DH and I went to the mall today. Not to shop, but because the weather is cold and the sidewalks are icy, so he could walk. Normally, when I'm at work, DH goes by himself, but today, I thought I'd join him and browse. He never worries because I basically am not a spender and I only came so I could walk around a little too.

First, let me say I am a Paula Deen fan. I like the fact she started on a shoestring and worked hard and has been successful. Years ago we went to Savannah and we took the Paula Deen tour. One thing the tour guide kept saying is how she remembered the folks who helped her out when she started and continued to purchase things from them although she has made her way. For example, there was a fruit and vegetable stand that gave her 'credit' each morning when she was running the "Bag Lady" lunches. She would go and get her vegetables and fruits and she would charge them until the lunches were sold and she could pay the bill later that day. A local antique store found her chairs for her first restaurant and let her buy them on time.

So, I love the fact she was an American success story and loyal to those who helped her on the way up.

So, my gripe? Every single thing she now sells is made in China. I saw pots and pans and bake ware and dishes and everything had "Made in China" on the boxes and dishes.

Come on, Paula, you are American so how about helping the American economy and having stuff made in America? Be one of the first of the Food Network stars to show where your patriotism is! Help put Americans to work, because it is, after all, Americans who helped you realize your dream!

Ever notice that some folks complain about this and that and ask for suggestions, but when offered possible solutions, prefer complaining instead of changing?

One friend complains all the time about not having enough money. Yet, she and her spouse smoke, drink, and do not plan for anything. With Christmas coming up instead of hitting the grocery store when the paycheck came, they didn't. Christmas Day came she and she wondered what store was open since they had invited a sibling over for dinner. Each Christmas is a stress because they don't have the money she wishes she had and although I have suggested she open a Christmas Club so they would have something saved, she informed me that is old fashioned, and unnecessary. Often they are out of money before the next paycheck comes in. Any suggestions that have been made on saving money is argued that she already knows how to live with little money. Yet, about every other week is another complaint of being broke.

Another person I know complains about having little money and how the house payments are killing them. When I hinted that we save money by not eating out as much and cutting our spending a snarky remark was made that DH and I have plenty of money. If I came out and said point blank that they should curtail their spending, it would result in hateful words. So, the complaints go on.

Another couple we know eat out at least once a day. Spending is fast and furious, yet there is a gripe that there isn't enough money and a bigger home equity loan is sought.

And yet another couple complains about not having enough money. They too eat out all the time. Every single thing is put on credit cards and we are ridiculed because when we do go out, DH pays with cash. Don't get me wrong, we use credit cards for certain things, but they are paid off each month. These folks are always talking about how they are broke.

One thing these folks all have in common besides the obvious of not having enough money is they are big complainers and instead of taking measures to try and alleviate some spending, they gleefully spend and then gripe. Guess it takes less effort to complain than actually do. I guess this makes me sound kind of cruel, but after awhile, it gets tiresome. I no longer give advice if asked because it is a waste of time.

I have enjoyed my holiday break. Today was a busy day at our home, DH wanted a new watch for Christmas. We had a Christmas Club so I had a good budget. He really wanted one that is solar charged and I bought him one. So today we took it so he could get links removed so the band would fit. While there, I had the band replaced on mine that was a few years old. It was ready to break so I figured it would be a good investment.

We dropped some things to a local food pantry. They not only take food but also clothing and kitchenware. We had some clothes to donate and kitchenware...how I wound up with so many muffin tins is beyond me. We also had a turkey we got free and it was far too big for the two of us. The only thing that irritated me was seeing some if the clients who were waiting for the pantry to start calling numbers for food boxes were outside smoking. I wanted to say maybe you'd have more money for food if you weren't smoking, but I kept quiet. One of the things we like about this place is the clothing and kitchen stuff are given to clients. They do a lot of good.

DH had received a Target gift card so he wanted to stop and see if they had a DVD or CD he wanted. He looked around and finally decided he didn't want anything. I looked at Christmas cards, but I didn't buy any. I really hoped to find some that weren't made in China. I may be looking for a needle in a haystack, so to speak. We then went to Kohls. DH had Kohls cash. He found a shirt on clearance for that. We walked around the mall a little for some exercise. We did see some people we knew so they was good,

We had meal #4 of ham. DH said said he was "hammed out." So, I put the remainder in the freezer to be revisited at a later time. Last night I had roasted a chicken for something different so tonight I used the broth, leftover chicken, and leftover roasted vegetables from Christmas and made chicken stew for lunch tomorrow. I had baked cornbread for Christmas and we finished it up tonight. I still have some honey wheat bread I baked for dinner Sunday so I think I am going to put olive oil on it and toast it to serve with the stew. I am trying to use up what we have and not waste food.

We were going over our finances and since we have curtailed our eating out, we are seeing more money in the bank account. One of the ladies from church was at the mall and we were talking about how much money one saves by planning meals and creating a grocery list. She said her husband takes a loaf of bread, peanut butter, and some jelly to work. For his mid morning break, he toasts a piece of bread and puts a little peanut butter and jelly on it. She said that often his coworkers tell him how much better his toast looks and smells than what they bought out of the vending machine. As she said, it just takes some planning.

After work yesterday I decided I needed a facial. I deserve it, right? So, my plan was to stop at an exclusive spa and ....

OK, not really. I used sugar and some facial soap in the tiny closet we call the master bath. It was refreshing.

We often watch HGTV and marvel at how picky some of the homeowners are...they have to have a grand master bathroom. When our house was built in the late 70s, I think the master bath was just for convenience, not an in home spa. Although it would be nice to have a little larger, it is sufficient. It has a shower, stool, and sink. Plus, there's less of it to clean!

First, let me say we don't really know Lester Holt.

However, we see him on the NBC news. And it appears this man works seven days a week and does many broadcasts as well as Dateline.

I looked his bio up and it states he's married and has children. I'm not sure when he's with his family because he is often traveling for his broadcasts.

So, I was tickled the other night when DH said, "Hey, it's almost time for our friend, Lester Holt."

Wonder if Lester would be pleased!

Remember the comic strip "Peanuts" where each Halloween Linus awaits the "Great Pumpkin?"

I would say that the person who owns this home must really like Halloween. We saw this in Arthur, Illinois, which is about 28 miles away from us.

As if the ongoing drone of political ads aren't bad enough, I'm tired of answering the doorbell.

Let me warn you, this is a rant.

Seems the doorbell has rung 3 times at 7:10 in the past three weeks...twice it was the neighbor kids doing fundraisers for their school. Two different fundraisers, I might add. Then, the mother sends over an invitation to one of those parties where you are guilted into buying their product.

Last week it was another child selling a third type fundraiser for their school district. This one was earlier.

I get it that schools need money. I live in a different district than I work, although I'm only about 4 blocks away. My own school has had a fundraiser. Read this: "a" as in one. Single. This district has had 3 since they started school.

I'm the bad guy. After DH funded all three, I told him that was enough. We've given enough for right now.

Part of me is irked at the neighbor. Two of the three kids were hers. She is always hitting us up for something. Yet to hear her tell it, they are broke and can't buy anything. But, she doesn't think anything about sending her kids over to guilt us into buying stuff. I'm polite and kind to the kids, but when is enough enough?

I think the flyer to the stupid party was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. I like to support local business owners and such, but attending one of these parties isn't my idea of a good time. And for a family that complains they are broke, owning a boat, two cars, the biggest house on the block and having a multitude of Halloween decorations (lights and all) out, isn't exactly broke. She has come over to visit in my yard with booze on her breath. And every Christmas she has the extravaganza of Christmas lights and blow ups and music and stuff. I don't really feel it is my responsibility to finance her lifestyle by attending one of her parties.

I just emailed her a nice response saying I couldn't make the party. I was polite and didn't comment.

As for the doorbell, I hope it doesn't ring for awhile!

Today is Sunday and it has been a busy day. We went to church and then returned home. I fixed "brunch" of scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, and sliced tomatoes. I then made ground chicken enchiladas for supper tonight. I also fixed fruit for a salad and cleaned up the kitchen.

This afternoon we walked over to an open house that is listed. The young couple who bought it a couple of years ago really fixed it up. We like looking at homes in our subdivision to try and compare what has been done and what we have done and hopefully get an idea of the real estate market. There seem to be an awful lot of homes for sale in our subdivision.

After our little trek, I have been doing school work. I finished it and can now reward myself with some SA time.

It seems hard to believe the middle of September is here. I feel like all I have done is work both at home and school. Maybe even after a month of being in school, I still don't feel like I've hit a routine.

I did receive some excellent news...a grant I wrote to our local district's foundation was approved and we will be having a storyteller for a three day artist in residence. I have worked with him before and he is excellent and also will manipulate his fees to meet a reasonable budget. So that was a day brightener to say the least.

Heard on HGTV's Extreme Homes...to solve the problem on the yacht if you need room to dance you can have the table move up to the storage area in the ceiling...I know that this problem of not having room to dance on my yacht has kept me up nights...how about you?

Saturday the group we toured with this summer to the east coast had a get together to view the movie the leader so graciously put together and then to eat some snacks.

One of the ladies asked me why I stopped putting what I was fixing for supper on Facebook. I told her because I was getting verbally abused for it. She laughed and said she missed it.

I had been kind of kidded about it -- I started it as a joke. A couple of the local restaurants that I "liked" on Facebook were putting their daily specials on their walls, so I said I would join in and put mine on my wall. A couple of folks kind of got grouchy about it. Most either said it sounded good or asked when was meal time.

Well, the gal insisted I start, so I did. It's been interesting to see the comments. This gal said she liked seeing it because it gave her ideas on fixing things.

I guess that is sort of like this site -- we blog and post replies and it makes us think. Maybe we think about menus or finances or just get challenged to think about something either we didn't or hadn't broached before.

So, although we often think of menus as associated with food, I think we can also think of our writings as a menu of thoughts.

Life suddenly went into overdrive...I started back to school last week. I don't know if it was stress or the fact I no longer controlled my time, but by Friday I was so exhausted I could barely think straight.

Fortunately the weather cooled off a bit and the buildings were decent temperature wise. But, it is supposed to start warming up as the week goes along.

I have 5 meals planned for the week and most of them will give leftovers for lunches. We had meatloaf last night and there is enough for lunch for both of us one day. We are having sloppy chicks (joes made with ground chicken) for supper tonight so that will give leftovers as well. I cooked a whole chicken in the slower cooker Friday night and made three casseroles and a stew for some week day suppers.

I need to start the grocery list for the end of the week Aldi trip. I've already used a few things that I need to replenish.

Mugs.

No, I'm not talking about one's face. I'm talking about those devices we use to hold coffee, tea, milk, water, etc.

Yesterday, we perused a couple of thrift stores. I noticed that at each one there was a shelf set aside just for mugs.

Poor, abandoned, lonely mugs.

I bet at one time they were either given as gifts or bought with joy of using. Now, they are abandoned, left to their own, to sit on a shelf for folks like me to notice.

I decided to do a mug count at our house. I thought while I was cleaning out the cabinet, I'd take a few photos. Bet you can tell which ones my DH uses. I have to admit not all my mugs are in one cabinet. I have 6 on a mug rack, some in a hutch, and another in another cabinet. I didn't take photos of the ones on the top shelf because I didn't want to get a step ladder.
















After all is said...drum roll please...I counted 51 mugs in our house. That averages out to 25.5 mugs per person (MPP) in our home. This doesn't count the coffee and tea cups.

And yes, I succumbed to the call of the lonely mug yesterday and bought this clear one. I thought it needed a new home.

It is me, or are there more commercials on television?

Furthermore, do these folks think we are stupid?

DH says I observe too much. For example, some of the processed foods show these fancy kitchens with beautiful cabinets, granite countertops, and perfect appliances and nothing out of place -- the gourmet kitchen to heat up a junk food snack in the microwave. Even the dog and cat food commercials show pretty elaborate kitchens! Really? Do they think most of America has the fancy kitchen of these commercials or is it a subliminal message that if you buy this stuff, you'll be like these folks?

I'm not sure the draw is for these car commercials where they drive in some of these settings like big cities and storm out and go rapidly down these streets. In most big cities, it is usually bumper to bumper during the day. I guess the car companies think we will think we can avoid the traffic and have a blast driving their car. I'll just putter along in mine and hopefully save some gas!

I wonder how many homes look as fancy as the ones in the commercial? I guess they feel it is everyone's dream to have these elaborate, fancy homes with up to date everything. Do we all buy into this? Is it a way to make folks unsatisfied with what they have and buy bigger and better?

Right now on Facebook it seems most of my friends keep putting these photos asking if we remember this and that such as a potato masher or speakers from a drive in theatre. I do have a potato masher and often use it, so I guess I not only remember it...I'm not up to date with whatever the kitchen market industry thinks I should be using. It was my grandmother's and it works just fine.

I remember Charlie Brown and Linus talking about commercialism as well as it being a sticking point in "Miracle on 34th Street." Maybe I'm becoming sick of it as well. Have we become too infected with commercialism?

As I've mentioned before, we are in Illinois and in a severe drought. Our yards are crispy, and things are dry. DH has been watering his garden and a couple of trees that aren't super old.

Today he came in hot under the collar. Seems he found a cigarette butt in the corner of his garden near the front of the house.

Neither of us smoke. The butt wasn't smushed like it had been stubbed out. So, apparently it had been flicked over.

I truly do not understand why some smokers (not all, but some) feel it is someone else's responsibility to pick up their cigarette butts because they are done and throw them wherever. That's bad enough. But, it is dangerous in this situation with the dry grass. If it had hit the dry grass, we could have had a fire in our yard.

We think it came from our neighbor and her kids. They were out in the yard the other day. The reason they were in the yard?

Well, a few months ago she had a fire in her house. Her garage caught fire and did major damage to her garage, her vehicle, and the contents of the garage. Smoke infilterated her home.

The cause of the fire? She put the remnants of her ashtray into the garbage can and apparently they weren't all out. It smoldered all night and when she opened the door between the house and garage it created a backdraft and the place caught fire.

So, she has been out of house for the past 4 months as she fought insurance and got folks to in to fix things and clean up.


We haven't seen any butts in the yard recently because no one has been at the house. But, now that they are helping her move back in, the family is back and in the yard smoking.

One would think after that little experience, everyone involved would be more careful.

We are considered in a drought like most of the Midwest. Our city lake has dropped to such an extent that we are now on mandatory water restrictions. So far, the water restrictions let people water their gardens and lawns on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. If we don't ge some rain and the oppressive heat doesn't subside, that will probably be cut as well. In the meantime, no watering of any kind can be done on any other days, even with a sprinkling can.

DH is worried about his small vegetable garden. Before the restrictions, he was watering his tomatoes, peppers, and herbs each morning. he's been out over 1 1/2 hours today trying to get things thoroughly soaked.

I totally get why we need to restrict water. Drinking water is vital. It just means many of us may lose our gardens which means higher food prices. I see the national news is now predicting higher grocery prices of at least 4%.

That rate hike may mean some folks won't be eating very much.

Let's pray the drought breaks soon.

Perhaps it is the heat or maybe just the frustration...

Watching television is getting my cynical side surfacing.

We usually watch Suze Orman each Saturday night. We have been watching her for years. But, I'm getting tired of her analyzing emotions and trying to act as a therapist. Yes, I believe emotions play a big part in spending, but I want to hear more facts instead of playing the therapist.

During the school year I retire at 9 p.m. so it means I miss out on some shows I'd like to see. One of them is Restaurant Impossible. Well, I'm getting a little cynical about it as well...last week Robert was acting like a therapist and solving the family emotional problems as well as their restaurant problems. That was bad enough, but when the construction crew couldn't get a wall down, super Robert to the rescue with a sledgehammer showing them how it was done. Too bad he wasn't wearing tights and a cape!

On Mondays we normally watch American Pickers. We even ventured to Iowa last spring to see their place. My folks had a used furniture store and later an antique shop and I get you have to buy low to make a profit, but sometimes I think their attitudes are a bit much anymore. No one knows it all, and if they are making as many great deals as they say, they don't need to be on television. They talk about buying some and selling for double or triple the amount...but that might be the value, not what they really got. In retail, one can only hope the demand is there.

Well, we've been watching dvds borrowed from the library...last night we watched a Sherlock Holmes and Watson had a flashlight. What a great flashlight it was...it light up half the room...wonder where we can buy one of those and some of those great candles in the old westerns that you could light one and the whole room was lit.

Well, I guess I'll take my cynical self and go make lunch...unless Robert wants to show me how and Suze can analyze my feelings.

Well, yesterday's mail takes the cake so to speak!

Vista Print sent me an offer for 20 free birth announcements so I can share my joy.

Lovely.

Except...I don't have a baby and am not pregnant.

Not sure how I got on this mailing list. Of course a couple of months ago I started receiving American Baby magazine. I called the magazine subscription office and was told it was a free gift from some business.

Well, I am puzzled. I don't remember signing up for anything baby orientated so not sure how some business thought I would want the magazine and now the birth announcements. I give the magazine to friend who gives it to her daughter who is a new mom.

Anyway, I had a chuckle over the birth announcement offer. I don't believe I will be taking them up on the special deal though.

DH has been watering. We live in the Midwest and haven't had rain for weeks and weeks. There are spotty showers, but nothing substantial. He brought in some almost ripe tomatoes. He lost one because a bird or animal got part of it. It was probably looking for moisture. He keeps the birdbath clean and changes the water in it for the birds, but I think everything is thirsty. We are looking forward to the tomatoes though!

My mom was nosy. There is no getting around that. She always wanted to live on busy streets or roads so she could be where the action was. The last three places she lived, she got her way. We lived on a busy city street when we lived in town, when we moved to "the country" our house was on U.S. 51. Then when they downsized, they moved to another busy street.

When my great aunt died, among her things was a pair of binoculars. My mom latched on to those and used them frequently. They were next to where she sat on the couch and she would use them to look at whatever she thought deemed important.

I'm afraid I've become my mother. OK, I don't have the binoculars. We don't live on a busy street.

However, walking this morning, I was noticing what was in folks garbage cans. No, I didn't lift the lids. I haven't got that bad. YET. Friday is garbage day for our neighborhood, and it is interesting to see what folks have put out. One house had a box that once contained diapers and 4 boxes for beer. Wonder if the baby drives them to drink?

Another had lots of fast food containers, including a huge pizza box. Guess one can infer what their diet is like.

The garbage containers are kind of interesting too. One home has a neat garbage container with the address written in paint on the side. Bet their house is tidy too.

There are folks who no longer have lids. I don't fault these folks. I can't tell you how many times I've gone on the search for ours. We had one collector that didn't put it back on or inside, but threw it wherever it landed and if the wind picked it up...well, you get the idea.

I know why detectives often sift through garbage for clues...what one throws away tells multitudes.

We used to have a very limited recycling program and everything had to be separated in brown paper bags which were not returned. About a year ago, the city offered big containers and it didn't have to be separated. I know we recycle far more because there are far more items. I think we fill it up and there is less garbage.

As for our garbage, it would be kind of boring...usually bread wrappers and peelings.

Well, I've digressed here. Sorry. We live on a cul-d-sac and not much goes on here so I don't need binoculars, but I certainly have the nosiness gene! I'm not planning on moving, so I'll have to settle for checking out the open garbage cans and recycling bins.

It's only Thursday, but I feel like this has been a long, busy week. I'm not complaining by any means, but I'm tired.

Monday we wound up making a couple of trips to the credit union, a bank, then back to the credit union. Last weekend we received the flyer from the credit union stating they had a special account for those folks over 50 that paid a bit more interest. Both of us meet that criteria, so we decided to check it out. Seems one has to open another account within the accounts and put in a mimumum of $1000, but once you open it and keep the money in a couple of weeks, you can let it drop below the $1000. We had the money because with my husband's pension system, in July he receives the "thirteenth check" which is based on how well the investments the pension did over the year. It was for $1004. So, we opened the account to get a bit more interest. While we were there, we learned their money market account was paying .4 as opposed to the .2 we were getting at our bank. I have told DH that it no longer pays to be loyal to a bank. So, we drew out half of what we had in our money market at the bank and deposited it into the credit union's money market. It is insured so we feel safe doing that.

Yesterday we drove to St. Louis to visit one of DH's relatives. We had a nice visit and ate at a microbrewery in St. Charles. It was good. None of us drink beer, but the food was good and decently priced.

Today is errands and DH's allergy shot. I have a pork roast in the Crockpot for supper so that will be yummy and have leftovers as well.

I'm not posting this to bash or praise the president or any party...I was just surprised to find this real estate tax as part of the Obamacare.

It seems that if a couple has an adjust gross income of $250K or more, come January 1, 2013, any home they sell, they may be subject to a 3.8% income tax.

http://www.realtor.org/small_business_health_coverage.nsf/docfiles/government_affairs_invest_inc_tax_broch.pdf/$FILE/government_affairs_invest_inc_tax_broch.pdf

I guess I shouldn't be surprised about all the stuff they stick into bills as they try to pass them into laws, but I guess house sales and health care seem to be a bit distant. Guess not.

Anyway, just an FYI. We aren't close to the $250K adjusted income and we aren't planning on selling our home so it probably won't effect us. I do think I need to read what else is in this new law...in case something else effects us.

As a part of trying to stay healthy, DH and I have been going for morning walks. We enjoy the time together and feel it also helps our physical health as well as mental health to keep moving.

We walk around our neighborhood. It seems scary to see so many houses up for sale. I guess there have always been homes for sale, but usually not two on the same court at the same time.

In another thought, I get frustrated when I see folks not thinking of those who walk. One house always has cars sitting over the sidewalk. It's one thing if they have it because of doing something and move it by the next day, but these vehicles always stick out and it means walking in the street. One clown has this huge travel trailer that sticks out over the sidewalk and the hitch thing is rusted. I always worry I'm going to run into it and scratch myself.

A couple of weeks ago we were walking and a bull dog ran out of nowhere and started barking and snapping at us. We think it belongs to one of the folks who usually has cars sitting and blocking the driveway...we think the owner of both of these is a cop. Guess that speaks volumes, doesn't it? Fortunately a neighbor saw the dog and called it off of us, but I was truly frightened he would bite...he was barking so hard he was foaming at the mouth. He was a large bulldog and could have done severe damage.

There are some homes where the trees and bushes hang out over the sidewalk and snag as you walk. I know lots of people like yucca plants, but when it snags your clothes as you walk by on the sidewalk, it needs to be tied up or trimmed.

Although I'm grousing, I admit I enjoy the walks. I like seeing what folks are doing too. One house is getting a new roof today. We have had horrible heat the past few days and they were out early. I don't envy the roofers their job with this heat, but I'm glad the folks are getting a new roof.

I also like seeing what people have planted for their landscaping. Some folks really love to have flowers. We have seen quite a few tomato plants as folks strive to get that homegrown taste.

One thing I really like is as we walk, most folks wave as they drive by or speak if they walk by. It gives us a sense of community.

We just returned from a vacation. It was a bus tour with a group from a church...the gal who organized it all is the youth director. It was a fabulous trip and we had a nice time.

She gave us a heads up almost 9 months ago...we figured she had something planned and had been saving for over a year...so, other than the $20 we charged for something, every single thing has been paid for as far as the trip. Our bus, hotels, and a few meals were part of the "package" and the rest was paid in cash that we had saved.

We visited Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, and Niagara Falls. We saw places where we started our country over 200 years ago. We also visited two memorials of tragedies that happened over 11 years ago.

Flight 93 Memorial

We saw the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, PA, and the 9/11 Memorial in NYC. Both were sobering to think these innocents got up and went to work like normal and didn't return.

9/11 Memorial -- NYC

As we get close to celebrating our nation's birthday this Wednesday, let's remember all the heroes, sung and unsung.

It was on a hot Friday,June 15th evening 22 years ago DH and I said, "I do." And we did!

Today is our anniversary. We married on a Friday night because it was more convenient, and very reasonable.

We decided that instead of paying for a lavish wedding, we would go on a nice honeymoon and have money for a downpayment on a house.

We wore clothing that we we already had. We married in DH's mom's backyard under gigantic oak trees, and then had a small cake and punch reception at a small community center. We stayed the night in the house we had purchased -- our first night together because we had not moved into together prior to the wedding.

Do I regret not having the white dress and large wedding? Not really. The people who mattered the most came to the reception -- the wedding was just immediate family. I think most girls dream of the lovely dress and fancy stuff, but in the greater scheme of things, I preferred spending money on paint and curtains. Those things I saw every day.

I asked DH if he would do it all over again and he said, "Yes!"

The phone rang at 5:30 this morning. I don't know about you, but whenever it rings really early or really late, it makes us worry.

It was a prank call. I wasn't really happy about it either.

There's an older man who often misdials and leaves messages. If I answer the phone I tell him nicely he has the wrong number and he always apologizes. If he leaves a message on the machine and it sounds like he's expecting a call back, I usually call him back to tell him he got the wrong number and other person may not be returning his call. I don't believe he is misdialing on purpose. I know if it were my dad I would appreciate someone treating him with respect.

I think this other call is just a string of pranksters...a couple of months ago we got a call after midnight, it came up "private caller" and it was some gal screaming in the phone wanting to know if my husband was the baby's dad and if so, she was going into labor and he better get to the local hospital. After the annoyance of a late night call, I had to chuckle over that one...I got a lot of mileage out of teasing DH over it as well. They've called during the day and left similar messages about the baby and so on and do forth.

I am not worried about my husband having cheated so it's mostly an annoyance, but I'm not sure why folks like to make prank phone calls, especially early or late. They are sly enough to make sure the number doesn't come up on caller i.d.

Maybe I should be prepared for the next one...I have a whistle and I know how to use it!

What a month! I wish I could say it was expensive because we went out and bought luxurious items. Nope.

Because the end of the school is near, it seems this is the time we were hit up for retirements, weddings, graduation, and the like.

My job is different than most because I am not assigned to one building, but am "housed" in one place, but actually work in three others. We had people retire from each building and we were asked to chip in for gifts. My partner and I tried to explain to folks collecting money that buying gifts for four buildings was really getting expensive. We stuck to our guns, but got some dirty looks. I’m not saying we didn’t give anything, but one building wanted $25 each!

Then we had a couple gals at one building get married and we were hit up for shower gifts. I know I'm going to sound like Scrooge here, but I am beginning to think there was something really right about etiquette stating you get the showers on the first marriage...these gals have been married before and have households.

All in all, it was a pretty expensive month.

I think I counteracted a lot of it because we ate at home most of the time. Today was the last day of school and I had some paperwork that needed to be completed before I could start on vacation. I got to work early and did get it completed. I was so very tired when I got home, but nevertheless, made supper. It was baked spaghetti with leftover meat sauce and a salad and leftover green beans as well as cornbread. It really didn't take that much work or time, but I figured we saved money and I didn't have to venture out.

Hopefully we can get things back on track money wise.

As many of you know, I'm in education. My DH has been retired and is volunteering. In fact, he volunteers 5 days a week at 4 different schools.

Earlier this year he set up a time to work with two teachers at the same school. One decided the morning time wasn't working for her, so he agreed to come back in the afternoon which means he visits the school twice in one day to accomodate her. A lot of times he would stand in the hall waiting to come in so she could finish whatever she was doing...for the last few weeks he was waiting out there 15 minutes or more...I guess what is the most bothersome is the fact he shows up on time each and every week. Yet, she never seemed to be ready for him to come in.

Today he got to the school and signed in and went to the classrooms. Both were empty. He walked around thinking maybe they went to the restroom or the gym. No sign of these students or teachers. One of the teaching assistants saw him and said she thought the classes were on a field trip.

In our district you have to request a bus weeks in advance so this wasn't a spur of the moment thing. Yet neither of these two teachers could mention to him they wouldn't be at school on Monday or email me that they were going on a field trip.

He has felt that his time was not well spent going to these classes.

I just can't imagine treating a volunteer like this. Maybe I'm of an age where one appreciates it when folks give time and try to make sure they knew I was grateful.

Perhaps this is a reason people are hesitant to volunteer.

All my life I have struggled with weight problems and self esteem. Recently I attended a workshop and this nice looking guy was very polite and kind to me.

Don't get me wrong, I am not looking for man -- I am happily married. But after this encounter, I questioned why this person seemed interested. I usually stay in the background because I don't like being in the limelight. And it is often better to be unnoticed because I don't want to be made fun of.

So, I have wondered why anyone would treat me so nicely when I am certainly not beautiful. And then it makes me feel even worse about myself.

DH and I have discussed how society has ingrained in us how beauty is so important. It seems we are judged so much on how we look.

Those shows where the little girls are dolled up to look far more mature kind of worry me because will this make these children struggle with their self esteem?

We ate breakfast with my brother and his wife and the topic came up where a former boss hired a good looking gal who had no skills simply because she was eye candy. This was a few years ago.

Some of the articles I've seen state that good looking people are more successful because people respond to them more favorably. Perhaps that is true in many cases.

Hopefully as I meet people today, I will look beyond appearances and accept them as they are. And maybe, just maybe, I'll accept myself as well.

Interesting magazine in the mailbox this week...with my name on the subscription address...

It was American Baby. Looks like a nice enough magazine, but I don't have any children, and at my age, I am not planning on having any. It was really bizarre receiving that magazine.

I haven't signed up for any free offers or anything so I have no idea why it appeared. I don't purchase magazine subscriptions because I borrow magazines from the library so it couldn't be a mix up.

I passed it along to a coworker who has a daughter expected...

I do wonder if I should be "expecting" this publication next month!

There was a letter in an advice column this week where the writer said they had invited neighbors over for dinner multiple times, but it was never reciprocated, although these same people invite others over. The writer asked when was it OK to stop or something to that effect and how to maintain the friendship.

Good question. We have a couple we have had over multiple times. She is a self professed "great cook" -- her words, not mine, and she has invited other folks over to their home for meals and then tells us about it. She goes into detail about all the things she did to make their meal enjoyable and how pleased their guests were.

When we have invited them over, the dinner conversation usually consists of the "great cook" telling me how she makes the same dish or similar dish and implying how much better it is.

I am thinking she is just plain rude. I'm not claiming to be a gourmet by any means, but unless something can cause an allergic reaction, I would think one would hold one's tongue. Guess I have been wrong about this all these years.

So, when does one decide to stop inviting someone over?