I must say....

i just adore the new blogger topper!!! Aint my babies beautiful? of course they are, but I also just love the symetry of this picture and the special effects.

CALF FRY

Anticipation is building for the biggest party of the year. Not my words, but they fit. For me, Calf fry is without exception the biggest party of my year. No matter who i'm with and no matter who is on stage - I'm geared up for a great time.

I've been attending the calf fry for 10 years or more (i vividly recall 1999, but dont recall if that was my 1st calf fry) missing only 1 that I can think of. The Calf Fry NEVER fails to give me what I need from it. Good time! Good Friends! Good Music!

Their are good calf fry years and then there are GREAT Calf Fry years. This year is building up to be a GREAT Calf Fry year!

Opening Night of Calf Fry this year is PAT GREEN. I have seen Pat in many many places - and Calf fry is one of my very favorite Pat Green shows. It's a college crowd which is my favorite type of his shows and the venue is set up well. Plus it could be one of the only times I see Pat this year - I haven't seen him since October... so I'm cravin me some Pat and let's face it - IT'S ALWAYS A GOOD NITE WHEN YOU ADD PAT GREEN... =)

Second - I get to party with people I don't get to see enough of at all. An old friend from high school that I have not seen since literally 1991 or something like that - is coming to visit specifically for Calf fry! That is awesome! And my kiddo and her BFF Tif are coming. I love my grandkids - but Ash and I have a history of spending alone time following Pat Green around one time each year. We didn't get to do that last year and we both missed it. This won't be that - but it'll be a good make up! Plus I've not gotten to spend much time with Tiff. And lastly my big sister Laci is coming for 1 night.

I'm thinking GIRLS GONE WILD!

So, as the Countdown clearly shows.... THE PARTY WILL SOON BE ON!!!!

Sometimes it rains for a reason

I don't much care for household chores, I never have. I mean like since I was a little kid with the pretend vacuum and kitchen set which I never cared for or played with. I don't like doing dishes, running the vacuum, doing laundry, dusting, sweeping, mopping, you name it - I don't like doing it.

Anything I don't like doing I generally procrastinate in doing. I'm getting better about keeping my habitat livable but the truth is that it's still a chore for me and something I have to consciously work at.

Today I had plans to do a couple of differnt things with friends and if that didn't work out then I needed to do some chores outside. Outside chores I DO NOT mind doing. If the weather is nice I like mowing, shoveling shit in the barn, working in the garden, working on fences, cleaning water troughs, organizing tack, working on horse feet - you name, i'd rather be doing it!

Well my plans with friends fell through and so did the nice weather outside. So instead i got busy and got some stuff done. I'm pretty impressed with my accomplishing self. I created (half ass) and hung new curtains in the spare room, made up the new bed, and pulled a nasty old cabinet sewing machine down from the garage - cleaned it up nice and made a bed side table. I also spray painted another little shelf and put it on the other side. It's not perfect or finished by any means - but it's not just an empty junk room. I could put up guests there and not be too embarrassed LOL.

Next I was outside filling the water trough and listening to the ponies bitch because it was muddy but they wanted in the yard anyway, cause the grass is sooo much greener over here, and was looking at my poor little dumpster dive table. I yanked it out of the dumpster a few weeks ago thinking it would be a nice little porch table to set between some lawn chairs. But it was in pretty bad shape when i got it out and it's made of particle board - not a perfect match for my porch in the spring (wet, wet, wet). I had this inpired thought that I could cover it with a bright table cloth and it would make a nicer matching patio set with my canary yellow groovey 70s chase lounges! So, I dug around and came up with this cool crazy fish table cloth and then using my handy dandy staple gun - I made a new cover for it. Now it's weather proof and Groovey like my chairs. It's not quite trading spaces skill level, but it'll work for the Mazie Prairie. Don't you think???

okay, that's all

Carry On.....

April 15

Brilliant

Some people have an "ability" to know then to deliver the goods & apparently John Rich is one of those people. In the last few years John has been turning up absolutely everywhere and I'm always a little surprised at the gigs he's getting (in a good way - I love Big & Rich) - His songs are the absolute hottest ticket going and he is absolutely taking full advantage of it.

BUT to write and release "Shutting Detroit Down" right now - is like money in the hand, but to follow up with Kris Kristopherson and Mickey Rooney staring in this video: CLICK HERE

Well you watch the video and tell me if you don't think John Rich might be on to something.....

RIP Alysheba

March 3, 1984 - March 27, 2009

Wasn't he a beautiful boy?

More on Gratitude

It is easy to say - be more grateful, but it for me has been harder to habituate gratefulness into my every day every minute life. Even though I now make a conscious effort to be grateful for things - I feel like I'm this bouncy ball bouncing between being grateful and forgetting to be grateful then (bounce) remembering that I forgot to be grateful so being grateful and then bounce.... You get the idea.

I believe that we can draw things into our lives - and when things are working right you draw the things you need or desire into your life. So, I was tickled when this morning I stumbled across something that struck me as something I really needed to read.

It was from someone's blog and it was about being grateful - it was quite long, but it basically said if your not seeing results (positive changes in your life) from being grateful then your probably practicing "Gratitude Level 1" - which he went on to explain is the act of saying thank your or making yourself think or say how grateful you are for different things. The examples he used were: I'm so grateful for my job, the roof over my head, my relationship with, my health, my vehicle etc...He called it our default gratitude. He also pointed out that often times our thoughts about gratitude might start with the phrase "at least" - as in "i'm grateful at least to have my health, or ....."

So I'm thinking to myself that gosh - that sounds like alot of what i've been being grateful for - so what else is there.

As I read on he starts talking about Gratitude level 2. (being clear to say that there wasn't anything wrong with being grateful on a Gratitude Level 1 basis, but there just might be something deeper). He explained level two as Gratitude that is "independent of situations and circumstances." It manifests feeling of gratitude for life itself, for your very existence, and for anything and everything you experience in this life (good, bad, ugly). His specific list included: your life, time and space, your problems, challenges, and hardships, your foibles and mistakes, your consciousness, your ego, people who treat you unkindly or unfairly, your thoughts and emotions, and your freedom of choice. (emphasis added to things that jumped out at me this am)

I have to say that when I was reading this list I was thinking - OMG did I need this - this morning. I've had this situation (not going into it really) but I have not been grateful for it - what a way to turn my anger and emotion on it's ear!!!

He went on to say in this blog that you have to become grateful for the adventure that is life, including all of its twists and turns. What a great analagy is that. I know the basics of this is simply that we are given trials from which to learn lessons. OR that which don't kill us only makes us stronger - but I love when I hear or read something being presented in a new way that really speaks to me in that moment.

He talked about level 2 gratitude being synonymous with unconditional love because there is no attachment to circumstances or outcomes. Consequently, there is no fear of loss or change. What a great concept. Not just accepting the challenges God gives us and trying to determine what the lessons are that are contained in it - BUT actually being Grateful for them because they contribute to the ride. A roller coaster without any thrilling free falls wouldn't draw too much attention.

Anyway, that's my thought for the day.

If you want to read the full blog posting (and perhaps draw your own conclusions) it is found on StevePavlina.com and the link is here:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2007/01/gratitude

Okay, that's all for now.
Carry on...

disclaimer

To all those concerned about my ignorance.....

While I'm certainly not sure that the crack kool aid water will do any of the miracle things it is being tauted to do - I did read up on the stuff. There are no chemicals in it - it's just water that has been filtered to make the ph balance more alkaline. Supposedly the alkaline water is more readily absorbed by the body and hydrates better. I also did google searches and didn't find any "harms" assoicated with the water. (though varying degrees of results) Also I know at least 4 women who have been drinking it for months now with no negative side effects.

Crack Kool-aid

You know I like to try things out. I'm easily sucked into new adventures, well done infomercials, TV product demonstrations and cool sounding diets. I am orange so I only occassionally have the follow through with the things I try - but if I'm interested enough I do. I don't jump on EVERY fad wagon - I mean, I didn't get my ear stapled a couple of years ago when that was THE thing to do. But by the same token if someone I knew with an ear staple (and I knew more than 1) had lost 100 lbs, I may have been standing in line.


Thursday night I had a long overdue appointment with my hairdresser. I needed the whole work up before calf fry so I was going to be in her chair for quite a while. It didn't take long before I began hearing the buzz that was ALL over the beauty shop. It started out with references to "water deliveries" - (ie if my husband calls tell him I had to make a water delivery) - So I'm thinking one of the girls is moonlighting as a Cullingan man. Then I notice that there are milk jugs full of water stashed about, and that every hair dresser has a water bottle on there station.


Soon they are all talking about the "miracle water" - and finally my hair lady looks at me and says "Haven't you heard about Kagan Water?" - Well I had not, and so I said so. The next two and a half hours was my initial infomercial by testimonial introduction to Kagan water.




Now keep in mind that I've had the same hair dresser for approaching 15 years - and she has never tried to sell me so much as a bottle of hair spray. But the enthusiasm which she displayed for kagan water was almost catchy. All the girls had their personal story of what the water had done for them. I jokingly started saying it was apparent that they were "all drinking the kool aid."

Once it became apparent just how excited they were I then added that their koolaid must have crack added to it.... Hence the Crack Kool-aid.



You would not believe the things these women swore this water (which has a akaline PH and is hydrogenated or something) would cure - the list included: Cancer, joint disorders, arthritis, colon disorders, cholesterol and high blood pressure issues, fatigue, and depression. And that's just the couple of things I can recall off the top of my head.



SOOOO while I don't have any of those specific conditions (except maybe some colon ones) - I was told it was worth trying just for it's detoxification and energy boost. She also offered to provide my water for free. Just commit to drinking it for 30 days as directed (oh yes, as directed) Not only was I skeptical - but I was looking for the catch - What's the catch. Well the catch is that eventually you will want to buy your own water machine and the machines are pricy. But she said - "Johnanna, if you feel this water is doing you some good after 30 days, but you don't want a machine or don't think it's doing enough good to justify a machine - I will continue to give you water as long as you want."


Hmmm... so a catch - but a catch I can get around. Lord knows I don't have the money for a machine - and I'm not interested in their payment plan.... BUT I agreed to try the crack kool aid for two reasons.


1. I'm curious. Can this water really be that beneficial? Is it all in their heads?
2. I was thinking - if this really does work on just one or two of these issues - and it don't kill me LOL, I might talk my aunt kathy into trying it. She has many of the issues for which this water is suppose to the miracle cure - and if she could get relief from just 1 symptom - well, it would probably be worth it.


So this morning I had my first 4oz of the miracle water.

Yall stand back - the Crack Kool-aid is starting to kick in!


I'll keep you posted!!!


That's all - Carry on.....