Talk about a nervewracking experience!!!

Ok, so I'm all set to go to CVS and pick up some cough syrup because I'm dyin' here - I'm showered, in my comfy clothes, out the door with my one earring - realize that hubby has taken my car, left me his, which I never drive, but mine was in the warm garage, it was a cold morning, he had to go to work, you get the drift...

And there are no sunglasses anywhere and the sun is glaring. I have multiple pairs, so I go back in the house and can I find one single pair, oh no, the only pair I can find is on his workbench in the garage and one of the sides has fallen off. So off I go to the car, with my one earring on and my sunglasses all askew on my head, feeling pretty much like bird doodoo, but oh the adventure has just begun.

I fire up hubby's car, remember I never drive this car, and it has the most sensitive gas pedal known to man woman, not to mention that I have no feet, so I have zero sensitivity to it. Well I'm lurching out of the driveway like a teenager trying to learn to drive a stick shift, I make a right turn onto my street, where my neighbor is washing his car, and I practically peel out, I'm goosing it so badly. Arughhhhh, at this point I'm about ready to kill hubby for leaving me this car! And of course I don't want to look like an idiot in front of my neighbor, so I'm trying to appear "normal" and there I am with that one earring and my sunglasses on crooked, rodding my car down the street, and my neighbor is looking at me like I'm a crazy woman, which I am!

So I'm almost to the drugstore, I look in the rear view mirror to change lanes, there is no rear view mirrow... THERE IS NO REAR VIEW MIRROR!!!! Hubby told me last week that it had popped off in the cold weather and he apparently hadn't glued it back on.

So I make it to CVS without crashing, go inside, call Ryan on the phone (pharmacist son, remember) so he can tell me what I need to buy so that I'll quit coughing. $39.00 later, I'm back in the car, swigging Robitussin out of the bottle and THE FRIGGIN CAR WON'T START!!!! It's deader than a doorknob. I am SO upset at this point that I'm given to fits of hysterical laughter. And I can't even look in the rear view mirror to see if my makeup is smeared cause there is no mirror!

I call Ryan again on the phone, poor Ry, he's telling me to just calm down and he's trying to tell me what to do, he doesn't know what's wrong either, but for some reason I messed with locking it and unlocking it and lo and behold IT STARTED. It was the security system that was keeping it from starting. Obviously I had clicked something and screwed that up, too...

So now the windshield wipers are going back and forth and I can't figure out how to turn them off. I sit there in the sun with the wipers swishing away at multiple speeds while I try to figure out how to stop the madness. Then I look at my gauges and Jesus Joseph and Mary, I'm totally out of gas!

And remember, I feel like bird doodoo... So I go to the gas station, roar under the canopy, I'm still hot rodding the car, just can't get a "feel" for that stupid gas pedal, I managed to put gas in it and peel off to the library, where I have NO library card, because it's in MY car, but they did let me check out my book, thank goodness. I'm now back in the car where once again it won't start. WHAT IN THE HELL AM I DOING WRONG WITH THE STUPID KEY ANYWAY???? So I fiddle with it, and fiddle some more, take it out, lock the door, unlock the door, put it back in and finally get it started again and I'm off to the races once more...

I then barreled thru the fast food window for some lunch, oh did I tell you that I'm doing all of this on an expired driver's license??? Oh yeah, I didn't realize it was expired until a couple of weeks ago, and I haven't had a good hair day since to go get a new one. Jeez, Louise what a mess!!! I give the girl at the first window my money and lurch my car forward to the pickup area, and I'm thinking that if I EVER get home I'm never leaving again.

But since I was out I did go to the grocery store for just a few things... Meanwhile John calls me on the phone and I'm laughing so hard he thinks I've totally lost it, which I HAVE.... Then I'm out of the store, in the car, AND IT WON'T START AGAIN!!!!! Well, this time I realize I have the wrong key in the ignition... THE WRONG KEY. I'm not shook, oh no, not much I'm not.... Now I'm wondering if I had the wrong key in the ignition before? Who knows, who cares, I'm NEVER driving that car again, EVER!

I'm home now, safe and sound, and I'm gonna get in my jammies and try and get a grip!

Oh Men Schmen, anyway. This would have been so simple if I would have just had my own car!

But the good news is I haven't coughed once since I swigged half a bottle of that cough syrup. I actually feel quite a bit better. It's probably the alcohol... Oh gracious sakes, what a day Miz Scarlett has had!!!!! Lawdy, Mellie, I do feel a fit of the vapors comin' on...

I'm off to the drugstore, but....

I'm missing an earring... I didn't lose it, it somehow fell out yesterday, probably when I was doubled over with one of my coughing spasms. It was so bad this morning when I was talking to Nish that I had to just hang up. She called right back, just to see if I was alive. Yeah, I'm alive, but pretty miserable.

But enough of that... I have these little tiny silver hoops, nothing special, but I really like them. They are SO tiny that hubby has to fasten them for me with his glasses on with a pair of needle nose pliars. Now that's really fun...

So one fell out, and since they are a pain in the patootie to put in, no way am I taking the other one out. So I'm off to get cough medicine and stop by the library with one in and one out. Maybe I'll just look trendy? Yeah, right... Coughing and hacking and looking like death warmed over. Trendy my ass!!!

I'm just in a great mood today, how about you????

In between coughing spasms...

I played with brushes in Photoshop Elements this evening. I've discovered I just adore brushes for scrapbook layouts. These are from Rhonna Ferrar and since I was sick and tired of being sick and tired, I leafed thru my summer pictures of the patio, added a couple of pictures of our waterfall and window box to a background paper, stuck in a couple of elements and then added lots of brush effects. Not especially breathtaking, but at least I feel productive.

If you haven't seen my waterfall pictures before, hubby built this for me three summers ago. It's inside our fenced patio and oh how I love the sound of that trickling water. He added a stream to it, and it always makes me feel good to just sit by it and enjoy the birds, and the fleurs. Oh, do I have a bad case of spring fever! Click the pix for a larger image.

~ jan

Sweet little fur babies...

Day to day living with dogs is the most wonderful experience. They give me such unconditional love... The M&M's have shared the chair and ottoman with me all afternoon. They don't care that my hair is a mess, that I'm in my pajamas, or that I feel like a limp noodle who wears myself out with spasms of coughing. They gaze at me with these adoring little chocolate drop eyes, and all it takes is a morsel, just the tiniest morsel of a snack and they are so grateful.

I often feel sorry for them, that they only can eat what I provide. What if they are tired of kibble, or they are craving bits of burger or cheese? I have no way of knowing that, and so they gaze at whatever I'm eating, hoping that I'll share. And I do, if it's healthy for them. I learned a hard lesson with Munchie and a bout of pancreatitis, that you have to be really careful what you let your fur kidz snack on. Nothing rich, nothing greasy, EV-ER... And recently Jean sent me an email saying that raisins and grapes were a nono. I didn't know that, I thought that pretty much any fruit was fine for them.

Maggie has a fondness for apples and oranges, but has hasn't quite figured out bananas. She eats them, but does so with the strangest expression, it must be the texture. And the Munchkin? She has always eaten just about anything that comes her way, but I am pickier with her now that she hasn't as many teeth as in her youth. She does enjoy green peppers, though, and still gets reallly excited when I feed them to her.

I should learn from my dogs, just be grateful for whatever comes my way, and eat totally healthy. Easier said than done, long term, I'm afraid...

And in other news, Nisha is having date night. I didn't even realize it was Friday! Oh Friday nite dates are my favorite thing, poor hubby he's working tonight and he is still under the weather, so no date for me. V and Rich are headed out as well to dinner, they always go out on Friday night.

John and Tonia are going to eat Mexican , that's their standing date on Friday nights. They have the BEST little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant in Franklin. Ryan and Lindsay are moved in now, the movers just left a bit ago, Ryan is a pretty sick puppy with the flu, so it looks like John and T won't be going tomorrow after all.

They are leaving for South Africa for vacation on Thursday, they certainly don't need Ry's flu bug before they go on their trip...

Hopefully hubby and I will be feeling better by Monday, we're really anxious to visit the kids...

And that's it from my little speck o' the net. Not much action Jackson around here. The most exciting thing I've done is taken an Advil Cold and Sinus which seemed to clear my nasal passages a bit. How's that for an exciting evening???

I'm watching Oprah about redefining your life in your 40's, 50's and 60's...

And what am I thinking of this show with all these revelations, a lot of them from surgically enhanced actresses? Well, it's hard for me to identify with these rich be-otches and their privileged lives, and the wisdom they try to impart, because they live in these plastic bubbles that aren't a part of the real world.

Bette Midler is 62, and she's saying that she thinks she is fabulous, that she looks fabulous naked, and with clothes on and she thinks she's sexy. Puh-leez - nobody looks sexy at 62, and NOBODY, looks good naked at that age... you can lift the face and botax the heck out of yourself but the body is gonna sag... But then she did get real and say that she now wonders how many more summer and winters of her life she has left, and she never thought of that before...

Natalie Cole did say something of substance when she said that she is more content to be alone with herself now that she is older (she's 58). I can identify with that, as I age, I feel that I turn inward more, and am content with my own company. That to me is an amazing thing, to be satisfied with who I am and to enjoy my alone time, it wasn't always that way...

Oprah said that by the time you are in your 50's, you please yourself and not others so much, that's true also. So some of this show has merit, it's just those phoney celebrities that "jan q. public" can't identify with...

Marianne Williamson was a guest and she has a new book, I called the library right away, and reserved a copy, it should be an interesting read. It's called The Age of Miracles, Embracing the New Midlife.

And what are my words of wisdom??? I find that the most important lesson I've learned in life, one that I tell my daughters-in-law frequently, is that YOU are the only one that can truly make yourself happy. You can't look to a man to do this, or family or friends, they enrich your lives, but it's ultimately up to you, and sometimes it's as simple as making a conscious choice to be happy.

For me, it isn't so much happiness that I strive for as it is a sense of peace. Happiness is fleeting, it's made up of fragmented moments of joy, and when that occurs it's like pure sunshine, but if you can have a constant feeling of inner peace, then the rest of your life falls in place, regardless of the turmoil of the outside world.

Oh my, that's pretty deep water I'm wading in, Miss Merry Sunshine usually doesn't get philosophical... Just my two cents worth...

Home Sweet Home.... finally....

And now for the big family news... Omg, ladies, many of you have no idea what Ryan and Lindsay (youngest son and his wife) have gone thru this past year. I don't even know where to begin to tell you about their crazy house search...

First of all, Ryan transferred with his job from Hell Paso, Texas to Lexington Kentucky last February, and they lived with us for a few months, staying here on weekends, while they commuted weekly to Lexington, and tried to buy a house. THIS HOUSE! They made their first offer in March, the seller totally ignored their offer as it was quite a bit below his listing price and they continued to look for their dream home.

They had narrowed their search to Versailles, because they loved the area that bordered Keeneland Race Track, and they specifically wanted the country life, in a subdivision with a large yard. And so they looked, and looked, and looked some more, determined not to build because they went thru that in Texas, and didn't want that experience again. But it was not to be, they didn't find their dream home, nothing measured up to this one.

Houses in their price range didn't move at all in Lexington this past year. Like most of the country, the houses just sat on the market, and not many new ones were listed. In August, they made yet another offer on this house, and this time their offer was more favorably looked upon, and the dance began. There were counter offers, and meanwhile another couple relocating to the area came in under the radar and overbid their offer, so it looked like it wasn't going to happen. But the other couple decided they couldn't afford it and pulled back.

The owner's bank was on the West Coast which compounded the problem... It's now the first of December, and they were still waiting to hear from the bank, and then the news came, the bank accepted their offer and they thought the owner would sign off and they would close by Christmas. But it wasn't meant to be, the owner had issues with the bank, and wouldn't sign the paperwork. And so they waited, still fearful that someone could once again come in under the radar, buy it and they would be back at square one.

We tried to reassure them, it was the wrong market, wrong time of year for buyers to buy, nobody buys a house around the holidays, yadayadayada, and I drove poor Lindsay crazy saying "Surely, next week, something will happen." But it didn't, nothing happened until mid January when the seller finally decided to sign the paperwork. They then thought they would be closed by Valentine's Day, but oh no, they couldn't get a confirmation from the owner's bank, even though the owner had okayed the sale.

Finally, the realtors put the wheels in motion without the bank's approval, the inspections were finished, and they scheduled to close today at 11am in the attorney's office, and FINALLY at 10:30 am, the paperwork arrived from the bank... So until this morning, they still didn't know if they were actually getting their house.

Needless to say I have never heard of anything being so complicated or taking so long in my entire fifty eight years of life. None of my friends have either, we were all totally bamboozled by this, we were always able to close on houses in thirty days. So many of you who were privy to what was going on have called countless times, asking "have they heard anything yet." We were just all so flabbergasted at what was going on.

But it's over now, they have their dream home, sitting on an acre of land, bordered by that great black wood rail fence that Lexington is famous for. And, best of all, they are next to a creek and a cow pasture. Yes, a cow pasture. They are going to awake to the mooing sounds of bovine... I can't wait to hear how that works out for them... Personally, I think it's wonderful, I am a country girl after all... And a CREEK!! You all know how I feel about my beloved childhood ditch, and to me a creek and a ditch are one in the same....

So a huge congrats to both of them. They have FAR more patience than their Father and I have... Hubby and I are planning a trip to Versailles next week if we get over this bug... John and Tonia (oldest son and wife) are planning to go this weekend, the troops are rallying...

Life is indeed good, next to the cow pasture, in Kentucky...

If you're a Lucy fan, you're in for a treat - The Long, Long, Trailer

This clip is wonderful, great color, you'll love her in the kitchen...

I'll be darned if it didn't help...

I got hung up on UTube last night, I seem to always do that late in the evening, didn't turn in 'til midnight, and, poor sick hubby was trying to sleep, coughing every other breath, and so, I got out the trusty Vicks, smeared it on the bottoms of his feet, pulled up his socks and tucked him in... I've blogged enough about it lately, this was the perfect chance to see if it worked...

He coughed for a few more minutes and then settled down to sleep. It really did help him... or maybe it was the fact that I was massaging it into the pads of his feet that relaxed him. Nope, I really do think it helped. More than one of you has emailed me with the same results.

I know, it make no sense, but if it works, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Oh, if you haven't read my blogs, putting Vicks on the bottom of your feet, then pulling on socks at night is documented to help you quit coughing.

Hope all of you are staying healthy, this cold bug has hit our entire family, even though we all live in different cities. And speaking of family, I have big news tomorrow. Nonononono, not that kind of news, nobody is prego, but it is good news.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, it's only a day away....

Don Knotts, nobody does comedy better...

Thanks for the joke Barb, you made my day...

Where did this saying come from anyway?

"I've come down with the flu."

Now just what does that mean anyway? That you've come down from a standing position to being flat on your back in the bed?

Well that sounds really stupid when you think about it, but poor hubby has indeed come down with"something." He's coughing and hacking and his nose is stuffy, and of course I'm not feeling so great either. My poor widdle throat is all scratchy and I've been up since 2am, tossing and turning. I finally get up, fire up the puter' before 5am, and guess who's on.... HOOTERVILLE. I instant message her, she's been up since 3!

We are both NUTS!!!

And so it goes this winter morning with more snow forcasted for today. I'm off to the kitchen to brew a pot, just what I need, CAFFEINE!!!

I'm pondering this morning...

Do straight real men blog? Heck if I know, but I don't see much evidence of it ... I'm always visiting blogs, albeit they are girl related, but you would think I would stumble onto some kind of guy blog on my travels around the net...

But nope, I never do... Is it that we are so much more vocal than men? That we express ourselves better? And not to stereotype, but I've always said that if it's not about T&A or it doesn't go vroom, vroom, then they really aren't too interested in it. Hence my straight man theory....

So maybe that's what it's all about with men. They are blogging about fast cars, or women's body parts. Well that would explain why I never read any of their shtick, I could care less about either of those subjects...

Oh, I'm so glad I am W-O-M-A-N... I have lots and lots of interests... food, petite bebes, gardening, gossip, friends, makeup, clothes, decorating, trashy novels, all the 'important' things in life... oh it's such fun being a girl old girl....

I love Chicken Piccata, and I've totally forgotten about it. I was reading Simply Elise and she posted it, and I simply HAD to snag it for all of you.

So, if you're looking for something new to add to your repertoire, give this a try. It is so easy and it's simply DI-VINE...

Oh, did I mention that it is EXTREMELY easy, and just takes minutes to make.... A little pasta, green salad, some crusty bread and you've got a really special dinner...

I posted it on the Jan Can Cook board, for quick access, here's the CLICK....

This one's for you, sweetie...

My good friend Nisha's daughter, Mandi, is getting married in the fall. Mandi is a workout fanatic, and of course she is in full swing, fine tuning for her wedding.

I scrapped this page for her this morning and sent it to her...

Mandi's a total girly girl, I can just see her sitting at the computer giggling over this...

Want to see the full size - Here's the CLICK...

The way it looks now...

I know, it's a lovely bed, why am I replacing it? Because what you're not seeing in this picture is the footboard - plus this is a sleigh bed, so it sits away from the wall and the footboard curves outward, and there is just a small walk area because the armoire is at the foot of it.

See that great piece of fretwork on the arched window? Originally that piece was in an arched doorway of an old home. In the early 80's I was at an antique store in this lady's home and I dragged this out from behind a box and asked her how much... $15.00!!!! That was my deal of a lifetime. I've always had a place for it, but when we moved to the condo, I thought I wouldn't be able to use it, but hubby popped it up the window, and VOILA!!!! Works for me....

I thought you would all get a better sense of what I'm trying to achieve if you could see the picture. It just took me a bit to find one...

~ jan

You're actually voting!!!!

Wow, ladies, I'm really impressed, you're actually voting on which bed you like.

I've now progressed to deciding what to put on this bed that I'm going to buy. I really think I want a down comforter covered with a duvet for a lofty look, something breezy and summery would be nice for a change, my colors now are jewel tones, and I'm growing a little weary of the heaviness of it all...

So if you've voted, thanks so much, and if you haven't, scroll down, check out the beds, then go to the left sidebar and tell me what YOU like....

~ jan