May it be...

What else is there to talk about but the weather?  It's officially the polar vortex situation we've been expecting.  Today.  By the weekend it'll be warm and rainy and the white stuff will be gone.  Temps are varying from and unbelievable below zero to a balmy 35-all within a few days.   Kids up north are one day away from their annual 'snow day' allowance and it's only January!  It's all fun and games now but it'll be miserable in June when they are stuck in a hot class room.

And what am I up to?  Well, mostly being grateful that my house is warm and I have food in the fridge.  Treating the storm as a mini vacation is my way of enjoying the exile from regular activity. Staying in and cooking comfort food and practicing some serious hygge.  I snuggled with Hazel and watched an afternoon movie and then read for an hour.  It works for me to treat myself and make the best of the shut in time.  I'm considering doing the Marie Kondo thing and organizing my drawers and closets.  In theory, that seems like a perfect use of time and I may get to it later.

 After one more movie and a little Amazon shopping.

Stay warm and make the best of my Beauties! xo

Metal Guru...

Recently Tyrannosaurus  Rex was spotted snow blowing his driveway.  Yep, in Fraser there is a dude who dons a full on dinosaur costumes to do the snow job.  Why, he was asked?  His answer was, "just because it makes people smile."  How simple and sweet.  I love this.

Taking the responsibility of making people smile or laugh, in my opinion, would add just a little sunshine as we plow through these frigid temp.  And why shouldn't we be making that effort?  Foisting our moods on others should be a crime.  Nobody cares and we all have our own shit.  In these days of publicly airing our laundry, advising people, and blabbing about politics (bravely, behind our keyboards!) just seems boring and classless to me.  Again, if you are not asked-nobody probably cares.  Better to throw out some positive energy and maybe make someone smile.

Marilyn Monroe said, "It's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring."  I couldn't agree more, Girl!   I love being totally ridiculous and I don't care how it looks or if anyone laughs.   I simply don't take myself that seriously.  It's mostly who I am....

Rest in Peace, to a friend who recently passed.  Erik Donald France was very encouraging and supportive of me years ago when I started this blog.  He commented regularly with witty, and clever remarks that never failed to make me smile.  Such a handsome, bright , and charming friend that I was blessed to have known.  The world dimmed a little as we lost his bright smile.  XOXOXOXOX

Stay warm this week Dollfriends and smile-it'll keep your face from freezing!

Shallow...

Recently I remarked to a friend, 'tomorrow is going to be hellish.  I'm just so busy all day.  First I have to work out, then I have a doctors appointment including a flu shot, then I have a dentist appointment,  I have to squeeze in a Kroger/Target run and THEN we have a dinner date!'

 Yeah,  that's rough, girlfriend....Sucks to be you...

I often wonder if it's easier to schedule these commitments on alternating days, or just take a day and plow through them all.  Wait.  What?  I realized that I was being, well, a little spoiled and ALOT ungrateful.

Yes, being too 'busy' is something I hate and my perfect day includes one errand and then working from home.  Or napping from home....

The luxury of a gym membership and the flexibility to use it at will is certainly something to be grateful for.  Having insurance to cover my health appointments is a BIG (and costly!)  luxury and not one to be taken for granted.  At times, I did not have insurance, and for this I should be entirely grateful.  Being able to stroll thru Target and Kroger and get 'necessities' can be a pain, but really?  A dinner with friends is something I love and never is a problem, but on top of a busy day, well, it just seems like something else to 'do.'  Oh, poor little old me.

So it dawns on my that I have everything-even daily routines, to be grateful for.   The bigger things that I am happy about would not even happen with some of the behind the scenes efforts.

I promise to check myself before ever ranting on about my hardship and it's pressing schedule.  And if all else fails, I'll just wear a fuzzy purple hat!

Stay grateful and warm my friends.   XO

Get Enough...

I've heard it said that 'Reading is FUNdamental!'  For me, reading is life.  Either way, you can bet that dollfriend and fellow bookworm, Shannon and I have plenty to discuss in the book department.  Both of us are perfectly content to sit poolside with our noses buried in a book with only the occasional glance up to look at the ocean.  Fellow 'relaxers' circle us like impatient land sharks, wondering what we want to do next and cannot conceive that we are actually already 'doing it!'  So easily amused, and such low maintenance chickies are we...

Friends often ask me to recommend a read for them, so I took a minute to single out some 2018 favorite reads.  It was very painful to choose just five and I feel like I have ditched some other book/friends.  Can't help it-I get very attached to characters and their stories.

Among my top picks-if you are interested-as follows:

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner
North of Normal by Cea Sunrise Person
Greetings from Utopia Park by Claire Hoffman

I'm not sure why, but I usually read women authors involving women who struggle and triumph.  Power in the female spirit-Oh yeah!

Have you read any of my picks?  Did you like the story?  What are you reading?  Let me know!