YOU'RE THE BEST

Just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all of you!

I've been a terrible blog friend lately, I know. I haven't been visiting everyone like I normally do. I've been a busy girl every day, ALL day and my computer time has been limited. I'm happy though since I've gotten soooo much accomplished. Not only have I been working on "the" closet, but we've been cleaning windows, working in the yard, etc. Don't ask me why we've suddenly gone overboard with doing things around the house. Both of us. It wasn't planned, it just seemed to hit us both at the same time. It's kinda nice to see all we've accomplished.

You've ALL been wonderful about continuing to visit me and leave comments even though I've been a "no show" lately. I really really appreciate it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm hoping to visit you all within the next day or so.


Even Miss Daisy is ready for us to slow down and get back to our normal routine. She follows us around and just watches and waits. This afternoon we took her outside for some play. She ran and ran in circles. Wow, she's so FAST!

Tonight all three of us are tired!
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A little birdie told me tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 12th) is the birthday of a very good blog friend of lots of us....Kari at Just Livin' Large. Stop by and give the birthday girl some birthday blogging love!

Happy Birthday Kari!





From Kat

I'M POOPED!

I'm exhausted tonight. So tired, but it's the good tired feeling you get when you've worked hard all day and got a lot accomplished. I got a good workout this morning in my exercise class and then George and I did a long bike ride. When we got home, we had lunch and then we both got busy doing chores around the house. All.day.long!

I'm ready for bed, but I just had to share this funny cartoon someone e-mailed me:



Hey, I'm blonde myself, but I still had to laugh at this cartoon that was entitled "Best Blonde Cartoon Ever"!


Night Night!



From Kat

GOOD ADVICE, GOOD REPORT, AND A BEAUTIFUL AWARD

When I set myself a goal, I usually like to race to the finish line. I really did plan to spend last weekend cleaning out the closet. Work, work, work and then stand back and admire. But, life and fun has slowed me down. And you know what? I'm just fine with it. I worked on it for maybe an hour this afternoon, but that was it.

Tonja's had some good advice that she left on a comment:

The following is a quote from the Book of Housekeeping and Other Fairy Tales. Just a little thing I authored and am happy to quote occasionally when needed......"Cleaning out a closet is such a cathartic process, it could be dangerous to try to complete it all in one day...or 10. Best to spread it out over a good month or more to realize the true benefit."

~~~~~~

I had my doctor's appointment this morning to get the results from my blood work.

All is good!

Remember back in June when my tumor markers were elevated but still within the normal range? Well, the numbers have decreased. I'll be retested again in December.
~~~~~~

DebraK at ~the Bunnies' Bungalow~ presented me with this very sweet Pearls of Friendship award. Thanks you so much DebraK for thinking of me. You're a dear friend! Click here to read DebraK's post about the Power of Pearls.

I love pearls, especially this necklace George gave me for my birthday 2 years ago. I wear them alot. I used to think you could only wear pearls when you dressed up to go someplace special, but now I wear them any time to go anywhere.

I really appreciate this Pearls of Friendship Award. Just like pearls, friends are precious and beautiful. If you're a regular reader of my blog (and leave comments!), please accept this award from me to YOU.

From Kat

A HOT MONDAY

Until this blankety-blank menopause started, I never ever sweated. Seriously. I might have sparkled a bit or even glimmered, but I didn't sweat. Well ladies, times have changed. My friends think it's funny. And they laugh. At me. You see...they used to tease me since I didn't sweat. I think they were jealous actually. But now, they're laughing and telling me I'm finally "normal". WHATEVER!

This morning I could hardly hold my tennis racquet since my hands were so wet. And sweat was dripping on my face so much that it was dripping off my chin and nose. It was also running down my forehead and into my eyes. Very unlady like! WHATEVER!

I don't know about you but I'm ready for some cooler weather.
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And before you ask...NO, I haven't finished my closet. Life and fun keeps getting in my way. I'm not complaining though.

Several of you have asked for "before" photos, so here's some:

This photo was taken from the closet door. It's a big room and since we don't have an exercise room, we've put the treadmill in here too.

This is George's side. Pretty neat, but he still needs to work on it some. To the left you can barely see our small flat screen TV. We use it alot when we're on the treadmill.

Here's a better shot of the TV and also a chair so we can sit down to put our shoes on.

Another shot of George's side.

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Okay...now for the SCARY part. My side of the closet.

Drumroll please.

Yikes! What a mess. I'm a busy girl though. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Give me another day or two....or 30 and just wait until I'm finished. It's gonna be so much better. Once I'm finally finished, I'll show some "after" photos.

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Tonight some of the "girls" came over for a game night. Here we are playing Mexican Train. Left to right: Carol, Jeanette, Debbie, Me and Erika is standing. (See the lime green fan down at the bottom of the photo...that's my handy dandy fan which I used all night...urgggg...when will these damn hot flashes stop!!!!!!!!)

From Kat

SLOW AND STEADY

There's still plenty of SCARY stuff in my closet and I did work on it a little bit more today, but I still have a l-o-o-o-n-g way to go. It's amazing how easy I can get talked into doing something else. After church and lunch, George wanted us to ride our bikes over to the gym and work out. As much as I didn't want to get out in the heat, getting out of the closet sounded good to me. And it really was good to be outside. Today was HOT, but so gorgeous. It's hard to believe there's another hurricane out there threating to come this way. Please Hurricane Ike stay away! Anyway, back to the closet....I'm really taking my time and going through everything, and I mean everything. Plus, I'm taking everything off of each shelf and wiping each shelf down. If I'm gonna do this, I might as well do it all the way. Slow and steady. I will do this!

From Kat

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

I must have been crazy thinking I could tackle cleaning out the master closet in one weekend!

No way Jose!

I did get started, but I kept having to stop for one reason or another. I do a little bit, then stop to do one thing or another. Plus I had my hair appointment this afternoon and you know how long that takes. It's taking forever just to go through all the shoes. I keep stopping to try them on just one more time. And the purses and belts and sunglasses, oh my! I'm purging though...slowly...but I'm doing it. Now, my closet is a total wreck. There's stacks and bags everywhere.

"Calgon, take me away!"

From Kat

I WILL DO THIS! I WILL DO THIS! I WILL DO THIS!

"Women usually love what they buy...but yet hate two thirds of what is in their closets."
~Mignon McLaglin, The Neurotic's Notebook

My goal this weekend (finally!) is to clean out the master closet. My mantra - I will do this! I will do this! I WILL do this!

I remember so clearly the day we first looked at the house where we live now. Especially seeing the master closet for the first time. It felt so HUGE. All that beautiful space. It was love at first sight. It stands to reason that the more space you have, the more organized you will be. Right? I thought so too. Why then, are so many walk-in closets disorganized messes? It seems that the more space I have, the more junk I hold on to.

Do you do what I do? I hold on to things that are too big or too small for me. Just in case. In case of what?

I read an article in a magazine recently and here's some advice they gave -

Throw it away when:
~You don’t like it.

~You don’t feel comfortable wearing it.

~You don’t remember you had it.

~You have not worn it even once in the past 12 months.

~It doesn’t fit you anymore.

~The only reason you keep because it is expensive.

When I read that list, I knew I had to bite the bullet and get busy. I would guess 60% of my closet needs to go. I'm not kidding.

A friend gave me another piece of advise. She said every time you want to buy something new, stop and think about what you will get rid of in your closet first. Every time you bring something new home, something must go.

Soooo.....

Wish me luck!

From Kat

THURSDAY NIGHT FUN

We had a fun night out with our friends/neighbors Ralph & Debbie (front couple) and Dick and Linda (in the back)...dinner at Trattoria Borago. My! Oh My! So yummy. I had the Fusilli with toasted pine nuts, artichokes, calamata olives, fresh mozzarella and basil pesto sauce and grilled shrimp.

Linda and Debbie "had enough" of George giving them a hard time about golf, so they picked up their forks to get him

We were more civilized on our side of the table - Ralph, Me, and Dick (nope, I didn't cut my hair...I just pulled it up and back...no time tonight to wash hair)

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Q: What is the difference between a hungry woman/man and a glutton?
A: One longs to eat and the other eats too long.

Uh oh...I'm both!!
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Okay, two nights in a row eating out. Sometimes our schedule is crazy. I love every thing we do, but I wish I could spread things out a bit. I need time at home. Hopefully, this will be a quiet weekend. Ya never know though!
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We lucked out with Hurricanes Gustav and Hannah. We're holding our breath and praying that Hurricane Ike will stay away too.

From Kat

GIRLS HAVING FUN

What happens when nine girls go out for dinner, drinks, a movie and dessert?

FUN!

Here we are in the theatre before seeing Mama Mia, the sing-along version. What fun! We sang and sang.

We ended the night with ice cream...yum!

From Kat

THESE ARE GOOD...REAL GOOD

Do yourself a favor and read these...really read them. These are good...real good! Enjoy.
42 Tips for A Better Life
==========================
1. When you wake up in the morning, always start your day with a prayer/vision.
2. And then, complete the following statement, My purpose is to__________ today.
3. Take a 10 to 30-minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
4. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.
5. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
6. Drink plenty of water and fresh juices. Eat blueberries, salad, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds, etc.
7. Make at least three people smile each day.
8. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present.
9. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone, so give the best of your kindness.
11. Take yourself seriously.
12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
14. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don't compare your partner with others either.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. So, be happy.
16. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
17. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.
18. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
19. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: In five years, will it matter?
Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
20. Forgive everyone for everything.
21. Read more books and watch less TV than you did last year.
22. What other people think of you is none of your business.
23. God has everything you'll every need in life so hook up with Him.
24. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
25. In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation; don't bring up the past.
26. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
27. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.
28. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
29. Keep believing that the best is yet to come.
30. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
31. Each day give something good to others.
32. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
33. Sleep for 7 hours every day or whatever your body needs.
34. Don't trust someone who doesn't close their eyes when you kiss them.
35. Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.
36. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck.
37. Do the right thing!
38. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for__________. Today I accomplished_________
39. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
40. Trust in God, but lock your car.
41. Realize that as you get older, you are not approaching death, but heaven.
42. Know that GOD heals everything.

(from my MountainWings daily e-mail)

From Kat

YIKES!

Here in "Paradise" we're so thankful Gustav didn't comes this way, although it saddens us to know anyone had to deal with a hurricane. We've been there before so we know the heardache one can bring. Although, we were lucky and only received rain and wind, our beaches are taking a beating again!

Here's a few photos of what our beach usually looks like...beautiful turquoise water and sugar white sand.

These photos were taken from our beach condo balcony in the past.

Today George and I rode over to check on the condo and the beach and this is what we saw from our balcony:

Where is the beach? Just look how close to homes and buildings the water is! Can you imagine if Gustav had come here? Yikes!

I guess this is what we here in Florida need - Hurricane Season shoes! LOL

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Enough of that sad stuff! Here's something that made me smile:

My sweet blog friend Lisa at Cranberry Flats awarded me with this oh so cute VISA BFF (Blogging Friends Forever) award! Thank you so much Lisa!

1. Jen at The Comfy Place (Australia!)

2. Tonja at Gatherings

3. Teresa at Living the Life

4. Kari at Just Livin' Large

5. DebraK at The Bunnies' Bungalow

There... Your rules are to award this BFF Gold Card to five blogs. One needs to be a new blog from across the world.

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I hope your Labor Day was a good one.

From Kat