Jenyfer Matthews

A watched pot never boils – but walk away and you’d be surprised by how fast the water boils off! My poor tea kettle…it’ll never be the same…

Anyone know who said this? I’d like to shake her hand…

Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she’ll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she’ll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she’ll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she’ll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of sh*t.

My friend sent me this by email and with the weekend here, I thought there was no better time to share it with you. I certainly know that my life just keeps getting busier and busier and I’m constantly putting things off. Maybe it’s time to play hooky and just do something fun…or nothing at all!

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven’t thought about it, don’t have it on their schedule, didn’t know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. >From then on, I’ve tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn’t suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word ‘refrigeration’ mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched ‘Jeopardy’ on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, ‘How about going to lunch in a half hour? She would gas up and stammer, ‘I can’t. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain.’ And my personal favorite: ‘It’s Monday.’ She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We’ll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We’ll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet… We’ll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of ‘I’m going to,’ ‘I plan on,’ and ‘Someday, when things are settled down a bit.’

When anyone calls my ‘seize the moment’ friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you’re ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord..

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It’s just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-Decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now….go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to……not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask ‘ How are you?’ Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, ‘We’ll do it tomorrow.’ And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say ‘Hi?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift….. Thrown away….. Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

Is it worse for a stranger to tell you that your fly is down or someone you know? If you know the informant, does it matter what their relationship is? Family, close friend, acquaintance, co-worker? Is it better or worse if a stranger tells you?

Whether I tell someone or not often depends on the circumstances and my relationship to the person (I’ll almost always tell if I like the person), but the less well I know someone the more awkward I feel about revealing that I’ve noticed…

If you eat a snack-sized bag of Doritos while you are walking at a brisk pace doing errands, do you think the walking cancel out the calories? Discuss.

As for me, I’d certainly like to think so…

It’s been a while since I’ve visited Blogthings. This test result is interesting, but now (freak that I am), I feel pressure! Obviously I have no one to blame but myself if I fail to succeed in my life…though I suppose that could be said of anyone!

Your Spiritual Number is One

You bring a strong, positive energy into other people’s lives. Your intentions are pure, and because of this, you are powerful when you act. Right now, your life is both about new beginnings and closure. It’s not an understatement to say that your whole world is changing. No matter what comes to pass, you are ready to tackle it. You have the ambition and drive to have your life turn out the way you want it to.

It’s been snowing like crazy and bitterly cold – almost too cold to type! My new laptop arrived this week and once I figure out how it all works and get to a place with wireless, I’ll share some pictures.

Don’t forget to stop by over the weekend when author Terry Odell is here to talk about her latest release WHEN DANGER CALLS.

If you’re in a cold place, stay warm. If you’re in a warmer climate, don’t brag…

I have to admit, I’m not a huge fan of facial hair – in spite of the fact that hubby has sported a goatee for years now. Although some men actually look better with facial hair. I once had a boss who had a goatee when I met him. Apparently it was fairly new because no one else in our office liked it at all. He shaved it off a few months into my employment and I actually missed it. It was a good look for him. At this point I kind of think I’d have a similar reaction if hubby shaved his goatee off. He had lasic eye surgery a few years ago and I still sort of miss his glasses.

I can live with a well maintained goatee (obviously) but full beards and lone mustaches? Not a fan. And clearly from this tongue-in-cheek article, Great Moustaches of Rock, I’m not alone in my feelings about moustaches. Though I’m sure these guys couldn’t care less – they’re rock legends after all.

What do you think about facial hair? Love it? Hate it? A little goes a long way?

I kind of like the five o’clock shadow look but it’s not much fun to get up close and personal with – unless you yourself like to sport the red chin look…

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there celebrating today. My family and I are going on an overnight trip to an area of Egypt called Fayyum so our holiday meal will be postponed until Sunday. I’ll tell you all about the trip (with photos!) next week!

When you’re done with your dinner, check out this quiz and see how much you know about Thanksgiving.

And don’t forget to stop by over the weekend when J. L. Wilson is here with her book ENDURANCE from her paranormal romance series The History Patrol.

One odd thing about Egypt that I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned before is that doctors practicing here often have evening hours as a matter of course. So far as I can tell, they will work a rotating and floating schedule – a few days a week at this clinic, a few days at that one, a few hours here, a few hours there. You get the idea. They may be across town on a Monday afternoon and in your neck of the woods on Tuesday evening.

Going out for doctor appointments in the evening isn’t my idea of a good time, but on the up-side you can normally get a appointment the same day you call the office. And evening hours do work out well for children who are in school during the day – provided it’s the early evening. I was once offered an appointment for an MRI at 11pm! I waited a whole day so I could go in at noon instead!

I took my son to the doctor the other evening and since I forgot to bring my own book, I looked through their selection of magazines instead. There are plenty of magazines produced locally, but few are in English so I can’t read any of them. But this time I found one that was just fascinating.

(click image to enlarge)

Written by Egyptians for Egyptians (in English? Why?), the editor’s note on the inside cover says:

The first time the magazine was launched last March 07, the words “Just Divorced” and “magazine” uttered together made some people immediately envision Divorce in their future. The rationale behind it though, was that each and every family witnesses the subject of divorce in one way or another and has many unanswered questions, but no publication has ever put it all in one place. Fortunately, this has changed and people now see it as it really is – a useful and interesting resource for anyone trying to improve their life to start a new slate so they don’t end up divorced.
{…}
Of course, we understand that divorce is a loaded word – one that holds a negative connotation for some. But it doesn’t have to be negative. We see divorce not as a failure but as an essential learning experience – experiences if not always building blocks to future success, then at least a necessary part of life. It is not a problem as many like to believe but a solution to a problem!

Okay, I can see where they are going with this idea and it’s not a bad one – though I’m still not sure about that title. And I’m sure that many many people have viewed getting a divorce as “a solution to a problem”! Maybe it’s just me, but just from scanning their table of contents, is their reporting style a tiny bit skewed? Women – you better look your best or you’ll end up a poor cruel single mother. Guys don’t worry – you can be a great single dad!

I’m almost looking forward to the follow up visit to see what other reading material the waiting area has to offer! And by the way – follow up visits with doctors are very often free or at least discounted. Now that’s a system I’d like to export…

BTW, little man has a plantar’s wart on his big toe. Now maybe he’ll listen to me when I tell him not to run around barefoot!

You might have to be over a certain age to appreciate this, but I ran across a list of the 25 Cheesiest Hits of the 1970s the other day and found it hysterical. I actually liked a lot of these songs. I defy you to look at – and listen to – the songs listed and not get one of them caught in your head. Some of them were pretty catchy

I think the author of this list missed some great tunes though. What about “Lola” by Barry Manilow (or any of his others)? “Muskrat Love” by The Captain and Tenille? How about “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor or “Afternoon Delight” by Starland Vocal Band? “Fernando” by Abba? “Stayin’ Alive” by the BeeGees?

What was your favorite or least favorite 70s song? Which ones do you think were the cheesiest?