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.

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

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…

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…

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.

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

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.

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,,,

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

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…

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

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.

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…

Abraham Lincoln once said

“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.”

I find this to be true. And I feel the government is far from doing this. The behind close doors meetings,( were we not promised if elected all meetings would be on c span)  the pushing legislation through that no one is really sure about, this reforming health care and all the sweetheart deals and promises so that the powers that be will vote for it. I feel the government is not giving us the truth, they are hiding things from us.

It feels at times like it is a big game on Monopoly, money printed to be like real money, but somewhere the piper will need to get paid.

I am not a business major, but I do not understand throwing millions and billions of dollars to companies that have proven they are not good in business. So we throw money to them like a life raft in a whirlpool.

It is too bad, because the president had said he was like Lincoln, but I see no resemblance. For if he was like Lincoln, than he would have kept his promises of letting the people see the meetings, see the planning.

So as Abe sits here, 19 feet tall , made out of marble, towering over , displaying his wisdom… I personally feel we as a country were cheated. We were sold a bill of goods and found out the salesman was lying through his teeth. For a brief moment when he first spoke during his campaign, for a brief moment I thought this guy might have great ideas. but as the campaign dragged on and I listened more, I felt he was not what he represented himself to be, and no I was not one who voted for him. And as I watch the days past by, the uncertainty of days to come, I wonder… WHAT would Lincoln say if he could speak from the 99 foot tall Lincoln Memorial that he sits so proudly in. Maybe this “You may deceive all the people part of the time, and part of the people all the time, but not all the people all the time.”

My love to all, may you find peace in the night… Love mrs Justa…

Life is a vortex. That is sometimes what it feels like. What does the future hold? Where are we going from here? How do we make a successful plan for the future? How can we trust the financial world? What is the best decision to make to secure our future? What about this National health Care bull poopy? How will it affect me, Mark , our families , and my job?

What is going to happen with my 401 K in the next 20 years?

Than add to all those thoughts going round and round, and I have the everyday stuff floating around. Hoping the grand kids are okay, and hoping the winter will be gentle, and hoping that the pets are okay, and wondering about my brothers and sisters and hoping they are okay, worrying that our kids and their spouses are doing well, and wondering about our neighbors.

There is so much to worry about at times, so much to think about. I can be a major worry-wart ( as my mom so kindly referred to me quite often) and in the worry, with so much to worry about, some of the things are bound to have been worth the worry.

I worry about co workers, friends and life. I worry about things I can not change. I think we all do really. I worry on Monday about how crazy it will be going into work…. man some of those people driving in must have really missed their bosses over the weekend, cuz they drive like maniacs to get back into work to see them again. ( HEE HEE)

I worried about my garden all year long, and look .. I had something to worry about.. those dang squash bores and tomato blithe critters. Don’t you worry about others, about life? Worry about money? Worry about what the government will control? It is just a worry night I guess. So I am off because I currently am worried I will forget to write the check for the dog groomer who comes tomorrow, and forget to write a check to a medical provider for Weds, and need to write in a withdrawal from today. Have a peaceful night, and do not worry too much ! Love to all, Mrs justa

How peaceful it was today. I never left the house. With being sick again I did not want to go to church and cough or sneeze during service. We got up around 7:30 or 8 this morning, fed the pets and than I made breakfast. Than the rest of the day was working on work stuff. Fortunately I have computer access from home to my work computer. So I did not have to drive 70 miles round trip to work today. It is hard, because I get there and there is SO MUCH stuff to do, that I had some projects that I just can not do when I am there.

The peace of the day made it easier to sit back and plug away. I had put dinner in the crock pot this AM… mmm home made meatballs and cut up sausage in home made sauce simmering together for hours. Thanks to Donna and Steve who gave us the suggestion last week- I remembered I had about 17 home made meatballs in the freezer, so I took out a few and boy it was good.

Lunch time was a quick soup warm up and here I was, working away…  I am taking a management class through work, and it is a good class, but it is like a college course. The home work and projects are really hard to do with all the incredible work load we each have every day at work. So here I was on Sunday doing 2 powerpoints, 2 project planning forms, a presentation I have to do for an orientation and a draft of a letter that one of the groups I am in  are sending out to every department head introducing a project we are doing company wide. It helped to be able to look out the window and see the tranquility of the day. No major snow storms calling me out to fight them , bundled in layers, a na-nook of the north hat on , with my shovel and the snow blower.

With me feeling yucky and with all there was to do, we have not done our weekend stop over to see Brandon and his paretns. I had talked to Mark about asking them over here for dinner tonight.. but Brandon is sick too. So he and his grandma can be sick in two places. 

And this evening as the sun peaked thru the pines to say good night, I felt sad we had not seen Jeff, Amanda and Brandon , but I felt great that I got so much done.

Yesterday I was able to do the weekend cleaning and got the laundry all done, so I am feeling pretty good about heading into Monday. I still have 2 big projects left for work, but I got 3 important ones done.

Ya know, I am glad I am not one of those people with tons of friends calling and wanting to do stuff, and that my husband likes to be home and not wandering all over creation. Cuz I am a homebody, I love being home. I like cleaning my house and folding the clothes fresh out of the dryer. I like having home cooked meals and vegging with a book. Which I am going to go do now. So have a good night, stay warm, Jeff, Amanda , and Brandon we love you. Josh and Adrianne and Mackenzie- we are missing you guys and love you too! If we can stay healthy and the weather cooperate, we will head out west soon. Love to all, Mrs Justa … alias Cindy… alias grandma

This photo was actually taken in 2007 .This is Imus. And he was a birthday gift for Mark in 2007. Mark really does connect with Imus, and Imus is very attached to Mark.

We had had him about 3 months when this photo was taken , but he can be seen in this position after any meal.

We laugh because the animals have their own little idiosyncrasies. It is like they want the same attention and sometimes they act up if they think we are favoring one above the other.

Indi has had this thing for a very long time, when I finish my meal, he comes over and wants to jump on my lap and cuddle for about 3-4 minutes. So Imus started jumping into Marks arms, and it is funny, cuz he will twist upside down and look at Indi as if to say “ HA HA I got daddy!”  The dog and cat are just like siblings, they chase each other, cuddle and sleep in close proximity to each other and play together. The one will look all over if they can not find the other one. Kinda a love hate relationship at times. 

It is amazing how they adapt to each other, how they can find comfort from each other as if they had been together their entire life.

I think people have a lot to learn from pets. We have a friend and his wife who HATE the thought of pets. One will say if the other gets a pet consider their marriage over.

I can not comprehend that. Sure life without pets is less hassles at times, and we become so attached to our pets that it hurts when they become sick or hurt.

But my goodness, I can think of numerous times when pets have comforted me after a surgery, or watched over me when I was feeling sick. When they have brought a smile to my face watching their uniqueness, and when they have totally surprised me by a personality trait they had.

It is very easy to miss the uniqueness and the personalities of your pets. If you never stop to observe, you will miss so much. But if you take time to just watch them interact, to watch their idiosyncrasies  I think you will be amazed.

Mark has seen so much by being home with them. He will comment on things they did during the day. Things many of us would have missed if we did not stop and observe.

Imus is a neat freak.. if you leave anything on a surface… a pen, a paper… he will knock it off cuz he likes uncluttered areas.

Indi can smell a tennis ball when it is hidden from him. He knows.. he is in love with his tennis balls.

Imus has this behavior that he  will go and lay down anywhere Mark has been sitting.

Mark

gets

up and Imus claims the turf.  Ya just gotta laugh ! They are such a bonus in our lives. So I am off to watch the pets. and throw the tennis ball a bit. I hope you have something special in your life that brings you as much joy as these 2 do to us 🙂 Love , Mrs Justa…

I found this on Google images and it is a hoot! My nose is stuffy, running and I feel like I wish I had this contraption today !.

SO I was cleared up for a week outta the last 6!. And now I am sniffling and went thru a ton of tissues.

I wonder where I could get one of these things. Think of the convenience. Heck put a double roll of soft as a babies bottom Charmin up on the top of my head and I would be all set for the world of sinus drainage!@

So I am off to suck down some Nitequil and take a really warm shower and turn on my electric mattress pad and call it a night early .

Hopefully tomorrow I will be back to okay again. I have work to do this weekend, both for work and around the house, plus we need to go out and get groceries… so I am praying I will recoop as quickly as I just uncooped ( A new word)

I try not to whine, and try not to complain, but this SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow on my Wally world adventure, I will have to check out the made in China cold devices and see if they have any of these on the shelves. It would come in handy camping too, don’t cha think? Or on those drives when all of the sudden you need to find a tree to hide behind.  You could add a little squirt bottle on the side with waterless soap and be all set .

What I wanna know is how do sinuses produce so much water?

There was one girl at work who literally filled a garbage can with tissues in a 6 hr span of time.

Where does the faucet sit?

And where is the damn shut off.

No folks today is an off day for the ol’ Mrs Justa… too many folks coming to work sick and thinking they are not contagious.

And here I am again. uggg. heavy head, sore nose from the tissues and looking forward to the gross tasting, burn my tongue nitequil.

Peace to all, keep your waterless soap handy and stay warm.. it is going to be a COLD one this weekend.

Love to all, Mrs Justa sniffing and blah

How utterly awesome. Skype. Mark got a camera for his computer for Christmas and his sister has a camera on her computer in Pennsylvania.

I love seeing them talk back and forth with each other. Relatives are all far away, and we e mail and talk to relatives on the phone, but to have them sit in their own homes and talk and watch each other… it is really neat.

My niece is in the Navy and she is way out in Washington State. She has SKYPE and she and Mark have spoken a couple times, but she and her dad talk a lot. My brother and his wife will SKYPE us.. it is neat.. like sitting at their table and chatting.

We were at my brothers house for thanksgiving and Christmas eve, and both times my brothers wife Sher ( whose family is on the West coast) got to share with time with her family via SKYPE. It made me want to cry knowing how much she and her family care for each other and miss each other.

I sit here laughing inside because I remember seeing the Jetsons… I remember thinking how cool it would be to talk on the phone and see the other person talking. And here they are… looking at each other and chatting. it is cool…. Jetsons… oh … remember the dog.. He talked in rrrs at the first of each word.. Row R Rou??? ( How are you)   I had a great friend … her name was Gwen, and we would talk for hrs on the phone like the dog. Ha ha.. … living in the world we dreamed of. Wasn’t there an instant oven in the Jetson’s kitchen ? Now we have microwaves. Don’t look now Mark but you and your sister are in the Jetson family.

Now before I zap myself into the other room…

I wanted to share some winter updates….

Here is Indi after we opened his area last night.

He was so funny staring at the snow bank. I think he was relieved that he could see grass and his little weinny wasn’t freezing LOL!

There is just so much right now, to remove it would be a task for the crew of the Biggest Loser. 

But when they get done maybe by than we will have a place for them to sit….

Rumor has it that more lake effect snow is heading this way tomorrow and will continue thru the weekend. I am really hoping it does not have the same sock this last storm gave us.

I work with someone( she is my Best friend!) who lives south west of us, she and her husband  and we live in the same band area. unfortunately for her… they have a much longer driveway and a zillion acres… we just have one acre and a short driveway. So for all of you with just a few inches of snow- here is some for ya… and for folks like my bf and I… we are glad to give it away. Love to all…. Cindy… alias Mrs Justa……..

The Christmas surprise is over with , so I finally can write about this adventure Courtney and I did. Courtney has a very special person in her life, and she looks at her as a mom. So for Christmas she wanted to do something memorable. So we looked thru pictures she had and I had and we made a comforter with photos and a few sayings.
It was fun to do it, and I can not believe Courtney was able to keep it quiet, but she did.

We worked together and I think it came out pretty nice.

She predicted her “mom” would cry.. and after Christmas I spoke with Courtney and Marty and Yes she did cry. 

This to me is a true gift, a gift from the heart.

One year Courtney did  woven looped pot holders. She would weave like crazy when no one was around. It was another special gift. She did color schemes that she knew stood for something the person liked. Such as blue and orange for her dad who is an SU fan, and blue and white for Mark cuz he likes the Yankees.

Jeff used to make things for Christmas too, stained glass , candles, cinnamon air fresheners. I have pot holders that Adrianne made for me years back.  See those are also the things remembered. I have made gifts from photos, written people special poems and framed them, made totes and tee shirts with dot paint designs on them. Heck one really poor Christmas when I was a child my 6 brothers and sisters

all made each other gifts from aluminum foil. Another really low money year I baked people their favorite cookie.

Next time when it is time to give a gift… try making something from the heart. It feels so good to do that.

Have a good one.. Until later… Mrs Justa.. Cindy