Meet JoJo...

Chelsea and I have a new addition to our little family.  It is a sweet little feline.  His name is JoJo.  He belonged to my neighbor and friend, Audrey.  Audrey raised JoJo from one week old.  He was dropper-fed and was a rescued, abandoned barn cat.  Audrey became very allergic to JoJo and could not continue caring for JoJo as she has too many health problems. 

                       

Honey is not pleased with JoJo's presence at all.  She has spent the last few days hissing at him.  I am hoping that they will become eventual good friends.  JoJo has become attached to Chelsea and sees her as his Mommy.  He has such a sweet disposition.

I have been very, very busy the last few days getting all kinds of things done.  I have been too much of a procrastinator and it has bitten me.  So I spent the bulk of two days taking care of things that I have put off.  My list has dwindled and I am breathing easier.  Now, to get to my Christmas shopping list.  I do not like shopping for Christmas gifts.  For some reason, I feel like I have to get the perfect gift.  What does this say about me?  I have been this way for years.  It causes stress.  I just need to not be this way.  Thursday is decorating day!  That will be fun!  It was great talking to those of you who made it to the chat on Monday!  It was a good, good time!  I am off here to get some needed and deserved rest.  Take time for yourself, everyone.

Photo Contest Winner Is..

The picture I posted a few days ago was actually a Hershey's Kiss that I had photographed.  It was on its side.  The closest guess was Becky!  She guessed a Hershey's Kiss wrapper.  Better guess than the last contest, Becky! lol  Sara was pretty close also.  She guessed a piece of chocolate in foil.  She couldn't guess any closer as they do not have Hershey's Kisses in the UK.  Imagine that!  Great job, girls!  The next contest will be coming next weekend!

Saturday Six

This is the first week I am playing "The Saturday Six" located at Patrick's Place.  He has quite an interesting journal if you want to go take a peek..

              

1. How long do your Thanksgiving leftovers usually last, and at what's the first non-Thanksgiving item you begin to crave when you tire of turkey?    When I cook (which is not very often) they last about a week, and then I crave some fruits and vegetables.  I like to raw, uncooked food often.

2. Of the following, which would you most prefer to be located:
a) Interstate highway traffic jam
b) Slow-moving checkout line
c) Dentist's chair

Although I definitely hate all three, I would have to choose the slow-moving checkout line.  It is the least of the three evils.  I really, really do not like going to the dentist and, well, who likes traffic jams?

3. What is at the top of your personal Christmas gift wish list this year?  I am so easy to please.  I don't even have a Christmas gift wish list.

4. What improvement would you most like to see added to AOL's Journal software?  Well, I have two improvements I would like to see...I really wish we could have size 12 fixed and I would like to see some way to be able to save our work and check it and not have everyone on the alerts be warned.  See, I am a perfectionist.  I hate seeing typos and such and not being able to fix them.

5. What seasonal movies do you most look forward to this time of year?  I like seeing the old standards..Charlie Brown Christmas and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the oringinal).

6. READER'S CHOICE QUESTION #33 from Tara:  What is your favorite classic 80's video game?  I liked those 80's games.  I liked Galactica and Pac-Man and even Pong!

Photo Game and Journal Chat!

I have a second entry to my photo game for everyone to play!  I think this one is a little easier than the last one.  So, if you think you know what this is, put your guess in the comment section or send me an email and I will email you back and let you know if you are correct!  I have taken a picture of something that hopefully we have all seen before.  Good luck!  Here it is:

                           

I wanted everyone to know that there is a new scheduled journal chat that Stuart, Sara and I have set up.  It will be every Monday at 9am Eastern time US - 2PM UK time.  Sara, Krissy and I will be sending out emails as a reminder.  If I forget your name, please forgive me, but know that you are invited!  There will be a link to the chat in the email as well as in our journals.  Hope to chat with everyone there!  Hope everyone had a great, great Thanksgiving day!!

I'm Thankful!

Good day all of my good, good friends!!  I want to wish everyone a very, very blessed Thanksgiving!!  I am in a much better space today and feeling so thankful that I have my family and doctors and especially my pain control :-).  I went to my doctor yesterday and got everything straightened away.  I wanted to thank everyone who sent me kind wishes and concerns.  It was so thoughtful.  I know how much I am looked after and cared for by my fellow journalers and friends and family.  It NEVER ceases to amazed me.  So, with that, I send out one amazing group hug - (((((((J-Land)))))) - You know who you are one by one!!  You wrote, commented, emailed and IM'ed me.  Alot of times I am thinking out loud in my journal, never meaning or intending to get any responses, and then I get a deluge of responses when they are needed most.  Amazing!

I wanted to wish everyone a very blessed day tommorrow.  I do hope you all have a good day with your families.  If you do not have families, I hope you have found a niche that you have made into a family of your own.  I am so thankful for all of you and for your readership!  Know that you are part of my family, too!  Every day for a few hours you come into my home and you laugh and smile and even cry with me.  I am so thankful for that!  The thing I am most thankful for is your encouragement, though.  I get feedback that is non-judgmental.  You have never met me, yet you pray for me, you encourage me and you don't cut me out when I make a mistake or say something stupid.  Oh, how I wish the real world was like that!  You choose to spend time with me, yet you have never met me!!  Still amazing me, here, can you tell?!

I am someone who has never lost her amazement with life.  The small things of life.  My daughter says I act like a child sometimes.  When she brought me flowers home the other day, I smelled them, rubbed them up against my cheeks and danced around the room.  She was quite happy about this, but she cocked her head sideways and said, "Mom, why are you acting like that?  They are just flowers?"  I told her, "Chelsea, I am happy!  I appreciate things.  I hope that you  never lose your child-likeness!"  I sat and watched her for about an hour after that.  A smile never left her face.  I don't know if it was the flower incident or not, but I sure hope so.  We should all be appreciative and happy of the small things.  The little things.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!

Ouchy Here..

Good morning all!  I haven't checked in in awhile...seems I think that writing about myself is boring.  Why should I write about me?  Am I whining when I write about myself I wonder?  Then I realize that this is a journal and I can write about lipstick or fungus or Saturn if I want to.  Of course, if I wrote about fungus or Saturn I wouldn't know what the heck I was talking about.  I do know a bit about lipstick, though.  I think I am digressing.  Whenever someone asks me about myself I try to change the subject.  Whenever I am in therapy (single or group) and it is my turn and that questions comes up, "So, how are you doing?"  My standard answer is, "Hmm, uh, alright I guess."  shaking my head dismissively.  I am a fixer of others!  So, that is how it goes.  But this morning I am going to tell you how I am if it kills me, tee hee.  I am nauseas and in pain.  I ran out of my narcotic for pain relief.  So I am trying to be as still as possible and get through this until I get to my doctor.  I have break-through pain medicine, but it is not controlling enough of my pain.  It just prevents withdrawal, really.  The pain isn't too bad.  I am not crying.  I know it is bad when I am crying.  I am taking muscle relaxants to deal with it, also.  They don't work very well.  This fibro. sucks.  My central nervous system really is hyper.  Pain is so real.  My home is much messier than I like it.  I wanted to let everyone know that I may not be visiting your journals and leaving comments in the next few days.  Then again I may.  We will see.  I was pretty upset that I could not do the Photo Scavanger Hunt and my Photo Game this week.  They will be coming up, though!  I am going to be posting another Photo Game as soon as I can.  And with that, I am going to go rest my sore muscles.   Oh, my sister Therese has a neat photo album she started not too long ago for the Scavanger Hunt.  If you haven't seen it it is great!  Go ahead and look!  Good day and blessings to all!

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

What Kind Of Blogger Are You?

Find out here

I took this test and turned out to be a blogger about my Life Stories.  I keep a journal to have a life record.  Why do you journal?  I have been pondering journaling over the past month or so as it seems I have kind of slipped into journaling without even thinking much about it.  It became a way of life.  I started journaling thinking that I would be the only one reading.  Why would anyone be interested in my life?  It was something I did a couple of times a week.  I also read others as they posted comments.  Now I am reading for two or three hours a day.  It has been totally amazing to meet the people I have met online.  They have turned into true friendships.  It has happened without my even knowing it would.  Whooosh... It happened so quickly.  Amazing.  Thanks for accepting me into this wonderful community!  I really have only been blogging for about four months.  It seems like forever.  My journal goes back longer, but I was sick for six months and did not write.  So, why do you journal?  How has the experience been for you?  Do you journal for information?  Have you made friends?  Support?  Are you chronically ill and it has made a tremendous difference?  Is it a hobby?  I am curious...  Have a good weekend all!