun. 

Well, I don't know about the relaxation.  Let's start with the noodles.  Those aren't to bad at all.  Sit on one like a chair, put one behind your neck and one under your knees and float.  Simple and relaxing; I can spend hours just floating in the pool. 

Now the aqua riders.  These are pretty cool.  They are over sized noodles with a head and tail attached to them and a seat.  We have a sea horse and an alligator one.  Pretty cool and something we absolutely had to have considering that we used our small regular noodles as sea horses and gave them names and had sea horse races.  Now we have an actual sea horse to ride.  Her name is Pumpkin Pie (I think - it might be Precious Pie).  We also have an alligator named Gator Boy.  This alligator lurks under the water and sneaks up on you and starts to attack much as a regular alligator does.  You have to fight him off. 

Then the air mattresses.  We have these because of Remington.  He thought it would be a good idea to have so he bought a couple.  What he told me was that now when we have company at Thanksgiving or Christmas and people have to give up their beds, Chris and Amanda will always have a place to sleep - they can use the air mattresses and sleep in the pool.  His thinking was that he would not have to give up the sofa that he claims as his bed when he spends the night. 

Now air mattresses are pretty relaxing - once you get on them.  That's the key - getting on them.  Not much of an issue for most people but if you are short that's another story.  You try to pull yourself up but quite frankly - the mattresses are already at my armpits when I try to pull myself up. Most people are taller and they can actually reach all the way across the air mattress thus giving them more leverage when they go to pull themselves up.

Then the wave boards.  These are Styrofoam boards.  Sounds pretty cool but believe me, they are almost impossible to get on.  Trying to get them under water is hard enough - they are designed to float.  Once you finally manage to get them under water and try to sit on them be careful.  One little tip or lean the wrong way and zoom!  They are flying out from underneath you.  If you do manage to actually get these boards all the way underneath your feet all you can do is stand on them - they won't float with you.  And again, don't get off-balance or again zoom!  They are flying out from underneath you. 

Now factor in some Marco Polo with the kids.  Are you getting the idea?  OK - now add in this, too.  My grand kids like to use me for a surfboard.  They stand on my back and I go under water and they 'surf'. 

So, with all the fun floating toys we have - my daughter and I found our relaxing afternoon in the pool to be kinda exhausting.  But we would still do it again -- in fact I did all weekend long with the kids - Friday- Saturday and Sunday! 

Rationalization

Are you a procrastinator?  Procrastinate: to put off intentionally or deliberately.  That's the definition from Merriam Webster. 

I think everyone is, to some extent, a procrastinator.  We all like to put off the things we don't like to do.  Cleaning the bathroom, mopping the floor, firing an employee, all of these are unpleasant tasks and we put them off if we can. 

Now, I prefer to think of myself not as a procrastinator but as a rationaliser.  Big difference.   I am not putting off doing something;  I will, instead, give you very good reasons for why I am not doing something.  And trust me, any reason I give you will be a valid reason.  I've been doing this all my life.  I know how to rationalize. 

Give me any situation or chore and I can rationalize both sides of it.  I can explain exactly why you should do it or why you should not.  If you need help explaining to hubby why his favorite shirt isn't clean, call me.  I can give you ways to explain that might even have him offering to do the laundry.   Nothing to eat for dinner - no problem - I'll explain it away for you. 

I'm very good at this.  Eat an extra dessert (I don't usually do this because I'm not a big dessert person) but I will certainly help you explain why you did if you shouldn't have.  Spend the day doing nothing - I mean really doing nothing!  Except perhaps Pinterest and Facebook.  I will rationalize that for you too.  I'm sure that you have been extremely busy all week long and needed a day to regroup and recharge and what better way to do this than Pinterest and Facebook.  Not to mention that now you have a ton of recipes from Pinterest so you will not have the issue of nothing to eat for dinner next week like you did this week.  There - I just rationalized two issues for you right there!

Another example:  the extra bedroom needs to be cleaned up for company.  Reasons to do so:  you have to work the next 7 days because you are taking time off to spend with the company who is coming.  You will not have any time other than today to clean and straighten the extra room because every night next week after work you have commitments that will keep you away from home until at least 8:00 every evening.  Your company will not be able to use the room because you have actually been using the bed for your filing cabinet for the last 3 months. 
Reasons to put off cleaning the room:  You deserve to spend this time resting because you are going to have to work the next 7 days and you have a commitment every night next week after work.  No need to do much work now because you are going to have to clean the room after company leaves and change the linens and have extra laundry.  Because you are spending time with your company you are going to let most chores slide and will then have to do some major housework after they leave so you certainly better get some rest now because it will probably be at least 2 weeks before you have another chance to rest. 

Have I convinced you yet?  Remember I do not procrastinate - I rationalize! 

Crazy Kitty

You ever watch a TV commercial and think "What nutso thought of this?"  Well, that's what I think every time I see the commercial for the cat toy.  It makes Gary laugh hysterically.  They have some fake mouse they put underneath a cloth and it goes around in a circle for the cat to chase.  The commentary says "make lazy kitty crazy kitty".

Seriously - the last thing I need is a crazy kitty at my house.  Now granted we have Fat Cat - 8-Ball.  But she is really old.  We've had her 15 years this October. She spends her days just lounging around.  Well, I'm not sure it could be called lounging -- more like spreading around.  She plops somewhere and then her body just oozes out around her.  She is most active at night when she is trying to settle in bed with us.  And when she settles there is no budging her - it's like a brick settled on the bed.  I really don't think they are gonna make her be a 'crazy cat'.  If they are lucky she might do a little two-step on her way to chow down on some more food.  She is so fat that when she jumps off the bed you hear a big "THUD!"  Although she does have her moments when she attacks Psycho Cat. 

Now do we really need to make Psycho Cat (Bandit) be a 'crazy kitty'?  I don't think so! She has the name Psycho Cat for a good reason.  She is already a crazy kitty.  Why on earth would we want to make her crazier?  Every one of my grand kids is scared of her.  She has a reputation.  Even the grandpup is scared of her and refuses to go into a room if Psycho Cat is in there. Her reputation is so bad that one day I drove up with some church kids in my car.  Psycho Cat was in the window sill. The boys took one look at her and said "is that the mean cat?"  Yeah, she's pretty wild already - don't need to add to her reputation. 

Yep, I think it's a given I don't need to be spending any $10 plus shipping and handling to make my cat be 'crazy kitty'.  Now if there were selling something like calming potion for cats I might think differently.   Does your cat wreck havoc on the neighborhood?  Do other cats run in fear when your cat appears?   Tame your cat - sprinkle a little fairy dust on the cat food and watch how docile your cat will become. That might be something I would order. 

Freedom

A couple of years ago I wrote this rap/poem.  I've tried to figure out a way to make rap play in the background while you read this but I am unable to do so.  Perhaps you could pull some up on your computer and let it play in the background while you read this. 

I am thankful for the freedom that we have.  Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

FREEDOM

Put your hands together

Let’s clap and shout.

While I tell you what

This day’s about.

 It’s all about freedom

For you and me

In this great big land

Of liberty. 

We have the freedom

If we so please

To get down and pray

On our knees.

 We have the right

Don’t you know.

Because of battles

Fought long ago.   

Our soldiers fight

On foreign land

For our freedom

They take a stand. 

So put your hands together

Let’s clap and shout

Celebrate the freedom

This days about.

 

Written by:;  Kathie Marrs

                      May 18, 2011

Uncle Peno

Have you ever came across something that made you think of your childhood?  Perhaps a movie or an old sitcom you used to watch?  Well, today someone mentioned fig newtons.  Yep, made me think of my childhood and childhood foods. 

Fig newtons were one of my dad's favorite cookies so we had them around.  I must admit, I really don't buy them now but I probably wouldn't turn one down if it was offered to me.  How about windmill cookies?  Did you ever eat them?  Do they still make them?  I think they do, but again; I wouldn't buy them.  Same goes for iced molasses cookies.  Somehow all those cookies make me think of my grandma's.  Not sure why.  Well, I don't recall Grandma Faye baking cookies but I don't know that I ate those cookies with her.  Granny Lake baked cookies, I loved her Snicker-Doodles.

My mother had an uncle who lived with us for several years while I was growing up.  After my grandmother died Uncle Peno moved in with Grandad Kern (his brother).  Every Friday my brothers and I would go over and have dinner with them.  Not sure how that started but we enjoyed it.  Now these is where childhood foods come in.

Uncle Peno would pick us up and the first thing we would do was go to the store.  Not because he had to have food for supper, but because he wanted to let us buy snacks.  We got a cart and went through the store and basically bought whatever we wanted.  Everyone should have an uncle like this!

We always made sure we got a can of shoestring potatoes.  Do you remember them?  I have eaten them a few times as an adult and it always makes me feel like a kid and brings back memories of Uncle Peno.  We also got cockle-burrs (these are burnt sugar peanuts -  not sure what the real name of the candy is).  And we could always buy pop; any kind we wanted:  black-cherry was a particular favorite. 

Now Uncle Peno didn't just let us pick out food we wanted; he spoiled us all year round.  At Easter he would buy us these giant Easter baskets full of stuff.  You know the kind, the ones the stores sell in cellophane wrapper. At Christmas he let us pick our own presents. 

Well, tomorrow is July the 4th and it makes me think of Uncle Peno.  Why?  Well, you guessed it.  Uncle Peno would take us to the fireworks stand and let us buy whatever we wanted.  Huge packages of firecrackers, smoke bombs, snakes, fountains, cones, bottle rockets, sparklers, tanks.  We could have our pick and were never told you have X amount of dollars to spend.  It was just choose what you want then he paid for it. 

Back at home we would unravel all our firecrackers and put them in coffee cans.  And the best thing was, we didn't have to share - we each had our own!  Firecracker wars then ensued.  We would throw them at each other.  Probably not one of the smartest things we ever did but we did it anyway.  I wonder why mom and dad let us?  They probably thought like I do; when they get hurt they will know better next time.  And if you didn't throw it in time your fingers smarted and your ears would ring for an hour or longer.  It never failed either that one of us would accidentally drop a firecracker in our coffee can.  That was quite an explosion!  After shooting all the firecrackers off we would go around looking for the ones that didn't explode.  You could then unwrap them and take the powder out.  Put all the powder together and put a punk to it to and watch what happened. Man did we have fun. 

Then that night we had all our night fireworks to shoot off. I have always preferred the ground ones, cones and fountains.  The ones that go up in the air are nice but I like the ground ones better.  I do like the popcorn type ones in the sky.  You know, it explodes then all these crackling noises and pops and lights flickering all over the sky?  I kinda like that. 

I don't enjoy the Fourth as much as I used to.  My dad passed away the day after so it brings memories of him.  I do like fireworks though and always think of Uncle Peno when I'm watching fireworks.