The good news:  One of my co-workers fell in love with this effect.  So I am giving her the bottle of crackle polish that I used.  Now I only have 95 bottles of polish — Woo Hoo!

See you next week *waving my hands in the air like . . . *

• Gorgeous Puddin
• Pserendipity
• Chocolate Covered Daydreams

Rules

You must post 11 random things about yourself.
Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
Go to their blog and tell them that you’ve tagged them.

11 Random Things About Me

1.  I can finally use the word “organized” when speaking of my nail polishes.  YAY!!

2.  I am more torn than ever about retiring. 

3.  I am walking (around the parking lot) with a co-worker who needs a boost in starting her walking/exercise program. This is my compassionate side showing 

4.  I thought I waited until the last-minute to do stuff.  Now I think I am a way-in-advance planner and implementor.  I am basically packed for my trip to South Africa coming up in March/April! 

5.  I wish I lived closer to my grands — kinda, sometimes – so I could be a part of their day-to-day activities.

6.  I am content with doing “nothing” on the weekend and still say it was a good weekend.  I’m satisfied.

 7.  I do not know when or why I started losing my mind and my hair.  I can fake being sane and having good sense   I cannot fake having hair

8.  I may be a latent hoarder.  I need to make a commitment to buying no more tea until my stash is half of what it is now.  I’ll show you my tea cabinet sometime.

9.  I want a six-pack — abs not beer.  Exercise and diet are not getting it for me.  I think this is middle age spread.  It’s just that I am well past middle age unless I live to be 142 or so. 

10.  I’ve learned that money CANNOT buy happiness.  But if you look closely, you’ll find that money and happiness often shop in the same stores.

11.  I think I have documentable AACDS – Adult Attention Creative Deficit Syndrome.  I start projects with more enthusiasm than a first grader with new shoes and almost finish most of the projects sometimes.  Then I move on to something else closely related or totally new.  I need to reel myself in! 

• Meal, not so much.  I always get compliments on my cheese cake and on my  poppy seed cake.

• I would love to live in Bangkok.  The cost of living is low enough for money not to be an issue.  The issue would be the language barrier, but …  The people are some of the friendliest, most helpful, aware and involved people I have met anywhere on the 7 continents.

• We have 4 wonderful, appreciative, loving, sharing, model, focused, mature, successful,God-fearing, content children.  OK, that’s the list I would hope for for all 4.  However, at any given time the number on this list ranges from 1 to 4 of them.  So the lesson that I hope i taught and that they learned is:  this is your life to make of it what you will with the preparation that you have. 

• Nope.  Well maybe I would have invited a couple more of my friends and 10 to 20 less friends of my mother’s

• Mmmm — Adventurous, Informed, No-nonsensical

• Traveling — for sports, school activities, visiting family and friends and to say I’ve been there and seen that with my own eyes!  That has carried over nicely into my adult life with Dr./Mr.  For this I am thankful!

• Dr./Mr.  — my husband of 40 years.  Of course, he is not always trying to make me laugh.  He’s just some kinda crazy different funny.

• I’ll eat cottage cheese now.  I had to acquire the taste for it. 

• I have 3 first things:  1) tithe; 2) hire Grambling’s marching band to parade me around campus to announce my retirement (that has been my lottery-winning dream for a lonnnnnng time); 3) take all my children on an all expense paid long vacation. 

• !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BUTTER PECAN ICE CREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

• Blogging.  It offers me more space for expression.  I’ve “met” new and wonderful people.  I can express myself without be judged.  I do not have to worry explaining to those I know because I am anonymous!

My 11 Questions from Nerd Girl

1.  Is there anything you’ll eat one way, but not another?  (Like I can’t stand raw tomatoes, but love them cooked. Vice versa for carrots.)

• I will eat boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, poached eggs, even potato salad with egg garnish.  I will not each FRIED eggs no matter if the sunny side is up or down!

2.  Where’s your favorite vacation spot?

• SpotS — Costa Rica and Thailand

3.  What 5 things would you grab if your home were about to be destroyed?

• That mutton fat jade and other precious stones necklace that I paid waaaaaay too much for 25 years or so ago.  It was worth every cent!  I still get compliments on it every time I wear it.

4,  What are you listening to right now?

• Quincy Jones — Juke Joint – Is It Love That We’re Missing

5.  What’s the most you’d spend on a purse?

• Under duress – $100

6.  Do you think we’d get a long in real life?

• This is as real as it gets — YEP!

7.  Do you have a monthly clothing budget?

• Nope.

8.  What do you do when you’re bored?

• Read and Sleep (not necessarily in that order).  Add eat has been added to the list as of late.

9.  What surprises you most about being an adult?

• I think “they” think I have more answers than I do.  Life is trial and error.  Each trial should eliminate more of the errors.

10.  Do you love your hairstyle?

• No!  I miss my locs more than I ever thought I would *dragging sweater sleeve across my nose*

11.  Who’s your favorite Golden Girl?

• Dorothy–straight shooter, direct, saving everyone a lot of time

My 11 Questions To You

1. If you could rename yourself, what would your new name be?
2. Did you prefer your teen years or your 21 and over years?  Why?
3. What non-family member has influenced your life and some of your choices?
4. Coffee or tea or juice?
5. What does the color orange remind you of?  Is that a good memory for you?
6. How old is too old to  ____________ ?
7. What is the one thing you keep promising yourself you will do that you have not done yet?
8. Do you prefer the mountains or the beach?  Why?
9. What’s the last book you finished?  Did you like it?  Why?
10. Who is your favorite female vocalist?  Male vocalist?
11. What did you have for breakfast to start you this morning?

I hope all of you have a GREAT weekend!

I can’t get any of these things to work.  !!UGH!!  I am frustrated.  Have WP users managed to successfully post a comment on BlogSpot? Is anyone else having this problem or is it just me? 

HELP!!!!!

I think of it as a sequel, if you will, to “A Raisin in the Sun (ARITS)” by Lorraine Hansberry.  In actuality it is a starting point for examining attitudes and “truths” we hold dear.  The connecting character in Clyburn Park  is the grand-niece of Lena, the matriarch who originally purchased the new home.

The play forces, yes forces, you to  re-examine your race consciousness, your neighbors and neighborhood, and the labels we use when we are uncomfortable with differences. 

Act I focuses on our past while Act II examines the reality of our present.  The writing/performance presents topics that can make you titter from being uncomfortable with a line.  It can make you cringe because you come face to face with biases that you thought were resolved.  You can gasp when the dialogue becomes a stinging prick below the surface of your beliefs.  Those beliefs do not look good on the stage for review. 

We do not know what happened to the Youngers from “ARITS” but we can see the impact that the purchase of a home for a better life for the family had on the characters in this play 50 years later. 

I do not know if it will come to your area but know that I strongly recommend it for your theatre outing.  It entertains(?) and awakens a deeper meaning to life.

Here is the before in my trusted, tried and true basket

Now, let’s see my organizing tools come into play.  I got 2 different ones because the plastic will eventually be a container in my craft room.  The bamboo will be re-purposed for decorative purposes.

Perfect see-through tray!

More decorative and to be reused

Geez, I need a little more room . . .

I had never counted before.  Now I know that I have 96 bottles of polish.

 

Finished! I was soooo excited. I could not decide which color to use, so here it is. Polish Of The Week (POTW) -- Color Unknown by Sally Girl from Sally's

 All together — clears, base and top coats, blues, corals, yellows and golds, purples, sparkles, neutrals, and reds!

I’m doing the Daniel Fast along with all the members of my church.  As far as my diet, I am not eating any desserts nor am I drinking anything but water.  In case you were wondering, I really miss my tea, especially this time of the year and I have a new chai recipe to try.  Anyhow I have found that warm water can be almost, not quite but almost as relaxing.  Try it.  The thing/stuff I’ve given up is TV for 3 nights a week.  I needed something to fill these 2 gaps.  So I’m deep cleaning throughout the house instead of watching TV.  And this is what I found to eat:

and

I find myself getting nostalgic after the Christmas holidays.  The routineness of life can settle in for another year.  But memories keep rushing in and bringing inner joy and peace.  I found this quote today:  “Don’t you wish the friends you haven’t seen in a while could be aware of all the moments you think of them and smile?”  — B. Jensen  Why not call a friend today or this week and share a positive word with them?

And my nails this week look like this.  Can you see that I waited a day too long to post this picture?  Please ignore the slight imperfection toward the tips.  Nice color though, huh?

• I started the c25K training and I’m seeing this as a great way to stay in shape.  I only have to run 3 days a week!  I have already seen a (positive) difference in my physique.  I’ve run and been on the Daniel Fast since Sunday.  I’ve lost 3 pounds!  Oh yeah, this is good.
• I have chosen my recipe for the weekend/month.  I’m making spanakopita.  I’ll report on that later.
• This whole work thing is getting in the way of my likes, hobbies, web browsing.  I have so many ideas and potential projects lined up I can hardly keep my seat.  My major one is an organization system for my nail polish.  Found some interesting possibilities yesterday, today, all this week while at work.  I’ll be checking into those over the weekend.
• My nails looked like this all week.  Dr./Mr. is even offering suggestions on combinations for me to try.  Did I mention that he hates the smell of nail polish?  But he loves the results.  Go figger. 

•  Going to see Fela this weekend.  Should be good.
• Bought  a book for my Droid phone.  I’ll have to see if I like this reading as well as my eReader.
• Temperatures have been in the mid 70′s to mid 80′s — NIIIIICE!

Only 51 weeks left in 2012.  Make ‘em count!

1. Since photography has become one of my new interests, I plan to enter at least 3 photos in the Los Angeles County Fair in September.  I’ll show you photos as I make my final decisions on what to enter.
2. I’m playing WordFeud for charity this year.  I am paying (my charity) $.10 per game; $.05 per win and $.01 per loss.  I realized that I run my phone battery down almost daly playing this wonderfully addictive game.  So to make myself feel better about myself and soooo much time with the game, I’m going charitable.  My WordFeud username is patsymorris24.  I encourage you to challenge me to a game every now and again.  It’s for charity and my conscience  
3. Along the giving line, I will be crocheting at least one blanket each month to give to children in the hospital on Christmas Day 2012.  It must be a tremendous burden on the family and emotionally unsettling for the child to be removed from family and friends at that time.  So I want to bring some cheer into their lives.  If you want to join this movement, you can crochet a blanket and send it to me or send yarn to me and I’ll crochet it or make a donation to the yarn buying project.
4. I will complete at least four 5K runs this year!!
5. I will read at least 4 fiction and 4 autobiographies/biographies in 2012.
6. * I’m holding on to my purse strings*  I will not buy any new clothes in 2012.  This is to help me really weed through the things I like, need or want.  It will give me a chance to eliminate the other stuff.
7. I will try at least one new recipe each month.  Hanging out in the kitchen during the holidays may have converted me to a cook — NOT.  But I do feel like experimenting.  You’ll see.
8. *I just grabbed my wallet*  I will not buy any purses, bags or totes in 2012.  I really do have enough.  This will be painful but necessary.  I want to let go of some of the ones I have but I think I am asking too much of me — today.
9. *Holding up the mirror to give myself the o_O*  I will not buy any nail polish in 2012.  There I said it.  It’s out there.  I believe I can use a different color each week on my hands AND feet and not repeat colors in 52 weeks.  We shall see.  Just like Nerd Girl, I will post weekly colors and combinations.

So that’s what I’ve got.  Wish me well on my 2012 journey/adventure/quest.

What are you doing for yourself and for others in the 2012 year?

I was elated with the fact that I had finished — early even!  However, that .85 mile seemed too close to 1,000 for my comfort.   So I continued to walk until 12/31/11 to make sure I was well over the 1,000 miles.  I finished with 1,022.63 miles! 

This year I will be training for at least four 5K runs.  This running thing is new for me because I have never run before.  But this is one of my goals for 2012.  Wanna join me?  I will be using the C25K (Couch to 5 K) training program.  Check it out and let me know if we are running together. 

This just had to be my first sharing with you for 2012!