Prepare to be Amazed at my Winner!

Yes!!!!!!

It wasn't even very close!!!!!

The winner guessed within

$33!!!

 and...she was the very first, brave one to

venture a guess!!!

The winner is: 

***CONNIE LENZ***

The value of all the items totaled

$2,702

Connie's guess was

$2,735

 A difference of...only

$33!!!

My advice to Connie is to fly to California

as soon as possible 

and try out for The Price is Right !

You've got some kind of special gift, girl!

Thanks to all of you who took a shot.

Frankly, I gathered it all, arranged and rearranged

it all, and tallied it all...

And I still would have had no idea what to guess!

I love it that Connie said,

"My guess is $2735 for the retail of your

bargain $100 purchase,"

highlighting the magnitude of my savings!!!

CONGRATULATIONS, CONNIE!!!   

 

A Bargain Lover's Dream

I had the time of my life...

And I owe it all to you, Gene Allen's Hallmark!

Last Friday was the annual brown bag sale.

For $20 anything from the sale aisle that you can

place cram in a big brown paper bag is yours!

There's also a $10 size bag--for shopping wimps. 

I got there shortly after the store opened this year.

Last year I was later and only filled two bags.

This year...are you ready for this...

FIVE (5) BAGS!

Let me show you what I got!

I don't really like my pictures, but I'm too

pooped to redo them!

This was one of a kind--has fringe on bottom.

  Those are flip flops in the center.

The pale green is one of 12 sleeveless shells

in a variety of pretty colors.
(See them fanned out underneath?)

And then there are things for kids and etc. things.

There are books, sunglasses, a mini crockpot,
 a raccoon who used to do something
 but doesn't now so therefore

goes in my Christmas animal collection, 

a beautiful flower candle ring, 
60 Caspari napkins,

insulated drinking cups, etc.

Oh, and the nicest recipe box!
And Nemo and Miss Piggy candles that work! 

So I guess you may be wondering what I'm going

to do with children's books and sleeveless shells.

It will all go to Mission Arlington for their

Christmas store.

The children who participate in MA's apartment

ministry get to choose something for their

mothers, and I'm hoping some of the things I

got will be perfect for that!
There are also teenagers who come to shop
and need some choices!

One exception is the sunglasses.

They will go in Samaritan's Purse boxes for

older children in
Operation Christmas Child.

Another exception is this: 

It's a nice linen tea towel which

I hardly think is appropriate for me to hang

 on my never used oven door!

In fact, there just isn't much desperation about

my housewifery!

So...I'm mulling over just who will get this!

Okay...here's what I got:

47 ladies tops

13 necklaces

7 pairs earrings

4 scarves

14 pairs flip flops (pretty cute)

25 children's books

8 sunglasses

5 insulated golf/fishing cups

Plus all the miscellaneous

It has taken me all evening, but guess what?

I added up the original prices of all this merchandise.

Remembering that this is Hallmark stuff,

nice and high quality,

all five bags almost too heavy for me to lift,

how would you like to guess the original value?

Well...

I am offering a $50 Gene Allen's gift card

to the person who can come the closest to guessing

 the original cost of all these items!

My only hint:

Last year I spent $43 on two bags,

including tax.

The original cost was about $724, plus tax!!!

and

This year I got much more clothing...???

And much more everything!

You can leave your guess on my Facebook page.

I'll wait a couple of days to give everyone

a chance to see this and make their guess. 

Whew!

I've got to go to bed.

I feel like it's Christmas Eve and I've arranged

Santa Claus's delivery under the tree!

To all a "Good Night!"

***My usual reminder--Click on the {not so good}

Pictures to make them bigger!***

An Amazing Airlift Off The Anthem!

 I stumbled across this story today on

Cruise Critic.com.

CC is a huge site which has all sorts of information

about cruising.

There are "threads" for the different lines,

and I was looking at Royal Caribbean's.

There was one which was entitled,

"Airlifted off Anthem,"

and was posted by a member called newchappers.

The Anthem of the Seas is RC's

latest and greatest (but not largest) ship.

(That I might or might not be getting

ready to try out!)

The poster's father became very ill onboard

earlier today, and the Anthem was at sea.

Since immediate medical evacuation was needed,

it was necessary to helicopter the patient

off the ship.

Newchappers said there were lots of people taking

pictures of the rescue, and she was

hoping to be able to get some of the photos.

(Cruise Critic is quite a vast network of 

cruisers--over 1 million--so it would be a great place to

make contact with other passengers on the ship.)

It amazed me that the picture taking had been permitted.

 Jack and I were on a ship

which had a helicopter evacuation.

Quite different from this one, we were asked--

no, really implored--to stay away from the

helipad and even from the areas of the ship

which had any view of the pad.

I feel like the victim in that case must have

been deceased instead of ill.

Well...I'm tellin' you Cruise Critic is one big

network of cruisers.

One hour and 15 minutes after the original post,

 a member called Frank1959 posted that he had

found a video, FILMED BY THE RESCUERS,

of the airlift!

I have goosebumps as I type this.

Incredibly, here it is:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRd3ocKx2D4

 

Later posts from newchappers reveal that they are

from the United Kingdom.

The daughter, who is very afraid of flying, was

also picked up and said

 "it was very traumatic being 'winched off'

the ship."

The father is in an induced coma in a hospital in 

Lisbon, Portugal. 

I've just never seen anything quite like this.

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have made it to the hospital!

Bless the heart of that man riding alongside!

And be sure to notice, as someone pointed out

in a comment,

that there are flotation devices on the bottom

of the stretcher!!! 

P.S.  My Cruise Critic name is Cruisin' Mimi.

Just in case you want to know.

 

My Swansong on "The Donald"

Okay.  So I'm definitely no politico.

Embarrassing as it is, I really thought "The Donald's"

run for the presidential nomination would be

about as serious as my offhand comments

that I would vote for him if he ever ran for 

POTUS.

I am a coward

I have very thin skin. 

Debating anything political with anyone

would give me hives.

I am willing to say only this.

I was duly impressed with all but one of

the participants in the top ten debate.

(And that one WAS NOT The Donald!)

(It was someone whose hair was even crazier IMO!)

I did not think the questioning was fair and impartial.

I also did not think Donald's later reactions to the

unfair questioning were "presidential."

If anyone I knew were to have conjoined twin

babies, I would definitely want

Dr. Ben Carson

to be their doctor.

I loved him!

 

But...

If I had to put my life savings in the hands of

one of the debaters, that one would be

Donald Trump.

The indebtedness of our country

stands at approximately 9 trillion dollars,

and rising daily!

 I don't really even know 

how to write that amount numerically.

I think Donald does.

I'm only going to say this, and then

I am over and out.

I am very skeptical of the ability of

career politicians

to get us out of the mess we're in.

Some of them are extremely likable and

offer soothing, promising rhetoric.

 But...

rhetorical ability does not equal experience.

I'm just not feelin' it any more.

P.S.  I also find a lack of strict adherence to

political correctness and "safe" answers

refreshing.

Now I really am...

OVER AND OUT.

 

 

 

Oh, Donald!

A debate!

NOooooooooooo!

At least you're admitting that debating is 

not your thing.

(And I, for one, do not care!

Good debate skills don't qualify one to get us out of 

the mess we're in.)

I hope you do not cave in to the speech writers

and image makers.

(I doubt that's even possible with you!)

It should be refreshing to see someone 

"tell it like it is!"

To hear someone speak the truth,

even if it is not politically correct or
designed simply to obtain votes.

Now, I NEVER watch debates.

The contentiousness makes me too nervous.

However, I may have to watch this one.

You will find me hiding behind my recliner

peeping around the edge so I can
avert my eyes and cover my ears

 if I feel it necessary.

So, have at it you professional, slick debaters.

Show me the person who knows how to

BALANCE A BUDGET!

Who may be able to see to it that my children

have the Social Security for which they have paid!

Show and Tell

One of the sad things about living alone is that

you don't have anyone to show your new stuff to.

And you know I get excited over new stuff!
So today, would  you please be my
 "Show and Tell" audience?

First, this new plaque I found has such a good message!

I have it hanging in the perfect spot right by

my recliner, and I try to read it every morning.

 

While I read my plaque...

I sip my HOT FRESH COFFEE !

I know it's hard to read the bright, twinkling lights,
but that's what it says!
Isn't it cute? 
(Yes, I turn it on every morning!)



 And see my dressed up dining table?!

I have been wanting this set of candle holders,
flower rings, and candles
for a very long time!
They were out of stock by the time I 
ordered them last year, 
and it took forever to get them this year.


This last thing is a little something very cheery
I picked up at The Dove's Nest in Waxahachie.
To continue the theme started by my new plaque,
the tin says, "be lovely."
I may be so sweet that just being around me
gives you a cavity.

And here it is in its perfectly matched setting!
Which always looks exactly like this.
{Because it's never used}

 


Thank you one and all.
I can just hear the 'oohing' and 'aahing now.'
(Oh...wait...I think that was me.)


*Remember--click on the pictures to make
them larger and more readable!
You can totally read COFFEE!

 

To Crate or not to Crate

We got Miss Charleigh-Girl Stovall in 2005.

 Of course, we purchased everything recommended

by the pet store, which included a crate.

Funny thing...there are no pictures of baby C-G

inside her crate *palace.*

(From day one I insisted it be referred to in that way.) 

 I'm not real sure baby C-G was ever in there.

You see, we as humans transfer the way we feel

to our canine babies.

 I didn't think I could lead an

"exclamation point life"

if confined to that crate, (even if it was called

a palace);

therefore, she couldn't either.

If I felt this way, Jack felt it more so.

His "hobby" was taking C-G out, whether she

needed to go or not!
About 75 times a day!

 As I remember things went fairly well for a while.

She was not trained, but we were.

Well, sort of.

She didn't have the kind of accidents you're

thinking of much.

But...

When we weren't looking,

she chewed up doorposts.
She chewed up a check which I had to have replaced.

She chewed up very good shoes.

She gnawed the corners of a rug to the point

that parts had to be re-woven and re-fringed!

She also eventually began having those

accidents you were originally thinking of!

I have no idea when I wised up.

But I finally did.

I started bribing her to get in the palace as I left.

When I got home, she didn't even bark
demanding to be let out of jail!

Was it possible she didn't mind it?
No.  That couldn't be.

But...I stopped bribing.

She still went in.

And then...this.

 
I looked around one day, and there she was.
I didn't tell her to get in there.
She chose to herself.
She must not feel claustrophobic!
But...how could she not?
I would!
Now I never can tell when she'll be lying
in there, happy and feelin' safe
(so the experts tell me!)


The answer, therefore, in my humble opinion is
CRATE!
Save yourself lots of heartache and aggravation.
Sister Boo is now in her crate EVERY TIME I LEAVE!



That's why I got so miffed with her HERE.
Those misdeeds happened while I was at home!
"Am I going to have to start putting you
in your palace while I'm here, young lady???"



Oh, one more thing.
I've had people give me grief over the size of her crate,
thinking it is too small.
It is actually perfect.
It should not be oversized and roomy.
As long as she can stand and turn around in it,
it is big enough! 
I know...I wouldn't like it that tight either.
But I guess she and I don't really think alike--
about that anyway.
We certainly do share a love of strawberry shakes.