The Disinfecting Queen

I have been a slight germaphobe since the great stomach bug of Christmas 06. Or was it 07? We've actually had several Christmas flue bugs that spread through our family like wild fire. But the first one was the worst.

It hit everyone. Hard. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. We all went down.

And ever since then I have been a huge fan of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes.

I know, these days we should be worried that we are wiping out the good old germs and letting new super bad germs threaten us in their place, and I don't know if the wipes actually prevent any of us from getting ill.

All I know is that after kids have thrown up on the dining room table, or their most favorite spot the floor, I find that the wipes give me peace of mind. The wipes allow me to keep my table, to not drag it outside and burn it as hazardous waste. The wipes let me keep walking around the house, use the facets and the TV remote, all without a full body hazmat suit complete with gloves, booties and goggles.

This topic is at the top of my thoughts because I've just had several sick kids, and puke has been all over the house.

The Clorox Disinfecting Wipes have been at my side these last few days. I think I need to make a holster for easier carrying! I am the Queen of Disinfecting. There is not a surface or handle or place where hands touch that hasn't been wiped down daily since this illness struck.

Even the toaster and the the handle to the clothes dryer.

Everything is wiped and Nothing is left alone. The Queen has spoken!

Thank You, Belatedly

I mean to post this yesterday, but how fast the day goes when I have good intentions!

All I want to say is, Thank You to all of our Veterans, both young and old, well and injured, front line or side lined.

I love my country. I love my freedom. And I'm smart enough to understand that we are free because a few years ago, our countrymen FOUGHT for freedom. And a few years after that, we fought to help keep others free.

Could we honestly live with ourselves if we hadn't gotten involved and stopped Hitler?

I so appreciate the men and women who've fought for us, who are fighting for us right now.

So, Thank You! Words aren't enough, prayers are appreciated, and respect is deserved.

My gratitude does not begin and end in one day. I feel it every day.

Who Turned Out The Lights?

It's shocking how much we depend on electricity. I take it for granted, that when I flip the switch, the lights come on. Or that my oven will start heating up with a twist of the dial. Or that hot air will blow out of our heating ducts thanks to a hard working furnace.

A few days ago we lost power for a little bit.

Maybe an hour.

It's the end of the world! No joke, some people at the office ventured this theory. Jesus is coming back! Also, not joking, a real theory spoken yesterday. Hmm. I said I was hoping that if it was Jesus, he would take us in an instant, not make us sit around in the dark wondering if we were just the ones left behind.....

Since I had nothing to do at the office without power, and I really wanted to use the bathroom without the aid of a flashlight, I drove home.

And even though I knew we were without power, I still flipped the switch when I walked into the bathroom!

I felt better when my daughter ran in from school and did the exact same thing. Turns out flashlights were also being offered for restroom visits, and she opted to wait.

I was glad for the sunshine, so we could see, but it was odd to think no radio, no tv, no computer, no phone, no idea what to do.

I kid. I had elaborate plans to settle myself in a comfy couch and read a good book until the sunshine faded to dusk.

Then the power came back on.

Back to the old grind of checking email, watching TV and working my fingers to the bone on bazaar projects.....

Maybe the day after the bazaar is done, I'll pretend we lost power. No noise, just me, a cup of coffee (or three) and a good book.

Sounds like a plan.

Orange You Glad

I am actually. I love oranges. I feel like winter is their time to shine. Their lovely sunny orange color gives us a splash of beauty in the gray weather. The first bite just bursts into your mouth and you know you are tasting sunshine.

I love eating oranges.

But, getting to the fruit is not so much fun. I can't throw an orange into my lunch bag and peel it at work. I hate having the juice squirt all around, I hate having my fingers stained that weird orange peel color.

I can take the time before work to peel my fruit, and bring it to work in a dish. I am usually not that prepared for work. Running late most days, don't you know.

So my lovely oranges sit on the counter, waiting for me to have the time to eat one.

There is cheer on the horizon! It's holiday time! That means bags of easy to peel clemintines!

Seedless only please.

I've Got The Day After Halloween Candy Sick Blues

Yes, that is melted chocolate in the corner of my mouth.

Yes, this mound of candy wrappers are the spoils of my feast.

Yes, I ate candy for breakfast.

I'm a firm believer in having some hair of the dog that bit me, and since I went overboard last night on candy, more candy this morning will help even things out.

Or we could have just gotten an amazing haul from our trick or treating adventures and I know if I don't eat my share now, there won't be any good stuff left when I get home from work tonight.

Logrit, Logrit, How I Love Thee

As kids, one of my sisters stubbornly refused to say 'yogurt' and instead said 'logrit'. It's actually one of my favorite memories. I love that we come by our stubbornness honestly, it runs in the family, and the more pressure put on us to cave, the less likely it is that we will.

I grew up with yogurt in my house, but as a grown up on my own, it fell by the wayside. Yogurt was kids stuff. Then we had kids and it was all about 'gogurt' and weird fruity cereal flavored stuff.

Now we are all older, and I find that I love yogurt and miss it desperately when I don't have one every day. It makes breakfast or lunch or snack time so much better. I've stopped my incessant need for strawberry only (much like my jam only that is still a strawberry only zone), and have branched out to all fruit except blueberry. Never blueberry. I eat fat free, all natural and after the first week, I fell in love with it. It's not yoplait by any means, and I really like that!

There is no yogurt in my fridge today. It is a sad, sad day.

I'm too busy to get to the store, so more sadness for tomorrow. The fridge will still be logrit free.

How Do You Like Your Eggs?

Staying home sick as a kid, I immersed myself in Perry Mason and The Rockford Files. And while Perry just didn't do it for me, Jim Rockford sure did.

It wasn't just his TV show, James Garner rocked my movie world as well.

I loved his movies with Doris Day, like The Thrill of It All and his old westerns, particularly Support Your Local Sheriff and as a grown up, I fell in love with with his portrayal of a soldier in the classic WWII movie, The Great Escape.

But the role he played that I can watch over and over and over and still swoon is Murphy from Murphy's Romance. When he tips his hat back, I go weak in the knees.

One of my favorite movie lines of all time is at the end, when Murphy tells Emma he'll only stay for dinner if he's still there for breakfast and Emma asks how does he like his eggs.....

James Garner, how do you like your eggs? I'm good for anything except poached!