Life as a CrazyMimi

Three years and a few months ago, my granddaughter Emily was turning eight.   She was also learning about American Girl dolls.  She wanted one of these Oh So Expensive dolls so badly  that I decided, no matter the cost, that I would find a way to get her one.  I mean, what are Mimi's for, right??  I personally think a Mimi's primary job is to be there for her Punkins when they need her, or when there is something that is so desperately wanted that it melts my heart seeing their desire.  Emily was sleeping with the American Girl catalog!   I think that classified this as a deeply desired item!  Let me say right here and now that I don't want to take any joy away from a parent, but parents are responsible for day to day needs. They also have other children to consider.  Soooo...here's where Mimis and Pops  come in!   A date was arranged, reservations made in the bistro, cousins, great grandmother and great aunt loaded...

Let me begin by setting the stage.... My dining room, December 31st, 2015. People present--Myself, Hubby Troy, Son Ryan, Daughter-In-Law Tabitha, Cousin Crystal (a very close cousin), and my 5 VA Punkins. Occasion--Our Boothe Christmas celebration I say "I have an announcement to make!" Looks of concern, amusement, and most of all fear from my family.  Yes, they know me! Troy looks at Ryan and says "How do you feel about a little brother?" There is some choking, and some nervous laughter....then a LOT of laughter! After everyone realizes that this is NOT what my announcement is, I proceed to tell my family my big announcement. Since I turn 59 on my upcoming birthday in March, I have made a 60 before 60 list. A bucket list. And I want to complete it before I turn 60 in March of 2017. While I am not making my entire list known to everyone, (there has to be some mystery, right?) I am letting some items be known.  For instance, as strange as this may seem...

If you Google happiness,  this is one of the first things that pop up, and it's from Wikipedia: "Happiness, gladness or joy is a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources." As I sit here, listening to the early morning sounds of the lake water lapping at the shores of the cove , hearing the birds, watching the heron skim across the open water looking for breakfast and finally land on the bank, I'm definitely in my "Happy Place"! So I'm wondering,  why do some people always seem happy and some not?  One of the happiest people I know always responds to the "how are you" question with "Outstanding "!  Does his positive attitude have anything to do with him always appearing to be happy?  Then I think about a woman I know w...

As most of you know, I'm a Techie....LOVE technology!   I spend most waking hours of my life on some sort of "device ", be it my phone, tablet,  laptop, or one of my work computers in my office.  I handle the marketing for an Orthodontic practice,  which includes our Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter accounts. Almost all of my Thirty-One parties are on Facebook and I am in multiple Facebook groups for my Thirty-One business. So when I planned our annual trek to the lake, I thought about becoming unplugged for the week, and thought "no parties going on that week, so no big deal." Well.....let me tell you how this went down..... Sunday when we arrived,  I couldn't get connected to the WiFi in the house, so instead of unpacking my frozen food which was starting to thaw, I instead searched the "Guest Book" frantically until I noticed that there was a new router and password.   Then the password wouldn't work.  O M G!!  I seriously started to...

Dieting is no fun!  However.......having someone ask you how much weight you have lost because they can TELL you've lost weight is very cool!  I had two people ask me today, so I'm even more motivated now!  I was losing some of my motivation due to the availability of an incredible cake at work, faschnauts, and the ever beckoning Starbucks! Starbucks doesn't have to be fattening you say?  Oh no, not for this girl!  I want the 420 calorie White Chocolate Mocha!!  As mentioned in a previous post, I have two trips to Florida soon, and tonight I'm shopping for some items needed for those trips, so I'm not dreading the horror of trying on clothes as much as I usually do.   Okay, it's only 10 pounds, but it has made a little bit of a difference in my clothes!  I won't have to venture over into THAT size!! So now that I'm getting into the swing of dieting, I'm trying to get into a new habit of exercising!  Last night Troy walked into the bedroom...

Ok....So....I've decided to start my diet.....Monday!  I believe you can probably tell that there is a little bit of hesitation in my proclamation here.  I hate dieting and I hate exercising!!!!!  There!!!!  I said it! Wow!  I feel better!  Seriously though, now that I've said it, I guess I'd better follow though.  It's not that I don't want to lose weight.  I do!  I just have such a sweet tooth that I dread cutting that sugar habit!  I go through such withdrawal and get cranky...crankier than usual!  And dieting is actually a lot of work.  There is the planning, the shopping, the preparing, and the documenting (I use My Fitness Pal).  I have myself "psyched" to do this.  And I have motivation.  I have two trips coming up and I want to actually fit into some of my clothes before those trips!  The first trip is in six short weeks, so I need to get this started!  So tonight is the shopping for the diet...

Family Christmas Traditions....what would our holiday be without them? For me, without traditions, Christmas would lose so much of the joy I associate with it.  Part of my family tradition has always included the church Christmas program.  I can honestly say that I can't remember a Christmas without it!  And this year that tradition continues with singing the wonderful carols of the season, poems and stories of the Christ child, and this year, stories of traditions that our church families practice each year. As a child growing up, our family woke up early....mostly because I was so excited that I couldn't sleep....came down the steps with great anticipation, and saw our gifts, left unwrapped and displayed beautifully on each child's special area of the room.  Those memories are just the best!  Seeing everything displayed that way, taking everything in with one glance. We were awe-struck.  I can still see it and that was a LONG time ago!!  And I ca...