Blogging For Enjoyment

One of my resolutions for 2013 is to do a better job keeping my blog updated, by posting at least once a week.  I'm not a blogger who has the time to really delve into a daily blog post, or spend a lot of time creating new and exciting projects on a daily basis or even on a monthly basis.  I wish that was the case but, with a full time job and a family to take care of , those must be my priorities.   When I first started blogging, it was because I enjoyed writing and wanted a journal of common events in my life, things going on with my family and a way to share things with others of like interest.

In doings some 'homework', I have read articles on how to promote your blog, how to get more blog traffic, how to be interesting, how to make money from your blog, etc.  All the help articles, seem designed for someone who is blogging commercially or full time.  My head is spinning and my heart is heavy because this is not the reason I blog.  I don't want to feel pressured to be witty and interesting all the time, I want to be me and let's face it, sometimes I am boring.  I don't want to be on Ellen or go viral with my blog.  I would love more blog traffic, but not because I am trying to promote my blog per see...I just want the companionship and fellowship of like- minded individuals who also sometimes feel boring and not quite with it, but who also have the occasional 'TA DA' moment.    I want to blog because I enjoy it and if you read and find something useful, I appreciate the fact that we shared a moment.  I'm not knocking the bloggers who are more into the commercial aspects, that is just not why I am here.  I'm hoping there is room in the blogsphere for all of us.

 We all have common and amazing moments in our lives.  What makes each of these moments stand out and become important is being able to share them.  It is always gratifiying to find that there are others who walked out of the bathroom with their dress accidentally and unknowingly tucked in their panties or who did a presentation in front of a group of people with a piece of parsley lodged in their front teeth.

I need to know that I am not alone and that someone will read my blog and find some fun in doing so.   I want you to come back and visit me often, because you enjoy the time spent.  I don't want to quit blogging because I'm not mainstream....I don't know if there is a niche for me.  I'm asking that you take a moment and let me know if there are any individuals out there who want to blog as a community of people who just want to share and have fun....are there any other just for the fun of it bloggers?

Have A Good One,

http://theycallmejammi.blogspot.com

World's Largest YardSale 2011

I was a bit disappointed in the World's Longest Yardsale this year.  The Yardsale is an annual event that stretches along the 127 Corridor for 675 miles from Hudson, Mi to Gadsden, Ala.  We always take off on Saturday morning early and go as far as we can during the day...maybe next year, I'll take some time off work and we can travel farther on the Corridor to see differant vendors. 

I bought a couple copper jello molds from an 80 year old woman who had set up a booth at her home with her husband.  She said this would be her first and last yardsale.  She was setting her yard sale up like my Mom does.  My Mom is also in her 80s.  She was constantly rubbing on things to keep them clean and as a result, she was just worn out.  My Mom will work for days to wash and dry all her glass items and she is constantly cleaning things up throughout the sale.  She absolutely cannot stand to see something with a little dust on it.    Thank goodness she only likes to have a yardsale once yearly. 

There is one lady who has a booth every year that I always visit and buy a sign or set of boxes for Halloween decorating.  I bought a sign this year and will have to find just the right place for it in my Halloween decor. 

I found a three tier metal shelf for $5 that I will use for scrapbooking supplies and a set of green trees from Dept 56 for $1 that I will use with my North Pole Village. 

There were a lot of things that I might have brought home for the right price, however, I felt that most folks were really pricing their items in the ridiculous range this year.  When I go to a yard sale, I am looking for a bargain and I didn't find many of those this year.  Did anyone else participate in the Sale  or shop during the long weekend sale?  Did you find any great bargains or did you find that most things were way overpriced? 

Joining Alphabe-thursday.  Please click the link for a visit with Jenny.

April 27th Southern Storm System

Mother Nature has been in a sour mood Down South.  Thankful for all those who came through the storms safely and prayers to those who suffered damage or are missing loved ones.  The storms that occurred throughout the day on April 27th were the worst in history for our part of the country.  The devastation is widespread and as always seems too much to comprehend the power of a rampaging storm with one neighborhood left untouched while another is ravaged.  Our family, friends and neighbors did not sustain damage, other than the nuisance of some power outages and downed trees.  Others were not as fortunate and I ask that you turn your thoughts and prayers their way.

I took this picture of one of the storms moving into our valley from the West, just after mid-day.  The Weather people referred to this storm as Round 2.   As you can see, it looks like a funnel cloud moving over the gap between the mountains.   I had gone out to run an errand and was returning home, hoping to outrun the storm.  I got home just as the heavy rains hit.

Remember to enjoy each day as the gift it is.  Don't take a single moment for granted.

Starbucks Offer - Free Starbucks Petite

Starbucks is celebrating Tribute Days on March 10 through March 12.  If you visit Starbucks between 2 and 5pm on these days, you will receive a free Starbucks Petite (8 to choose from and each under 200 calories) when you order any beverage. 

Crazy Weather

We were under tornado watch on Tuesday and lost power for about three hours.  The rain hit suddenly around 2pm and within five minutes, my front lawn looked like this....the rain was coming down so hard that it looked like a dense fog had rolled in. 

The weather is always a little crazy this time of year.  Today it is sunny and quite mild outside, light jacket weather.   My husband has been chafing at the bit to get the tractor out and 'play'.  I know that he does hard work when clearing some of the land and doing clean-up but I swear, I think that it is mostly playing to him as he always finds any opportunity to jump on the Deere...and he usually has a big smile on his face.  He has already taken advantage of a couple sunny days we have had, to putter around.  If Tractoring makes him happy, it puts a smile on my face too.

March is 'Marching' Right In

Wow, it's March and Spring is just around the corner....I guess I need to change my Blog Header to something more 'Season' friendly....meaning, hopefully the snow is over for now.  The snow has been great and I have enjoyed the beauty and serenity of a snowy landscape, which doesn't happen often in Tennessee.

Work has been pretty busy as we have moved into the new year and hopefully will continue to fall into a more normal rhythm.  The Grandbabes have been frequent guests, as always and we are enjoying watching them grow.  Wii is a big favorite in our home and we have been trying out some new games, although the Sports Resort remains the overall favorite.  I love watching the GBs play as they get their whole bodies into the action.  It's amazing the differant ways they can contort their bodies and they can keep going and going long after we have fallen into jelly on the couch.  I hope you are all enjoying this 'trapped inside time' with your families.

Our Wii Games:

What is your family favorite Wii game?

Movie Stars in Tennessee

Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon are in Tennessee and North Georgia, shooting scenes for their new movie, Water for Elephants.  Shooting will be at a home owned by the Cross Family on West Cove Road in Chickamauga, Georgia and at the Tennessee Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the next few days.   If I had some time off, I might just take some time to tool around to these locations and watch the festivities.  One of the local news programs showed the Chickamauga, Georgia location today and at 5:30am people were already lining the streets.  Robert Pattinson shot a scene at the home this morning....poor baby, hope he does not melt in our humid Southern temps. 

Mike and I are celebrating our 35th Anniversary this weekend with a trip to Franklin, Tn.  Going antiquing!! 

All The Best,

Discipline Issues Anyone !!?

I have often heard it said that most bloggers are just frustrated writers.  In my case, I must agree with that assessment.  I have always wanted to write...I have bits and pieces of stories that I have written that span about 35 years....none of them are finished and that is why I am not a writer.  I am the most undisciplined human being on the face of the earth today.  I have big, bold, wonderful ideas but rarely see them through to completion.  This is true in almost every aspect of my life and not just specific to writing.  As sad as it is to say that about myself, I'm also a very honest person and I believe in calling a spade a spade.   I'm not sadistic about not finishing things, it's just that my attention and interest moves on to something else...I like to think that I am so creative and full of ideas that my little ole brain just cannot contain and process them all.  (LOL, now I might be getting away from that honesty a bit.)

You might notice from some of my book titles that I have very varied tastes in books, including some specific to the writing art...actually, I just love all books.  Maybe I'm not undisciplined at all.  Maybe I am just not good at recognizing what I really like...perhaps I just love books in general and I just think that I want to write.  Maybe the fact that I want to write, and not that I need to write is the true answer here or maybe it is just that I get bored easily.  Hmmmmm. 

At this stage in my life, do I really even care to solve this mystery?  Absolutely not.  I kind of like being undisciplined and not always having a planned agenda of my life.  Perhaps one day, I will finish a book and it will be just for me.  In the meantime, I will continue to be just happy, undisciplined me.

I am always looking to be the best that I can be, so if you are also an undisciplined shmuck....I'll take any ideas you have on improving!! 

All The Best,

mill57@charter.net
http://www.theycallmejammi.blogspot.com/

Major Coniption Fit Going On Here

I cannot believe the bad luck that I am having with my computers lately.  You might remember that my desktop died a slow and painful death a few months ago and I purchased a laptop.  Wednesday, my laptop threw up the blue screen of death and then would not boot  back up.  My operating system is fried, meaning that I lost everything.....I'm trying not to cry and throw a major roll in the floor fit because on the bright side, I keep my files backed up on my portable hard drive and I only lost a couple months data.  But really, I've lost two months of my photos that I will never be able to recover or replace, including my July 4th party.  I know, stupid me.  I should back up at least weekly and probably daily but I didn't and now I am so miserable that I could just throw that major coniption fit that is boiling under the surface.  I'm trying to be thankful that it was not worse and I only lost a small group of photos but right now, I'm totally into a big pity party.  Please someone bring the chips and join me. 

OK, deep breaths.   I know that once I stop crying that I will survive this.  These are just material things...but they are my memories...stop it, stop it.  Stay positive, be thankful.  I think I'll chant this for awhile. 

I just got off the phone with the tech rep and ordered a recovery disk with 2 day shipping.  The rep assured me that this will fix my problem, although he has no idea why my system would have failed on a laptop that is less than a year old.  I won't be able to post or read anyone for a few days (hopefully, only a few days) and I am so sad that I was not able to participate in Marty's Cloche party.  I borrowed my daughters laptop to troubleshoot my problem and try to resolve it quickly...didn't work and Mr. Tech could not offer me anything that I could do to get the recovery disk tomorrow and unbelievably there was no option to download it tonight.  Thanks to my sweet Tiffany for helping out her Mom and I'll be returning her laptop tomorrow.  I will be MIA for a few days as I anxiously await the Fed Ex Dude with my disk and hope it fixes the problem.  Wish me luck.  


All The Best,

mill57@charter.net
http://www.theycallmejammi.blogspot.com/

My New Dippity Do

I was in desperate need of a new do, so I finally made it in to see my hair stylist, Raegan (seriously, I really do have a Stylist) .  She is such a miracle worker....here are my very clear and distinct instructions on what I wanted.  Me - " I don't know, but I definelty need something that works better for me than my current 'bush' hairsyle....just give me a blunt cut on the ends and a little bit of layering so that my hair has some body and does not lay flat on my head."  Pretty clear, right???

Raegan pulled out her wand and Wah Lah...did her magic.  She also covered up my gray (Just so be crytal clear, that only took one swipe of the color brush because I only have 3 gray hairs)...put in some highlights and waxed up my caveman brow to find two perfectly formed people brows. 

I am actually going to show you my picture now...please read the disclaimer and do not proceed, if you feel faint or nauseous.

Disclaimer -  In the spirit of open disclosure, I am going to display my picture.  Disregard the fact that my nose is crooked and one eye appears larger than the other, it's because I wear one contact.  Try to look past the pale skin and deep wrinkles.  If you feel any distress or discomfort, please remain calm and do not start to claw at your eyes.  Simply take a deep breath and click on the X at the top right of your screen.  The image will immediately disappear and your breathing will return to normal along with your stress level.  If you only feel slightly distressed after the first photo and feel you have control of your faculties and can continue, please proceed cautiously. 

A view from the side. 

Here is my Blue Steel look.  It's close to Zoolanders...right?

I would show you the before picture (Imagine Cousin It from The Adams Family but with darker hair) , but I really like you people. Why would I want you to start upchucking all over the place. Let's just leave well enough alone, shall we??

See, that wasn't so bad was it.  Now you know who you are dealing with on this blog.  Let's all climb out from behind our keyboards and show the world who the blog is out here.  Unleash your photo!!
 
All The Best,

mill57@charter.net
http://www.theycallmejammi.blogspot.com/

Horchows - One Day Sale Today Only - Everything 25%-30% Off

I don't know about you, but there are some beautiful items that I would love to wrap my grubby little hands around on the Horchow Website.  Checking my email this morning, I saw that they are having a one day sale with everything at 25%-30% off.  I know that we all love beautiful things and wanted to be sure that you were aware in case there is something that you have been waiting to buy, but did not want to shell out the big bucks to own.  Horchow certainly knows how to dangle those pretties in front of our eyes, but usually at a price that makes me think a few times before I cave in and pull out the debit card or leave crying. 

I have my eye on a set of these beauties...but, today is not the day.  Horchows has 3 designs and I have not decided which I love best...plus, these are bigger bucks and would be a thoughtful purchase...you know the kind I mean...how many meals do I need to miss and can I sell my firstborn in order to own these babies.

Hope everyone has a great day and if you can do a little shopping, all the better. 

All The Best,

mill57@charter.net
http://www.theycallmejammi.blogspot.com/

Winning with Paula Deen

Ms Paula is offering a chance to win a $100 gift certificate for Paula Deen Store merchandise.  Five winners will be chosen and the last chance for entry is May 27.  Click here to enter.

One suggestion I would have, if you are a lucky winner, would be Paula's new book - Savannah Style, filled from cover to cover with beautiful photos and inspiration. 

I bought mine and lost it to my daughter, Tiffany, on the same day....she is a big Paula fan too.  Enjoy it ya'll. 

All The Best,

mill57@charter.net
http://www.theycallmejammi.blogspot.com/

Apologies For My Break

I cannot believe how fast time passes...I took a break while working through some minor health issues and did not realize that a whole month has passed since my last blog.  Obviously, I am a horrible gauger of time.  I have just been feeling extremely fatigued and not quite myself lately and did not have the left over energy to keep up with everything.  Thanks for your comments of concern.  I will be trying to catch up this week and will try to post at least a couple times.  I have missed you all and hope to make up for being gone so long. 
All The Best,

mill57@charter.net
http://www.theycallmejammi.blogspot.com/

Southern Living At Home @ Southern Inspiration

Several people have asked me about Southern Living At Home as I use a lot of their beautiful items in my tablescapes. I love SLAH items and there is a wonderful lady here in blogland, who is a Southern Living At Home consultant. Besides being totally precious, she is a great person who offers quick turn around on your orders. You can find Suzanne at her blog, Southern Inspiration. Please check out her blog and her link to the latest SLAH catalog...happy shopping.

I'll be posting the winner of my Rooster-licious Blogaversary giveaway later today. 

All The Best,

mill57@charter.net
http://www.theycallmejammi.blogspot.com/

Take The Time

Do you ever take time to sit perfectly still and reflect on your life?  We all look back on our lives and think about things that we wish we could change, that we wish we could do differantly and I think that is a healthy and normal thing as long as we don't dwell on the past.   I have worked full time, my entire life in a high pressure career and sometimes I feel that life has just passed me by.  It occurred to me that sometimes, I have - let -  life pass me by...sometimes I get so busy just getting through things that I don't take the time to realize that I need to live in the here and now.  To give you an example, I find that I sometimes do things mindlessly and almost like I am on autopilot.  I don't realize when this is happening and it comes to heart when I try to recall something specific from that timeperiod.  I find that I can't recall the details with clarity unless I really think about it and then sometimes I still just get a fuzzy idea of what happened or what I was doing.  Do you do this?  Do you function on autopilot at times?  I want to think that I am not alone and that many of us get so caught up getting through our day that we don't take the time to actually live the day and feel the day and remember the day. 

God has blessed me with a great life with a wonderful husband and two beautiful daughters who have good husbands and beautiful children of their own.  I have the cutest and smartest Grandbabes in the world, who just adore me and who can ask for more...why would I take that for granted?  But, I do sometimes and that shames me.  If God gave me this wonderful life, it is my responsibility to live it, every day, every moment and not miss a second.  I don't want to have regrets when it comes my time to leave this world.  I don't want to miss some of lifes most precious moments just because I am trying to survive.  I actually 'woke up' and became aware of this a few years ago and now, I try to be conscious not to get caught up in the cycle.  This takes more effort on some days than others.

I challenged myself this week with sitting down for 15 minutes and not doing anything but thinking about 'things'...nothing in particular.....no book, no TV, no magazine, just me and my brain.  This was very hard because when I sit down there is always some stimulus involved.  I used this time to clear my mind and be thankful...recall recent memories, as simple as a kiss on the cheek or a smile from one of my Grandbabes and how the sweet lips felt against mine and how the smile warmed me inside.  This is living..this is remembering and this is what is precious and dear and what I want to be aware of and cherish every single day. 

My gift to you, is to ask you to give this some thought...are you sometimes living to survive and not surviving to live....stop now and think about all you are missing and how much happier you would be if you just live in the moment.  Enjoy the tiniest treasures, you will be amazed at how much wonder, awe and beauty there is in each moment.  Enjoy your moments, enjoy your life.

All The Best,

mill57@charter.net
http://www.theycallmejammi.blogspot.com/

It's My Blogaversary - 1 Year Today

I have a really busy day today but just realized that I have been blogging for one year today....and not too bad on the frequency of posts either, 135 posts for 2009.....so yeaaah me!!  I want to say hooray to those of you who are diligent in posting daily and I would love to get there one of these days...I know that it takes a lot of work and I really appreciate and applaud you....plus, I love to read your blogs and see the interesting and insightful commentary.

I want to take a minute to let you know how much you have meant to me over the past year.  Blogging has been a great experience and your thoughtful comments and support have mattered so much to me that I cannot even express my gratitude.  You have inspired me get back to the fun of just 'keeping house' and decorating and crafting.  As we move through our everyday lives, these simple joys and pleasures are often forgotten or laid aside as we get so busy, but I have rediscovered them this year with your help and for that I am most thankful.  I so look forward to our continued interaction and friendship in 2010 and to meeting new friends, as well.  I love visiting your blogs and seeing how smart and beautiful you are and how you openly express and share your lives and what you find enjoyable.  For 2010, I will be increasing my visits and rest assured that I will comment with each visit as I know how important feedback is for me and I just love hearing from you....one of my guilty pleasures.  Thanks so much for being such a good community of friends and for letting me jump in the sandbox and  'play'.....Best wishes to you all and bless each one of you. 

I will be posting a giveaway soon to celebrate, so be sure and check back to enter. 
All the best,

After Christmas Round-Up

What a great week I've had so far and although I have not performed as a superhero would, I have made some good progress on getting 'back to normal'.   After Christmas, where we were blessed with being able to be together, we celebrated first my birthday and then Mike's.  We have enjoyed the Grandbabes all week and have spent time with the new GB and helping Mom out around the house.  After-Christmas shopping yielded a few things to add to next years decorations.  The girls treated Mike and I to a birthday dinner on Monday night and I made Hamburgers on the grill for Tuesday night.   Yesterday, we went to the cinema to see Avatar, which was actually a pretty good movie. 

I am working today on putting up the remainder of my Christmas decorations...I know a lot of people keep the decorations up until after New Years, but once Christmas is over, I am ready to take them down and get them packed up.  Everything looks a little drab without all the sparkle, so I'm going to have to pull out all my normal tabletop items etc and try to get everything back in order today.   Later today, will be taking Tiff and Braeden to the Dr. for B's check-up and tomorrow, I'll be getting my New Years Eve get together planned out and items picked up to get ready. 

My plan to paint my kitchen cabinets this week has disentigrated...so, that is still on the horizon to do. 

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that all your wishes came true.  I love being off work and living the good life...no deadlines, no worries....ahhhhhhh...it's great!!

All the best,

Holidays Are A Coming

If I was wearing a Mood Ring right now, it would be the most beautiful blue color....remember Mood Rings...they were as popular as cell phones a few years ago and everyone had one.  A few years ago, mine would have usually shown  up as black (signifying stress).  I am constantly on a life mission to lessen the stress and worry in my life.  It is a constant struggle to stay centered and something that I have to work at every day, but the goal is there and is definetly attainable and I'm much happier as a result...which means that my family is much happier.....you know that when Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

I manage and control (that's right, control) what I can and I learn to deal with everything else.  I cannot control everything, like the many renovations or home improvements I want to make, but I can realize that I always need something on my plate and that it keeps me happy and fulfilled to try and have a beautiful and welcoming home.  I cannot control the lives of my family, although I still want to...for a Mother, who loves her children this one is very hard because sometime, I think I know best and will always give my advice because I am centered in their lives and they are a part of me...but my Daughters have grown up to make a Mother proud...they are smart and sassy and love their family to a fault.....I don't have to worry about them (but of course I still do...but I can let go of some of those worries).

You might remember that I had a list of things that needed to be done before Christmas and I was 'stressing' over how to get them finished.  I took a step back and realized that I always have a list of things that I want to do - and that want does not always equal need.  For the holidays, I wanted to have my kitchen finished but - I can still cook and serve my Holiday meal and various goodies just fine irregardless of the fact that my cabinets are two differant colors right now.   I can almost guarantee that if I took a poll with my family of whether they wanted a good meal or a beautiful finished kitchen, they would choose a good meal.  We have to realize that when we live our lives allowing things to lead us, we are going to be stressed and unhappy...once we realize what is truly important, it is much easier to  let the rest go.  This does not mean that I'm never stressed.  I still stress over things and some of them are small and really not important things upon reflection.  I just want to give you the gift of knowing that living every day is hard, living a good life every day is harder but with time and effort it is something we can all achieve .... with one simple rule of not letting your environment control you.  Be strong, be reflective and let things go.

I have already finished my decorating, my Christmas shopping and have almost all my presents wrapped.  I have done zero baking, but I am okay with that because I have never really made things ahead and froze them but I am going to give that a try this week. 

One of the joys this year is that I have a new Grandbabe on the way, and Tiffany is scheduled to be induced on Monday 12/21 which means we will have a beautiful little family member addition for Christmas this year.  He has already whispered to me that he doesn't mind that the kitchen is a mess, so there you have it...total confirmation. 

All the best,

What's That Falling From The Sky??

We woke up Saturday morning to a beautiful white wonderland...well, white for our neck of the woods anyway.  Alden and Connor spent the night, so we were up early and I hopped into some warm clothes and ran out to take pictures as I knew the snow would melt away as the day progressed. 

My River Birch tree all decked out in winter's finery. 

For those of you jaded by the frequent sight of snow, shame on you.  Step back and think of the beauty you are seeing and not of the aggravation, delays ect. and if you can't do that, go South and watch how we deal with snow.  It's like experiencing Christmas through the eyes of a child. 

Snow is a true event for a Southerner and especially this time of year.  We get excited when the weatherman whispers of snow, we run to the grocery store at the sight of the first flake and stock up on canned goods, batteries, milk and bread.  We cannot for our lives drive in the stuff but man that does not stop us from running out and getting in our vehicles for an urgent errand that cannot wait....we slide into ditches and bang into each other or have near misses and swear that we will never get out and drive in the snow again...but  then the next time we see snow, we do it again.  It's like childbirth, some things you just forget...as time passes, so do the memories and you only remember the warm fuzzy feelings and not the fact that you want to rip the throat from the father of your child and watch him crawl on the floor begging for mercy. 

If you really want to see how ill prepared Southerners are to deal with snow, this next picture of my Mike says it all. 

All the best,

My List Dilemma

How do you cope when your list of things to do becomes so large that you can't decide where to start.  I have so many things to do - some that I have started but not finished and some that I would love to see completed before Christmas.  I'm starting to feel a bit stressed and I refuse to enter the season in that mood.

The really sad thing is that this is just the first page of a very long list and doesn't include the smaller items, like decorating the tree, baking etc, which of course will have to be done no matter what.  I also have a glider to recover for my daughter's nursery (remember new GB in Dec!!) and two computers that I have promised to work on for family to remove computer viruses and restore function. 

I'm thinking about breaking the projects down into smaller timeframes that I can apply after work during the week and when I'm not otherwise engaged on the weekends - This time of year is always so busy and coming up  - two of the Grandbabes birthday parties, Thanksgiving, North Pole Limited Train Excursion, Downtown Starlite Parade, Christmas shopping trips, birth of GB number 4 and Cookie Swap party. 

How do you handle your 'To Do' List....I usually have two or three projects going at a time.  I've learned multi-tasking from many years in the Corporate world, so I am now totally incapable of concentrating on one thing before moving to the next...drives my Hubs crazy. 


All the best,