GITRDONE's Blog

This prayer is in my little prayer book that I pray every night. The book is titled Daily Prayers. It was produced under the direction of Reverend Brian McCullough, S.C.J. for the Priests of The Sacred Heart Hales Corners.

This is for all of the people whom are currently unemployed...

Prayer To St. Joseph The Worker (for employment)

God our Father and our Creator, You bestow on us gifts and talents to develop and use in acord with Your will. Grant to everyone in Wisconsin (and across the USA), through the intercession of St. Joseph the worker, as model and guide, employment and work, that they may, with dignity, provide for those who depend on them for care and support.

Grant them the opportunities to use their energy and their talents and abilities for the good of all, and the glory of Your name. Amen.

Hey y'all!
Okay, so we've all been alerted to the changes that are coming in regard to the new blog site...well, we've been told bits and pieces anyhow. The information (or lack thereof) has left many of us on pins and needles. I'm sure we all have many hopes for this new site. I know it sparked my interest and my hopes.

I am hoping for a wider variety of catagories, more strict rules for blog-terrorizing, more news people interacting with the bloggers, a more interesting site altogether.

Anyone else have any hopes for this new site? Blog on it!!! 

If you were limited to ONE paragraph to President Obama or any other political member...what would it say? Would you talk about the economy? The war? The employment crisis? All of the above? Or would you just write about how it has affected you personally by him being elected as the first African-American President?

Everyone should have a voice...let's hear yours! Blog on it!!!

Anyone see the news tonight? A woman believing to be a half-sister to Elvis is claiming that she has DNA evidence to prove it. They are also trying to suggest that Elvis faked his death and is living under his dead brother's name (Jesse). Supposedly a doctor has treated him and believes this as well.

My take on the whole situation? I hope and pray that it is true. i hope it all comes out and he has the last laugh on everyone. Can you imagine if it is true? Here he is, living an ORDINARY life as Joe Average somewhere, going about his business, watching the news every day and seeing everything his family does being publicly announced. Ya gotta wonder what this guy, IF he truly IS the King, is thinking.

I wonder how many times his head spun around when it was announced that Lisa Marie was going to marry Michael Jackson? Could any of the "Elvis sightings" have been true all along? I wonder how many millions of dollars he took with him to live the rest of his life under an alias in some secluded area?!?! I'm also wondering who else had knowledge of his plan?!?!

Could the lifestyle he was living be enough to drive him to something like this? Was he just a step or two ahead of it all? Did it just come to the point where he got so burnt out that he finally said "Hang on a minute, if I don't get the hell out of here, this is going to kill me."

The man had more money than he knew what to do with, I have no doubt that he could pull it off.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Blog on it!

We've all had creamed chipped beef over toast at one time or another, but has anyone ever tried creamed eggs over toast? It was more popular in the late 60's and early 70's. I imagine it's along the same lines as the beef. I'm guessing you just hard-boil the eggs and put the cream sauce (white sauce) over the sliced eggs and toast, right?

How about pea salad? I remember my grandma making a pea salad that I loved. It was just like tuna-noodle salad, but without the tuna. It had tons of peas in it and it was DA BOMB!

If you have any of these OLD recipes, post them for all of us to enjoy.

Oh man, now it's got me thinking about grandma's ginger cake, her strawberry rhubarb pie...YUMMY!

Sometimes I find that the title of this blog is the burning question on my mind. I have been averaging 2-3 days off from work in every 2 week pay period. That's not bad, but many of my shifts that I pull are double shifts. Take this coming weekend...I work 1st and 2nd on Saturday. I will get home from work at about 10:45pm on Saturday night. Then I will get to bed at around 11:30pm (after I shower and eat something) and be up at 3:30am to get ready to work 1st shift. Then come home at around 2:45pm, get a few hours of sleep and be back to work for 3rd shift at 10:30pm.

Usually, the first question on my mind when I wake up is..."What the hell day IS it?" Thank God for my cell phone. It's what I have come to rely on to tell me the day I'm in.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I just think I have been out-running my body. Even in my sleep, I'm working throughout all of my dreams. But it's a good tired. I finally feel like I am helping people and doing something constructive at the same time. I hate it when I'm not doing SOMETHING. I have just always felt that wasting a day is a sin. I always try to do at least 2 majorly productive things a day.

I love this job. Even during my "down times" at work, I can still be productive. That's when I am able to get all of my prayers and my Rosary in. They have a beautiful chapel there at work and we are free to utilize it any time.

They also have an exercise room at work that we can use, complete with all of the latest work-out equipment...but I think if I tried that, they'd have to call an ambulance for me. My body is exhausted enough!

If this place only offered insurance, it would be the perfect work place. But ya can't have everything, right?At least I'm keeping busy and getting all of my prayers in! And it gets me out of the house! It ought to prove to be interesting this Spring when my own business picks up again...I won't know how to answer the phone, I'll be mixing the two jobs up...I just know it. Ah well, some of my customers should probably be in assisted living anyhow! LOL.

My computer tells me that the temperature has actually hit 19 degrees...and there's no minus sign in front of that number! Well Hell's bells, it's almost time to bust out the swim-wear!

The past few days, all I can do is imagine what Spring and Summer will be like this year. I personally, am hoping for 80 degrees all Summer long. Sunny, warm, beautiful days to thaw out our bones from this already LONG and cold Winter.

One thing is for certain, I will not waste a single day of Spring or Summer. I will never again take a day over 50 degrees for granted. My car will be clean and free of dust and dirt (and road salt).  My lawn will be green, trimmed and pristine. There will be no weeds in my garden. The outside of my house windows will be clean as well. I will soak up every ray of glorious sun that I can.  I will take as many outdoor photos as I can.

Just think...111 days until Easter! Let the count-down begin!

So, what plans do y'all have for this Spring and Summer? Anyone else as anxious as I am to sit by the window and laugh like a crazed maniac on the first day over 45 degrees when the snow helplessly melts away into ponds and streams of rapid trickling water? Tell us about it. I know I'm chomping at the bit over feeling the hot sun pouring over my face as I lay out on the patio on a lawn chair baking myself to a deep golden brown! Tell me your warm Summer related plans!!!!! Maybe that will thaw out my Winter bones.

Sorry I wasn't around to wish y'all a Merry Christmas, I have been working more hours than I ever imagined possible.  I work a 3rd shift (10:30pm-6:30am), get home at 7am, fall asleep at around 7:30-ish and have to get up at 11:30 am to get ready for work and work from 2:30pm-10:30pm. Then I get home at around 11pm, go to bed until 4am and work from 6:30am-2:30pm. It's just been crazy at work lately. I am barely aware of which day of the week it is any more.

I hope y'all had a great Christmas...I had to work 3rd shift through Christmas (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day).  But the residents appreciated it. They are all really wonderful people.  I am finally happy at my place of employment. I am at a place where senior citizens are treated like humans, not pieces of unwanted matter.

I think that this job was the best thing I received this year.  I love working with the elderly, but have seen so much abuse and ugliness in the nursing home scene. I had almost given up on the entire field until I found this place. Although I work MONDO freaking hours, the people are awesome and it's a pleasant atmosphere to be in.

This kind of exhaustion is a GOOD kind of tired. I know that I put in a hard day's work and I got to share in helping some really wonderful people. I actually look forward to going to work now. It's not like a JOB, it's like taking care of family members. It's pretty cool!  :)

Again, Merry Christmas and happy New Year!  I hope to blog with y'all very soon!

Why do we stand in our own way? Why do we make thiings harder on ourselves than they need to be? Why do we put utterly impossible missions upon ourselves? Are we subconsciously trying to fail? Do we intentionally set ourselves up for a fall?

How many of us paint a picture in our heads of how life is supposed to be, only to find that it is just that...a painting. Nothing real, nothing of substance, nothing you can ever even touch?

Why do people procrastinate things? Is it beccause we believe we will only fail and let ourselves down again? Or possibly because we are afraid of what others will think or say about what we do/did?

Have any of us lived our childhood dreams? Have any of us even tried? Or have we just lived the life as it came to us? Is it ever REALLY too late? Or is there still time?

What have we really accomplished in our lives? Aside from money, property, toys...have any of us found the true meaning of success? If we have, are we reaching it?

What will we leave behind when we are gone? Will we leave a mark in life, other than a stain in the underwear of life? Who will remember us...and for what? Have we affected anyone's life in a truly positive way?

Have we been true to ourselves? Being true to others is one thing, but what about ourselves? Many of us have remained true to a spouse, a significant other...but ourselves?

When will we let our guard down and trust ourselves enough to allow ourselves to be happy? How do we bring that wall down that allows us to see the sun?

The snow is coming! The snow is coming! Batton down the hatches and stock up on the supplies!  Well, at least that's what my darling husband was screaming all morning.

Lord I hate the snow. The light snow has everyone driving like they have no brain cells left in their heads and the heavy stuff...we can almost completely forget about driving in. I hope the DOT has been paying attention to the news and is prepared to get their fannies out there to plow and SALT.

Already my kids are chanting for no school tomorrow. I on the other hand, am chanting "Calgon, take me away!" I know that snow is inevitible, but so much, so soon?!?! Wouldn't it be nice if just one year, we skipped the whole snow thing? I don't care about the temperature, just one year without snow.

Summer came and left in what seemed like a month. Now comes the snow, the sleet, the muck, the snow plows, the shoveling, the piles of ugly brown tinged snow...Lord have mercy!

Last Summer is merely a distant memory. Next Summer seems a lifetime away.

Hats off to Rob Haswell for his impression of the Queen Mum the other day! He was awesome! I laughed so hard, I nearly needed 911.  I seriously laughed all day long on that one. Everyone here was donning their British accents for the entire day because of it.

Thank you Rob, for making us smile!

GITRDONE!

What are your all time favorite lyrics to a song? It can be a song that sums you up or just a song that you love to jam out to.

No matter the era, no matter the genre...look up the lyrics and post them right here! Here's mine;

Rough and Ready by Trace Adkins

Yeah
Alright boys follow me
Mostly in A
Stay with me now
Listen up this is philosophical

Mud grips - white-tip
Cigar stickin' out of my face
Earnhardt racing sticker on the window
Banged up fender
4x4 - straight pipe roar
Primer and rust all over the door
Scarred up knuckles, Mack belt buckle
White t-shirt - Ain't afraid to work
Got a "what-are-you-looking-at-pretty boy" smirk

Cold beer, hot wings
Wranglers, Skoal ring
Get just what you see
Gun rack, ball cap
Don't take no crap
Ain't a pretty boy-toy
I'll rock you steady
Rough and ready

Work boots - one blue suit
Size too small - won't wear at all
Unless somebody kicks - gets hitched
It don’t fit – and makes me itch
Up with sun - off on the run
Makin' money money - cause I wanna have fun
5 o'clock whistle - off like a missile
Got a hot date, girl named Kate
Think's I'm cool - 'cause I shoot straight
Ain't one thing about her fake
She's long and tall - and she goes great with

Cold beer, hot wings
Wranglers, Skoal ring
Get just what you see
Gun rack, ball cap
Don't take no crap
Ain't a pretty boy-toy
I'll rock you steady
Rough and ready
Rough and ready, Baby

Ahh, Here’s Johnny (Fiddle solo)
Just like that
Ah, here you go Grodo
I ain’t never heard nothin’ like that


Well you are who you are
That's all right with me
But I am who I am
That's all I can be
I like

Cold beer, hot wings
Wranglers, Skoal ring
Get just what you see
Gun rack, ball cap
Don't take no crap
Ain't a pretty boy-toy
I'll rock you steady
Rough and ready
Rough and ready
Rough and ready, Baby
ah...me and my buddies are all alike
We all say, “Hey, watch this.”
That didn’t turn out too good.
You okay?
(Laughs) What are you looking at?
Yeah that’s a real gun in that gun rack.
No I don’t have a permit for it.
Do you have a permit to ask stupid questions like that?
You can get hurt boy.
Get away from me.

I received this in an email and wanted to share it with y'all. I'm still blubbering over it as I type this blog.  Enjoy!

GITRDONE

BEING A MOTHER...

After 17 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to
take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She
said, 'I love you, but I know this other woman loves
you and would love to spend some time with you.'
* * *
The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit
was my MOTHER, who has been alone for 20 years,
but the demands of my work and my two boys had
made it possible to visit her only occasionally.
* * *
That night I called to invite her to go out for
dinner and a movie.
* * *
'What's wrong, aren't you well,' she asked?
* * *
My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a
late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign
of bad news.
* * *
'I thought it would be pleasant to spend some
time with you,' I responded. 'Just the two of us.'
She thought about it for a moment, and then said,
'I would like that very much.'
* * *
That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick
her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her
house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous
about our date. She waited in the door. She had curled her hair

and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last
birthday on November 19th.
* * *
She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an
angel's. 'I told my friends that I was going to go
out with my son, and they were impressed,' she said,
as she got into that new white van.

'They can't wait to hear about our date'.
* * *
We went to a restaurant that, although not
elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my
arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat
down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only
read large print. Half way through the entries, I
lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at
m e. A nostalgic smile was on her lips. 'It was I
who us ed to have to read the menu when you were
small,' she said. 'Then it's time that you relax and
let me return the favor,' I responded.
* * *
During the dinner, we had an agreeable
conversation- -nothing extraordinary but catching up
on recent events of each other's life. We talked so
much that we missed the movie.
* * *
As we arrived at her house later, she said,

'I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me

invite you.' I agreed.
* * *
'How was your dinner date ?'

asked my wife when I got home.
'Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined,'
I  answered.
* * *
A few days later, my mother died of a massive
heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't
have a chance to do anything for her.
* * *
Some time later, I received an envelope with a
copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place
mother and I had dined. An attached note said: 'I
paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I
could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two
plates - one for you and the other for your wife.
You will never know what that night meant for me.

I love you, son.'
* * *
At that moment, I understood the importance of
saying in time: 'I LOVE YOU' and to give our loved
ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is
more important than your family. Give them the time
they deserve, because these things cannot be put off
till 'some other time.'
* * *
Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back
to normal after you've had a baby.... somebody
doesn't know that once you're a mother,
'normal' is  history.
* * *
Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by
instinct... somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.
* * *
Somebody said being a mother is boring...
somebody never rode in a car driven

by a teenager with a driver's permit.

Somebody said if you're a'good' mother,
your child will 'turn out good'....
somebody thinks a child comes with
directions and a guarantee.
* * *
Somebody said you don't need an education to be a
mother.... somebody never helped a fourth grader
with his math.
* * *
Somebody said you can't love the second child as
much as you love the first .... somebody doesn't
have two children.
* * *
Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother
is labor and delivery....
somebody never watched her 'baby' get on the bus
for the first day of  kindergarten ..
or on a plane headed for military 'boot camp.'
* * *
Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her
child gets married....somebody doesn't know that
marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a
mother's heartstrings.
* * *
Somebody said a mother's job is done when

her last child leaves home....

somebody never had grandchildren.
* * *
Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so
you don't need to tell her....

somebody isn't a mother.

Yep! It's back. The "Let's Talk" blog. The pointless, "Seinfeld-ish" blog that allows blogging fanatics to talk away the hours day and night. Where you can talk about your aunt Sally's hysterectomy or your dog's neutering (or vice-versa!). Basically, anything goes!

In past blogs, we had a great time blogging into the wee hours of the morning. It's usually a very nice group of bloggers on this particular blog. Occasionally, things go haywire and we run into a snag. But in the end, it's all good.

For those of you that are experienced in this blog, I welcome you back with open arms. For the newbies, I extend my most sincere invitation to you to join in. Just pop in and say "hi" or jump right in and join an exsisting conversation. Or, start one on your own. We are pretty open to topics. Our topics take more twists and turns than any ride you can find at Six Flags.

So, pull up a chair, grab your favorite beverage and your comfy slippers and LET'S TALK AGAIN!