Meal at the Manor.

Appetizer ~
Do you use bar soap or liquid soap?

Soup ~
So, tell me, what 5 words describe your yesterday?

Salad ~
What movie can you not pass up watching for the millionth time when flipping through the tv channels?

Entrée ~
Do you think the penny should be done away with?

Dessert ~
What is the colour of joy?

Hi.

wordless wednesday.

word{s}

1. sugar ~
   
2. great ~
3. batteries ~
4. tossed salad ~
5. un ~
6. mute ~
   
7. before ~
8. candle ~
9. truth ~
10. vanilla ~

?

QOTD:
Why did the chicken cross the road?

G'morning.

Reason to Drink.

Games People Play.

I enjoy games. Scrabble. Dominoes. Strike-a-Match, to name a few. But Yatzee, by far, is one of my absolute favorite games. I have a hand held Yatzee that I got for a Christmas present maybe 10 years ago. I play one game on it every single day. Just one game.
Here is photographic evidence of today's game.


{OK, yeah. So I didn't date the photo when I took it. Not because I didn't want to do so but rather because I haven't a clue how to make my camera do that. I could RTFM but seriously people. They don't write those for blondes. I just want someone to SHOW me how to put the date on a photo. That is how I roll. But I digress.}

The year after I got my hand held Yatzee game I bought one for my Momma for Christmas. She loved mine and I knew she would love having her own. I can remember the fun she and I would have racing on our hand held yatzee games to see who could finish the game first and who would have the highest score. Good times. Fabulous memories.

QOTD:
Do you have a game that you play every single day?

wordless wednesday.

word{s}

1. bamboo ~
2. mirror ~
3. pickled ~
4. crinkle ~
5. pure ~
6. bored ~
7. problem ~
8. random ~
9. bucket ~
10. puzzle ~

Feeling blue?

Today - January 19, 2009 - is the most depressing day in HISTORY, say experts
By Daily Mail Reporter

If you woke up feeling blue today then the chances are you are not alone. For Monday, January 19, 2009 is going to be the most depressing day in history, according to experts.

Cold weather, fading Christmas memories and broken New Year resolutions mean this period is usually miserable, but the effects of the economic downturn makes this year worse than ever.

Millions will feel so glum they will decide to stay in bed and up to a quarter of workers are expected to call in sick, research suggests. Psychologist Dr Cliff Arnall has devised a mathematical formula that pinpoints today as Blue Monday.

He says there are six depressive factors which will come together including the winter weather, Christmas credit card bills and abandoned New Year's resolutions. Fears over job security, mounting debt and the house price collapse make this year the toughest yet.

Monday is regarded as the worst day of the week with many dreading the prospect of returning to work. Dr Arnall, 43, said: 'The credit crunch means today is potentially the most depressing Blue Monday we have had.'

The former academic at Cardiff University said the best way to overcome the Monday blues was to do something fun, adding: 'People feeling depressed could put on a fun DVD, get some friends over for something to eat or call someone they've put off calling for months or years.'

Separate research by staff absence specialist FirstCare claims 22 per cent of workers are likely to call in sick today as seasonal illness hits a peak.

A spokesman said: 'Colds and flu like symptoms are often a pre-cursor to stress and depression and it is no coincidence that as the economic climate deteriorates we continue to see people with fatigue and anxiety.'

Meanwhile, William Hartson, a psychologist at Cambridge University, has devised a mathematical formula which marks today as the most likely for accidents.

One Word.

QOTD:
What one word, and one word only, would you put in your NO sign today?

Meal at the Manor.

Appetizer ~
What do you not give a damn about?

Soup ~
What is the best thing since sliced bread?

Salad ~
What does your inquiring mind want to know?

Entrée ~
Are you satisfied with your current cellphone service?

Dessert ~
What calms your stomach when it is upset?

winter treats.

Two Years.

"For in our suffering,
not apart from it,
Jesus enters our sadness,
takes us by the hand,
pulls us gently up to stand,
and invites us to dance.
We find the way to pray,
as the psalmist did,
"You have turned my mourning
into dancing"(Ps 30:11),
because at the center of our grief
we can find the grace of God."

~ Henri Nouwen

You are missed on this and all days.

Rest in Peace, Momma
8.2.39 ~ 1.14.2007

word{s}

1. roll ~
2. deception ~
3. conspiracy ~
4. broken ~
5. close ~
6. tomorrow ~
7. string ~
8. nothing ~
9. missing ~
10. game ~

Well That Was Odd.

There I was, sitting on my sofa, chatting and watching football when the doorbell gonged. My door bell doesn't ding dong it gongs. I love it. But I digress. I am startled as is both the kid who is back in his room as well as one of the cats who ran to hide. I think that is the first time anyone has actually rung the doorbell.

I go to the peephole and look out and am quite surprised to see my ex-father-in-law standing on the porch. I open the door and greet him and invite him in. He informs me that he had been working on his computer all morning and had gotten bored and decided to come say hi. {he lives less than a mile away}

We sat in the livingroom and chatted about nothing while watching a bit of football. He stayed close to half an hour before taking his leave.

My daughter had a good laugh when I told her the story. The kid just shook his head wondering aloud what was up with that after his grandfather left.

QOTD:
Did anything odd happen to you this weekend?

Sometimes.

We all get at least one good wish a year. Over the candles on our birthday. Some of us throw in more. On eyelashes, fountains, lucky stars, and every now and then, one of those wishes comes true. So what then? Is it is as good as we'd hoped? Do we bask in the warm glow of our happiness? Or, do we just notice we've got a long list of other wishes waiting to be wished?

We don't wish for the easy stuff. We wish for big things. Things that are ambitious, out of reach. We wish because we need help and we're scared and we know we may be asking too much. We still wish, though, because sometimes they come true.

~ meredith grey

Meal at the Manor.

Appetizer ~
What was the first thing you thought when you looked at yourself in the mirror today?

Soup ~
What's the wackiest belief you held as a child?

Salad ~
If you were stuck in a room for an hour with a chalk board, what would you draw on it?

Entrée ~
You’ve won $100,000 – but have to give it all away. To which charity or institution would you donate it?

Dessert ~
If the statement, *You are what you eat* was true, You would be a _______.

Wordless Wednesday.

word{s}

1. temperature ~
2. cold ~
3. leave ~
4. tune ~
5. fail ~
6. ding ~
7. knock ~
8. quirky ~
9. yawn ~
10. cracker ~

"Wear the old coat

and buy the new book."
~ Austin Phelps

I grew up being taught to love books. My momma always encouraged us to read , even as small children. Weekly trips to the library were a must and I would lug home a huge stack of books each week and bury myself in them. I look back fondly on those days. I can close my eyes and see myself engrossed in a Betsy-Tacy book, the Railway Children or my beloved Rumer Godden stories Miss Happiness and Miss Flower and Little Plum. I loved the last two books so much that I indulged myself a few years back and bought myself old copies of each.

My momma always bought us books at Christmas, a tradition I have carried on with my own children. They enjoy the books I pick especially for them. I even included Rudy in my little book buying quest this year.

My life was hit by a surprise, and not a pleasant one at that, almost 9 years ago. With the changes and stressors that accompanied the surprise I lost most of my ability to concentrate on my books. To this day I still struggle with my concentration. I have been and still am quite distressed by this. {probably doesn't help my ability to concentrate, eh?}

I have decide that this is the year I will take it back. I am going to attempt to read one book a week for this entire year. I think it will be fun to see what I can do with this. I am going to keep a list of the books I have read over on my sidebar. Maybe you will see something over there that catches your interest. I would be thrilled to have you along for the exciting journey through the books I will read over the next year.


QOTD:
Are you interested in joining me for 52 in 52?

Cold Weather is Cold.

QOTD:
Are you cold, frozen or thinking blondie is a wimp? What's the temp in your land today?

Thanks for Your

Cal Poly Universities Float
won the Viewers Choice Award!

QOTD:
Have you ever been to a parade? I mean camp out over night, sit on the curb, wonder at the excitement *been to a parade*?

Parade time!

Go to KTLA and vote Cal Poly as your Viewers Choice between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM.

Vote Here

QOTD:
Did you watch the Tournament of Roses Parade? Did you vote for your favorite float?

Happy New Year!