new post delayed on account of snow

17 inches in my lovely little Pennsylvania town...Will write an actual blog post later but just wanted to share!

See if you can find my white Anatolian shepherd, jack in this picture. It's "Where's Waldo" without the striped sweater!

Baby, it's cold outside... Noooo Really??

Yep, it's cold. I live in PA and our high today was 23  I think. Yes, mother nature is a fickle bitch and 3 minutes outside in this weather would freeze your fingers off. But... It's Winter. Winter is supposed to be cold. I ,for one, don't mind the winter that much. I hate sweating or being hot so cold works for me. At least I can throw on another shirt or wrap up in a blanket. Winter is a lazy time. Which is right up my alley. It's a time for snuggling and hot chocolatey drinks, fireplaces and slipper socks. Good books, sweet music, and dreams of Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. It's a time when Big girls can hide behind big sweaters and walk a mile or two with out sweating to death. 

Now don't get me wrong. There are things I don't like about Winter. I'll bitch about the weather if I have plans and it snows. I hate that time between when you get in the car and when it starts blowing hot air. And I drive a Saturn so that time is around 12 minutes. I hate getting out of a hot shower and getting hit by the cold air. But that only lasts until you get dried off and dressed. And Ice, I hate ice. But doesn't everyone? I mean who wants to worry about falling on the ice. Plus for me, since the time I first hurt my knee at 14yrs old, most of my surgeries took place in the cold and/or winter months. November - February. And it's even scarier to walk on what may be ice in a cast with crutches.

(yeah this would be my dad back in the day LOL)

But other then those things, I find a certain lonely pleasure in the season. I still get excited when it's supposed to snow. I mean last year was fabulous for storms for our area. You had no choice but to stay indoors - or if you did go out you were outside to play. I don't subscribe to the "run out and buy eggs, milk and bread" theory that a lot of people do around here. But I'll go get munchees and wine before a big storm. And have a mini snowstorm party here at the house. I've even been known to suit up and trek up the hill to the Blarney Stone on a stormy day. Not too much more fun then a stragglers Blarney snow storm party.

Soooo yep it's cold, but we have heat, and hopefully food and God willing some wine. We have no where to be and all the time in the world to do nothing. It's winter, every one hibernates (except for the skiers of course, but ...nuff said) So bundle up, and enjoy it. Believe me... it could be so much worse

Or play some Buffet and pretend you're on the beach with a margarita in your hand.(I recommend SkinnyGirl Margarita btw  - best stuff ever) It will warm up again. Before we know everyone will be bitching about how hot it is and talking about global warming.


‎"Winter is the season in which people try to keep the house as warm as it was in the summer, when they complained about the heat." ~Author Unknown

I am a walking contradiction...

I have forced myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste.~ Marcel Duchamp

A dictionary defines Contradiction as -opposition between two conflicting forces or ideas. I have to say that in many instances in my life that is totally me. A walking, talking contradiction.


I was lying in bed one night trying, as usual, to quiet my mind and fall asleep when this blog topic took hold. That is, a lot of times, when I get my best ideas. I have been known to sit up and start writing when this happens. Which can cause a lot of sleepy days. But hey, it's what I want to do, write, so I have to take the ideas when I get them.


While thinking thru my life, and this blog topic, I realized how very back and forth and contradictory, I can be.

~ I love sports and at times eat and breathe them. especially baseball & football. I plan nothing during certain football Sundays and won't go to showers or b-day parties planned during football. I often think who the hell plans a get together during a football game. And i laugh at the outdated(in my mind) notion of the football widow, wasting her time on a sunday diddling around the house because her husband is all about the game. I'm the one that would be on the couch beside my guy saying hey get me a beer while you're up.

    Contradiction?I am a girly girl. I love to dress up and wear makeup and surround myself with pretty things. I love getting my nails done. I'm all about girls nights and dinner parties and candles and wine w/ candlelight. Open my door for me, hold out my chair, help me on with my jacket and you will impress me.Just as I will show off the twins, flirt with a guy shamelessly and laugh at all his dumb jokes.

~I need and crave neatness around me and feel that everything should be clean and in it's place. It gives me a sense of inner calm and peacefulness.

  Contradiction? My house can be an absolute shitstorm sometimes. Stuff all over, things need to be dusted etc. I hate picking up after anyone else so I don't, which then compounds the problem and makes the place messier. Believe me, when you live in a two bedroom apartment with another adult(the kid is 24 after all) a dog and two cats, it doesn't take long for the place to get messy.


~I love to entertain. I love having people over, getting ready for it is so fun with the food and the cleaning. I like to think I am a good hostess and most people will tell you I throw a mean dinner party or party in general. 

  Contradiction? I despise it when people pop over or stop by unannounced. When someone knocks on my door, i won't even open it. I like my privacy and my house is my haven. I need my alone time and don't feel like dealing with entertaining someone who isn't a planned guest.My own parents don't even stop by without calling.


~I am the ultimate wingman. I pride myself on my wingman capabilities and have been successful at if for years. If the guy or girl I am hanging out with wants to meet someone, find something out about someone, or even get rid of someone annoying them, they know I am the wingman that gets it done. I have at different times played the part of the ex girlfriend, lesbian lover,(which by the can backfire depending on the guy you are trying to get rid of LOL) cousin or sister that gets the job done.

  Contradiction? I friggin hate ALWAYS being the wingman. It's like always being the bridesmaid and never the bride. My friends are never my wingman and it gets to be annoying as hell after a while. Hey, how about we just sit here and drink beer and talk... why do I have to be the one doing all the work for someone else to get laid or a phone number? Where's my pay off in this? Do you know how many times I've met someone interesting only to find out they are interested in one of my friends and they want me to work it for them? How about talking to me about ME for once... instead of telling me about you and asking me about the guy or girl I am with that you are interested in.


~I love to be busy. I love having a list of things to do or work piled on my desk. I enjoy starting at the top and working my way thru the pile. The sense of accomplishment is awesome.

   Contradiction? I am lazy as shit and unmotivated in so many ways. I can spend a day fooling around on my computer, writing or surfing and then at 6pm wonder where the day went. I will think about the things I need to get done with hate and say I am the boss and screw it if I don't want to do them.


~I love getting a good haircut. Getting my hair blown out and straightened or curled. having it look perfect every time it's done. If it's a bad hair day I feel like crap

    Contradiction? I hate, HATE anyone touching my hair. Always have, and probably always will. Don't play with my hair or brush it for me... don't even touch it. (well unless your a boy who happens to be pulling it, but that's a whole other blog topic LOL). I go to a girl at Haircuttery in West Goshen who is fantastic at what she does, but it takes me months to get up the oomph to go see her.


~I hate confrontation. I don't like arguments or drama or all the negativity that come with them. I am a libra thru and thru who craves peace and harmony. I should have "Can't we all just get along" tattooed on my forehead.

  Contradiction? Fuck with me, or my kid, my family or friends and to quote Snooki -" I will come at you like a squirrel monkey" LOL oh God she's a piece of work...sorry. As I was saying, I am a slow burner. I don't have the quick Irish temper like so many of my people do. Well at least with anyone who isn't my kid... And when you push me too far, I will unleash the hounds of hell and open up a can of whoop ass on you. Not physically, but I can cut with words like a ginsu infomercial. And the quieter I speak, the more trouble you are in.


~I love love. Plain and simple.I am happy being single but a different happier person when I am in love. The butterflies, the great sex, the dates & late night phone calls or texts. Sharing myself with another person, good and bad, and trusting that person is such an amazing feeling.

   Contradiction? I suck at picking men to fall in love with. Most of the time they are unavailable, either emotionally or legally. I fall quicker then they do and end up hurt while they walk away unscathed forgetting I exist in a matter of days. The real kicker? I don't think, in my 47 years, that I have ever been in a relationship where I am loved as much as I love the person I am with.


Sooooo guess you found out a little bit more about me with this one. These are only a few of the life contradictions I see in myself. 

The ying & the yang of Stacey!

My 2 new loves...

Working my way out of a funk but still blogging. So today's blog is about two things I got for Christmas that I just love. Fantastic products that I highly recommend to anyone reading today because they make life easier, and they are cool as hell. And before you ask, no I don't get paid to blog about them - but how cool would that be?  I simply love the way they work . 

Ahhh my Amazon Kindle. There's a lot of e-book readers out there but Kindle is consistently rated #1 on the top 10 lists. When I opened up this present on Christmas morning I was like a little kid! I did not expect to ever get it as a gift. I had plans to eventually buy it for myself either when the book published or I got my first paycheck from a full time job. Plus I  know my parents, they aren't the most computer savvy folks, and this had to be ordered online. What a fabulous surprise! 


I am an avid reader. My favorite quote that describes me to a tee is "Books are my crack, and Amazon is my dealer." My dream house will have a library with a fireplace, comfy chairs and walls of bookcases. My nirvana...so to speak. I never thought I would give up the paper and hardback experience of reading, and I haven't really. But I have added to that by using the kindle. 

Here's a link that you can click on that will take you to all the features and facts  Everything Kindle I won't list them all here. The ones I will tell you about tho are :

• it weighs only 8.5 ounces
• it's 1/3 of an inch thick
• there's no glare with the screen
• WiFi enabled so you can surf the web
• w/ WiFi you can purchase books and be ready to read in less then 60 seconds
• it holds 3500 books, magazines & newspapers
• You can get book samples for free to see if you like a book before you buy it
• it has tens of thousands of free books you can download - good ones! others cost as little as $7 -$9 
• it has speech capabilities so it can read the book to you
• it's battery last a month before you have to recharge it

Yes boys and girls, it is all that AND a bag of chips! I haven't even mentioned the highlighting feature and the built in dictionary that takes you from a word on the page in your book to the definition in 1 quick step. Can you tell I am in love?? if you are thinking about getting one... do it! You won't be sorry!


Now on to the next new love of my life. This one I hadn't really even seen before but now I use it every day all day.

The Filtrete water station! I have crappy tap water where I live. You can smell the chlorine when you run the tap and the taste is not good. But I always felt guilty buying bottled water and we would go thru a case in a few days. All those empty bottles...ugh! I don't like the tap filters because they run so slow and the filtered pitchers were a pain as well. But this little baby??? Fabulous. 4 water bottles that get filtered water and store in the frig. Reusable time and time again. Takes about 30 seconds to fill them up and they seal tight so you can carry them with you. 


We are drinking 5 or 6 or more of these 16.9 oz bottles a day which is so healthy. The water tastes great and the bottles and caps can be put thru the dishwasher. My sink is not even on the bottom, it is angled towards the drain, so I can't fill it up straight from the tap. But no worries, I fill a glass measuring cup or a tupperware container from the tap and pour it in to the filter station which stands on my counter. You can refill  1 to all 4 bottles at a time which is also a plus. It doesn't leak or make a mess. Simply Fantastic!

Here's a link for all the pertinent facts Filtrete Water Station Details but the basics are :
• Regular use can eliminate the cost and waste of up to 3,000 disposable water 
   bottles per year. 
• Filters last up to 100 gallons, or for about 3 months. 
• Built-in Filter Change Indicator lets you know when it's time for a replacement. 
• Recyclable filter housing is the same #2 plastic as a typical milk jug.


It sells for around $37.00 and is worth every penny. The replacement filters cost between $10 -$15 dollars. You can also buy extra bottles at 2 for $15.00. If you are looking to buy it I suggest Walmart or K-mart for the best price.


So there you have it - the 2 new loves in my life. I know this is a different type of blog topic for me but hopefully you have found it helpful. When I find a product I love I have to share it.

kinda in a mood

Sooo time to write the blog - but not in a mood to do it. The money issues and the no job issues weighing me down. i don't let the negative come out too often but today it seems to be rearing it's ugly head. Funny thing is , I know if I had as little as $150.00 in the bank I could bounce out of this. Whoever said money can't buy happiness was never poor. And while it may not be able to buy happiness, it sure as hell makes it easier to feel it. 


Anyway, I found an old journal from high school with poems and quotes in it. So I figured I would put an old poem I wrote here for the blog today. It's sappy and girly and I was 17 when I wrote it. But I remember it like it was yesterday. June 24th, 1981 ahhhh the thoughts of a teenager in love. It was right after graduation and senior week and my boyfriend at the time, Steve Fuchs, (yes... FUCHS pronounced with a long U ... lol) had just left my house to go home to his 10 minutes away, in Malvern.  

Thursday Morning 4:30am
You're gone again.
But that's okay because I know it's not an ending,
just a continuing phase.
It doesn't make it any easier!
I never watch you leave
It's too hard.
I feel as if you're never coming back.
That's dumb I know,
But tell my heart that.
I often wonder if you feel the same.
When you leave my arms,
do you miss me as much as I miss you?
Maybe not...
It's always said that you're loved more then I.
But you're trying I know.
Please don't force your love.
I understand, I think...
We just need time.
I'm not asking you to love me
more then you're able,
and I'm not asking you to pretend.
Please don't.
I'm just asking you to miss me,
as much as I do you.
Maybe someday you'll be able to say you love me,
and really mean it. ~Stacey Gates (Charter)

Oh what I would tell that 17 year old me if I could... 

Funny tho when I read this I could apply it more recently to another boy who used to be in my life. Guess things never really change that much when it comes to matters of the heart. Well at least when it comes to my heart... 

Meh... I used to miss him all the time, but now I only really miss him when I'm sad. Progress my friends!

Fear not my blog readers, this mood shall pass. 

Time for some awards... and my 5 guilty pleasures. FUN!

So it's time to pay it forward with the "Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award" and reward 3 of the blogs I feel are the ones I run to every day. They are all very different, not necessarily sweet (which is what i like LOL) and full of inspiration and laughs. As I said in my previous blog, i recieved this award from Jewels from Turning 30 - A Journey of Self Exploration  - mad love to ya Jewels! xoxox 


The winners of the award are...

1 - We Are One - written by Ruth with incredible insight and a good dose of inspiration, it follows her successful journey to overcome her depression and not just "survive but thrive". She has an amazing story to tell and she tells it wonderfully. Please check out her blog!


2 - Jersey Girl Gets Real - Michelle is a true jersey girl and so friggin funny I look forward to her words every day. She can be dirty and funny and always seems to get it just right. She's had an issue with certain blog followers so she's made her blog private. Send her an email tho and she will approve you to be able to read it. (as long as you aren't one of her sisters or her cyber stalker lol) Comment below and I will forward you her email. Her blog is well worth the extra step!


3 - The Hale Family-you just gotta laugh - written by Jen, who is new to the blogging game, you will be amused, amazed and inspired. Jen and her husband have 8 beautiful happy kids from 18 yrs old to under a year, and this blog is filled with her stories of how to manage life with a smile and a sense of humor. Whether you have kids or not, are a mom or a dad or single without kids Jen's stories will warm your heart and give you a great positive perspective on what life throws at us.


3 very different but wonderful blogs that I am sending this award to. Please pay them a visit and let them know you stopped by. Follow them if you like what you read...and i know you will like what you read. ladies, thank you for keeping me entertained, inspired and always being the blogs that I run to every day to read!


Now for my  5 GUILTY PLEASURES

#1 - Certain Reality TV- now most reality TV doesn't thrill me but there are 2 shows that I consider guilty pleasures. The Real housewives franchise (but only NYC, Jersey & Bev Hills) and Jersey Shore. Nothing better then losing yourself for an hour in what can only be described as a semi fake, semi real soap opera in real life. I love the drama and the fights and the laughter they bring me.

#2 - Lazy Days - As a single mom since 1996, lazy days were not in my vocabulary. I was always working full time plus one or two part time jobs just to make ends meet. Then taking care of the house, my daughter and her schedule. So now, w/ no FT job, and a daughter that is 24 I have the option sometimes for a totally lazy day. Screw the housework, sit on  my but, read a book days. Awesome! (we share this one I see Jewels!)

#3 - Online games - I love to play on line computer games. not the shoot 'em up killing games but match -3, and hidden object adventure games. I also love the Diner Dash games as well. I belong to BigFish Games and for $6.99 a month, I get to try any or all the games for an hour for free and then buy one each month. It's a well worth it expense. Give them a look Big Fish Games

#4 - Easy Cheese - yep, one of my favorite guilty pleasures to munch on  is Kraft's Sharp Cheddar cheese in a can. It's not caviar but it's damn good. I love it on certain crackers, hot dogs and it's banging on baked potatoes too. No nutritional value but who cares. These are guilty pleasures after all...

#5 - Gossip Websites - There are a ton of them out there but I am addicted to 4 of them. They are fun and funny and snarky and intelligent. I love them!! Here is the list of the 4  - I'm Bringing Blogging Back written by a Boston boy living in New York who is quite literally - hysterical! I love Pat's sense of humor and got hooked on his blog when he used to recap The Hills. Crazy Days and Nights - an entertainment lawyer living in Los Angeles, Enty remains anonymous but always has the best gossip. He is also snarky and funny and has a heart of gold.  DListed - ohhh Michael K, you flame with the best of them and make me laugh until I cry. You have just got to read him to understand. Such A Funny Bitch he be! And last but not least is Lainey Gossip - lainey works for CTv in Canada - (like our E! network) so she's always at the parties and the red carpets. But she funny as hell and has the best Gossip around.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So there they are, just 5 of my many guilty pleasures. I didn't even get to Girly Porn, NCIS marathons or boardwalk fries w/ a shit load of vinegar. But those I will save for another day. So go visit the sites I awarded and see for yourself. 

My new kind of SEXY...time to mix it up

So I have noticed, for whatever reason, that my taste in men seems to be changing. I've got a type I guess... or at least a few types. But these guys are different then my past type which was Dark hair, blue eyes, facial hair. I guess as we grow older we change our style. I've always loved a certain few and that won't change - John Stamos, Ryan Reynolds, Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly from NCIS, and of course... George.
Now here are a few of my new faves...sexy beasts! All of them.

RYAN GOSLIN

I gotta tell ya - I was never a big Ryan Gosling fan. For whatever reason I don't think I have really even seen him in a movie. He usually does quirky, or sappy roles.... I guess that's what kept him off my radar. BUT now after seeing him in a onesie on Ellen... I am hooked! LOL He's a sexy m'f'er. Even without the onesie! And funny too.





Next is Tim Kang. Who you say? That would be Kimball Cho from the Mentalist!

TIM KANG

Damn - there's something about him that gets me. Even when I first saw him in commercials before the Mentalist. And he's built like a brick shithouse... which doesn't hurt a bit.



Number 3 would be Jason O'Mara. A sexy irish boy (accent and all) that you may have seen in Life on Mars or in the Closer. 

JASON O'MARA

I tried to find a clip of him using his real voice but couldn't. Those eyes, those dimples. Sexy! Straight up irish yumminess!

Number 4 is Nathan Fillion. Now on ABC's Castle, one of my favorite shows by the way, but you may know him from Serenity. Or even remember him from 2guys a girl and a pizza place years ago.

NATHAN FILLION

A little bit geeky, a lot of sexy and funny as hell. He is probably my favorite! Something about a guy with a sense of humor gets me every time. Oh and those killer guns don't hurt either. Actually, as the Castle opener goes, he really is ruggedly handsome!

Now last, but not least, is Jon Tenney. he's been around the tv world for years.But as Fritzy, Brenda's FBI agent husband on The Closer, he's hot, scruffy and carries a big gun.

JON TENNEY

Looking like he just rolled out of a very hot bed...I am definitely going to miss him when The Closer finishes up this summer. 

So there you have it, my style changing latest list of some damn fine men. All sexy in there own way and none of them the usual for me. Now to just find one like them that ISN'T on TV every week.


WAIT!!!!!!! I had to add this after the fact - i can't believe I forgot Craig Ferguson!!!

Where was my head? Craig Ferguson sexy Scottish funny man that he is. I know he is on late night but DVR him. So worth it. He's not your usual talk show host. That's for sure - he's irreverent, hysterical and just a wee bit crazy. Add to that the accent and the sexiness and he makes the list! Add to that as well the fact that he's an author - and a good one. Also he's friends with his late night competition, Jimmy Fallon and says Hi to him every night on air.!   


Here's a little number he did for his 4/20/2010 show - a little 4-20 love for the stoners he says always watch him! Instant Classic!