420: putting on my boogie shoes

getting ready to boogie outta here again...

i'm making tracks to do:

1. doc's ofc - get forms for mr. bliss to fill out
2. call K. S. re making a skirt for me
   
3. library - return, pick up, hang for a while, thank you card - library photog
4. WalMart -look for energy efficient heater, rechargeable batteries, soap dish,
   
5. post office
   
6. check for G.S. badge stuff and make list; submit to K___ by Oct. 31!
7. find paperwork to compare ins. plans for possible switch - due immediately!
   
8. check ins. co's website for info re submitting proof of payment for medical expenses
9. remind mr. bliss to call doc's office re his appt.
10. add auto appt to my calendar
    
11. write commendation letter - Ms. S____
12. check out blurb.com
13. scan and print crochet patterns
14. feed my NeoPet
15. work on kitty's basket
16. start basket for S's kitty
17. work on baskets for K's baby
18. work on new bracelet designs
19. continue working on wrap for the show
20. baby bliss still needs to clean her room... God help us...
21. my office... *sigh*
22. 
    
23. 
    
24. sign us up for wellness stuff
25. 
    
26. add G.S. stuff to all calendars

next week:

1. $$ store - dry goods for G.S. celebration (utensils, small plates, cups, napkins)
   
2. 
   

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419: getting ready to run outta here!

for today:

1. Trader Joe's - get stuff for home schoolers fall party (cups, children's bars, water)
2. $$ store - dry goods for G.S. celebration (utensils, small plates, cups, napkins); 8 x 10 photo frame for Baby Bliss
3. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. - park @ home schoolers fall party
4. Sam's - get salsa and chips for church Halloween party, look for energy efficient heater
5. home - gather other stuff for the party
   
6. 6:30 p.m. - party @ the church
7. post office
   
8. check ins. co's website for info re submitting proof of payment for medical expenses
9. remind mr. bliss to call doc's office re his appt.
10. add auto appt to my calendar
    
11. write commendation letter - Ms. S____
12. write thank you card - library photog (take tomorrow)
13. switch baby bliss's recurring monthly expenses to her account
14. compare ins. plans for possible switch
15. sign us up for wellness stuff
16. G.S. stuff - check for badge stuff (lists, forms)
17. add G.S. stuff to all calendars
18. check out blurb.com
19. scan and print crochet patterns
20. copy baby bliss's blank worksheets
21. feed my NeoPet
22. work on kitty's basket
23. start basket for S's kitty
24. work on baskets for K's baby
25. work on new bracelet designs
26. continue working on wrap for the show
27. baby bliss still needs to clean her room... God help us...
28. my office... *sigh*

i'm outta here!

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418: getting it done

what's on for today:
(some of it has already been done. thank you Spirit!)

1. call dealership re lost coupon for free brake check
   
2. make a doc appt for mr. bliss
   
3. URGENT - take grandma a phone
   
4. post office
5. call ins. co. for info re submitting proof of payment for medical expenses
6. write commendation letter - Ms. S____
7. write thank you card - library photog
8. switch baby bliss's recurring monthly expenses to her account
9. compare ins. plans for possible switch
10. sign us up for wellness stuff
    
11. G.S. stuff - check for badge stuff (lists, forms)
12. add G.S. stuff to all calendars
    
13. check out blurb.com
14. scan and print crochet patterns
15. copy baby bliss's blank worksheets
    
16. feed my NeoPet
17. work on kitty's basket
18. start basket for S's kitty
    
19. work on baskets for K's baby
20. work on new bracelet designs
21. continue working on wrap for the show
22. baby bliss still needs to clean her room... God help us...
    
23. my office... *sigh*
    

tomorrow:

1. $$ store - get stuff for Oct. 29 home schooler's fall party (cups, children's bars, water); dry goods for G.S. celebration (utensils, small plates, cups, napkins); 8 x 10 photo frame for Baby Bliss
   
2. 
   

417: for tomorrow.

okay so i got some stuff mixed up for friday's list.

one reason i'm not a "joiner" is because i don't like being on other people's time. but this school year, i thought baby bliss and i could both benefit from being part of a home schooling group. and we have.

but it's also brought some confusion in the form of Events.

i'm glad we found a group for fun and excitement as well as more opportunities for learning and sharing.

how evva, we also joined girl scouts as part of our home schooling group stuff. it's not that i'm trying to do every event or even many of them. the problem is trying to remember which things are home schooling group only and which are girl scouts only.

sigh.

i know me and i know baby bliss. this will either get old by the time the school year ends and we'll take a break for summer. or this will get old by the time the school year ends and we will have had enough by the time next school year rolls around.

i'm hoping the summer break will be enough. i like it that baby bliss has something scheduled to do at least one day of every week. and i've met some cool moms in the group.

actually, the home schooling group events aren't as many as the girl scout events. not that we have to participate in all of those either but i want baby bliss to at least do the ones that involve other troops. i want her to meet at least one person who she can really bond with. that has been an issue with her for as long as i can remember.

i honestly try not to judge people cuz from my own life, i know things are not always how they appear to those looking in. still, there are just certain people/places/things that i don't want baby bliss around.

not that i intend to shelter her. i have seen first-hand how that often turns out to be the very wrong idea. and my momma didn't shelter me. i was allowed to hang out with the cousins who lived in the projects, attend parties with my friends, do sleep overs, etc.

but the world we live in now seems a whole lot different. not to say there were no pedophiles and other nuts hanging about when i was coming up. we just didn't hear about them every day on the news.

and there was no internet so we had no clue what nastiness could have been going on across the street -- and definitely not around the country or the world. now we hear about every raunchy priest, rancid gym coach, randy dad of a best friend. it's upsetting, to say the least. but it's also a reminder to me that as a momma, i cannot be too careful. a thing once done cannot be undone.

any way, i got all off track. this was supposed to be today's to-do list.

and so it is.

1. baby bliss still needs to clean her room!
2. my office looks like several Acts of God have swept through. clean it or lien it!
3. grandma wants to go to Sam's (we both need baking soda)
4. library - return High School Musical 2!
   
5. post office
6. switch baby bliss's recurring monthly expenses to her account
7. compare ins. plans for possible switch
8. sign us up for wellness stuff
   
9. G.S. stuff - check for badge stuff (lists, forms)
10. add G.S. stuff to all calendars
    
11. check out blurb.com
12. scan and print crochet patterns
13. copy baby bliss's blank worksheets
    
14. feed my NeoPet
15. work on kitty's basket
16. start basket for S's kitty
    
17. work on baskets for K's baby
18. work on new bracelet designs
19. continue working on wrap for the show

next week:

1. $$ store - get stuff for Oct. 29 home schooler's fall party (cups, children's bars, water); dry goods for G.S. celebration (utensils, small plates, cups, napkins); 8 x 10 photo frame for Baby Bliss
   
2. call dealership re lost coupon for free brake check
3. call ins. co. for info re submitting proof of payment for medical expenses
4. write commendation letter - Ms. S____
5. write thank you card - library photog

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416: today's list of stuff

i'll be doing most of this today i guess...

1. baby bliss needs to clean her room! (what else is new?!)
2. need to clean my office! (tee hee)
   
3. bank run!
   
4. take grandma to Wally World: need yarn for Spec. Olympics scarf (Red Heart Super Saver, 1 skein each #885 Delft Blue, #311 White)
   
5. post office
6. switch baby bliss's recurring monthly expenses to her account
7. compare ins. plans for possible switch
8. sign us up for wellness stuff
   
9. G.S. stuff - check for badge stuff (lists, forms)
10. add G.S. stuff to all calendars
    
11. check out blurb.com
12. find bread recipe on Simple Dollar
13. scan and print crochet patterns
14. copy baby bliss's blank worksheets
    
15. feed my NeoPet
16. work on kitty's basket
17. start basket for S's kitty
    
18. work on baskets for K's baby
19. work on new bracelet designs
20. continue working on wrap for the show

next week:

1. $$ store - get dry goods for Nov. 5 home schooler's fall party (utensils, small plates, cups, napkins); 8 x 10 photo frame for Baby Bliss
   
2. call dealership re lost coupon for free brake check
3. call ins. co. for info re submitting proof of payment for medical expenses
4. write commendation letter - Ms. S____
5. write thank you card - library photog

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415: what's doing for today

hey y'all.

i'm about to take a nap for a few hours. i'm waiting for mr. bliss to get up so i can make sure he takes care of something Very Important before he leaves for work.

i could have gone to bed and gotten up with him but i didn't. i think i'll start doing that though.

any way, as usual, i have a laundry list of to-do for today. thankfully all the real laundry i intend to do was finished about an hour ago.

today's list:

1. get some sleep!
   
2. baby bliss needs to clean her room!
3. call dealership re lost coupon for free brake check
4. call ins. co. for info re submitting proof of payment for medical expenses
5. write commendation letter - Ms. S____
6. Sam's - get photos printed from CD
   
7. 1 p.m. - doc appt (me)
8. write thank you card - library photog
9. library - return, pick up, drop off thank you card
10. e-mail A___
11. post office
12. drop picture hooks at grandma's
    
13. switch baby bliss's recurring monthly expenses to her account
14. feed my NeoPet
15. work on kitty's basket
16. start basket for S's kitty
    
17. work on baskets for K's baby
18. work on new bracelet designs
19. continue working on wrap for the show

Wednesday:

1. Park Day
   
2. WalMart - switch plate for baby bliss's room, bread, find more yarn
   
3. girl scout's store - baby bliss needs her stuff!
4. healthy foods store: coconut oil, sesame oil, sea salt
   
5. edit shorts for subs: TMB, GNO, the other one (?)
6. where are my silver hoops, 2 Smart 4 U ring???

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414: new earrings

i made another set of earrings recently.

they were easier to make than most of my earrings, as the beads were already wire wrapped. i added the split rings and the ear wires.

et voila!

413: new bracelet (and matching earrings)

hey y'all.

here is one of the new bracelets i made.

baby bliss saw it when she came back from vacation and has claimed it for herself...





















these are the matching earrings:

if i want to wear this with my outfit for the show, i'll have to make another bracelet. the only reason i let baby bliss confiscate this one is because it's too small for me. i did start another but i'm in the middle of several other projects so it's not done yet.


addendum: i forgot to mention that these pieces are were created using recycled materials.

the bracelet is ribbon yarn with a cardboard core. the earrings are ribbon yarn crocheted over the plastic rings from 64 oz. juice bottles.

412: coming soon - jewelry photos

hey y'all.

this is a reminder for me, so i won't forget to do this. ;o)

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411: today's to-do list

hey y'all.

lawd, if my to-do list ain't a long one, i must not be breathing!

today's list (not necessarily in order of importance):

1. girl scout's store - baby bliss needs her stuff!
2. healthy foods store: coconut oil, eucalyptus oil (2), sesame oil,
3. a movie - maybe
   
4. switch baby bliss's recurring monthly expenses to her account
5. check balances on accounts
   
6. post office: mail grandma's rebate form, McD's monopoly requests
7. e-mail A___
8. find coupon for FREE brake check!
   
9. write thank you card - library photog
10. write commendation letter - Ms. S____
11. feed my NeoPet
12. print crochet patterns, proof of payment for medical expenses
13. call ins. co. for info re submitting proof of payment for medical expenses
14. work on kitty's basket
15. work on baskets for K's baby
16. work on new bracelet designs
17. try on show ensemble w/jewelry
18. post photos of new jewelry on blog
19. post on Craig's request for cardboard
20. post on blog request for ideas for cardboard sources
21. decide: am i making a wrap for the show?
22. edit shorts for subs: TMB, GNO, the other one (?)
23. where are my silver hoops, 2 Smart 4 U ring???
    

410: rocking the vote

i did!

it was a 2-hour wait but it was worth it.

baby bliss was allowed to stand with me as i cast my votes for country, state, and local leaders.

she said she can't wait until she's old enough to vote.


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409: a little relief at the pumps?

hey y'all.

i just saw this headline:

Gas prices fall below $3

wow.

just when some folk are so broke that they've traded in their cars for bikes and foot power, it sounds like we can stand up straight and pull up our panties.

i guess W. and his cronies have had enough.

read the full article here.

408: maya angelou spoke to me

hey y'all.

i dreamed about Maya Angelou during my sleeping hours. she and i (along with some other folk) were at the rehearsal for a musical event. the stars were friends of ours.

i sat in the row behind Ms. Angelou and (i believe) Alfre Woodard. Ms. Angelou was engaged in a conversation with a young woman. nosey me heard the young woman make a most glaring grammatical error, one that i hear colored folk make all the time.

she said, "... and we was..."

Ms. Angelou looked around in horror. seeing me, she motioned me forward and lamented in a whisper how our young folk just aren't making the grade when it comes to speaking correct english.

i could only nod in agreement while silently being thankful that baby bliss is not among that number.

it also made me sad because i do know people who speak like that. adults...

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407: dehydration + heating pad + caffeine + heat = heat exhaustion/heat stroke

hey y'all.

this is a health alert but do not read while you're eating or if you have a weak stomach triggered by certain words or imagery.

last weekend, i suffered a heat-related mishap. even now i'm not sure if it was the last stages of heat exhaustion or the initial stages of heat stroke.

i do know that i thought i was going to die and i wanted to die at home, not in the E.R. while running up a bill of tens of thousands.

here's what happened:

my back had been bothering me most of last week. friday evening, i decided to try the heating pad. it felt so good that i kept it on my back for hours, turning it on and off several times during that period.

my back felt a lot better saturday morning but i decided to use the heating pad again, in hopes of having a pain-free day.

late saturday morning, mr. bliss and i went out to run an errand. we decided to eat while we were out.

as we sat on a sunny patio awaiting our food, i sipped a glass of iced tea. (caffeine)

after 20 minutes of waiting, i began to feel nauseated. thinking i was feeling hypoglycemic, i felt it would pass when i got my food. (and if i'd been able to think clearly, i would have known that the tea should have helped with low blood sugar.)

well, the food didn't come and the nausea didn't subside. i told mr. bliss how i was feeling and that we needed to leave. (confusion? intuition? either way i had just been thinking that i needed to eat to overcome the nausea.)

by the time we got halfway to the car, i was doubled over. my body felt as if it were being bombarded. i was nauseated, had a headache, and i was salivating profusely as if vomiting was eminent.

by the time i was seated in the car, waves of nausea were engulfing me, my heart had begun racing, i felt like i was hyperventilating, and my bra felt like it was cutting off my circulation.

then i began to cry uncontrollably.

mr. bliss kept asking me what was wrong but i couldn't tell him.

i didn't know. i just knew i felt wrong and i wanted to go home.

i felt like my nervous system was totally out of wack.

mr. bliss asked if i wanted to go to the hospital (we were across the street from it and had to pass right by it to get home.)

no, i wanted to get home in a hurry.

when we arrived i was still crying. as he helped me up the steps, mr. bliss said, "i think you're having a heat stroke!"

of course i thought he was crazy. how could i have be having a heat stroke? i hadn't been overexerting myself in the heat, just sitting in the sun sipping my sweet tea.

the other factors (heating pad, dehydration, sun, caffeine) were not in my thoughts.

i made it to the bathroom sink, turned on the tap, then began rinsing my mouth and face. (i was still crying.)

mr. bliss put a cold compress on my neck and baby bliss made an ice pack for my head.

they put me to bed and nursed me for hours.

for several hours i drank small bits of water. eventually i ate a bowl of miso soup. and when i felt better, i did some research.

i must have gone to dozens of websites and they were about evenly divided on the symptoms of heat exhaustion vs. heat stroke.

which is why i'm not sure what really happened to me.

what i do know is that i didn't have any warning signs like profuse sweating that stopped or cramping.

so now i am on hyper alert. i've been drinking as much water as i can remember to, avoiding the heating pad (thankfully i don't need it), and making sure i don't feel too warm. because i read that once a person has that type of experience, it's likely to happen again.

don't know if that's true or not but i don't want to be a test case.

thank you God for mr. bliss. if it had been baby bliss and i out alone, i probably would not be here to tell this tale.

so this is a reminder y'all: please drink your water to help prevent something like this from happening to you.

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406: sad news re bus stop babies

hey y'all.

we heard a horrible story the other day on the news.

a 12-year-old girl was waiting for her school bus when she was dragged into the bushes and raped by a 28-year-old man who had a long history with the justice system.

she wasn't as young as the children i talked about in my previous post but we know a sexual assault is traumatic at any age.

thank you God for the people who were able to help her.

everyone, please keep this young girl and her family in your prayers.


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405: a man and his music...

hey y'all. 

 one day i woke up and wanted to see one of my favorite musicians performing. so i logged onto youtube and lo and behold, some wise and wonderful woman had left a love note for me in the comments module: his tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m. amazingly, "today" was the same day i just happened to be checking out his video. hallelujah! then i realized it was mid-afternoon and i panicked. his tickets have been known to sell out in the first two hours. but i prayed, crossed my fingers/legs/heart, and scooted over to ticketmaster dot com. i could have shouted to the heavens when i was able to find a ticket for a verycloseseat. i wanted to take baby bliss because she grew up on his music and she's already enjoyed two of his concerts with me. but two seats together were toofarintheback and costly as well. so i went back to the one-ticket search and my seat was still there. i bought the ticket. once upon a time, i listened to one of his CDs every single day for three (3) years. now i listen to his music most of the time but it's been every day for the past month or so. he hasn't given a concert in soooooo long and i've got a jones to see him live. yes, one ticket was kinda 'spensive but i've been a frugally good wife and mama:

1. 95-99% of our non-grocery shopping is done at the thrift store and walmart.
2. i haven't paid to have my hair done in 3 years. (and 3 years ago i only went one time.)
3. i get a pedicure once a year on average; manicures are less frequent.
4. i drive a hybrid, do my best to combine trips, and don't have to leave home to work so i save on gas.
5. there's a lot more i do to save more and spend less money but the rest would be too long and boring to type.

baby bliss was tear-y when she heard she wasn't going. oh well. she's had more vacations this year than any child i know. not intentionally. it just turned out that way. still. baby bliss should be thankful. (any way, he already kinda knows her since she was allowed on stage at the two concerts i took her to. i'm gonna take him a photo of her so he can see how big she's gotten since the last time he saw her.) this will be a Very Special Event for me and i'm planning everything very carefully. i'm making* my dress, making two sets of jewelry (so i'll have options), and hoping to crochet a shoulder wrap to wear over my dress. 

several hours ago, mr. bliss helped me find a sexycute pair of comfie sandals at the outlet mall. soon as i have time (probably this weekend), i'm gonna take some photos and post so y'all can see my stuff. 

* making = wrapping and tying 1 1/2 yard of stretchy black lace into a form-fitting dress. lol 

404: miracles do happen

hey y'all.

once upon a time, we noticed that baby bliss was walking on her tiptoes.

it didn't seem to be a problem until one day i noticed that she couldn't put her heels on the ground without pain in her achilles tendon. and she couldn't stand up completely straight without her back hurting.

so we slogged through physical therapy, orthopaedic docs, family docs and more. finally we were led to a wonderful doctor who understood the seriousness of the situation.

she understood the situation, something i don't think any of the others did. baby bliss had two visits with our wonderful new doc.

today baby bliss is pain-free and walking with her heels on the ground, no problems.

i am thankful.

amen.


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403: the things we do for love

hey y'all.

my mama n'em are here.

again.

they blew in tuesday. my stepdad is staying for a few days; my mama is leaving tomorrow with baby bliss. they're headed for a weekend excursion at a beautiful beach locale.

too bad they're expecting rain all weekend.

oh well. at least my mama is leaving.

cuz i do declare, she's been getting on my last nerve since she's been here. i know she's not trying to but it's just how she is, being drama queen extraordinaire and all.

i was asked to accompany them on holiday but i declined. i like restful vacations and the last one i took with my mama was anything but.

um, wait. it wasn't so bad. but months after we got back, i began hearing about "all the food" i ate while on vacation.

mama say what?!

the meals were all smorgasbord style but only i ate one plate per meal and not one was piled high or overflowing the sides.

okay, so i ate a few desserts with every dinner. but they were all displayed in bite-sized bits so i grabbed one each of a few i wanted to try.

what -- pray, tell -- is so bad about that?

i know my mama is the planet's most righteous-eating vegetarian/sometime vegan/sometime raw foodist. but although we were visiting a non-u.s. territory, i am an american and i reserve the right to choose my own foodstuffs.

so there granny bliss!

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