A corny tribute

A have a friend
Goes with me everywhere
keeps my company on the bus
in bed
on the porch, the couch,
in my favorite chair
It doesn't judge me
it just follows me around
it makes me laugh
cry
get angry
get scared
makes me think
makes me dream
and wonder
it introduces me to new people all the time
some of them I like
some of them I love
some of them I don't care for so much
but no matter what, I always feel something
delight
remorse
temptation
joy
sorrow
I can not tell you how thankful I am
to have you in my life
No matter what else is happening
you are there
always
the one sure thing I can depend on
My friend,
My book

A Hidden Talent

Boys and Girls gather round, I want to share with you the wonders of the great and powerful Newt.

She has developed a skill so talented it is mind boggling.

Yes, stranger than fiction, odder than an episode of the twilight zone and crazier than your neighborhood cat lady.

My friends, Newt goes to bed at night. The bed she sleeps in is a queen sized captains bed. It rises 4 feet off the ground and has storage drawers around the base. Like most of you folks Newt has a mattress cover, a fitted sheet, a flat sheet and, weather depending, between 1 and 50 blankets, all neatly arranged on the bed in the usual style.

Well ladies and gents, Newt snuggles down between the sheets, curls up in a little ball and falls quickly asleep.

But sometime in the night the magic occurs.

Folks, Newt somehow manages to crawl between the fitted sheet and mattress pad. She's not sure how she does it. But like magic, when she wakes up she is snug as a bug under the fitted sheet.

That's right ladies and gents, you read that correctly, the lil lady gets herself in quite a pickle. She somehow manages to cast off the blanket and the sheet, pull up the tightly wrapped fitted bottom sheet and crawl under it all without waking up.

And she now realizes why she was so annoyed with the hubster and didn't feel like she had a whole lotta sheet to cover up with. But of course, in her sleepy dreamy state she never wakes up enough to realize the mess she has gotten herself into.

This ain't no tall tale, this is the gosh darn truth.

That little ol' Newt is a talented girl.

Yep, she sure is......................

Random Newt

Ready - Set - Go


I LOVE thunderstorms. Everything about them is fantastic. But why do we have to have them two nights in a row at 2:30 in the morning?????


I'm starting to like them a little bit less.

Though I gotta say that first cup of coffee in the morning has not tasted better.

Coffee is the nectar of the gods

Tonight I am going to grill steak even if it is storming

I have Au gratin potatoes and steak on the brain and I won't be stopped

And Peach pie to finish the evening

Mom and Dad sent me two more flamingos for my birthday. I brought them to work and it's starting to look like I have a fetish

One has rubber hair - he's very funky

I tried this stuff called vitaminwater by glaceau. It's not bad.

I'm on a bologna sandwich kick right now. I go through this for about a week every couple of years. And then I go back to PB&J

I'm grateful that Oscar Meyer made a song about it so that I can spell both bologna and meyer.

Neither of which make sense phonetically.

Not that much makes sense phonetically in the English language

Tonight Eureka is on. I love Tuesdays for this very reason

Of course it is also the release day for books, movies and cd's so Tuesdays are all around good days.

And they aren't Monday

I am wearing very sexy bubble gum pink sandals today.

We have a long weekend coming up. I will be off work for four days. FOUR!

Girl J and I are going back to the fair on Saturday. I can't wait! We'll take more pictures. Maybe even of some food this time. Maybe just food. Hmmmmm

I few minutes ago I had a passing thought that I needed to pick something up tonight at Target. I have no idea what it was.

Couldn't have been that important.

Or, it is important and I will remember at 5 minutes to 9 tonight.

How do I forget things so fast????

I have mentally walked around the entire store and I have no clue what it was I needed.

Is it sad that I can mentally walk around the entire Target store.

I do need to get nail polish remover but that wasn't it.

Ok, this is going to bug me.

Hugs all around - I gotta go catch a bus.

Minnesota State Fair - in pictures

Images from the 2007 Minnesota State Fair

If it's not on a stick it has to be eaten with a spork

See Tink, we think about you even when you are miles away!
It's a Sukup, need I say more????

Please note the girl in the background (right) with the lime green tights

The fairgrounds has beautiful landscaping all over, but this, we thought was a little silly:

Big manly trucks and pretty flowers, or in the below picture a sad little pot

Garbage frog. I believe the sculpture is made entirely out of things they pull out of the Mississippi River
Girl J

Very well dressed dude

I'll take the big dog please............OH, oh, it's FOOD, oh, well, never mind

Hmmm, a musical ride with Canadian Mounties. My mind went instantly into the gutter.

Especially since they were all pretty hot (The guys not the horses)

All the horses had maple leaves shaved into their back side

Sophie sassing mom

Worlds cutest puppy

Horsing around with Socs

And last but not least - the sassy new super short hair cut

Newtness is spreading

It's catchy, be careful. You might find yourself looking for cute shoes. Or even clothing for that matter. Last night I was asked to go with a co-worker to DSW to help her find shoes. Cute ones, not the usual black or brown practical shoes she wears.

She left the store with an adorable patten leather dark red/burgundy colored wedge. The kind of color that would go with anything. And she was so excited because it was way out of her box.

Another co-worker was apparently informed by Girl A that I would be a great resource if she needed help shopping. That I am great at helping people find the perfect clothing. For their style, their body type, and their budget.

Wow, who'd have thunk. I always thought of myself as fashionably impaired.

Anyway, it was a wonderful compliment. I was actually quite touched to know that Girl A thought I did a great job helping her find new items for her wardrobe. Such a great job that she spread the word.

Of course, I have a partner in crime. Girl J and I are a team. It's a joint effort. And we probably really should try to make a business out of it. Personal shoppers. Hmmmm has a nice ring to it.

Aaaacccchhhh My Eyes!

So there I was last night flipping through the cable guide when I stumbled on something called "Shoe Therapy" so of course I selected it to see what it was.

It was a show on Home Shopping Network.

Now picture a room full of guys watching a game on tv. Their favorite team is loosing. And in fact their team is dressed in inappropriate clothing. Let's say they are wearing 1940's football uniforms yet playing basketball. And let's just say they were playing basketball but every time someone from their team gets their hands on the ball it instantly deflates. And the ref's throw out a new ball to the opposing team for no real reason so that they have control again.

Now imagine the screaming and swearing. Ok, make it louder, and more obscene.

Ok, now double it

And now you have me. Sitting all by myself on the couch screaming at the tv.

It was an affront I tell you!

Obscene and disrespectful to shoe lovers everywhere.

WHO sells birkenstocks with bling on them? And worse, brags about the fact that the shoes are made of REAL cat fur? And who puts leopard print on a pair of birkenstocks and then charges 68 bucks for them? And tries to pass them off as high fashion like everyone in Hollywood is wearing?????!!!!!

And then, THEN you show boots that are slouch style. And the model is wearing them with jeans and an oversized sweater that is belted?

I thought I fell into an old 80's re-run.

And don't even get me started on the white sling backs that they modeled on a woman wearing textured black stockings.

Yes, I sat through the remaining 30 minutes of the show. I couldn't stop. It was a train wreck. A total and complete disaster to all that I hold sacred.

Newt: Honey, you should have been here it was horrible
Hubster: What?
Newt: This show on home shopping network
Hubster: Why are you watching home shopping network
Newt: Well it was a show called shoe therapy
Hubster: Oh, god, no, what did you order
Newt: Order? Order? No honey, it was aweful - their shoes sucked and even worse, their fashion sense.
Hubster: And you care why?
Newt: Because shoes are sacred and they were committing crimes against humanity
Hubster: So turn it off
Newt: No, women everywhere must be warned - I called Girl J and told her about it
Hubster: You're too funny
Newt: You don't understand how bothered I was by it
Hubster: So, I ask again, why do you care?
Newt: Because they were selling hundreds of these shoes
Hubster: So?
Newt: So now there are hundreds of women out there wearing bad shoes
Hubster: Just watch Star Trek ok, and don't worry about the shoes.
Newt: But, but..............
Hubster: Here, eat a chocolate covered strawberry, you'll feel better.
Newt: Ok.

Happy Monday!

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes. I tend to be rather quiet about these things. Since I don't like making a fuss about stuff. Especially when it means getting older :-)

But I had a marvelous weekend. And I couldn't have asked for a nicer birthday on Sunday.

I know I talked about how things don't matter, that people do but of course I want to share the sweet and wonderful things I got for my b-day.

First, I came upstairs to find this:

The hubster got me this purse and wallet set:

Girl J got me these fabulous shoes
And she got me pj's for my lazy days:
And I got myself this: If you have never had it, Dunkin Donuts makes the BEST coffee!
And there are none out here in MN so I was thrilled beyond words to hear they were going national with their coffee.


My In-laws gave me this:

I must confess this is my first designer purse and I'm afraid to use it :-)

And someone VERY special had this sent to me. Chocolate covered strawberries! Yummy!!!!

We went to see The Simpson's. Which I thought was wonderful. It's exactly like the show only bigger than life. I loved that they stayed true to the show and didn't get weird or anything. I just liked seeing them on the big screen. And Homer had a great line in the film that I can't remember very well. But it was another tender moment from him. He said something to Marge about why he does dumb things during the day and it boiled down to "So it doesn't hurt so much while I wait till I get to be back sleeping next to you" And I know I am quoting that badly but the gist was that his day sucks but the fact that he gets to end his day with Marge is the one bright spot in his life. And of course I went "Awwwwww"

The hubster also took me to dinner at one of my favorite places, it's a little Mexican place in town. Their food is good but their dessert is one of my all time favorites, sopapillas. It's a fried bread that you dip in honey. Ummmmmmmmm.

Hugs all around!

As old as you feel

So they say you are only as old as you feel.

When dealing with teenagers I don't feel old, I feel wise and mature
When standing around chatting with co-workers I tend to feel a lot younger
Maybe because they are grown-up
And I'm still refusing to do so
When I look in the mirror I don't think I look old
When I talk to my parents I definitely don't feel old
The doctor doesn't make me feel old.....yet........
I haven't hit the age when they start increasing the number of tests you need to have
Some of my same age friends have pre kindergarten children
They don't make me feel old
Some of my friends have high school children or, worse, college age
They remind me I am older than I think I am
But it doesn't make me feel old
Maybe because I don't have the battle scars of raising a teenager
I'm younger than my hubby so to him I'm his beautiful sweetheart
He has never called me "the Old Lady"
Or the "Ball and Chain" for that matter
Some friends are incredibly young mentally still
And in some cases also in age
But they don't make me feel old, just more grown-up and mature
So really, nothing makes me feel that old
And I'm really not all that old
Though we have been looking out for our retirement
We have been maxing out our 401K
We have been thinking about where we want to retire
But truly we are only at the half way point for that
And we know that it is important to have that for the future
So that is financial maturity, that isn't being old
I'm a kid at heart and probably always will be
I don't base my value on how nice my house is, or what car I drive
I base my life on my animals, my hubster, my family, and my friends
And would rather cuddle on the couch with the hubster and watch a movie
Than worry about dusting
I've accepted the fact that in a house with many animals
Fur happens
I have a small home that is messy, cluttered, and some of the furniture is on it's last three legs, literally, we have a two-by-four holding up the couch
But that doesn't matter to me
What matters to me is that my puppies are happy
My hubster and I love each other to no end
And when friends visit they come to see us
And we enjoy seeing them
When faced with death no one wishes they had dusted one more time, or that they had gotten something finished at work.
They wish they had kissed their spouse one more time
They wish they could get a puppy kiss one more time
They wish that they could fall asleep holding someones hand one more time
Maybe that is what keeps me from feeling old
My focus
It's never on things
It's on people and pets
I could care less about things
So we aren't so deep in debt we can't see a way out
We aren't so obsessed with image that we can't enjoy what we have
We live our life for what really matters
There is a lot less stress that way
And that is why I don't feel old
Even when the calendar says I just got a year older
It's just a number

Silver spoons

I was walking around downtown with Girl J and we passed by a multi generation of women that smelled like money. Elegant clothing, perfect hair, stick thin. Every generation. And there was three or four generations of them walking together.

And we joked that we were definitely missing the money gene. The perfect posture, the beauty pageant smile and walk. The tailored clothing and coiffed hair.

Even if we won the lottery tomorrow we could never have whatever it is they have.

What is it that they have? What is it about "good breeding"?

I'm not envious, not in the least. I know that what goes on behind their doors could be a nightmare greater than anything I can imagine.

But I am curious about how some people are born with the proverbial silver spoon and stick up the you know what and some of us are not. Ok, most of us are not.

Honestly, how many poor posture, slovenly, butt ugly people have you seen that are from well to do families. Old money. I can't think of many.

Is it just genes or do they get pulled aside in pre-school and get lessons the rest of us aren't entitled to? What does good breeding really mean? And how do so many manage to look posture perfect?

And how much work is it to look like you just walked off the cover of In Style?

Cause I'm lucky if I can put my shirt on right side out. And I'm even luckier if I get out the door without mascara marks all over my face. And that's when I 'm trying to look nice.

There probably isn't an answer but I thought I would run it by you. It's been on my mind since we had our walk.

Flying thoughts and pictures

The thoughts whizzing through my head

1. How slowly and painfully can you kill the man that breaks your friend's heart?

2. Where is a good place to hide a body?

3. I'm hungry

4. They mentioned chance of frost for NE Minnesota tonight

5. Are you kidding me?????????????

6. It's only bloody August. WTF?

7. The book I am reading is making me want to explore Minneapolis more

8. Only it's a little harder to get around there now.

9. And I hate traffic

10. And the main artery in the cities is shut down this weekend

11. Thus I will hide in my house or stay very local

12. I miss my puppies all day long

13. I just overheard a co-worker discussing how disgusting someones house was because there was dog fur everywhere and they let the dog on furniture. She was totally appalled.

14. I didn't really like her all that much

15. Now I'm certain I don't

16. Anti-animal people scare me

17. I think there is something wrong with them

18. My dad always said, never trust someone that doesn't like animals

19. Some of the best advice he ever gave me

20. He also said that I should never react to someone that is angry with me. Stay calm and collected. Don't give them what they really want.

21. And be so nice and agreeable that they are apologising to you in the end.

22. It actually does work. I've been using that technique for years.

How about some pictures now:

My beautiful Caleb

My little lap warmer

New Day Lily in the garden

Don't know what this is but it's sure pretty

More garden
Foxglove
Dragon Fly that came to say hello