Friday fill in ..

It's Friday again .. time to do Friday fill in...

1. I'm _always hungry_, I'm _always looking for something sweet_, I _need to create the ultimate fat free, low carb, high protein, low calorie, healthy, non fattening, keep your belly full type of muffin or cookie ____.
2. Why do I have _only one bottle of red____ and not _a wine cellar?____.
3. How does this _Vista____ work, anyway?
4. Every morning, I put _four shades of eyeshadow___ on my _eyelids... does that make me high maintenance?_ ___.
5. I consider myself lucky because _I have great kids, a job I enjoy, fabulous friends, good health and strength .
6. One day we’ll see _the reason for this chaos!____.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to playing taxi for skier son_, tomorrow my plans include _9 miles..and we'll see how energized I feel! _ and Sunday, I want to restart my book .. and just enjoy the sunday_!

Thursday 13 ..a change

For Thursday 13 .. something a little different ..

SCATTEGORIES Rules:

Once again, I copied Tommie's blog .. thought it would be fun and different! Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real places, names, things. Nothing made up.

1. What is your name? Juliette

2. A 4 Letter Word: junk

3. A Boys Name: Jack

4. A Girls Name: Jane

5. An Occupation: judge

6. A Color: jade

7. Something you wear: jog bra

8. A Beverage: Jose Cuervo

9. A Food: jam

10. Something found in the bathroom: jacuzzi tub!

11. A place: Jakarta (lived there for four years

12. A Reason for being late: just couldn't get up early enough!

13. Something you shout: JUMP!

Manic Monday

Thanks to Fleur de Lisa for this Monday's questions ..

What's one of the simple pleasures in your life?

Hmm.. simple pleasure .. when I think of that, I picture sitting on a large rock overlooking the ocean, or paddling on a lake .. So, I think solitude is a simple pleasure ~

What do you like to snack on when you watch a movie?

When we go to the movies I usually like to do something that could be "good for you" (is there such a thing?) .. so a bag of cashews or trail mix .. I have been known to eat Good 'n Plenty .. but they leave a horrible after taste!

If you were a Survivor contestant, what would be your luxury item?

LOL .. my first immediate answer was "laptop" but then realized I wouldn't be able to plug in ... duhhh .. (lately I have had many blonde moments..) .. so luxury item .. a pillow.

So this morning we woke up to 22 inches of fresh snow! It was absolutely beautiful .. I almost didn't want to shovel it. Well, reality kicked in ... and once again muscles in tact ..the shoveling began!

HURRAY! I have a laptop!

I finally was able to pick up my new laptop yesterday. Last night I turned it on for the first time .. 

Friday Fill In

Thank you Janet for Friday Fill In

1. Give me _too much wine_ and I'll _talk too much____.
2. Whenever _I drive to the gym at 4:50am, I crank up my music in the truck to get into the mood (or is it to wake up?)_.
3. I wish _it wasn't so complicated!____.
4. _Cashew Chicken_ was the last thing I ate that was utterly delicious.
5. To live in this world _you need a good sense of humor, a positive out look, lots of sun ..okay, and a big glass of wine!____.
6. Other than this one, _Tommie's Tuesday Update___ is the last blog I commented on.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _playing driver for skier son__, tomorrow my plans include _gym, dump run, pick up forgotten dog at the groomers and maybe a movie__ and Sunday, I want to _continue reading while we wait for the big snow storm_!

Here is another picture that was saved because it was downloaded on to the desktop. This moose picture was taken while we were in Maine for the summer. I had lived in Maine for 8 years and never saw a moose .. then we came up for a couple of weeks .. and low and behold! Good news on the lap top ... a new one is on the horizon .. woo hoo!

Manic Monday

Of all your favorite foods, which one would you find the most difficult to give up for the rest of your life?
Does red wine count as food?? Okay, what if we said red wine and chocolate?? I had the perfect glass of red wine this weekend .. .. .. so yes, wine would be a "food" that I would miss.

Which month of the year do you thing best describes your personality?
What is my personality?? I would probably go with March ~ Spring ... everything is happy ..


If you could be a contestant on any game show, past or present, which show would you pick?
lol .. probably the Price is Right ... I am sooooo OCD when it comes to grocery shopping and lists and prices .. don't I hate it when a box of Oreos is $2.95 when the week before it was 2 for $5.00 .. or my daily wine is $9.84, but in the other store it's $11.85

So .. here is the update on my laptop ... NONE .. *sigh* .. I am still using the kid's desktop .. I'm hoping in two weeks I will be back on with my laptop. :(

Thursday 13 ... 13 thoughts while I miss my laptop

It's time for T13 or Thursday 13 ..
Today is Day 7 of when it happened .... last Thursday I came home from work and was greeted by my girlie teenager and her best friend. They were laughing, having a good time and IN PASSING my lovely daughter said "oh, by the way, I tried to use your laptop, but it won't turn on ... blah, blah, and she kept talking ..." ..."WHAT?!" I said ... "what .. my laptop won't turn on?!?" "yeah, whatever, I tried it ... anyways .." and on she went with her story. Be still my heart .. I couldn't focus anymore .. immediately I went and tried to turn on my baby, my lifeline .. and all I got was a flicker of the three little green lights .. and nothing. ..NOTHING! Did I mention NOTHING?! So I took a deep breath, and tried with my little bit of computer knowledge to troubleshoot. Last year it did this .. and for $89.98 for a new memory card the problem was solved .. perhaps?? Maybe??

Not this time .. today I received the news: most probably a power surge .. a new motherboard .. a new memory card .. and a new hard drive is needed. The worst of it is : my hard drive is gone. So .. in memory of my lap top, today's posting will be 13 Thoughts while I will miss my laptop and my hard drive.

1. AND WHAT ABOUT ALL MY PICTURES??


2. ..ALL MY DISNEY PICTURES??


3. ..ALL MY SISTERS' REUNION PICTURES??


4. ..ALL MY TEXAS PICTURES?


5. ..ALL MY BLOG PICTURES?


6. ..ANTHONY'S IRAQ PICTURES??


7. ..ALL MY OTHER PICTURES THAT DIDN'T GET INTO THE SCRAPBOOKS THAT EVENTUALLY I WAS GOING TO GET TO


8. ALL MY ITUNES SONGS ...AHHHHH!


9. .. damn, what was my password to DSW?


10. it's just not the same when you are sharing a desk top with your teenagers!


11. .. email address ~ hey, easy clean up, right??


12. do I get a new one, or just repair my old faithful ...?


13. maybe I'll get to bed sooner, since it is quite awkward to lug around a desktop and set it on your lap.

The worst part of this story is that I have been telling myself for months get an external hard drive to store my pictures for the "just in case" ..... OKAY .. I GET IT!

Here is a picture of what is on the desktop that I had found .. an oldie. It was taken at my sister's house back in 2005.. It was my mother's 70th birthday, she had come for a visit. Just a little ray of good news: I do have the pictures from the summer I drove up to Maine .. phew!

Happy rest of Thursday!

Something different ...

So .. a break from Simple Kindness Tuesday .. I was tagged (too many times) on FaceBook for 25 Random Things about me ... so here it is:

1. I am Dutch, but I have never lived in Holland. (okay .. it was for 3 months, but that doesn't count.)
2. I used to speak Farsi ..Bahasa .. some German .. some Spanish .. and now only speak Dutch and English .. (*sigh* getting old really doesn't work!)
3. I have three older sisters, and last year we reunited .. it was our first EVER, just the four of us .. no husbands, kids or parents .. since 1976! We have vowed to do it annually
4. I miss my sisters tremendously
5. I have adopted Maine as my home, it is where I have lived the longest (8 years) ..I left it briefly for 2.5 years.. but have returned .. :)
6. I have monkey toes .. they can grab things ..
7. I thank my mother for my toes .. she has them too!
8. I love red wine
9. I love red wine with dark chocolate more
10. I love red wine, with chocolate, chocolate chip cake even more!
11. I am not a big shopper, spending money stresses me out
12. Stick me in a kayak, and let me paddle the lakes instead
13. Okay .. I also like to run ..
14. I miss authentic Indonesian food
15. Clarence was my stuffed lion that I have had since 1974 .. I just recently brought him out in the world again... (minus an eye, and now a nose, since my dog ate it!)
16. My goal is to run until I am 80
17. I have a "photo-bucket list"
18. I listened to country music while I lived in Texas, and loved it!
19. Now I listen to everything BUT country!
20. I believe things happen for a reason, more often to prepare you for what is to come
21. I believe in always asking, because "no" is the answer if you don't ask
22. I believe that Tomorrow is a new day, with new challenges, new answers and new opportunities .. how exciting!
23. I am grateful to my parents for the opportunity that they gave me growing up, living in the countries and experiencing the cultures, and wished I hadn't taken it for granted!!
24. I would love to, just once, take an all inclusive trip to a beautiful beach .. and just be
25. LIVE, LOVE AND LAUGH!

My sisters and me

Manic Monday ..

Thanks to Fleur de Lisa, here is another Manic Monday ..

What's the most embarrassing song on your iPod (or music collection)?
Embarrassing? I don't think I have embarrassing .. I have some songs that would be considered explicit and a little loud .. never thought it would be on my iPod .. my kids like to share their songs!

How much time do you spend each day in your commute? (Or if you don't work outside the house, how much time do you spend in your car or other preferred mode of transportation?)
15 minutes during good commutes .. depends if I have a pit stop!

What's your favorite wardrobe item and why?
Do boots count as "wardrobe item"? ... I love boots .. the spikier the better! (Not very practically in Maine weather .. oh well!) IF boots can't count, I would say my favorite wardrobe item is my lime green LL Bean running cold weather zip up ...? coat, sweater? Don't know exactly what it is, it's not a coat, and it is not a sweater .. but it is perfect for the cold weather running ..it's lightweight and best of all warm! If I could, I would wear it all the time .. but alas, it's not dressy enough, and after all, it is lime green! But then again, I went out tonight with a handful of working people .. and was told that first impression, I come across as 'granola' .... ?!?! what the .... ? REALLY .. spikey boots are not Birkenstock with socks!! Sorry .. digression from favorite wardrobe to dressy to granola .. it was a long Monday!!

Sacred Life Sunday #3

It's Sunday again .. and thanks to Carla's Sacred Life Sunday
and her blog about what connects her to her Spirit .. in my modification, I will post weekly for the next 30 weeks (well.. this is my third post .. so 27 more weeks), pictures what makes my inner self celebrate.

I enjoy picture taking .. I was given my first camera on my 10th birthday. It was an Olympus, with the one man, two man and three man setting. The flashcube slid on top .. have I dated the camera?

This camera is my last 35mm. We bought it when I was pregnant with Noah .. It took wonderful pictures, but the summer when we moved to Texas, it finally just gave up. I currently use a Sony .. which I like a lot .. but am sooooo ready for my Canon Rebel!

My Rebel

So here are a few of my favorites .. actually, this blog came about because of favorite pictures and inner self happiness .. so grab a cup of coffee and go back to the beginning when Tommie first showed me how to get started!

Even though the clarity isn't here, these five buses represent soldiers arriving back from Iraq. Every time I was on post, and saw them, I would just start wailing like a baby. For a great story see Tommie's Tuesday Update and check out her blog dated 12/19/07.

Flowers are fun .. they are unique and have their own beauty ..

Amsterdam ..sooo much character

I love, love, love fall in Maine!

Photo Hunt - Furry

Thanks to TNChick's Photo Hunt theme .. Furry ..

I was going to post pictures of dog hair everywhere, all the time, in my house! It is one of the pleasures of having a long haired Golden Retriever. Perhaps this style of grooming might help??