Mrs. T

INVITE A FRIEND OVER

My girlfriend, “T,” and I have not had time to hang out in TOO LONG, so I thought it would be fun to invite her to join me at the beach. Our foodie sides took over and we hit our favorite gourmet market where we bought some killer cheeses, Taramasalata, shrimp with spicy key lime mustard sauce and chocolate rugelach. Need I say more?

It has been so fun catching up here, which is the same place we met years ago. There is a bit of nostalgia that comes with hanging out here and talking about old times. And…a little wine on the balcony just makes you live longer.

Share what you have and you gain so much more!

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INVITE A FRIEND OVER My girlfriend, "T," and I have not had time to hang out in TOO LONG, so I thought it would be fun t...

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Mr. Ernie

TAKE CARE OF THOSE WHO TAKE CARE OF YOU

Ernie is our Superintendent who takes consistently great care of our building throughout the year. He is always there when you need him, never complains and follows through on his commitments. He takes his job seriously and doesn’t waiver from his principles. Ernie is a simple man. He works hard and lives within his means.

Yesterday, my husband and I took him to lunch at a local beach spot. When asked if he had ever been there, he replied that he hadn’t since he “always brings lunch.” He ordered a simple chicken Caesar salad and avoided the croutons since he eats healthy now and has lost almost 50 lbs. He was so grateful to get to go to lunch, but we were so glad to have the opportunity to take him. He does so much for us…it was the least we could do.

Tonight, I was sitting out on my balcony, looking at the ocean waves crash against the shore, while my dog was leaning out through the rails barking at something below. What is she doing? I don’t see anything down there.

I took Daisy downstairs and ran into Ernie (2 hours after quitting time…still working away) and he greeted us with enthusiasm, reached down to pet my dog and asked if her pig was on the lawn outside. Aha! I knew what she was barking about and appreciated his attention to details. Poor rubber pig would have perished if it wasn’t for Ernie…and now I get to enjoy the musical snorts for the rest of the evening. Praise God!

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Daisy says “Thanks Ernie for finding my pig!”

TAKE CARE OF THOSE WHO TAKE CARE OF YOU Ernie is our Superintendent who takes consistently great care of our building th...

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Fancy Pants

CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSET & DONATE

I clean out my closet every 6 months, but now that my house is on the market, my husband and I both had to thin it down significantly. In a prior post, I referred to my better half as Hector the Collector. As you may imagine, he has collected NUMEROUS polo shirts with embroidered resort logos over the years since he works in the hospitality industry. Many of these shirts still had the tags on them. We accumulated quite a pile of dressy and upscale casual apparel in ‘very good’ to ‘excellent’ condition to donate.

Us women have Dress for Success, which provides business clothes to disadvantaged women who are trying to succeed in the business world. But what about men? I searched online and found a local organization, Florida Resurrection House, which distributes business attire to men in need. Career Gear is another great organization serving 7 states. While I support donating to the Salvation Army and Goodwill, it is nice to know that dress clothes are being given directly to those who really need them most.

So, Ladies…call to action: Get your man to clean out his closet and donate those clothes to someone who needs a second chance. This tax season, I am reminded that write-offs come in quite handy also!

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CLEAN OUT YOUR CLOSET & DONATE I clean out my closet every 6 months, but now that my house is on the market, my husb...

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The Grocery Man

SAY THANK YOU

I spent a good chunk of the evening in the car, fighting rush hour traffic, in order to get my son delivered to his father’s house for the big Spring Break fishing trip to the Keys.  When my husband realized how late I would be, he offered to go to the grocery store for me.  He took extensive notes about brands, flavors, sizes, etc.  I am VERY set in my ways when it comes to products.  I like what I like.  Once, my husband came home with Vlasic dill pickles, not Claussen.  Doesn’t he know the difference between refrigerated pickles and those found next to jars of artichoke hearts and pickled onions? What’s life without the crunch?  I mean…come on!

Tonight, after many prior trips resulting in “constructive criticism,” he set out to brave the product search at our local grocery store with his list in hand.  When I got home, he had everything put away.  While he bought himself some things I would never eat (shelf stable bacon and generic Cheez Whiz), he got all of the items I requested and a few other solid selections.  I thanked him genuinely.  I wanted him to know how much I appreciated his help tonight.  Sometimes we forget to thank the people who help us out frequently.  Tonight, I checked the criticism at the door and turned on the gratitude.  Maybe he’ll go shopping for me more often now?  That’s about as likely as getting me to eat Cheez Whiz on my celery.  Pass the almond butter, please!

SAY THANK YOU I spent a good chunk of the evening in the car, fighting rush hour traffic, in order to get my son deliver...

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Little Johnny Strikes Again

SHARE A GOOD JOKE

Earlier in the week, I posted about Jimmy Valvano’s life lessons – Laugh, Think and Cry.  My dad has the LAUGH part down!  When I was growing up, he would tell jokes all of the time and usually ended with the line “Ahhh…I got a million of ‘em.”  When he leaves a bar, you can often hear him tell the bartender to “Keep a loose stool.”  One thing I love about my dad is how much he loves life.

Today he sent me a joke that I thought I would share with all of you.  I love Little Johnny jokes and this one really cracked me up!

Little Johnny’s neighbor had a baby.  Unfortunately, the baby was born without ears.  When mother and the new baby came home from the hospital, Johnny’s family was invited over for a visit.  Before they left their house, Little Johnny’s dad had a talk with him and explained that the baby was born without ears.  His dad also told him that if he so much mentioned anything about the baby’s missing ears, or even said the word ‘ears’, he would get the smacking of his life when they came back home.  Little Johnny told his dad he understood completely.  When Johnny looked in the crib he said, “What a beautiful baby.”  The mother said, “Why, THANK YOU, Johnny!”  Johnny said, “He has beautiful little feet, beautiful little hands, a cute little nose and really beautiful eyes.  Can he see alright?”  “Yes,” replied the mother. “We are so thankful. The doctor said he has 20/20 vision.”  “That’s great,” Little Johnny replied, “because he’d be ‘F-ed’ if he needed glasses!”

I hope that made you smile.  Enjoy the beautiful day and be happy you have ears!

SHARE A GOOD JOKE Earlier in the week, I posted about Jimmy Valvano's life lessons - Laugh, Think and Cry.  My dad has t...

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