Perfection

It seems that persistence can be a good thing. You can now find my blog quite easily at blogannounce.info under Livestyle. It took me awhile and 3 attempts. But they finally listed it. They are correcting the spelling to "Lifestyle" as it should be. You see we are not all perfect...most of us not even close.

And who would want to be perfect. Imagine how difficult life would be. One couldn't leave one's home unless we looked "perfect". Our children (if we had them) would have to "perfect". Nothing could ever be out of place and life would be no fun at all. We'd be too busy trying to be perfect.

My belief is that we all have parts of us that are perfect and that should be enough! Remember life is meant to be lived as well as we can live it. Warts and all! Laughter and joy should be our mantras.

For without laughter and joy we are truly poor. With these 2 qualitities we can achieve anything we want, because we will look at life differently. Just always remember you are a ''STAR". We all are. We don't have to be celebrities, but we do have to STAR in our own lives. (In other words, be present).

Starring,
Neelie

A New Home

I know I've told you all about Ricky and Lucy our 2 goldfish. She is a redhead and he is dark and latin looking, ergo their names. Yesterday they got a new home. Their move was almost as difficult as my last move in January.

They didn't have to do any of the work. I did! I moved them from a 20 gallon tank, which they were rapidly outgrowing, to a 33 gallon tank. It is quite gorgeous. This tank is a cube, rather than a long rectangle.

Of course, they have the premier spot in the house. Directly under the wine rack and over the wine cellar. So anytime they feel the need to have a drink they either reach up or down, but only in my or their fantasies, since we know they cannot breathe out of the water. Besides, they have no thumbs or fingers for that matter. How would they open a wine bottle. They couldn't even manage the new screw tops.

Moving is a trauma for anyone including the fish. I was exhausted after hauling out the water and plants and gravel from the old tank, up and down the ladder and then cleaning out the old tank. Then, of course, you have to wash the gravel, put it into the new tank and then refill it. Move the gravel around so it looks beautiful, put in their plants and their new home inside their home.

I think the place is very stylish. Apparently, they do too. They were still alive this morning and seem to be enjoying the additional space.

So, it seems, moving isn't all that bad after all. We just get used the "sameness" of things. We think about the hard work of a move, the packing and getting rid of junk we haven't used in years...but it turns out to be really good thing.

Life is always a series of change in one way or another, whether for us or the "fish". We feel as if we won't survive and are then surprised by how wonderful it is and why it took us so long after all. As has been said before, change is good. It's good for the head, the heart and the soul. If only we didn't fight it so hard and just went with the current, we would see, we almost always end up in a better place.

Changing daily,

Neelie

Change Is Good

Oh how we resist change. For the last year, we have been driving back and forth to Ft. Lauderdale every other week. We have been making this 1 hour drive each way to go to the beauty shop. I always said, I would stay until my manicurist left.

Last Tuesday, she left. Wednesday I went to the beauty shop 5 minutes from our new house. It is a wonderful, full service salon. Thursday, Jimmy and I had manicures and pedicures (the pedicure chairs have a whirlpool massage). I asked if we could rent them by the hour our feet felt so good.

We had terrific manicures and pedicures. Today was the true test, hair! Not that my hair takes any great doing. I wear it so short and get it cut every 2 weeks. But you know how we women are. If men don't get a good haircut, they put on a hat. We girls complain and cry about it for a week. Fortunately, I received a good haircut. It may take him a couple of weeks to get it right, but it's short...so who cares.

Everyone at the salon is so nice. They offer every service imaginable and make it very homey. Who knew change could feel this good.

So the lesson for today is, even though we may want to resist change...why not try. It frequently turns out better than we expect.

Feeling great about myself,
Neelie

The Grandkittens

My adopted daughter Liz (she adopted me much to my delight) found 5 baby kittens in one of her window wells, 5 weeks ago. The mother cat had abandoned them. Of course, the mother cat has had a number of litters in this same window well. Perhaps she just got tired of taking care of them.

So Liz and the girls have been caring for them. Liz went to the pet store and got baby bottles with formula for the babies. Their little eyes were still closed and they weren't even 1 lb. She stayed up at night to feed them and care for them.

When Jimmy asked her if she felt like Grandmother, Mom or Midwife, Liz replied, "No, just like with my kids, the maid"! She has been a wonderful mommy to the kittens, unfortunately 2 of them were just not strong enough to make it and now lay in repose in the backyard under their own little headstones.

Every day brings new and exciting stories about these wonderful little creatures. I remember when my son Aaron, was little, we brought home a black kitten. Next door to us lived a Rabbi who came home and saw Aaron and I with the kitten on our porch. The Rabbi said, "isn't it wonderful". "God makes all babies adorable so someone will take care of them". He was a pretty smart Rabbi.

Back to Liz and the kittens. Last week the Vet suggested she introduce food other than formula to the kittens. There are 2 girls and a boy. One girl is black, the other boy and girl are Gray. The big boy took some of the kitten chow with milk and then lay in the milk. Now all 3 are eating the kitten chow and lying in the milk. Obviously, it makes them feel good, or they heard that a milk bath is good for your skin! When they finish eating or when Ms. Black Kitten, finally moves so the other 2 can eat, they are so dirty, that Liz immediately puts them in the kitchen sink where they luxuriate in a bath...who says Cats don't like water. These 3 do!

Every day brings a new kitten story. I think it's time to name them and have suggested the black one be called Tabitha, the other girl Endora and the boy Darren. Liz said after looking at him, that he did remind her of the original Darren on "Bewitched".

Emily sent me a picture that was taken with her cell phone of her holding 2 of the kittens. They are so adorable...just like the Rabbi said, "who wouldn't want to take care of them"!

Bubby to 3 kittens,

Neelie

"Time Goes by so quickly"

Do you ever wonder how we got here so quickly. Yesterday I met a little girl. When I asked her age she said, "I'm 7-3/4". Can you imagine saying, "I'm 55-3/4, or 42 -1/2, or 90-1/4"! When we are young time moves so slowly. Yet as we age...it just flies by.

We moved into our new home January 7, 2006. We have been living in the house for 10 months already, yet it seems as if it were yesterday that we closed on the house and then moved in.

Probably none of us would trade our years for the knowledge we now have to have the bodies we once had or the faces we had before time took its toll. But just for one moment wouldn't you like to go back to one special day, one special hour and relive it?

Do you suppose it would be as special as it is in hindsight or was it just the memory of that moment? Remember the book "The Time Machine" or the movie "A Moment in Time". What is your favorite memory?

Doesn't it make you feel all warm inside when you think of it? Was it your 1st kiss, your 1st love, your 1st day of school, the birth of your 1st child? Or is it the memory of love lost, never to be found again.

I look at myself at 18 and wonder if I knew the woman I would become or how my life would play out? I wonder if I've played my hand well or if there are still many hands to yet be played? It appears I'll just have to take it one day at a time and try to make the most of it.

Remembering,
Neelie

Saved by Google

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Project Red is not a charity, it is simply a business model. You buy Project Red stuff. (Motorola, AmEx, Gap, Armani, Converse, Apple) Project Red gets the money. It then buys the pills and distributes them. Sick people in Africa take the pills, stay alive. And continue to take care of their families and contribute socially and economically in their communities.


It is amazing that the older I get, the more impressed I am by the younger generation. So many people criticize the young people of today, however, all it took was one young programmer with Google to get my ads up and running in less than 4 minutes, by just pointing out that I am now using the "beta" version. Actually, much easier than the old version.

I didn't have to copy and paste HTML code. All I had to do was click on a couple of buttons. I'll tell you those people at Google. Not only do they have the most amazing search engines, the people who work for them are bright and quick to answer any e-mail.

Amazing, I was born just a little bit too early. Would I love to work in an environment that encourages bright people to be even brighter and yet able to help those of us who are technologically challenged!

What a wonderful world and how lucky we are to be living in it.

Oh, and since it's football season, the boys are showing off their helmets. Of course, Bullwinkle wants a Bears Helmet now that they are winning again. So I guess we'll just have to get him one.

Happily,
Neelie

Idiot "Again"

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Project Red is not a charity, it is simply a business model. You buy Project Red stuff. (Motorola, AmEx, Gap, Armani, Converse, Apple) Project Red gets the money. It then buys the pills and distributes them. Sick people in Africa take the pills, stay alive. And continue to take care of their families and contribute socially and economically in their communities.



It seems I spent most of today trying to get my "ads" back up on my blog. They were there 2 days ago when I was trying to put on that link. Somehow the HTML for the ads from ADSENSE were erased...trust me, not by me. I'm not that smart. The only thing I know about HTML is it means HYPERLINK something...I'll hyperlink something.

I just read someone else's blog. Boy is she a mess! Poor girl. Seems to be problems all over her life. She has just got to turn that around or life is going to seem very looooonnnng!!! Not for good reasons.

I can tell her that just when you think something awful has happened, life turns around faster than you can blink. But you have to be positive and not dwell in your misery. There are just people out there that only know how to be miserable. Call me a "Pollyanna" if you will, but if you don't have a positive attitude and believe magic will happen...it never will! For me, magic happens every day. Even on a day like today when I don't know anything about HTML.

I better write this girl and tell her "life is short". Change the things that are bad now or you'll never enjoy anything. She will just dwell in her misery. What fun is that. Waiting for something to happen to make you happy. You will never be happy. You must find your joy every day.

Perhaps her blog is just the way she vents. We all need an outlet to vent. I have one. We hung a wonderful gong in the house. When I need to vent...I just bang that gong. It releases all my tension and leaves me with a wonderful sense of peace. That must be why the Buddhists use gongs. What an extraordinary feeling when you hit the gong. The sound it makes is wonderful and magical...there I go again, magic. I tell you it happens every day.

BTW, do you like my new template. I think it is much more in keeping with my "elegant" self.

Magically,
Neelie

Carpe Diem

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Project Red is not a charity, it is simply a business model. You buy Project Red stuff. (Motorola, AmEx, Gap, Armani, Converse, Apple) Project Red gets the money. It then buys the pills and distributes them. Sick people in Africa take the pills, stay alive. And continue to take care of their families and contribute socially and economically in their communities.

"Sieze The Day". Very important to do. When my children were small I used to tell them, "yesterday is gone, tomorrow isn't promised, today is God's gift to you and that's why it's called The Present. Every day should be looked at as a present. A new day to do anything we want with. Like a present it should be unwrapped with great abandon.

We should do everything with excitment. For only then will we truly experience real joy. It seems that too many of us go through life looking sullen. Remember what you think is what shows on your face. So go out into the wonderful joyful! Even if you don't feel that way to begin with, the simple act of putting a smile on your face, will make you feel joy.

There are so many things in life to be grateful for. Our health, our family, our work (hopefully you are doing what you love), our friends, the roof over our head, our friends. You get the picture.

All you have to do is turn on the television and see the misery all around the world. So here we are, comfortable without misery....let's be grateful.

My friend of longest duration, Renee had a new grandson yesterday. He was born in Israel to her youngest son Dovid and his wife Elouise. How wonderful! A new life in a land so torn by strife. So even though the news every day is so full of misery, the young people have hope for the future and continue to reproduce.

How lucky we are! Let's try to remember that.

Carpe Diem,
Neelie

Not So Dumb After All

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Project Red is not a charity, it is simply a business model. You buy Project Red stuff. (Motorola, AmEx, Gap, Armani, Converse, Apple) Project Red gets the money. It then buys the pills and distributes them. Sick people in Africa take the pills, stay alive. And continue to take care of their families and contribute socially and economically in their communities.

Well, it seems I am not as dumb as I thought. The link for the gentlemen in the U.K. is up. It was incredibly easy after all. So I guess, old age didn't stop me from being able to do this. Fortunately, I didn't have to be 16 after all. My age had nothing to do with it!

You know, I've often said, "Old Age Is Not For Sissies". Well this just proves it. One doesn't have to give in to the years that have passed...Remember we are not getting older, we are truly getting better. Exercising our brains is good for us, it keeps us from getting Alzheimer's. At least that's what the Doctors say. Who am I to argue with Doctors...

Remember, we may get old, but we don't have to grow up!

Youthfully,
Neelie

Old Fool

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Project Red is not a charity, it is simply a business model. You buy Project Red stuff. (Motorola, AmEx, Gap, Armani, Converse, Apple) Project Red gets the money. It then buys the pills and distributes them. Sick people in Africa take the pills, stay alive. And continue to take care of their families and contribute socially and economically in their communities.



It seems that a gentleman in the U.K. has seen my blog. For the life of me I don't know why. However, he would like to put a link for his business on my blog. One would think this would be fairly easy to do. WRONG. I have printed out the instructions from the site.

He was nice enough to send me instructions...if only they matched my dashboard! It has been a very long time since I felt this stupid. I think the last time was when my new crystal chandelier was delivered and the lighting store asked me "do you have a chandelier dresser"?

What the hell is a chandelier dresser...oh, I didn't say that to him. I simply replied, "why no, do you have someone?" Little did I know chandeliers of this sort come naked and truly need to be dressed (that is have all the crystals hung by a professional with white gloves). Glad it wasn't me.It took the professional 6 hours to hang all the crystals. Definitely worth it. The chandelier is gorgeous.

If I were 16 I would probably have no problem putting this link on my blog. So if there is a 16 year old out there...HELP! Now if I can only figure out how to put this link on my page. Perhaps, I will not feel stupid any longer.

Wondering,
Neelie

A Fish Tale

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Project Red is not a charity, it is simply a business model. You buy Project Red stuff. (Motorola, AmEx, Gap, Armani, Converse, Apple) Project Red gets the money. It then buys the pills and distributes them. Sick people in Africa take the pills, stay alive. And continue to take care of their families and contribute socially and economically in their communities.



I hope you remember Ricky and Lucy. She of the Red hair and he is dark and handsome. Oh no, not that Ricky and Lucy...my goldfish. She has a Red head and therefore we named her Lucy and he is dark and handsome. It has been awhile since I wrote about them. If you notice, they have grown considerably. See their picture in April.

We didn't have to worry about Lucy doing him in, because he was bigger than her. When she would go after him, the way she did the 1st Ricky, (rest his soul), he fought back. He used to chase her around the tank so he would get more food.

To defend herself, she just got bigger. They were moved into a 20 gallon tank and soon are going to need a 30 gallon tank. I simply refuse to put them in the swimming pool. It is bad enough they swim in their own waste...I will not!

It is amazing how relaxing it is to watch fish. He is very funny. I have never seen a fish do cartwheels, but he does. We think it's because he is so big that when he tries to turn, he ends up, upside down and then has to right himself. Much like those of us trying to live our lives.

We frequently find ourselves in places we never intended to be. Life just took us there, much like Ricky trying to right himself. When we finish school, we truly believe we have a course set for our lives. How wrong we frequently are.

Life, like the tide, moves us to places we never thought we'd be. However, we frequently find when we get to our destination, that it is a good place to be. Of course, this does not preclude ambition or the desire to be more, to do more, to have more. I believe these are inate qualities we have.

In our youth, we always seem to be swimming upstream. But, I think, that's the way it should be. This passage prepares us for what is to come...aging. Not easy! But it beats the alternative. My friend Ellie said yesterday, "it's the mind that matters"! I believe her, without a great mind you have nothing.

So here's to keeping our youthful mindset and continuing to go about this journey of life full of the same kind of hope we have when we are kids. After all, that's what we are! Kids, who have just gotten older.

Neelie

I used to be "HOT"

Well, I see it has been a long time since I've written anything. It appears in July I vowed to get off my couch and move. Hasn't happened! However, I look great....see my picture. I did have the worst experience the other day. I remember the days when a good looking man would look at me and then the car. Now they look at the car and then me.

Yesterday, this very handsome man walked past my gorgeous new 2007 Red XK with the top down and said "great". Of course, I thought he was talking about me. Once inside my destination, there he was again. He walked right up to me and said "what a fabulous car".

Now in the past, great looking men would say "beautiful woman, beautiful car" when did this change and how did I not see it happening. AARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH! Here I am thinking I am still "hot". Apparently only the car is now hot. The downside to aging, I guess I better get off the couch, LOL!

I'll keep you posted,

Neelie