Cleaning Clone

Our living room window unit was faltering.        The orange warning “check filter” light came on.     So I asked Sweet Friend to fix it for me us, which he did very cheerfully.

But then I noticed that the outside of the vents were still very dirty.       So, I grabbed a wipee, and started wiping.        

Then I hear “I wanna help!”          Well, never turn down a child who wants to help clean!!

So, I handed PP another wipee, showed her what to do, and sat back, watching her go at it!!

I sent a pic of PP cleaning the a/c vents to the family, which showed her face, with the comment that I was teaching her to clean.

Sis in love, Shirley, said “I’m still struggling to get past the “teaching to clean” comment. I don’t know whether to laugh, or write something slightly sarcastic.       Well, I guess I did both.”     😉

Hey, Sis, I’m in Slob Recovery here!!      The best way to make sure you’ve really learned something is to teach others!!         Bonus:  I didn’t have to work anymore!!       Win-win!

Now that unit works like a dream again.

Great job, PP my love!!

My purple little love!!

Dad Duty

Yep, it’s the Dad’s turn to make us laugh!      It’s your duty- Dad!

                                                        Wow!  This dad is rough!!

    Finally!    An explanation  for their excellent grades!

And I thought MY dad was tough for demanding a BA!!

Did ya laugh??     I did!     I felt it was my duty!

Thinking Thankfully

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!!        I do hope y’all are all spending the day with family, and friends       And that you’re giving thanks for your many blessings!!

If you have food, you’re blessed!     If you have a dry, safe place to sleep, you’re blessed!       If you’re alive, and well, you’re blessed!

And the biggest blessing of all is if you have Jesus!!

I’m so thankful for all my many blessings.     I can’t even name ’em all here.     WP would probably cancel my page, due to the humongously long load time!

So, I’ll try to just make a short list.

• God!!
• Family!!     
• Friends!
• Church!
• Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness!
• You my readers!!
• Food!
• My house!
• Vanronica!

And on, and on, and on…

I’m writing this Sunday night, and here’s what I just spent 1 1/2 hours doing:

Can you guess??

You got it in 1!!      Homemade Thanksgiving cards.     (Or should I say “hand”made cards?!?

Well worth it, wouldn’t you say!      (And yes, for those sharp eyed readers, I did “edit”  PPJr’s hand a little!)           This just wasn’t gonna do!!

 

To all my Readers,    Happy Thanksgiving!      

Love, PurpleSlob, AKA Purplelinda, Melinda

 

http://katemorris.deviantart.com/art/Purple-Turkey-Mascot-136223411

 

 

http://aproverbs31wife.com/know-your-enemy

 

Broad Border

I’ve been re-blogged again!!    I know, I brag on myself sooo much, it’s sickening.    I just still can’t believe it when someone likes my stuff so much they re-blog it!!

I’ve never even see the name, Broad Border till today.   So, of course I returned the courtesy of going for a visit, and I like what I saw.    S/he blogs about many different things, faith in God, working with family, great hymns, and handbags, (that’s why I’m leaning twards she).

 

https://broadborder.wordpress.com/2016/07/12/more-menu-monday/

She likes purple too! You know what that means! I already like her more now!

 

Go take a look see.  Maybe you’ll  find a new jewel to add to your collection!!

 

Hey!  Guess what??

What?

If ya go to the About page, it tells ya a lot about the person!

Well, who woulda ever thunk???       DUH!

And oh yeah, I was write, right, she’s a girl!

Girls rule!

 

Man, Much?

Okay, I gots thoughts all jumbled up today.  {Yes, I said “gots” on purpose.}    So, if you can’t follow the thought processes, just raise your hand, and I’ll try to back up, and make it clearer.   (Clear as mud, I’m sure.)   Alrighty then, here we go!!

This is my 3rd divorce.   I am very ashamed of that fact.   But, I comfort myself with the thought that at least they (the first 2) were to the same person.   Does that make sense??   I felt like at least I was pouring out all the misery on only 1 man, instead of making 2 men miserable.

Original married family. Look how little the girls are! Look how thin we parents are!

(My jacket was actually purple.   Why do some shades show up blue??)

And I always just knew I couldn’t live without a man, to take care of me, and just generally be there for me.   So, shortly, very shortly, after both divorces, I had snagged me another man.   Then, after the first divorce, we got remarried.   Then, it didn’t work out again.   Was anyone surprised??    I think not.   Pretty much, I’m sure everyone saw that train wreck coming VERY clearly.

After the 2nd divorce, I was with my second husband.   {2nd man, 3rd marriage.   Still following?   Good.}  

Mr and Mrs Roberto Antonio Sanchez

(That man was SO handsome!    I’m a little teary eyed right now.   I haven’t looked at these photos in YEARS.)

 After only 2 months of marriage, he died of cancer.   Which was kinda good, because we would have gotten divorced too, I’m sure.   I was rough to live with, due to all my own issues, and he was too, due to his.    Plus, he was Latin, so, he met my flair for drama, and LOUD screaming talking fights, with his own high level!   The volume in our house, was probably what caused me to start hearing loss!   (Let’s just say I was very grateful for concrete block walls, instead of wood frame!)   Much as we loved each other, it was a volatile relationship.   He never physically abused me, but we all know words can cause hurts so deep, they never heal.

So, after he died, I was so deep in grief, and depression that I cried every day for 10 months.  I lost my job, almost became homeless, etc, etc.   On the first day of the 11th month, I woke up, and decided I would smile at anyone who smiled at me that day.    I was so weary of crying, and being depressed.   I had felt for a time, that I wanted to die too.   But God had plans for me.   Namely, to stay alive!   😀

I had managed without a man for 10 months, because I was so focused on the dead one.   Can you guess what happened??   Yep, that very day is when I met Ranch Man, (XH) and we were together every day after that.   Our marriage lasted 13 years.

PurpleSlob and Ranch Man, (now XH)

 

But this divorce is different.   I haven’t tried to find another man.   (Whoops, that’s a lie.   I went online to meet someone, and got cat fished.   But at least I figured it out within a week or so!   And that dampened my desire for another man tremendously!)

So, this time, I have focused on having my own life, not looking for another man, to build a life around, because I can’t be alone.   Before, I was almost pathologically afraid to be alone.  I didn’t think I was strong enough to go thru life, without leaning on a man. 

Don’t get me wrong, when I need to lift 50 lbs, I still call for muscles!   I ain’t trying to give myself a hernia, go to hospital for emergency surgery, catch a staph infection, and die, just so I won’t depend on a man!!   I know my physical limits!!   (About 10 lbs….well, 12, since that’s how much PPJr weighs now.)

I’ve found out, I CAN live without a man!   All I need is Jesus, my family, and friends!   I get my hugs from Mama, Sis, Brother, Shirley, DD1, PP, and PPJr.   

Solitude can be soothing to my soul.   As long as I am choosing to be alone to enjoy stillness, not isolating due to depression.   Hearing my chimes on a soft breeze, the birds adding their sweet sounds, is healing for the mind, and spirit.

Wow, I’m really wound up today!   I don’t usually preach this long!

Party Planning

Stella from Purfylle suggested a “How to Host a Farewell to Youth” party post, since the one I gave Brother was so successful.

And no, I’m not just bragging! Many people told me that! Besides my family, I mean!

1.  Grab ahold of an “OLD” person, well preferably one who is just on the cusp of becoming old.

2.  Determine by whatever sneaky means you have to, their actual birthday.

3.  Gather your party committee, preferably at least one who has money!  (I left out the second part of this step, when planning with my Sis.  This step is VITAL!!)

4.  Plan a planning plan.

5.  Dream up all kinds of diabolical old jokes, and ways to say, “Nanny, nanny, boo boo, you’re OLD!”

6.  Gather old pictures of victim honoree.

7.  Order huge poster with picture, proclaiming that the “Party is NOW OVER”, or “You’re Over the HILL”, or other cliche of choice.

zazzle.com

8.  Invite friends, and enemies – because they like to rub it in their face that the person is old!!

7.  Buy lots of black food coloring.

8.  Order the bread dyed black, at the bakery, ( I got ours at Publix.)   I didn’t know they did this until I wanted pink for PP’s shower!  So cool!!

9.  Make photo collage of baby pictures, and thru the years pix.  Make sure you only use the most embarrassing ones.  A “swimming in the tub” naked one front and center is the preferred placement.

10.  Buy lots of coffins, black roses, tombstones, crows, and black crepe paper as decorations.  If your party is in Nov. or later, and you can score them at Michael’s for 90% off, you win!

11.  Paint “Your Youth is Dead”, RIP ____”s Youth”, etc on the coffins.  (Please do NOT procure any life size ones!  A heart attack of the victim honoree is NOT what you’re after!  (Unless YOU are one of the aforementioned enemies…)

12.  Make all black food.  Suggestions: black deviled eggs,

Dutifully eating the “rotten” eggs.

black sandwiches, blackies (really brownies), tootsie rolls, licorice, cola drinks, black olives, devil’s food cake, etc.  Let your imagination run wild!  Just make sure it’s still edible, just looks nasty!!  (Again, unless you’re one of the aforementioned ….)

13.  Have glow sticks at the ready.  Black lights would be even better!  Make sure you’ve just whitened your teeth, if you choose blacklights.

14. Oh, I forgot to mention- keep it secret from the birthday person!  Of course, since they’re approaching old age, they might forget, even if you told them.  Use your own discretion.

15.  Wait for the birthday person to arrive, and yell surprise!  Oh, they didn’t show up??  You have to have someone bring them!  Geez, I didn’t think I had to tell you EVERY little thing!

16.  Make sure you have an AED unit, and someone who knows how to use it.  Old people’s hearts don’t stand up well to surprises, ya know.

   Games:

17.  Have wheelchair or walker races.  These are hilarious! 

spenceronline.com

18.  Photo booth.  Have props, such as granny glasses, canes, white wigs, IV poles, etc.

19.  Relay races, wearing huge slippers.

20.  Stuff cotton is everyone’s ears and play telephone.

21.  Let party person open presents.  Make sure you have lots of old people products.  Geritol, (do they even MAKE that anymore??), fake false teeth, hearing aids, tums, cane, reading glasses (unless they really DO wear glasses, then this is NOT funny, ask me how I know), memory pills- candy in a prescription bottle, labeled with person’s name, Take one every day for memory.

spenceronline.com

22.  Light cake, have fire extinguisher at the ready.  Brandishing it right in front of the cake, is best.

23.  Make sure you have a photographer who is skilled in catching people looking their absolute worst.  Then you can use these either as blackmail,  or at their 50th birthday party!

24.  Have fun!

Skunk head- just for LBeth!

Here is your special order, ma’am, hot off the press!

skunk-me

I was helping my aunts paint my grandmama’s house, the same one I was sitting on the porch, after Grandma had passed.  Unfortunately, no one in the family could buy it, so it was going on the market.  😦

So, here we were, painting the ceiling of the dining room, do ya feel where this is going???

We are all laughing, then crying, talking about Grandma, and memories we had in the house.  So, after a too long crying jag, I painted someone’s shirt back, just to get a laugh.  Then, it was all out paint war!

Before long, we all had paint smeared hither to yon.  I already had flecks in my hair, so I painted the stripe down the top, and said, “Hey, y’all!  Remember when Sherry skunked me??”

They all stared at me horrified!!  “Melinda!!  That is oil paint!  You’re gonna have to use paint thinner to get that out!!”

“Yeah, but do ya remember when Sherry put that streak of white down my hair, by using all the bleach on me, cuz I was too impatient to wait for her to do it right??  Blast from the past, baby!“

And, just like 35-ish years previously, it had to grow out.  But!  This time Mama couldn’t yell at me for ruining my hair!  HA!

I love my adventure filled life!

Love/Hate Challenge

Beautiful Himali, from decodinghappyness has nominated me for a challenge.

                                      Love – Hate !

Read here: love-hate

• List 10 things that you love.
• List 10 things that you hate.
• Nominate fellow bloggers to take the challenge.

So, here goes:

LOVES:

1.  Jesus/God/Holy Spirit  (They’re the same, 3 persons in 1 Godhead.)
2. My husband, DH
3. My 2 daughters, DD1, DD2
4. My grand baby, Pudding Pop
5. Mamafirst established
6. My family; nuclear,first established , this established, and extended
7. PURPLE!!!  (Y’all knew that one was coming, right??)
8. Losing weight
9. The Bible
10. Blogging, my new addiction

Hates:  Hmmmm, this is harder.

1.  Bad grammar, especially in a love letter.  In 8th grade, I red-lined all my boyfriend’s love letters, and sent them back for editing!  Yes, I really did!  The gall!
2. Long hair, on me.  I whack it off every chance I get.  When my girls were in Elementary school, I even shaved my head, much to their chagrin, and Mama’s horror!
3. Shaving my legs.  Enough said.
4. Abortion.  This is serious, I just couldn’t be all funny, without speaking up for the unborn.  They are precious little lives, no matter what stage of gestation.
5. Frustation!  I’m not the most techie person in the world, so I get upset when I can’t just do what I want to do!  Why don’t I have a computer I can just speak to, and it instantly does my bidding????  WHY????
6. Not having a sarcasm font.  I’ve asked for it enough times.  Someone should have invented this already!!
7. Green. Yuck!
8. Sushi.  Just the thought of it makes me queasy.  Believe me, I’ve eaten my share of stuff, so let me slide, okay?  Thanks!
9. Running out of ice… and since I live alone, this would be the fault of ?????
10. When I don’t get a nap.  So does everyone around me hate when this happens!!  (Can you say Grumpy?  I thought you could.)

Okay, so there’s that, then.  Onto the nominations.  And the awards go to:

Claremary

Janice

Susie

James

Robyn

Strawberry School

If you missed any of the story: go here:

Part 1, Strawberry City, part 2, Man Giant, part 3, Strawberry Banquet, part 4, Strawberry Love, part 5, Strawberry Slush, part 6, Strawberry Sickness, part 7, Strawberry Daiquiri.

divorce Strawberry Girl.  She had so many problems, and acted out against what she should be doing, and damaged her marriage.

It was a sad time for the whole family.

But, life went on…

Fast forward several years.  Strawberry Girl met and married Ranch Man.

She was still acting out, and doing wrong stuff. Her girls had both decided to go live with Man Giant.

Strawberry Girl was so sad, but she knew it was best for the girls.

Strawberry Girl decided to start teaching again, because she really hadn’t been using her mind for a long time.

It was okay for 2 years.  Then, she was diagnosed with Manic Depression.  Finally, everything started to make sense.  Her drinking, depression, and other things were all part of another disease.  It helped Strawberry Girl to get on the right kind of medication.

Mama had come back to live with her again, so Strawberry Girl once again had someone cleaning up her messes, and clutter.  So, she got along for a while.

Then, tragedy struck.  Strawberry Girl had a nervous breakdown, and had to go back to the hospital.

She couldn’t work for 9 months.  And, it happened again, several times.

The 3rd time, Strawberry Girl realized she better quit teaching while she could still be coherent.  So, she got on disability.

About this time, the first Strawberry Giant Daughter came back to live with Strawberry Girl, and Ranch Man.

This led to interesting adventures, but they’re not part of this story, alas.  Maybe another day….

Strawberry Giant Daughter fell in love……..

To Be Continued….

Mama Mia

My Mama- so many memories…

(She always has bright ideas!!)

Also known as “Grandmama”.

(Notice how I made sure to post the pix with me in them??)

We were poor growing up, but not as poor as her family.  They were dirt poor.

Chaney Siblings, 5 out of the 11

It’s funny, my Sis, the baby of the family, never knew we were poor!  Brother says all we ever had to eat was beans!

Mama was a young wife, mother,  homemaker, teacher, driver, police officer! (more for Brother, than us girls! HA, don’t let me fool ya!), seamstress, head cook and bottle washer.

No, her food isn’t rotten!  WE requested black deviled eggs for Brother’s 50th Birthday!

And she ALWAYS make biscuits, or hoecake, every day!  And a lot of times dessert daily, too.  (Where were you for that, Brother??  In his defense, we did eat an inordinate amount of beans.  They were cheap.)

But she was NOT a dumb bunny!  She loved to read, and instilled that in us.  Also, she raised us to expect to go to college, as a matter of course.  She never had a chance to go, as a young ‘un, but she wasn’t going to let anything stand in our way!  Sis and I both graduated from Southeastern University, straight out of high school.  Then a wonderful thing happened!  Mama quit her job, sold her house, and went off to college at 55 years old!   While she was there, she became an author, in the school’s publications.  We were all so proud!  She was the oldest student in her graduating class, and as she crossed the stage, she received a standing ovation!!

(No, I don’t have a pic of that, unfortunately.)

Then Brother got on board, and went to our Alma Mater.

When she graduated, she became an English Teacher in China, and a missionary.  God had called her as a missionary when she was 12 years old, and she had begun to think it was too late.  God always carries out His plans.

Now she’s a licensed minister, with the Assemblies of God.  And she speaks at Christ Cafe, about once a month.

Mama speaking at Christ Cafe

Go, Mama! She amazes me with all she has accomplished in her life!