HR3200 New health reform bill

Well looks like we all got a new book for Christmas. It's title is HR3200,it is 615 pages long. Our new Health reform bill. I intend to read it. As I think everyone should since we are all going to be paying for it over and over and over again. I am hoping to see SOME improvments to the current system but I am expecting to see more problems than solutions.

Hope I'm wrong but frankly I do not have much faith in our two party system to really do whats right for us. Yes,I'm cynical. I will read it,as best as I can get through the double talk legalize that I am sure it's written in.

I'll get back to you. Meanwhile enjoy whats left of 2009 everyone!

I know ,I know....

I said I wasn't going to post until after the New Year but I just have to tell you about the new blog I am going to start. Bad news is this current blog will probly take back seat to the new venture.

Lately the Day Spa that I work at has updated some of thier advertising and posted a Facebook page and are soon getting on Twitter. My neice suggested to me that they may also think about doing a Blog Site.
Great idea!

I have decided to do my own blog site that will talk about Day spa services,skin and body care. I will cover some of the latest topics and give you an insiders view and opinion about what is available and maybe even sift through some of the common questions that I get from many of my clients.

I will feature a weekly subject.

I am still thinking of a title for this new blog and would welcome suggestions from any of you.

Gearing up

The holiday season is upon us in full force. I have simplified it in the last few years to make it as stress free as possible.So this will be my last post until all the hoopla is over.
After the New Year and after I do something for my husbands 40th birthday in January I plan to start my next project. Which will be stripping the wall paper off my kitchen walls and repainting.
It is LONG overdue. Once again I will be trying to take on this redo as low cost as possible. But I want it to look fresh and updated without changing the cabinets,counter tops or flooring..... hmm we will see. But first the holidays! Everyone enjoy them and enjoy family time!

Yes, there is always something..

to be thankful for...that is. Ha bet you thought this was going to be a rant. Nah..
well maybe just a little. Actually I was just going to post how I am thankful for a huge amount of things in my life. Roof over my head,food to fill my tummy,all that jazz. But most af all I find that if I keep faith that things usually work out.

Have had a horrible fall as far as work is concerned. Yep,the paychecks ,they have been slim. It has been the worst I've seen it in 14 years. 14 years ago was when the current bosses bought the place. Just in the nick of time,I tell you. I was very close to going out to get a second job that year.I was a divorced mom with a teenager to support and it was getting scary. They came in and said if you stick with us we will help you make a living. I said "lets do it!" I commmited to working hard for them and myself and we did pretty good the last 14 years. Well until the last 3 years when the economy took a turn,but you all know about that. Even still we managed to hold our heads just above the water. This year that became harder and harder to do. And low and behold we are once again getting new owners! How is that for irony?

They are young and energetic. Full of great advertising ideas (low cost ones at that!!) and I am once again saying "lets do it" I'm a bit older now and not quite as energetic as I was 14 years ago BUT I still need to make a living for many years to come. I am hoping they can bring some new life ,new ideas, new clients to the salon. Keep your eyes open for the Day Spa on Facebook and Twitter!! Many new promotions and specials coming your way ,lol.

So yes,I continue to be thankful and also thankful that I am the thrifty type. I'm a saver and very careful with credit cards. Keep it simple and recycle,I say.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

I am NOT rolling up my sleeve!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r051fXtfng8

Copy the above addy and paste it to watch ,

I am an advocate of making INFORMED choices. I have been truly alarmed at the propaganda that is running rampant with this H1N1 swine flu vaccine. Watch the above video and then ask yourself if you think you should subject yourself or your loved ones to being a TEST SUBJECT to a government experiment? that is what this is folks. This has been untested and we are all the Guinea pigs. They do however know many of the side effects and they do list them on the package insert.

I will take my chances on the flu virus. At this point I am more alarmed at being exposed to people that have HAD this vaccine than to ones that haven't.

They say this vaccine is not safe for children under 6 months of age,YET they advocate it for pregnant women!!! What!!??? did I just get stupid?? LISTEN to what they are saying. Does it make sense to you? Well not to me. I am no braniac but I have the common sense to know this is a load of crap and I'm not being fed crap today or any other day.

Happy Birthday to my Baby!!

This day deserves two posts! It is the day that my beautiful daughter was brought into the world! She has turned into the most wonderful woman and I am brusting with pride every single day with her accomplishments and the type of person she has become! She has great friends in her life. She has a wonderful caring husband and she finally has a job she likes and can grow and do well at. When I gave birth to this feisty high energy little girl I knew she would contribute to this world in a positive way.

I didn't think that life would throw such obsticals in her way but she has found a way to cope with them with as much grace as she can muster.
I wish you today and always the best that life can give you.

Motivational Poem
May You Have
Poet Unknown
May you have......

Enough happiness
to keep you sweet,

Enough trials
to keep you strong,
Enough sorrow
to keep you human,

Enough hope
to keep you happy;
Enough failure
to keep you humble,

Enough success
to keep you eager,
Enough friends
to give you comfort,

Enough wealth
to meet your needs;
Enough enthusiasm
to look forward,

Enough faith
to banish depression,
Enough determination
to make each day better than yesterday.

Acne drug has a serious side effect

For the first half of this year my husband was getting sicker and sicker. They ran numerous tests on him to no avail. Everything came back negative except that he has inflamation in his body. He spent his whole day dealing with muscle aches and pains,sharp shooting pains in his wrists and ankles. And to top it off every couple days he would run a fever. Sometimes this fever would be bad enough that he would be in bed and need my help to get him up. It was very scary. I was worried that he had lupus or MS or any number of things.This started in January and went through June when I happened to stumble upon some info on the Web.We came back from a 3 day vacation where I was hoping the xtra rest might make him feel better. Instead we spent much of the vacation with him having to sit or lie down becouse he had no energy and felt so achey and weak.

When we got back in town I was more determined than ever to find out what was wrong with him.Our next step was to take him to U of M on our own dollar. Our Insurance would not cover him up there.I went on a serious web search and really just stumbled across some referances to this Acne Medication that could cause all the symptoms he was experiencing!!! I was startled and ran quickly upstairs to see what he had been taking for the cystic acne that he had been getting on his back. Low and behold it was the same medication!! OH MY GOD!! it was possibly this all along? 6 months and no doctor had thought this may have been the issue? He stopped taking it that day and withen 3 days he started feeling better. Inside of a month and a half most all his symptoms were GONE!!
The following is more information on what this medication can do to you. Be careful with medications of all types. You never know if you could be the one in a thousand or a million that has that side effect. Read your inserts!! Know what your putting in your mouth!



Minocycline induced arthritis associated with fever, livedo reticularis, and pANCA

The potential for medications to cause lupus-like illness has been recognised since 1945, when sulphadiazine was reported to cause a lupus-like syndrome.1 More than 70 drugs have since been reported as causing a lupus-like syndrome.2 The more notorious of these drugs, such as procainamide and hydralazine, are no longer in common use, but others such as anticonvulsants, isoniazid, and chlorpromazine are still widely prescribed.

Minocycline is a semisynthetic tetracycline commonly prescribed for the treatment of acne vulgaris, and occasionally prescribed as a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) for rheumatoid arthritis. Since 1992, minocycline has increasingly been recognised as a cause of several autoimmune conditions, the most commonly reported of which are a lupus-like syndrome and hepatitis.3 Serum sickness and ANCA-positive vasculitis have also been described.

Humor in a humorless situation

Saw this picture of a homeless man and had to smile. Thought I'd make a quick post. I doubt I would be able to pass this man by without giving him money for a cold one...

Count your blessings....

Frustration!!

Spent an annoying 2 hours in Michaels Craft store today... I have a project that I want to work on for some Christmas gifts. Well the place was completely changed around since last time I had been there . And for some reason REALLY busy at 1 in the afternoon on a Wednesday.. Anyway I needed 4 items of which apparently were placed in all different areas of the store. Did I mention that you could not find anyone to help you in there ? Well you couldn't. So I proceed to find 3 of the items after an hour and a half. So I go in search of the 4th. Well I finally find the area and they do not have the type of flat sided glass marbles that I needed. I needed clear ones and all they had were colored. Can't do this project without them . So by this time I was frustrated and annoyed to the point I put all the other stuff back..well left it on a front counter .

I guess I will try Joann's I'm not giving up on this yet. Day wasn't totally lost,I did find a really nice bill organizer for my desk that was on sale for half price. Then I had to force myself to get out of there before I bought a ton of baskets at half price also. I LOVE baskets...

Laundry Room Redo Revealed!

I am pretty happy with how this project turned out. My laundry room also must serve as a storage room,pantry,and place to store our file cabinet. When you live in a Condo you have to make do with a limited amount of storage.
The goal was to not spend very much money. I headed off to the Dollar store,Big Lots and K Mart to buy some storage and some baskets. The paint was left over from other projects.
So lets take a look!And I apoligize for the very small pictures. I am really unhappy with the online picture service I am useing at the moment. Not naming any names. But they will not let me save my pics at a normal size.I was able to get some pics at a good size the others are small. SOO hopefully you can still make out the awesomeness of this project!
Before


And after







Another Before




and After




Before


After






Before



After



Before



After



And a good last shot!


OK,the washer and drayer don't match but thats a whole other story! and the ceiling needs to be put in. But it's afar cry from the dull dank place it used to be. Makes me happy!
The cost was under $100.00.

Laundry Room Redo started

I took the plunge and started my laundry room project today. I started by cleaning out storage cupboards and pulling everything out of one side of the room. Washed floors vacumed,and dusted . Then I put together a five shelf storage unit that I put up against one wall and went through alot of stuff. Put some in the goodwill pile,other stuff just went in the garbage.I want to use this rack as a combination pantry,storage unit.

Next up is to paint the cupboards above the washer and dryer and then tackle the other side of the room with paint and more shelving. I am going to go really brite with the colors! I took before shots and will post before and afters when I'm done. This is a room I have been wanting to do over for a long time now.

Remember when I said this winter was going to be organization time? well I am on my way! It already looks so much better in there I almost didn't mind doing three loads of laundry this afternoon...almost.

Organization!

The above pic is not my home,but I want it to be!

That is what I have been trying to do around my house lately. I have been slow at work and it has made me nervous. I work on commision,so when it's slow NO MONEY comes in. Plus my husband has taken on a new job with really early hours and also a job he is not that crazy about . So all in all the stress level is a bit high around here. To ease my stress I have been working on clutter,getting rid of it or getting it in order.

I have tackled my closet first and will be moving on to the spare rooms over the winter. I have a goal to repaint the laundry room this winter also in some really Bright colors! I want to feel cheer when I walk in that room . If thats possible.

I have been following the blog of Just A Girl http://j-a-girl.blogspot.com/. She is amazing ! So talented. Her house is to die for and her ideas are endless. She is my inspiration to get my house in order. Even her cupboards are organized!! So this is my winter goal,declutter and organize.

P 90 X update

For those of you who care....

It's been a couple weeks and I have done the workout 6 times,averaging 3 times a week. I still can not do the whole thing. I still get mildly nauseated about half way through..that meens I'm working really hard right? Anyway I am totally impressed with the quickness of this workout to produce results!

I feel tighter around the middle and my legs are already getting definition. I also feel like I have improved posture and just feel generaly stronger all the way around.

All this after only a couple weeks! Ok,I'm sold. I can't say I look forward to doing it,couse it is HARD,but I am liking the results enough to keep it up!

Finally something that works

Finally a product that gets the job done.

Does your hair ever look like this?

Well ok,my hair isn't quite that bad BUT it has always been wavy and frizzy. I have gone through countless products to tame it and control it all my life. My cupboards are jammed with a variety of products... Those of you with naturally straight hair do not know the suffering we frizz heads go through. Living in Michigan with its many wet high humidity days it's a constant battle.

I finally have found a product that I can say WORKS. John Frieda (a company that has always realized the pain us with frizzy hair experience.) Has come out with Weatherworks,Anti-frizz Style Sealent Creme. I love this product.It takes away the frizz and when I use it with my flat iron it leaves my hair with that silky smooth salon feel to it. It holds up nicely against the humid weather . I have been testing it all week with the rain we've been having. I even got caught in the rain yesterday and it did not frizz,got a bit wavy ,but no frizz.

Best part of all is that most of John Frieda products are made in the USA. not all ,but most. Which is a huge plus seeing as I will be buying lots of it and I am watching who I buy from more and more these days. Anyway,I had to share my new found fortune.Spred the word to all your frizzy haired friends so they don't discontinue this product.

Older woman ,younger man.Happy Anniversary!

Well it's been 13 years Oct 5th that Craig and I got married. The above pic is the 2 of us at his brother Jim's wedding a couple years ago. Most people just seeing us don't know there is a 16 year age difference between my husband and I. Yes he is the younger one,lol. I attribute it to his early baldness and greying and to my good genes, haha!

Whenever you go into a relationship with this type of age gap there is bound to be a certain amount of apprehension. You have to realize that 13 years ago my husband was in his late 20's and I was in my early 40's. That's a generation apart. He had never been married before,I not only had been but I also came with a 14 year old teenager! Talk about a possible train wreck.

First there was the many talks about ,are you SURE you never want children?? Me to him of course. How do you know that won't change for you in a few years? I was relentless about asking him that. His reassurance that he never did want them ,but would be happy helping me with my daughter didn't really ease my worries on this subject.

Next was the discussion about our differences. He likes 80's music,I grew up with the Beatles but love all music. He liked gaming (indoor sports) I like outdoor stuff and working out. He is a home body ,I like to travel and do stuff.

And his family and his friends and my family and my friends...would they accept me? him with me? would they accept him/us? I am happy to say for the most part the friends and family on both sides have accepted this relationship. Some of his friends are in the midst of raising their families,something we are now done with.But I still love seeing them have families and being around the little ones. I love "his "friends as they have become mine. I like getting to know their new additions to their families and hope they all know that we don't mind being around their kids just because we don't have any young ones.

After all our talking and all my brow beating him about how I will be reaching retirement way before him (kind of a bad joke now that it looks like no one will be able to retire) it all fell back to the basic ingredients of any relationship. Love,respect and adaptability. Respecting his passions and him respecting mine.

So here we are at year 13 and no regrets for either of us so far. It hasn't always been easy,we've had our trials and tribulations. But none of it had to do with age difference. It was mainly life and how it can slam you with stuff and how we choose to deal with it. I ask my self every year about now,"would I say those vows to him again today? Each year has been a resounding"YES!" How wonderful.

P90X Day one!

OK so I have been impressed with the results my daughter and her hubby have been getting with this workout and decided to give it a try. I am only going to stick with the first DVD ,which is mainly Core . So tonight was the first workout...OMG!!! It is kick ass to say it mildly. I started out all full of energy and 15 minutes in I was feeling slightly nauseated and had to slow down. I tried to pace myself after that but still had to pause on occasion to slow down and catch my breath. I couldn't do all the stuff exactly like they showed ,but I gave it my best. If this is even possible I started to get sore within 15 minutes of finishing the workout, LOL. I will be dieing in the morning..............
BUT I am determined to try to do this at least 3 times a week hopefully 4. So I'll let you know how it goes. Wish me luck ,I am old afterall ya know .:-)

This story really fired me up!

Did police Taser legless man?
Reports say a California police officer twice Tasered a man in a wheelchair. Get the details of the story.

I have not posted in a couple weeks,but seeing this story on the internet got me fired up enough to break my dry spell. Most of you that follow my blog know that I help take care of my x husband who is a double amputee.

Now I know that you could be verbally abusive even sitting in a wheelchair and you could do harm while sitting in a wheelchair if you had a gun or if you were to strike someone that was close enough to you. BUT if you were sitting in a chair with your two year old daughter on your lap and two rather tall policemen,fully armed were next to you its highly doubtful that you could harm them.
They proceeded to knock the man out of his chair,he claims this happened when they tasered him and the jolts knocked him around where he fell out. Also at some point his pants fell down and they proceeded to cuff his hands behind his back and let him sit that way on the street so all his neighbors could see. One of the neighbors took a video of this ,his pants down,nude from the waist down and hands cuffed.
I am beyond INCENSED about this. Reading this story and watching the video has made me so angry . I hope that these two officers are SEVERLY punished for these actions. Careing for a double amputee I do know this,you can run to get away and its pretty doubtful,correct that, IMPOSSIBLE that they could catch up to you. If you hit a person that is bound to a wheelchair they would not be able to reach you to strike you back if you moved away. So to TASER a person in a chair is inconcievable to me. And to cuff them behind thier back no less is also beyond reason.
I am saddened by this story. With all the real criminals out there ,this is what our policemen do?Are they trained to react this way? Did these policemen feel they had carried out thier duty that day to serve and protect? Disgusting.

Nikki

This is my Cat Nikki,she is 15 years old. Looks pretty good for her age eh? She used to be kinda heavy,and in the last year or so she dropped a bunch of weight and is now really pretty thin. You can see her bones and she is light as a feather when you pick her up. I was really concerned that she was dieing when she started losing the weight. I had to change foods about 5 times before I finally found one she was interested in eating.
When we found Nikki she was maybe 7 weeks old. It was a freezing November night and my daughter and I were meeting my friend Nicole at the gym to work out. She was up on top of a tire on Nicoles car. She saw us and started meowing really loud,I mean REALLY loud. She was so tiny and cute,we opened the door and she jumped right in our car. She was so cold and so hungry. Someone just dumped her in this big parking lot! Well she became a part of our family right away.
She had starvation syndrome from not eating. When she ate she would not stop eating till it was all gone ,and if you had something in your hand to eat she would try to climb up you to get at it. The vet said she would grow out of it as she became more secure in the fact that she was going to be fed.So becouse of this she kinda fattened up and eventually we had to put her on some diet food to slim her down a bit. Thats why it really freaked me out when she started losing so much weight last year. Now I know it;s becouse shes getting old I guess. She seems healthy and aside from sleeping alot she still gets around pretty good.
Shes a real character. She talks to you and nods her head at you when you walk into a room as if to say ,HI! . She used to be realy grumpy with anyone outside the family,but she seems to be mellowing in her old age . When my daughter lived here,she was her buddy. When she moved out I think Nikki felt a bit abandoned but she has since became my husband and my buddy
I can't bear the thought of her not being around and it bothers me that she is getting old. I want her around to sleep at my feet for many more years.

My Sister Bev

This is me (on the left :) ) and my baby sister,Bev. This was taken the last time we saw each other,which I now realize was OVER two years ago! The time flies way too fast and we don't see each other enough, as you can tell. She lives in Florida . We have different Moms , same Dad. We didn't grow up in the same house but we have found a bond in our middle life that I wish we could have shared much much earlier in our lives. But I'm very grateful that we have connected as much as we have now.

She has been on my mind alot the last couple weeks as she has gone through some health issues and other struggles. I have somewhat of a phone phobia which makes us connecting even more difficult with the distance we live from one another. So we e mail ,thank god for that anyway.

Life has had its up's and downs for her and her family and for mine over the years but we are always there rooting for the best for both of us. I am dedicating todays post to her hoping that she finds the strength to get through her latest hardships . I know she will becouse she is a survivor and one hellava strong woman.

Stay strong Sis,I love you and I carry you in my heart where ever I go!

Unemployed again....

This picture isn't my husband but it could be,it looks exactally like he looked yesterday carrying his box of stuff from his desk home. This is not the first time he has walked in like this but oh god I hope its the last. He got layed off while we were taking a stay- cation becouse we are really still recovering from his 13 months of no work just over a year ago.

This time we kinda thought he was safe for awhile. I mean he was working in home forclosures this time. Booming right? Well the company he worked for lost thier biggest client last week,50% of thier business. So his company laid off 23 people of which he was the 23rd to be picked...yea crap luck for sure. So here we are again. We spent the first day kinda stunned ,I admit I cried off and on. Being unemployed is cruel and it slams the self esteem. This is the 4th time in 12 years that we have delt with this. It is hard on the spouse thats still working becouse they feel the pressure and the person that is trying so hard to find a job and can't feels worthless. Now we are just numb. We know how hard it is out there,believe me. I am starting to think I actually know more people out of work than working..... .

I know it can always be worse and I know in some ways we are more fortunate that some. Yea yea yea. It still sucks pretty bad and once again I feel the small knot of fear creep into the pit of my stomach. Sorry for the vent ,just unloading some crap. Oh and to top off the great week, some lunkheads putting in sprinkler systems at the condo cut throught our Comcast line and we had no internet,phone service or TV for 3 of the days we were off on our staycation!!

Now I get to go back to work Thursday and you know what I don't feel rejuvinated or refreshed like I was hoping,just more stressed out than ever! Ok,I'll stop now.

All the hard work finally pays off!

Why is my daughter looking so dang happy? Well it all goes back to...

The above Picture is at My daughters Collage Graduation ,earning a Masters degree in Social Work. Shes the one in the middle with the million dollar smile,no really her smile cost me about a million dollars,:-). She graduated at the top of her class and had high hopes for her future as all young or old Graduates do.

Enter a slew of health problems and a bad economy and her future wasn't looking all that promising. She had so much to offer and nowhere to offer it.. She took part time at the school of social work and learned all she could to work her way up possibly.

And well last week it paid off! She landed a job that will pay her pretty good and doing what she loves! So todays post is all about hanging in there for what you want. Sticking it out during the hard times. Sometimes good things actually come to those who wait. They will be happy they hired you Rachel becouse you will be awesome! Just like you always have been.

Can you see me bursting with pride?

Blog Site I LOVE

If you LOVE doing projects cheap and original. Check out "Just a Girl" Blog site. Link below. I am amazed at her ideas and originality. I can't wait week after week to see what she comes up with. I also used an idea that I got off her blog to make a really neat and cheep bedskirt for my new bed! check out the link below for her latest ideas!


http://j-a-girl.blogspot.com/2009/07/i-can-paint.html

This was worth posting. Thanks Andy Rooney!

In case you missed it on 60 Minutes, this is what Andy Rooney thinks about women over 40: 60 Minutes Correspondent Andy Rooney (CBS)

As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why: A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, 'What are you thinking?' She doesn't care what you think. If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting. Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it. Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated. Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart. Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one . You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her. Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress. Ladies, I apologize. For all those men who say, 'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?', here's an up date for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!

Still rather be here than anywhere else

Happy Fourth Of July. No we are not perfect. We have many imperfections and need to work on getting back to what this country was sapposed to be about from the beginning. But just being able to have this blog is a freedom that you wouldn't have in many countries. The ability to speak freely. To write what we feel.

We have so many things broken right now in our country. I am praying with all my heart and soul that we have the strength and wisdom to pull ourselves out of the mess we created. That my child and her children and all my loved ones bringing children into this world will have the chance to show thier greatness . Their chance to live free.

Today I vow to continue to do my part to help dig out of this mess we are in. If we all make the commitment we can do this.

I am hoping by the time I write next years post at this time we will be turning unemployment around. There will be a viable health care plan and we will have made some peace in the middle east. I know...I dream big. :-) Have a wonderful 4th everyone.

Taking a Trip To Holland!

Holland Michigan that is :-). Had ya going didn't I ? The third week of July we are taking a trip to Holland for 3 nights. I am so looking forward to this break. We can't do a whole week . I havent been to that area of the state before and I hear its beautiful . We are staying right next to Dutch Village. Not really sure we will even go there though. I am more interested in Tunnel Park. Its a tunnel of trees that you walk through and when you get to the end there are sand dunes and Lake Michigan! Sounds glorious to me. The day we get there they are having a music festival at night downtown. So we will do that and well just take in the beauty of this area of Michigan. I'll take pics and post them. I really love Michigan in the summer and Fall.

Life Lessons

I love the above picture that my daughter Rachel took of herself. It reminds me of a yoga pose we do where you spred your arms out wide lean your head back and open yourself up to the Universe.

Today's post is just three bits of advice I have learned as I stumble,walk and run through this thing called life.
1. You stay young by moving out of your comfort zone
2. There is a reason we lose our close up vision as we age,so forget the botox
3. Learning to say no is the most freeing thing you can learn,just be polite about it.

As if we don't have enough to worry about....

Had a client in the spa today getting a facial. We got to talking and the" so what do you do for a living?" question came up. Well she is a prison guard at a prison in Wayne county. I am like "Wow you must really need this facial,sounds like a stressful job" She says it really is. BUT what is even more stressful is that they are releasing Prisoners way, way to soon. They released 70 last month alone and she said NONE of them were ready to be out. BAD attitudes,disrespectful ect. She knows most, if not all will be back in withen a year. She says it seems like they are only keeping murderers,everyone else is getting out.

I asked ,"is this becouse of over crowding?" She says no,there is room to house them,but there have been so many cut backs that they don't have the funding or people to work at the prisons to house them....

Great,just great I'm thinking to myself. She expects all will be back withen a year..that means all of them will do something to get thrown back in. Commit a crime or violate their probation in some way,I.E. commit a crime. And that was just 70 in ONE month,and that is just ONE prison.

Watch your backs ,lock up your homes,dare I say arm yourself? I have never been a gun advocate ever but now I'm thinking...maybe it's not such a bad idea?

My half sister's mom who is 79 just got assaulted last week at the mall in Florida. She was lucky they only hurt her hand some while they robbed her. It was daylight. She was scared to death! And most likely still is.

Somethings gotta give....

Just a short post to vent some frustration. Hey I named this Blog Rambling for a reason...lol.
People keep coming into work (I work in a Day Spa) and asking if the economy has slowed down business. And when I tell them yes they actually seem surprised! Well DUH! of course it has. I don't really know of any business in Detroit that hasn't been affected.
If any of you know a business that is flurishing right now please tell me,I could use the ray of hope. I will admit there are some restaurants that seem to be holding up ok.

We got a mailing at work the other day from the management of a large local mall. They were offering one year FREE rent,a FREE sign,FREE moving costs,and several other incentives for us to move our business there. We have NEVER gotten this type of mailing before. Scarey. My brother was just telling me that the next really bad thing for the economy will be the Commercial property collapse. Well it's already here. Empty storefronts all over. Half empty malls.

Frankly I don't see us pulling out of this for 10 years or so and when we do it will never be the way things were before. I feel bad for my daughters generation. They had such high hopes and everything seemed plentiful when they were growing up. Now it will be mainly up to them to try to straighten this mess out. Big job to fill.

Hang in there and when it all seems too hard to handle I know of a good spa where you can get a great Massage!

Families are like fudge,mostly sweet with a few nuts {author unknown}

I love the above quote becouse it sums up family to me perfectly. I don't know about the rest of you,but most people I have talked with have this view of thier family in general. You love em,but there are those few that you just shake your head about and even those few that ,well you just tolerate.
But all in all you still love them,faults and all. We have also heard that you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family. Well I have found that if you have certain friends for long enough they become just like your family,mostly sweet,with a few nuts. Funny how that is.

Wonder which of my family members shake their head about me? I have certainly given some of them reason to in my life time. I married three times,the last to a much younger man. I'm sure that caused some head shaking. Most of my family I am sure look at me with fondness,at least I hope so. I try my best to love them all unconditionally,flaws and all. I remember all thier birthdays and root for them when they need it.
What has coused all this family introspection? Been talking with my daughter lately about loyalty. Family and otherwise. It seems sometimes we all can get cought up in our own lives that we forget what it means to be connected to each other. We see each other briefly on Facebook or My Space. I recently deleated my My Space account. I am thinking of doing the same with Facebook. I only keep it as a way to keep up with some old friends and distant family and they all have my e mail if they really want to contact me. I do find Facebook mindless fun sometimes.

Whats the point to all this? Nothing really,just rambling ......

I'll leave you with this last quote:
"It's not Flesh and Blood but the Heart which makes us Fathers and Sons" {John Shiller}

Can it get any worse?

Today I was informed that the Gym that I take Yoga at just suddenly closed down. This left many people in limbo that have already paid memberships or Punch Cards to use the facility. I had just purchased a 65.00 punch card to use for Yoga the week before. There was no warning ,they just had to lock the doors.

I can only imagine that thier business has taken a huge hit with the economy being so bad. A facility that large has to have a huge overhead to pay. I feel bad for them and for the rest of us being left out in the cold and unable to get our money back.

Thankfully the yoga teacher worked it out with another Gym to accept the punch cards tward classes at thier gym. Very generous of him ,but smart as well. I am sure he is hoping to pick up some new members for his own business. But I am thankful as I can ill afford to lose $65.00 right now.

Has me wondering how many more places will close and how many more homes will be lost before this all winds down. I think that it will get worse as this year goes until it will finally level off tward the end of this year. At least until all the auto related busineses close. Here in Michigan every single business has some tie to the auto companys becouse they employed so many people. It is going to take so many years to recover from this.

The best thing about getting older is.....

Well for one,you expect less. Less from people ,less from life in general. I have learned that you need to just take each day as it comes and look for the best in it. You also learn not to expect too much from people as if you do,you will usually be dissapointed. And when you least expect it, the ones you care about will do something thoughtful and you will be wonderfully surprised and touched.

I became cautious growing up with a mom who suffered from mental illness. Kids can be cruel when they find out your mom is mentally ill. It made me cautious to say the least. I didn't invite friends over too often, cuz I never knew how Mom was going to be. The few friends I trusted to get close to were cherished.

I found that I lived my life guarding my heart and my feelings. Opening up to few ,as not to be hurt. Still ,I always had friends. I was a good listener and a compassionate ear. I knew what it was like to have problems.

As I walk through the second half of my life I find it freeing to have no expectations. Each day is new and I can make it what I want. Even when work or other people put up road blocks,I can choose to walk around them easier. I don't have time to let things bother me. It's freeing!

D'Angelo Family Weekend

My Nephew Tony and his wife Ann and thier 14 month old boy,Samuel came in this Memorial weekend for a visit from Chicago. It brought all of us D'Angelos that live in this area together also. There are a few of us in the above picture at the Detroit Zoo. Many of my family live out of state. And visit's are few and far between. It is so nice to get everyone together. We had a great weekend . The weather cooperated ,so we went to the Zoo and the Rochester Heritage Festival.



I strongly recommend that Festival to anyone wanting to have a great Family time. The Park is beautiful and there are many family events going on. Duck race,simulated war fights,crafts,old car show. People dressed up in 1800's period dress. Food booths, Petting zoo. I would definatly go again!

Hope everyone's holiday weekend was as fun as mine!

so much happens in a year...

It has been a year since my precious girl suffered a blood clot large enough to almost completely cut off the circulation in her left leg. She was in Greece when this happened and I could not be there to help her. I have never felt so frustrated in my life! She was on the other side of the world hurting and I could not get to her! I think I know now how mothers feel that have children in the armed forces. Not knowing day after day what danger they are in,not being able to get to them when they are. I don't care how old your children get,they are always your children .

Last year was one of the worst. Rachel,my daughter and only child had three major health problems.Losing a good portion of her hearing in one ear,suddenly. Being diagnosed with Celiac ,an autoimmune disorder,and the Protien S Factor V blood clotting disorder. One of them would be more than enough for anyone to deal with. She has learned to deal with all three admirably. Not without allot of suffering and soul searching. I am damn proud of her.

Nature,the natural artist!

Well I spent most of the weekend planting flowers and adding color all around my patios and across the front of the condo. I used a deep purple/blue and bright orange color mix across the front of the condo that almost glows in the dark the colors are so bright. I love it! I put so many pots and stuff around the patio that everywhere you look there are splashes of color. I still need to get a couple hanging baskets and another plant for the balcony and I will be satisfied. I bought all these cute plant holders that added some personality to the back area.

I think it was becouse of the horribly long cold winter that we had that has made me want to plant color,LOTS of color. I am so completly happy that spring is finally here that it has almost made me forget the economy and swine flu and all the other crappy stuff going on right now.

I even planted some herbs and a Jalepeno plant! I am actually going to cook with these herbs this year! I saw a really interesting recipe where they took the fresh herbs and wrapped them in tinfoil with the fish and cooked it on the open grill. It sounded so delish!! Yep can't wait to try it. Ahhh ,the best part about Spring is it's followed by summer....

Client Educational Seminar

This week Wednesday evening we are having our very first Educational seminar for our clients. We had to keep the sign up for this class to 15 because of limited space in the salon. We had 17 sign up ,and are hoping for about 12 actually being there. I am excited about this!

Each one of us will be talking about the different services that we offer in the salon and how they can benefit our clients. I am speaking about skin care and the assorted facial treatments we offer. Also talking about the Rejuvalite, The skin rejuvinating device that we have been using at the salon for about 10 years now. It works with intense pulse light to stimulate the activity of cellular renewal. I am excited to better educate our clients in the hope that it will get them to try out some new services.

The other girls are speaking about what they specialize in as well. Ruth will be talking about Cranial Sacral therapy which is a body treatment where the therapist manipulates the cerebral fluid in the body with energy between the client and herself. From what I have heard this can help migraines,and many other assorted pains.
Nonnee will speak about Thai Table massage . A fully clothed massage that uses compression and stretching movements. Tia will speak about Electrolysis and how it can work in conjunction with Laser hair removal. And Chris will talk about the benefits of hand and foot care.

So not only will we be educating our clients I am sure I will learn allot myself! We will be encouraging questions and offering some healthy snacks . We have a Raw Food teacher dropping off some treats and some fliers on what she does. If this goes over well,we will do this about every 3 months.

Samuel is ONE

Happy Birthday to my great Nephew Samuel ! He turned one in March but I just got some new pics of him. I wish he lived closer than Chicago.Cute Boy!!

Mental-Pause

Ok ,this post is about Menopause. Or Mental-pause as I call it. I don't know what the maker has against the female species, but it's not funny. First we start out our repreductive life with the once a month "period" which we all know comes with its variety of meladies.

We suffer through life having this period always come to "visit" when we least want or need it to. Vacations,camping trips,honeymoons (no matter how we try to plan around it) It always showed up . Bloating ,mood swings ,ect ect. We have this for maybe how long? maybe 40 years? Then what do we get for all our suffering? .....menopause.

Now this doesn't just happen overnite,oh no,it creeps in slowly over the course of 5 to ten years,with what they call,Peri-menopause. That fun time is when our periods come closer together and become erratic. Oh yes my dears,you NEVER know when your going to get your period. Forget counting the days and following any type of schedule. It comes simply,whenever. Then just when you are through with all that crazyness and they stop coming at all ,which is cause for a party believe you me. You start to become a forgetful idiot. You sweat at the most inoportune moments. A good night sleep becomes a thing of the past and your sex drive takes a hike!! You put on weight without changing your eating habits. Did I mention that you never have to wear a pad or a tampon? yea hang on to that becouse thats the best part...

I have been determined to go through this natural ,no drugs,no hormones... Useing natural remedies. Excersize,herbal supplements,blah blah... Well ya know what? screw that! Summer is coming again and if I have to go through it with 10 or so hot flashes a day again I will most likely kill someone or myself. Just kidding,I wouldn't ,but I might just kill for a good nights sleep. Anyway,seeing my Doctor the end of the month and I am talking to her about these "bio identical hormones " I keep hearing about. Suzanne Summers looks awesome and happy,she says thats the way to go. Well I damn well intend to find out.

"The One"

OK,I got this idea from Rachel L. and thought it was great . So heres mine! How did I know he was the one? I didn't at first. It was a gradual appreciation of the kind of person he is that just keep growing until one day I realized that,simply put, I loved him. It was not easy to admit my feelings for him right away,even to myself. The main issue being the age differance,he is 16 years younger than me. Plus I had 2 marriages behind me and a daughter just hitting her teenage years. I came with baggage,so to speak . If you made up a list the cons outweighed the pros into getting into this relationship. But the heart knew this one was diferent

What was so special?Well lets look at the outside first, I love his laughter. He has this big booming laugh that makes you look when he comes out with it. And then you smile along with him and even if you don't think what he is laughing at is funny ,you kinda laugh at his laugh anyway.He has these soft brown eyes,that just lookwell, kind. He has this great deep voice. And really nice smile.

The inside,He has strong integrity. He sticks to his beliefs. He has alot of long time friends that love him. I think that says alot about a man. He is loyal and he makes me feel loved. He respects women and he respects me. He loves his family and he opened his heart to my daughter and even though I dont think he expected it ,he loves her like if she were his own. He has been understanding about my having to help caregive for my ex husband becouse he knows it helps his step daughter. Who couldn't love a man like that?

He's not perfect. He takes forever to get ready to go somewhere. He gets moody often and he can have a temper when pushed . And god help the person that pushes him. He is very neat though and I never have to pick up after him. He is not too great at jumping in with the housework but will if I push it. He cooks for himself most nights. So all in all can't complain there...

I feel content when I'm with him and can't wait to see him after a long work day. It's been 12 years married and many more than that knowing him and being with him hasn't gotten old yet. We tell each other we love each other every day . We might argue once in awile but rarely fight.

So I guess he's the "one" becouse I can't imagine my life without him and becouse the best time in my whole day is when we snuggle in bed and watch TV together before falling asleep. It doesn't get any better than that.

Sung a Mio,Blood of mine

The above saying is Italian and I will be honest in saying that I am not sure on the spelling. My Auntie Anna ,who was like a grandmother to me when I was growing up used to call me that all the time. I asked her one day ,what does it mean? She told me its an endearment for Blood of Mine. Someone who is close to you by blood but also by heart. She would hug me too her bossom and say "ahh my Sung a Mio" and I would feel the love pouring off her. She gave me tons of advice when I was growing up.Some great advice and some pretty funny stuff. She could train animals; even cats. She would have cats stay until she would say move ,all with hand movements. And get them to beg on their hind legs. Animals and her just understood each other. Like a private language. She could bake without ever looking at a recipe. Her cookies are legendary. Her smile would light up a room and her personality made strangers she met feel like they knew her for years after only a few minutes.She was one of the most essential people in my life and I hold her close in my heart always. I will have to find a picture of her to post....
Anyway this all leads up to the above picture of me and my Sung a Mio,Rachel. She is my blood and my heart.

what a sad week

The week started out with 4 local teenagers getting killed by a drunk driver. All the teens attended my alma mater, Lakeshore Highschool and were from my home town of St. Clair Shores. Senseless and so sad. So many familes and friends affected.So many lives changed. Children never to grow up and lead thier lives

The same day actress Natasha Richardson suffered a closed head injury on a ski slope and passed away Wednesday evening leaving two young teenage boys and a greaving family. She was 45 . Still way too young to die

And my bosses husband,Guff is dieing. They have been together since they were only 15 years old. They are both 81 and have shared a long life together. I really like Guff. He always has a joke and a smile. Mary and him have been together over 60 years. Still when he does leave her to pass on it will leave a huge empty hole in her life.
Weather you pass away too young or you pass on in your old age I have realized that you never seem to have enough time .
Hold the people you care about close to you and tell them how much you care. Do it often.

Todays post is dedicated to one of my favorite shows,,24! I absolutly LOVE this show. It isn't perfect and sometimes the plots are filled with a few holes here and there. BUT it always keeps me on the edge of my seat and leaves me wanting more every single week. This years series is much better than last years; in my opinion. I find myself wishing it was on twice a week. And it has Keifer! Is there anyone whos a more bad a** than him? Anyways I love Mondays simply becouse its the night 24 is on and even though its the beginning of the week at least I have this show to look forward to at the end of the day.

Movie Review for Slumdog Millionare

This is a 10 out of 10! Highly recommend this movie to anyone. Well anyone over 13 . Easy to see why this movie won so many Academy Awards. The cinamatography is excellant. The acting also. Actually I can not find anything wrong with this film. Some graphic looks at life for the poor in India.

Movie Review for Watchmen

OK. This is not your typical Super Hero Movie. It is based on the popular Graphic Novel that has been reveared for years by Comic book lovers everywhere. People that just like super hero movies may not appreciate this movie as much as some that have been made. It's dark,disturbing,and very violent. It setting is the 80's and much of the movie flashes back to even earlier times. It is done very well . I read the novel probly 12 years ago and had forgotten much of it. As the movie unfolded I started to remember much of what I had read. It seemed to follow the book very well. It takes a pretty unflattering look at mankind in general and you just don't ever get that "feel Good" feeling that many super hero movies give you. I think becouse at the end you really don't have anyone to cheer for. Your left feeling dispair. Not what I need to walk out of a movie feeling these days I guess. Enough of that on real life. My husband LOVED it. Gives it a 9 out of 10. Me? I'll give it a 7. Nudity,violence,lauguage you name it...

The Proverbial "Salute"

I'm driving along the road this week minding my business and as far as I know minding the rules of the road when a guy pulls by me on my right extends his arm out the window and flips up his middle finger at me.

I'm like "what the ??" As far as I know I hadn't done anything offensive. He must be the same jerk back at the light that kept flashing his lights at me when I didn't turn right on the red,I think to myself. Well there was a No Turn On Red sign there;of that I am sure. I take that way home every day from work and you can believe if I could turn on red there I would to get home faster. So I'm thinkin to myself,what an ass he is to flip ME off when he can't even read.

So here it is a couple days later and I am still kinda miffed about this and that bothers me. Becouse it shows me how just a simple act as this can effect a peson for days afterward. Makes you think doesn't it? How easy it is to smile at someone,how that can spred around to all the people they encounter ect. And also ,how just a random gesture can also effect a person and spred..... I think I'll try the smiles.

Monday Moaning..Sleeping on the floor can be awesome

I just got back from the dollar store where I picked up a bunch of stuff to give a co worker that is moving out of an abusive relationship and into her own apartment. She has literally enough clothes to fit into a suitcase, herself and her little dog. No furniture,no nothin else. She has no relatives in this state,as she moved here to be with "the guy" So she has very little moral support. I can't even imagine how scarey this must be. I know how I felt when I moved out of my house when I got divorced and this seems way scarier to me. She seems to be actually happy . I think it's becouse she has made the decision to get away and get on with her life on her own terms. Sleeping on the floor can be awesome if you are at peace in your world..

At work we have been able to line her up a bed with frame and a chest of drawers for her bedroom. Word is out and we think we also have a full set of new pots and pans and a set of silverware. Possibly a crock pot also.
I bought her a basketful of kitchen stuff ,cleaning stuff,ect and filled up a laundry basket . All for under $20. from the dollar store. Don't ya just love the dollar store?. I also went through my drawers and found a couple bags of clothes that she might be able to wear. She has lost allot of weight,no doubt to the stress she is going through. At least she is working and has a good support system with all of us at work. I wish her the best . Heres to strong women everywhere!

According to the astronomical definition, spring begins on the Vernal Equinox (usually March 21 in the Northern Hemisphere,

Well I personally can't freakin wait! This winter has been so long ,so cold and so much snow. I am waiting to BLOOM! Lighter coats,windows open,fresh smell of flowers and rain. So with the flip into March next week I look forward to all of us coming out of our hidey holes . I really feel like I have been in hibernation. I need some sun for gawd sake.

I only have one thing to say about this years 81st Academy Awards show.....

BRAVO!!!

I watched the whole entire show this year. Commercials and all and enjoyed every minute.

The new stage layout. The way they brought in past oscar winners to say great things about each nominee up for that catagory was awesome. I loved it!

OK so I have decided to start thinking about how I want to redo my Kitchen without it costing too much. I actually like my current kitchens charm. Wood floors,shelfs across the top with baskets on them. The wall paper is pretty tired though. I've been thinking about what to do that will keep its country charm but give it a new twist. Well looking through another blog I ran across some kitchen pics and I think I may have found my solution. The above pic is way nicer than my kitchen. But I am thinking about the stone look for maybe two of the walls . I have the wood floors and the wood counters. This just might be the trick..And the best part..I could put it over the wall paper!

So Crack a Bottle ,Let Your Body Wobble

...Don't act like a snobby model,you just hit the lotto!

Yes I'm lovin Eminem today. You can say what you want about the filthy mouthed rapper but he has the talent. I have had this silly song stuck in my head most of the day. So now after reading this you may well also. This song just hit number one on Billboards top 100. Just when some of us wondered if he was ever coming out with another song he busts loose with this one. I tried not to like it really I did. But well..it just grows on you. So what the heck,have fun with it I say.
Another Detroit native that I have grown some more respect for as an artist lately is Kid Rock. I never was too crazy about him before,But I have been liking alot of his latest stuff . I would actually probly buy a ticket to go see him next time he tours..
Ok thats it for today. I have music on my mind..............oh.oh.oh.oh.ohStep right up ladies and gentleman..

This weeks bitchin...

Well it has certainly been a bad couple weeks for flying...or should I say a bad month. I feel my stomach tightening as I write this. I have become increasingly nervous about flying in the last few years.I am kinda upset by it ,as I used to look forward to the adventure of it. It was FUN! you would get a cool meal with little surprise stuff on the tray. The world looked awesome from up there. The stewardesses were friendly.You could take whatever you wanted on board and there wasn't really any security to speak of. Yea those were the days..Enter 911 and exit the fun. Now flying is a means to get where your going,period. Hassle with a captial H. Take your shoes off,watch what you pack,what? your going to take a suitcase with you?! well thats gonna cost you xtra. Duh,no I was going to go somewhere with just the clothes on my back... geez. What a great world this has become.

Peanut Butter is deadly and the makers didn't care.Crooked polititions get out of jail and land a couple hundred thousand dollar a year job with a company that just laid off 300 people!! And planes are falling out of the sky left and right. Yea I'm irate this week and this is just the surface..

Traditional Aquarian Traits
Friendly and humanitarian

Honest and loyal

Original and inventive

Independent and intellectual
On the dark side....

Intractable and contrary

Perverse and unpredictable

Unemotional and detached

Ok so I said I was taking today off my blog. I changed my mind,hey its my day I can do what I want :-). Anyway I thought I would post some observations of what I know now at this ripe old age I'm at.
1. I appreciate a kind word more than ever.
2.I find by doing for others I feel better about myself
3. I know how to say NO! and not feel guilty about it
4. I look for beauty inside of others but still look at mine from the outside.(will I ever outgrow this insecurity? Who knows,I'm still a work in progress.)
5. I strive to learn something new everyday.
6. I do not know yet what the meaning of life is but I am getting closer to the 'truth'
7. I try to be forgiving and not hold grudges as I realize I have less time to get past them
8. Compassion is very important to me. I value it in others and strive to show it everyday.
9.I want my family to look up to me and hold me in high esteem. Therefore I must do the same for them.
10.I take the time to appreciate nature more. Look at the sky,the rain,the snow. Accepting what it gives us . I have vowed to do my part in preserving this earth.

OK so Tomarrow is my birthday. I am taking the day OFF! Off work, off writing on my blog off of viewing others blogs and all computor stuff in general. I am going for a nice facial treatment and maybe even a massage . Going out to lunch maybe shopping. Who knows . Just going to do whatever the frick I want all dang day! My present to me. :-)

Saddened

One of my favorite clients passed away on Friday. She had been coming to me for bout 13 years. I see her daughter also. Really nice classy lady. She was very vital for a 70 year old . Always going and doing stuff ,didnt look her age. She was fine in December when I saw her ,then in Jan she fell ill when scar tissue from a previous surgery that was over 20 years ago wrapped around her colon and shut it down. She filled up with poisen and I guess it just did to much damage for her to overcome.

I am sad that I wont see her smiling face every 4 weeks anymore. Sad her family will not have her in thier lives. Sad for her daughter that just lost her husband in November and now has to deal with the loss of her mother.

I won't forget her.

Rest in Peace Betty!

Wow! unexpected gift!

One of my regular clients came in today and gave me an unexpected gift. It is a Magnetic braclet similar to the one I show here only it is colorful. Very pretty and will go with many outfits. The braclet is nice,yes. But the reason she gave it to me is the real gift! When she was in in December to get her facial I spotted a spot on her forhead that looked unusual . I never panic my clients when I see something that I fear may be a cancer . BUT I strongly suggest that they go to a derm and have it looked at. Well she tells me that she had gone to her Derm and he said it was nothing. I was uncomfortable about the way it looked enough to really stress that I felt she needed a 2nd opinion and gave her the name of a doctor to go to . She followed through and went and it was Melanoma. Which is cancer. Left untreated it can spred into your system and well,kill you. She was so grateful to me that she brought me a gift and was so relieved that I had stressed this so much to her. This is why I love my job.