The Year Begins, Dad's Words, Hi Bro

~ 2010 begins and I feel rested and ready to enjoy a new year.

~ Lying in his hospital bed dad looks at me and says “I know you…I don’t remember you…but I love you…with all my heart” after I come in to visit

~ Steve pops in to see dad while I’m there, it was good to see him.

Mall Memories, Quite A Deal, Left-Over Gnocchi's

~ I had a great time walking Westland Mall today, picking up presents for AJ to give her friends. I haven’t been there for years! I had hoped to get to Wicks N Sticks, a great candle store, but learned that they’ve been closed for four years! I had lunch at Coney’s, a place mom and I use to enjoy, and had a Coney in her honor.

~ I found two pretty pins for AJ to give friends. She wanted the price to stay around $20 for each gift. The Monet pins I found were $25, but I didn’t think she’d mind the difference. A sweet lady I met in line gave me a 20%-off coupon, there was a sale on the pins already, and the two pins cost me just over $27, rather than $50.

~ Carole, Dave, Anne, and Sara stopped by for a few minutes with a bowl of left-over gnocchi’s (my favorite meal!) Carole made last night. They were delicious!

Rainbow Splash, OB Christmas Party, Warming Up Luckiness

~ Going to work I saw a rainbow splash in the sky –lovely!

~ We had our department Christmas party at work today –lots of yummy food! Sharice, our supervisor, gave us each a Glade holiday candle set –mine has a beautiful apple cinnamon scent. AND we got off 2 1/2 hours early!

~ I once heard that if you rub raffle tickets before you drop them into a bucket, the warmth they take on gives you a better chance of winning in a raffle -this advice won me a $20 gift certificate to Target tonight! Yay!!!

Off Early, Bang Up Job, Batch Of Ketchup

~ We got off early from work, over 3 hours early –yay! That’s always a good feeling! It will be a couple bucks less on my check, but the short-term benefits feel great.

~ I cut my bangs tonight. I didn’t want to pay $20 to have my bangs cut so I went ahead and cut them myself!

~ I went through McDonald’s drive-thru for fries, McNuggets (so I could give Smokie a nibble of chicken) and a double cheeseburger (with big Mac sauce!) I asked for ketchup and the bagger grabbed a humongous handful as a joke, looked at me and I vigorously nodded my head in agreement. He showed me again how much he had and I nodded even more fervently. After looking to see if his co-workers were watching, he put them in the bag, opened the window and said with a smile that he was just kidding. I told him “That’s OK, if I don’t use them tonight I’ll use them the next time I go to McDonald’s!” …huh, as if I was going to turn down something free!

I think I missed a spot!

Simply Smile, Heart Burn Savior, Christmas Shopping

~ While visiting Aunt Jeannie in the hospital, a nurse walking down the hall looks at me and smiles. I don't know her, she doesn't know me, but the kindness of a random smile is truly powerful and encouraging.

~ Heading to HiGrade's for a cheeseburger (done rare, just the way I like 'em) deluxe, the thought of Chile Fries on the side seems delicious. I place my order and the fries come back plain. Fate is watching out for my health sometimes, Chile Fries and a rare cheeseburger may have knocked me for a loop!

~ Thanks to Amazon.com, I completed my Christmas shopping within 15 minutes, in the comfort of my own comfy chair, while watching Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares, and eating leftover Thanksgiving pie.

Thanksgiving Dinner, Kitchen Fun, Itty Bitty Gerbils

~ Dad and I joined Dave, Carole, Anne and Sara for a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner. Carole made turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, corn, and she placed jellied cranberry and pickle spears (~she said she bought pickles especially for me!) on mom's antique relish tray. She also had an apple pie, and a yummy pumpkin pie. She's a great cook!

~ I made Chuck's Favorite Mac And Cheese and a Cream Cheese Brownie Pie this morning to bring with us. They turned out quite good -thank God! My first pie was ruined this morning and I had to make a quick run to Kroger's to buy the ingredients I wasted! I had softened the cream cheese but didn't include the vanilla, egg, or sugar that was supposed to be blended in with it before I put it into the oven! I laugh and say "oops" now but I think I may have scared Smokie a bit when it happened!

~ Anne (9) and Sara (7) are proud "parents" of the cutest little gerbils. Anne's is named Sandy, and Sara's is Daisy. The gerbil's little homes are so cute -much nicer than mine in the mid-80's!

Songs By Susan, Day Shift Disappears, A Little Act Of Kindness

~ Received my Susan Boyle CD in the mail, and it's so good! I love her voice -she's awesome!

~ The day shift is now working a different schedule -it's nice to be able to actually sit down when our shift gets into the office, and I've been early enough to actually sit in the seat I like the best!

~Tonight I did something I always wanted to do, I told the Taco Bell drive-thru cashier "Here, I'm paying for the car behind me too." ~it was only $1.05, but it was fun to do!