Mrs Justa and the times of our lives…

On my way into work today I saw a couple of kids waiting for the bus, their back packs on their backs and a musical instrument in their hands. one looked like it might have been a trumpet and another maybe a flute. This made my mind whirl back to my youthful days. Ah yes, at 5 yrs old I started to play a musical instrument… and accordion!

it was not an instrument to carry to school, actually not an instrument to carry anywhere too far.

No this sucker weighed about 25 pounds at least. By the time I was 8 I was finally able to lift/drag it a little. When I was 5 the accordion teacher had a beginner one I was able to learn on, but as I hit 8- well I went to the big one. This had been my older sisters accordion, and I am not sure where it came from before her.

This is a photo of the teacher I had for many years- Frank Mucedola- he was good, and patient, and he would laugh at me when I tried to lug the accordion up his flight of about 30 stairs. He had a shop on the second floor on Genesee Street in Auburn. It was a different instrument for a child to play. No one I knew played one. I learned later in life that as I grew boobs- the accordion was not the instrument of choice. ( Need I say more !!)

I do remember this accordion I had had a chord button that would stick down if it was pushed accidently. And the only way to free it was with a pin- something pointed. Well I had committed to playing a song I had written for my girl scout troops variety show..,the families were invited—( I had titled it “Sam at The Pond”- it was about a frog in a pond… ) and I had taught my young sisters and brothers how to sing the song and they were there to perform it with me.

Well just before we were due to go on, the button got pushed in on the accordion and it stuck… . With it stuck in – every time the bellows were opened or closed it played a really loud chord sound that sounded like a tug boat.

I had a kilt on and my mom looked at the pin holding my kilt together and asked for the pin. I gave my mom the kilt pin to free the button. As she was working on it I knew the audience was waiting for our debut.. so I flew to the curtain of the stage to tell the audience we would be delayed a bit, but it would be quick. Well my kilt pin was not on my kilt… ( ya getting the visual here????) So there I am- 13 years old, whipping open the curtains of the stage and the audience roared with

laughter- I did not know why…until I looked down to see my flung open skirt and lets just say nothing left for the imagination of the audience. I am not sure how I composed myself to still return and perform the song… but I did…I wonder who remembers this unintentional show I put on that evening… hee hee- it was totally embarrassing for me !.

So as I looked at these kids today, I wondered about what possessed my parents to want me to play the accordion… other than so 40 yrs later- I still can laugh to my self over this incredibly embarrassing moment in my life!.

Love to all,Mrs justa…

Technorati Tags: memories,embarrassment,life,choices.

 

Mrs Justa and some things are not as they seem

Some things are not as they seem… have you ever run into that? I am sure you have. I had a day that reminded me that nothing is as it seems. So than I began to think about this rather memorable time in my past, years ago… many years ago.

Let me set the stage for you. I was married to my first husband, we did not have much money at all. We lived on 106 acres in the southern tier, land he had purchased before he and I had gotten married, he had bought it for a pretty good price. We were living at a home he was building as the money allowed. He did all the construction, so if he could afford wall board , insulation or what ever, he bought what he could afford and we whittled thru the supplies.

We had tons of things to do on this house. I wanted to lose weight and I showed him a sauna suit. It looked like this .. I saw it on an info-mercial and was convinced with all the building I was helping on while he was at work, heck I could lose a ton of weight while I was doing joint compound, clearing up and organizing messes after working for an evening. I called the 800 number and ordered this suit.  it was one of those 9.95 deals and promises of miracles. 4  weeks ;later it came…the next day Walt took off for work and I chose to don this space looking suit. I was convinced that I was going to leave it on for the entire day and had images of me being thin and trim within a matter of days.

So here I was …. 2 hrs now in the suit… and feeling kinda warm to say the least. I was determined not to take it off. After a few more hrs I was feeling sweat running down my body – kinda gross feeling, but I was envisioning taking this suit off latter that day and having no flab. The day continued to create sweat, and I was beginning to feel desperate for a breeze in the sauna suit, just a little breeze.

So I got this ingenious idea to got to the air compressor and just stick the nozzle up the cuff of the pant leg. See the legs, sleeves, all are tight with elastic at the ends to keep your body heat in it.

Click.. I am feeling like I am going to faint from the sauna affect and looking forward to the air…

I crank on the compressor, 

finally the compressor clicked off.. charged up, I put

nozzle in the pant leg at my ankle… squeezed the nozzle… can I say

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

- … the air took the sweat beads and was blowing them around..

AHHHHH-

I briefly noticed for a quick 2 maybe 3 seconds that I looked like the Michelin man….

I remember thinking and feeling pretty darn proud of this idea..

and than…

BANG

my suit blew up

yep exploded- blew the seams out of the pants and the arm seams.

Some things are not as they seem

When Walt got home that night  he noticed I was acting weird… so I finally did share my adventure…

and we both just laughed… Some things are not as they seem… Be safe, Mrs Justa…

Technorati Tags: sauna,weight loss,ideas,work,sweat,changes,choices.

 

Mrs Justa and see what you get from these photos!!

What do you see when you look at these photos?

What is it that seems to stand out?

To me… I see a man with a  pride for America.

I see a man who gave his best to America…and not always liked, but I truly believe he loved this country..

And now I want to share a few other photos…

                                                                    And I simply ask you

 

What do you see in these photos?

Hmmm I say nothing more.

just HMMMM

A picture is worth a thousand words…

or maybe trillions of words for this administration…

As my beloved husband would say…

“ I’m Justa-saying”

God Bless America….

Love to all, Mrs Justa

Technorati Tags: Obama,Regan,loyalty,life,pride,America,trust,devotion,God

 

Mrs Justa and pride in a choice.

As you look back over your life what testament can you make? What one thing could you stand up proudly and say about your life or a choice you made? If you were sitting on a bench and looking at this endless sky, reflecting on your life.. what could you say?

I ask this after being at the doctors office this week- ( I went to 4 different appnts this week- this was my Thurs morning eye appnt) I was sitting in the waiting room and there was a lady I think she may have been in her 70s in an area behind the waiting room.  The nurse was in her mid 20s. This sweet little lady was telling the nurse.. “ I never have owned a car .. not once in my whole life.” The nurse seemed amazed by this statement out of the clear blue. ( heck I was too !) Than this lady continued .. “ Nope never had a car, never owned one.. not one. I have taken a taxi though many times. It takes a  lot of taxi fees to equal the cost for a car each month. And with a taxi, I get left off right at the front door, it makes me feel like I am someone special when I get left right at the door. “

As I  sat there I drifted off into many thoughts. First the thought of never having a car, no worry of auto insurance, no maintenance fees, no loans, no paying for parking, heck if you really needed a car you could rent one, but if you lived in a place where public transportation and taxis filled your needs… wow .. how much money would have been saved in all these years of my life ?

Than I started to think about her comment of getting dropped off at the door. Damn… she is right!. In this area we live, I have seen often some people take taxis to Walmart and to the grocery stores, and as I am trudging thru the slush or the snow… I have to walk around the taxis leaving these people off right at the front door. She had a point there too. This lady did not say this out of self pity… no she said it out of pride.

So than I asked myself- what one thing can I say proudly of my whole adult life. Something I stuck too, something that never changed. I am embarrassed to say- I can not think of one thing. There are segments of my life when I have been able to say I stood for something, or proudly did something… but for my whole entire adult life…. nope-

And there she was, so innocently and proudly making that statement. I wanted to peak around the corner and see the look in her eyes as she spoke these words, for I only saw the back of her head. I wanted to see if she showed the pride in her eyes that I heard in her voice. A simple woman with a simple way to life.

God Bless her… God Bless you too. Love Mrs Justa.

Technorati Tags: pride,life,choices,special,God,blessing

 

Mrs Justa and Belief in God

God is not a puppet master who pulls our strings so we will do what He wants us to do. He loves us so much that He gave us free-will. this is from a web site ….http://www.turnbacktogod.com/

I went to this site today as I go back and forth through my mind of trying to balance the belief I have in God and the folks who want proof a God exists. I look out my window at all that can be seen… , I reflect on my life, I look at a baby, a flower, a bird, I listen to a voice sing a beautiful song, or a prophet speak of the wonders of life, I go back through pain and loss I have been through and when I felt I could not get up by myself… there was God holding me. 

To me I find so much wonder in life, there are heartaches and joys. And I truly believe that when we are suffering, God is suffering with us.

I no more will deny the existence of God anymore than the folks who question God being real will accept that God exists.

I heard something a few weeks back that kinda stuck in my mind. It was about why people do or do not go to church. When people say they do not like something about church… too much praying… too much music… maybe the preacher does not dress the way you think they should…maybe a person walks out of church and says “I did not get anything from that service”… when this happens we have lost focus on the reason for going to church. We are not going to church to be the audience…God is the audience. We go to church to come together with other people to worship God. That was a wow moment for me, because I sometimes sing in church and it is tough to get up there and hope that I chose a song that everyone .. all ages and generations can connect to.. a song that everyone will like… but I found this statement about God being the audience telling me I was losing focus on why I was there. I am there to worship God with others, and it is God I am singing for. God gave me an ability to sing..I am not a star, never claimed to be one, but I can contribute a song to the worship service every few months.

People turn their backs on God, they do not pray, they do not show their belief… and than they blame God for not being there for them. I read folks comments on line as they  state that God must not be a loving God because of people suffering from hunger, from natural disasters. But I truly believe that we are not puppets, we are free willed people, this free will opens doors for us to each make decisions that are good or bad. Sometimes our decisions spill over into others lives. And when that happens-   I think that God is feeling our pain too. There are choices that people have made that have caused us to be in situations we are in. People die horrible deaths… and when they do.. I believe God is there to pick them up and hold them. For us who are left living, who have to endure the pain of losing a person…I believe that God is also there to hold us if we do not turn our backs on him .

I wish you peace… Love Mrs justa.. alias Cindy. (Images from Googleimages)

Technorati Tags: God,belief,existance,suffering. life,life,losses

 

Mrs Justa and the Oval Office

Okay who wants to tell President Obama that he was suppose to use this office after he came to get the scoop from President Bush.

They are sitting in these chairs that look like they really do not belong in this office to me. So there they sit, the President who thought he could handle it and it just became too much for him… and the dreaming President to be- who never understood he is supposed to work out of this office.

I am thinking the chair probably is still in the same place it was when President Bush packed his bags and said goodbye.

O’blablah seems to feel banned from this office. Like he is suppose to preserve. it.

My gosh, he is flying all over the world every day ! How is that saving the taxpayers money? All the Secret Service Agents, the fuel for his travel and everyone else’s. Man I wonder where he will meet with the next president to be? I thought it was like passing of the baton when president Bush met with President Obama. but he musta scared the bageebers outta the new to be president cuz he is running from that office going everywhere else but the oval office.

Now this photo is of a President at the desk of the oval office ( disregard the intern under the desk please.. ) but he is behind the desk.

It does appear they have changed chairs since this Presidential term.. which is probably a good thing.

I am just amazed, it is like there is no ending to the spending.. no quiet time for the President to just sit in his office and reflect on the last day, the last year.

I have come down to the realization that there is some mania now in the White House. New Directions… new ideas every day. Before we can even understand one thing another thing is being mentioned.

I am at a loss… wishing  for a strong political candidate with intelligence and charisma, with real caring about the people and a President who is frugal.

I think many of us are trying to figure out how to become less in debt- while our current government seems to think nothing of spending billions of dollars we do not have.

See President Obama- this is where you can work from. It has a huge surface to look at many papers, to sign papers, to reflect.

You can do it… I know you can…

just open the door and walk over behind that desk…

now pull that chair out and take a seat. THAT IS WHERE YOU BELONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

save the jet fuel, save the teleprompters…

and than when you do speak… maybe people will listen-

right now.. to me… when I hear your voice EVERY DANG DAY- the words become just BLAH BLAH>>>

Good luck… Mrs justa.. alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: politics,oval office,president,trust,talking,speech

 

mrs Justa having a vacational time

Today is officially day one of vacation. Lets see if I can make anyone wish they were me… NOT!!!

So Sunday morning I woke up with an incredibly sore throat, felt like it was closing… so this morning I went to the docs.. the strep culture was neg, but she still thinks it is strep- so I am now on an antibiotic.  All I can say is God Bless freeze pops !

And this afternoon we got to take Imus and Indi to the vets. This is a treat in itself. Imus is in a cage and cries the entire trip up there and Indi- well he hyperventilates because he truly believes I belong in the back seat and he in the front with his “daddy”.

Imus needed a booster shot- Indi needed blood work , a booster and more seizure meds. So Indi went in first, he gets himself pretty anxious by the time the vet gets in , then he brings it to a new height, as the vet dares to examine him. Than the blood test- he freaks, they have to hold him like he is in a papoose than he let out a whining CRY that makes everyone feel sorry for him. He got his booster and poof out to the car- the cat was pretty quick- and now we are home.

See what did I tell ya, are you all longing to be me right now!  Now wait tomorrow is really fun… tomorrow I get to have my retinas looked at. Now this is a truly great time. I get to sit in a high backed reclining chair, the doc puts dilating drops in my eyes, tips me back and uses a claw like thing to position my eyeball where he wants it. The claw thing pushes on the bone around the eye and really hurts… but I will endure. Hopefully I do not cough in the docs face. Weds- teeth cleaning— now that is special. Have someone with a love for mouths and long hooks scrape the sides of my teeth. Thurs back to the same eye office, but this time to see a different doc to check pressure in my eyes.

Friday is open right now- if this med kicks in and I survive the next 3 days of medical abuse- well I just might have to party.

I hope you had a good day… my best to all.. Mrs Justa… alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: pets,veterans,life,shot,pain,strep,doctors,cultures

 

Mrs Justa on vacation

Technorati Tags: vacation. life,rest,cook,movie,times,books,read

Vacation—what does it mean to you? To some it means going broke, charging huge amounts of money to leave your home and go to some part of the USA or around the world somewhere, to live out of a suitcase, and be dependant on others for your time planning activities. For some, they have vacation savings accounts- so you save up this amount of money to go away somewhere and spend the money you saved. Well that is better than charging it I guess.

For some it may just mean taking time off from where ever you work. To me, I have a really hard time with going away on a vacation- just to spend money. I do not know why, maybe because it is winter right now, and I just want to be home. If it was Spring time, I would like to travel somewhere, but not spend thousands of dollars to get there. Some things I think would be fun would be to see Alaska, to see the Grand Canyon, to spend time on a Florida beach, to go to the Carolina shores…but I would want to be in on some good travel deals and not just pay the high prices for stuff. But in winter—- it would be just my luck to plan this vacation in January or February and get stuck in ice and snow in areas that are supposed to be warm.

Heck look at Roanoke Va – no this would be just like something I would be dealing with. Finally take a weeks vacation and than have to drive through Roanoke to get to my destination. Heck I can have white knuckle driving up here, and at least up here we have the equipment to care for the roads.

No… I am doing a vacation here with Mark— maybe take in a movie, and putter around the house, Make some beef stew one day, maybe home made bread, taco soup maybe Monday afternoon, catch up on a good book or two, sew maybe,put a few photos in the album, and good will some stuff. I am looking forward to it actually.

I looked up the origin of the word vacation and here is what I found. “The roots of the word vacation are older than Chaucer and lead via Old French back to Latin to a root vacare meaning “to be empty.” The American Heritage Dictionary links this back to an Indo-European root eu meaning to “leave” or “abandon.So the Latin “empty” represents your office when you are on vacation.We vacate our place of business, but more so we mentally move out of the mindset of our regular occupation, and that’s what’s at the heart of the word, a mental removal from work.”

So according to the above info- I am doing what was intended by VACATION> spending time with Brandon tonight for a while, being home…. going to the gym… vegging, ahhh. oh and blogging. Love to all, Mrs. Justa on a vacation.

 

Mrs Justa and snoring

There is a peaceful time

in my 24 hr day- a time of comfort , a time of ahhh,that time is sleep time. Yeah I really give my all at work, whether it be work at home or work at work.  And 99.5% of the time, I sleep thru the night, maybe my old bladder will awaken me about 3:30 , but I shuffle in the bathroom, try to keep my eyes open only enough so I don’t fall into the toilet, and than I jump back into bed and return to wherever the dreams take me.

But this morning, this very early hr in the morning, I am here, thinking about the SOUNDS  of snoring.

There is a peaceful almost comforting snore. A snore where you can almost see the floating “zzz”s flying in the room, a snore that says all is okay and the person is comfortable, almost being cuddled by tranquility.

BUT THAN THERE IS A BUZZ SAW SNORE-A BULLHORN SOUND—

I do not know if you have ever experienced this, and I do not know if you can sleep through it… but on the January 29th 2010 there is a INCREDIBLE earth shaking noise in our bed. It looks like Mark.. it moves like Mark… but it is not the peaceful sleeping husband of mine.

Hence…

why I am sitting here posting. AS I was thinking about this incredibly loud noise in the bed I tried a few things. First I asked him to roll on his side… as that seems to lessen the noise a bit… nope not working..

so than I was amusing my warped mind picturing a huge vacuum cleaner- and any cob web or spider in the whole house hanging onto the walls  and corners for their dear life as they are getting about to get sucked in. I found that humorous in my sleepy mind… and at the decibels of the inhale- I am not joking- I think that may be why we do not have cob webs!I am going to see if he needs a drink as soon as he wakes up.

I remember one time many many years ago- Jeff and I made a cassette tape of  him in a serenade of DEEP snoring- he did not believe it was him… another time I tried to pinch his nose—that was funny- he woke up and wanted to know why I was trying to suffocate him.. I told him he could still breath through his mouth… but he was annoyed.

I was listening to see if maybe he stops breathing at times- ( that happens with obstructive sleep apnea) but no I do not hear any lapse in breathing- nope it is pretty steady- inhale deep and long- sounding like it almost hurts – and than a peaceful forceful exhale.I think it is like the old cartoon of Popeye snoring… remember that load snore he did in the cartoons???? –

So here I am , I will surf the web… check out my e mail… and give him about 30 minutes to get out of his sleep pattern he is in now… he does quiet down eventually… this morning though- this full moon, first day of my vacation, bitterly cold wind beating against the world morning… I will be up for a bit. Glad I am not working in a few hrs, and in a little while I will be nestling back into bed once the lion turns into a kitten. Maybe I will go an take a nice warm shower, pretend it is the Jamaican sun beating on me…

Have a great day… Love, Cindy.. alias Mrs justa

Technorati Tags: snoring,vacuum cleaner,buzz saw,sleep,distrubance

 

Mrs Justa and the wisdom of a couple of God’s creations

I love this photo. It represents WISDOM. It is like this dude has it all figured out, he is all together… as he sits up high and watches the world. Majestic almost, radiating his wisdom to everyone who takes the time to stop and absorb it. .

Wouldn’t that be great to feel the wisdom of life? To know the right thing to do. There are quandaries that hit every day, how to be a good mom, how to be a good wife, how to be a good Christian, which way to go, what bills to pay, how much to invest, where to invest it, what car to buy, paying off the car early, paying off the mortgage early, do we try to do a 401K or a Roth IRA, what to do for dinner, when to go to the store, … decisions constantly, every day… and yet here this image of having it all together has no worries that are apparent,,, no he looks so proud, so noble.

I wish I was wiser, I wish I was better at doing many things, I wish I knew the answers to life, don’t you.  

Being a child- we grow up in different lifestyles, different parenting styles- for me all of the sudden I was grown and had no idea how I was supposed to parent, how to pay bills, how to save. My life with my mom was how to survive for many years. There was no dad for all but 10 yrs of my life…and when he was alive he was not home- he was traveling selling products in regions that were many miles from our home.

So I personally was not given the example of a  regular stereotypical family life. I was never taught how to be real dainty, real in love with tons of makeup- no we were brought up being more simple folk. We had no extra money- so saving and investing were not really things taught either.

I did learn how to cook from my mom, and I learned about doing laundry, shoveling and mowing, and working hard even when it feels like there is no end, I learned to care for children… but not how to be married, or how to be a wife,

..and being a mom… I wanted to be all for my child that I loved about my mom and that the things that I wished I had experienced being a child. The to have the  knowing that all I did was good, the wisdom that I had control… I do not remember ever feeling that way.. .

…but this guy-this horned wonder of Gods creation- he too portraits he does know it and has a handle on it.. and for that- I respect this guy. Look at his face- his eyes, doesn’t he look like he is contemplating life? Love to all… peace on the journey of life… Love Cindy.. alias Mrs justa…

Technorati Tags: wisdom,life,answers,questions,reasoning

 

Mrs Justa and the wild

I can not explain it, it is kinda neat, but EVERY morning for the past 2 weeks, there are these 2 deer that cross the road in front of me in the same area. Always going from the left to the right.

This morning I felt bad for them, I began to think about life, and wilderness, and survival of the fittest.

Just before they crossed a dog appearing animal ( perhaps a wolf- kinda looked like one) ran across the road. as I got a little closer the deer came out and stood on the yellow line , ducking down and bouncing their heads to the sides as they peered at the field across the str5eet where the dog/wolf went. I did not want to honk my horn and make the deer run in fear into the path of the dog/wolf/ So I just sat there and watched. I wished I had more time, I would have pulled over and climbed up the embankment and watched as they went on their way.

But as I drove away, I was thinking about how life is tough for animals in the wild. Where can a deer hide from a hungry dog/wolf. They chase the deer to exhaustion, it is hard for the deer with their long skinny legs to run in deep snow. I was thinking about what if I could have a shelter for the deer, and whenever they felt danger, they would know of this safe haven they could come to until the danger left. I would have meals for them water, and cut up old blankets to rest on. Wouldn’t that be neat. Like having a cat door… but making it a deer door. and it only opened for the deer- so no wolves could sneak in.

Yes, I wish I could have comforted that deer, made sure it was okay, but that would not be possible. So as I drove to work, I felt small, powerless, almost like a coward, because I worried that on the other side of the hedgerow..danger was lurking, and there was not a damn thing I could do about it !. I am glad I do not live in the wild, running from evil and fighting to survive. Peace to all, have a good night. love Cindy.. Mrs Justa…

Technorati Tags: life,danger,death

 

Mrs Justa and a great weekend

This is Mackenzie at 6 months old.  We just got back from Rochester and had a very nice visit with Miss Mackenzie and her parents, dog and 2 cats. Josh prepared an awesome meal, Josh and Adrianne really love this little girl, yes it was a nice visit.

I personally can not imagine living in a different state from our grandchildren. Like the people who are grandparents and live in Florida or the Carolinas while their grandchildren are in NY. But there is always a chance the parents could move and we would end up being in a different state that way.

Grandchildren are neat, we can hold them , protect them, share time with them, and than we can look forward to the next time we get to repeat this process again.

Mackenzie will smile at us and her parents, but once a camera is on, she gets this serious look and the smiles are gone. She likes to keep her legs straight, so when you hold her , she is like standing on your leg. She weighs about 11 and 1/2 pounds now and loves her thumb! It was great to see her today.

Last night we got to spend time with Brandon. He was not feeling well but still had a smile to share and

a few times of cuddling. So this weekend was a definite grandparent weekend. We started out with Courtney here Friday night till mid morning Saturday, ran and did a few errands, cleaned and did the laundry and than it was grandparent time .

To think that just 6 mos ago Mackenzie was born at 30 weeks, weighed 2 + pounds. And Brandon too was a premie, born at 34 weeks weighing 4 +  pounds. The miracles of God and the blessings of God’s gifts…

I look at the future and wonder where everything will end up, wonder how the kids will be , wonder how the grand kids will be. There are things Mark and I want to do to secure our future, and it will take commitment and devotion. But we do not need or want extravagant things…

and the love from the grandkids.. I think that will help us meet our goals.

How neat would it be in another 7 years to be able to really retire and be more available for the grandchildren..

Now that would be great !

Hope you had a great weekend, Love always, Mrs justa.

Technorati Tags: grandparenting,life,love,grandkids,future,goals

 

Mrs Justa and I got your number grrrrr

Numbers numbers everywhere. And they mean something different in different situations. Sometimes they make no real sense.

Such as in the hospital, the nurse comes in and asks you to rate your pain. Now if you are at some hospitals it is a scale of 1-5 and others a scale of 1-10. So if your pain really is BADDDDD you need to make sure you know if 5 means it is the worse pain you ever felt and not meaning it is medium.

Or doing a self performance review at work, you have to rate yourself from 0-5. Now if you go to a 3- you are stating you are fulfilling your job description, a 3.5- you are giving more than what is expected, a 4- that is commendable and a 5 means basically you walk on water.

It is hard to rate myself.

Now let’s say you are at McDonalds Drive thru and you want a cup of coffee. You can’t say extra cream or extra sugar anymore, nope you have to give them a number.  Now no one will give any hints as to what each number means or what it is equal to. One morning I asked the voice in the drive thru box.. what numbers mean regular cream and sugar?… she said I can not tell you. So than I asked ..well what is a normal persons order?… she could not tell me… ( crap I felt like pulling her teeth would have been easier) so than I asked, how high do the numbers go?… her answer- as much as you want it is up to you. Man I was ready to call Obama and see if he could help me out here, ( since he helps everyone ) and I also had a clearer picture why some folks have called 911 because their order was messed up…( I am not saying though to call 911… you get in big time trouble if you do !)  It was like a Super Secret… and she was taking her oath pretty seriously…  I had no idea is “1” was equal to 1 teaspoon.. so I just said 4 and 4. Needless to say, I have not returned. Usually I bring coffee from home, and this convinced me that is the smartest thing to do.

Our whole life is revolving around numbers, how much we weigh, how much groceries cost, how much we earn, how much we spend, how many calories we eat, how long we exercise, how strong the medication you take, how fast you can drive… … numbers numbers.. thank God I was good in math.  The times we have to use numbers is infinite… as I look at the clock… it is 8:34, I have 2 loads of wash to do, and 2 prescriptions to order on line, and 1 hr before I probably go to bed because I have to get up at 6:45 in the morning… ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Have a good night… I hope you can just go to sleep and not count sheep LOL.. Mrs. Justa.. alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: numbers,life,counting,meaning

 

Mrs Justa and a Cruise to Haiti??? Not so much

Okay, now let me get this straight. Imagine you are a Haitian, you are waiting for more than a bottle of water a day and what food supplies are being distributed, you are living in a tent made out of a sheet, and there is no running water, dead bodies all over the place, deep mass graves, you are missing loved ones, you have no place to live, do not know for sure how you will make it for another day, watching your infant starve… and oh.. what is that you see… why it is a cruise ship docked, so your country can get tourist dollars. People wining and dining, dancing, swimming on the upper deck, maybe playing golf, watching shows… as you suffer.

I am having a problem with this. I can not imagine how those people suffering must feel ? I would be looking for anyway possible to try to get to that cruise ship and see if I could find at least their trash bags.. there is probably more morsels of food then these folks have in the quake area.

So the resort that the cruise ship owns, well that did not get hit hard by the earthquake, and it does employ 250 Haitians… but I think it is too soon, too contrasting to what the people are going through. I heard someone say that the tourists were complaining because of the smell from the dead bodies… well excuse……me…. I am sure the people would have preferred to live than to lay on streets, inside crumbled buildings, displayed in their death with very little dignity.

Yeah I am having a problem with this… I just am.. Have a good night… and do not tell me if you are on a trip to Haiti on a cruise this week. … Love to all, Cindy  alias Mrs justa.

Technorati Tags: Haiti,cruise,resort,vacation. life,death

 

Mrs Justa and Hear me Roar

Busy day, crazy day, lots to do and no time to do it . I want to go to the gym tomorrow morning, a friend of mine heads up there now in the morning, but coming home at 7:30  really shortens my evening. We just had a light breakfast dinner, and some delicious orange juice, and once I post I am off to read a bit. Than grab a quick shower and drift off to sleep, feeling as comfortable as this tiger looks. But my pillow is a lot softer !

I love this photo, it almost makes this tiger look like something you wanna cuddle up next to. She has her tongue out a little just like our cat does, and the paws curled up like our dog and cat do. Kinda like Obama looked like to millions of Americans.

I find it totally amazing when people are foolish enough to climb over fences to be with the wild animals.Those claws could scratch your eyes out, rip your skin to shreds and have you for dinner.

Kinda like some of the Democrats in power in the house, in the senate. I am so disgusted with politicians, we need to not vote for ANY incumbents, we need to get people in office who care more about the people who voted them in , instead of caring only for  themselves.

Anyhow, today could be a huge change, the resting tiger could be standing up for the many of us who are sick of being lied to, sick of being misrepresented. I really hope the voters of Massachusetts show America that they want CHANGE and the promises made by our leaders was just propaganda to suck the American people in – thristy for change- to believe in their empty promises, and now we are wondering what will happen when the unemployment checks run out, how we will pay our taxes as they rise to pay for this careless spending,  how much the cost of food and medicine will go up, and how can we get manufacturing back in this country. OOOHH HOO___ I just heard that  Scott Brown won in Massachusetts. The republicans won !!! What does this tell you ! We need hope, we need change… Massachusetts is always thought of Democratic liberal state…50 yrs !!!   . HELLO____ now listen to the people ! You lied to us, you promised to be open, you promised to bring the people into government… and well I truly believe the people are not going to take it lying down any more. The tiger is going to get up and roar.

Now we as a country need to rally together, really look at everything, how can we build up the financial security of this country, how can we start to dig towards a better tomorrow.

Elections by election we need to vote the incumbents out, check peoples track records, and have them walk the talk and talk the walk.

We can do it, but we have to stay together as a team. Not one of us is insignificant…

we the people…. and this person is going to sleep a little easier tonight knowing one democrat was bounced down from winning.

GRRRRRRRRRRRR hear the people roar. Love to all, Mrs justa,,,

Technorati Tags: republicans,Massachusettes,life,changes,lies

 

Mrs justa and the fingers are crossed.

Crossed fingers, it is funny because depending on if they are in front of you or behind your back, they mean 2 totally different things.

I have my fingers crossed tonight… in front of me ….why you ask… well I hope that the republicans take the vote to replace Kennedy in Massachusetts. All the frill and fluff that the democrats have done in the past year and we have a country of people looking for work or wondering how long it will be until they too are looking for work. We are on a fence about where to invest any money we might have, will the dollar hold its own? Will health care take any extra money we might have… or will health care take from money we already have designated for other living expenses?

We hear all this talk about energy and greenhouse effect, yet there are people in Alaska stating they have no idea what the heck these greenie pushers are talking about. I feel the democrats have their fingers crossed, but it is behind their backs.. meaning they are disillusioning us.

We need to turn this whirlpool of careless spending, of printing money , and trashing our country to other diplomats in the world…

we need the Pride in America back… and I feel that is not the path we are on right now. So my fingers are crossed… that would be HUGE is the republicans won in Mass. I want to see flags whirling in the breeze, I want to hear patriotism, I want the folks in the service to know they are protecting the greatest country in the world, and for the people living in this country to believe it.

I do, I LOVE America, and want my grandkids to have a chance at prosperity, at the many opportunities this grand land should offer for them. God Bless America, Land that I love… Yes my fingers are crossed, for some positive direction in this land. Love to all, Mrs justa… alias, Cindy

Technorati Tags: luck,wishes,crossed fingers,life,patriotism

 

Mrs Justa and Pride and humble

Pride.. there is good pride.. but there is  not so good pride.

Today was church and Pastor Carl touched on pride. And about how some of us in the world could be prideful in an “all about me” way.

There is good pride, pride in others, pride in your children and accomplishments they have done, or pride in their giving to others. Pride that is a positive inspiration.. that is good pride.

But it is the wrong kind of pride that is not good. It is the kind when a person feels they are better than others or better than a certain person. When they feel they are above others. As if people are in your way…

it is much better to work on staying humble.

You might have a talent and training in some area that others might not have, or they are not as good as your are in that area, like singing,math, engineering , driving…  we all have special areas or talents. but we need to ALWAYS remember that  every other person has some area they are good in and often you might find they are areas you are not so good in. 

He ended the sermon with 7 symptoms of the wrong kind of pride…I was thinking maybe I had a couple…but ya know what.. I had them all.

So how do you know if maybe your pride is a little disjointed? 

Here they are: ( Signs that pride is taking over your life)

Symptoms of the wrong kind of pride:

1) Is your prayer life inconsistent, spotty,only in times of need and crisis?

2) Are you weary in helping others,in your ministry?

3)Do you have bursts of anger?

4) Are you defensive when some tries to give you constructive criticism? ( How dare someone find fault with you, or might see a way to do something better )

5) Are you critical and judgmental of others? 

6) Do you get impatient with others? ( as my time is more important that your time)

7) Do you have an unwillingness to associate with others? ( My and that is a capital MY time is too precious to do what ever the task is… or maybe look at people as they are not your cup of tea)

Some of these pride statements I can make an excuse for, but is it just that.. justifying a reason why I am not being true to myself and others.

This made me think back and see different situations I am in. It was just a wake up call to really look at everything I do and make sure my life is not ALL ABOUT ME. How about you?

There was a guy who we were acquainted with years ago.. he was really in love with himself, and the impression he gave to many was as if he was saying to us “ Enough about me.. let’s talk about you.. What do you think about me ?”

We are the created.. not the Creator. And when we lose focus on that, when we live our life like we need no one, no God , nobody… than we will find life harder, for it is not all about us individually.

We can not do it alone. We can try… but in the end we will find we took the much rougher road, good luck on your journey…and remember IT IS NTO ALL ABOUT YOU !. Love Mrs. Justa…

Technorati Tags: pride,self centeredness,life,disappointments,arrogance,humble,caring

 

 

Mrs Justa tickled pink

Okay I promised a new photo of the Little guy… here he is. I chose this photo because that joy in his face, his see what I can do.. his “I won this battle and can sit here”  well it is kinda like the joy I have knowing that I work with an incredible group of people.

It once again was brought to the surface today when I had asked folks to come in and help us with a huge overload of work we had received in the past few weeks. On a Saturday, with the phones not ringing and no one e mailing us questions, and no crisis’ to take care of, we can get a lot done.

I do appreciate everyone who came in. Every single nurse, trained in the area we needed to focus on came in today. And the 2 who are not yet trained in that area of work, they offered to come in and help if there was something they could do. My director and the appeals nurse even came in today to help.

Plus we had our medical records specialists come in to help and 3 administrative support people. We worked with a pretty positive spirit, and did the best we can. It was just a wonderful reminder of how I truly believe that every one of these people do not just come to work for a paycheck, they also understand the trust these patients, doctors and facilities put in each of us to handle their cases, as quickly and efficiently as possible. So Mr Brandon here.. well he has the look in his eyes and smile on his face that I felt in my heart today. 1/3 of us were there by 6Am , I offered folks to start at 6,7 or 8 and we would try to do up to 6 hrs. Whatever they could work would be greatly appreciated. It was not because they could get overtime for the nurses, we are all salary, but ya know what, not one person said they would not come in because there was not financial gain for them. Some were able to work 6 hrs, some 4. We got 1/2 of the inventory done. We are current.. we do  have a lot of cases. I am just tickled pink, just so proud of where I work and who shares the days with me, and tonight… well tonight I am just feeling almost euphoric over such a great day.. great employer, great people. Peace to all, and thanks to everyone who help others they work with so they too feel this same type of commitment and loyalty. Until later.. Mrs. Justa alias Cindy

Technorati Tags: work,loyalty,commitment,life,people,giving up,trust,brandon

 

Mrs Justa and moments that last a lifetime

What special moments do you remember with your parents? Were there times you wish you could live again? Is there a special treat you had as a child?

I remember growing up my mom or my grandmother would read to us at night. If it was my mom, she would always sing lullabies as she tucked us in, sometimes she sang them in German. And when my mom sang to us, we felt life was without problems, life was soft, comfortable.She would tuck us in tight so the blankets caressed us. The pillow molded around our heads. 

I remember my grandmother holding me on her lap, she was blind, she would know what book we had, but unable to see the pages. She would tell me and my sister the stories and I would turn the pages to fit her narrating it from memory. I loved the feel of her arms, the smell of her hair, the comfort from her love.

That was a very special time for me. A time I am so glad I had.

 

As I watched Jeff with Brandon last night, I felt those memories surface a little closer. It was special to me to see him sharing book reading time with Brandon, and having Brandon love books, what a true gift. This little boy has his parents share quiet book time with him every night and during the day, they both love every minute they have with him, and can not stand the moments they are not with him.

I believe that Brandon too will remember these times, just like I remember my grandmother and mom and the night time comfort from their love. It is a bonding moment that money can not replace, material gifts can not be given in place of this. No this is life.

This is comforting, this is such a special moment, in the strength of your daddies or mommies arms, without the stresses of life being welcome at these special minutes.  Almost as if there is a clear shield, and for this special time, it was just the two of them… bills do not matter, life stresses do not exist.. nope the only thing that matters is the safety of Brandon’s dad’s arms… reading the book “I Really Like Trucks” . I am so glad we were there to share this moment, as we watched them . I love you guys !. Love always… Mrs justa.

Technorati Tags: memories,life,treasures,special. love,warmth,safe,secure

 

Mrs Justa and Haiti

Technorati Tags: Hatiti,poverty,poor,life,death,tragedy

The Haitians.. those poor poor people. We think we have it tough when we break a nail, get a cold, have trouble because the citrus crop is frozen and the prices will rise or run low on fuel .

Or it is a catastrophe when our electric mattress cover is not as good as it used to be, or when the water pressure might be a little low.

Well we are wussies, we have no idea what suffering is.

I heard some staggering, eye opening statistics today on Haiti… up until yesterday.. to my ignorant self… Haiti was there.. no feelings for it.. it was just there.

But when it came to the surface, when this devastating earthquake came and totally destroyed their not so great life, I listened, I felt… I wanted to cry for these people. One report said that a large percentage of the Haitians earn $1.00 a day. Okay… so let us think about that.. where would you be a 7.00 a week wages? I got this picture from google images- in a time much better then now, and in this time- even though the people seem to show joy, they are living in deplorable conditions- and yet look at the brightness of their clothes, the life in their faces…… $7.00 a week.

And now look… everything they had… toppled. 1,000 upon 1,000 of dead, dying, hungry, thirsty… it rips my heart strings. I fell so terrible for them. It brings to the surface what is easy to hide in the background.

I read that the streets are lined with dead bodies, covered with blankets. There is not water, peoples homes destroyed, people injured with no where to go…

I can not imagine this.

We wonder how we will get to the gym, or if we will go grab a cup of coffee. And these people, with nothing… and now with less… they rally around to assist one another.

They find a strength that I do not know I have myself. I admire their courage, and I believe that many will still lose their lives, but those who survive- I think they have much stronger characters than many of us. Wow, I am just kinda torn over the whole thing. say a prayer for them, pray for the missionaries that are there , and the various world organizations going to assist… for in the end… we are all brothers and sisters. Rest in Peace.. Love Mrs Justa…