Life as a CrazyMimi

Five and a half years ago, looking for some extra money to spend on my Punkins, I applied to my local Pier 1 Imports store as holiday help.  Christmas was coming, and I thought it would be great to be able to fund the holiday without killing the household budget.  I have always loved Pier 1, the products, the people,  the smells, that red tile floor, and yes, the music.  It was my Happy Place!  Going in for my interview I was excited, and when I met Steven, the store manager, I instantly liked him!  Long story short, I was hired, and was so very happy to be working in this beautiful store!  I had no retail experience,  but when you love what you sell, it's super easy to be a good salesperson!  Christmas came and went, and I was asked to stay on.  I did, and after some more time passed, I was approached about becoming a Sales Leader, a shift manager.  It was more hours, but I loved this place, so after some thought, I agreed and be...

Have you ever read something that just totally knocked you off your feet?  Totally hit home?  I did that recently, and I can't stop thinking about it! I follow Valerie Burton on Facebook.  She is a best selling author and Certified Life Coach.  I like her posts because she is uplifting, faith based, and always has a positive outlook.  Last week, one of her posts was titled Accepting What Is....Can You Handle The Reality?  Well, I'm pretty sure I can't.  But I want to..... The basics of the article is this - Instead of constantly trying to control what you can't control, learn to accept "What Is".  So in the article she asks "What is your What Is?".  My what is I asked myself?  My "What Is" is that I am in my late 50s and still feel 18 inside.  There is so much I want to do, places I want to go.  I don't mean to go into a gloom and doom mood here, but I'm not getting any younger! And then there is that whole "I have t...

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...