Okie Sister

Ooh, Ooh That Smell

Note To Self...

Before next power outage, buy unscented candles or candles all the same flavor; because Apple Cinnamon, Bamboo, Banana Nut Bread, Eucalyptus, Pineapple Sage, Vanilla ... all burning at the same time ... is kind of gross.

Fresh Outlook

Before

 
After

 

Hubby and I spent a week painting our kitchen walls and cabinets. The previous owner painted the oak cabinets an ivory shade. They always looked food stained. Hubby suggested we paint them coffee color since I drip my morning brew all over the place. I picked a chocolate color called Singe. We replaced the knobs and the hinges, which had also been painted, with new brushed nickel ones.

The walls were painted Bran Muffin color to coordinate with the new floor. We also replaced the hood above the stove with a stainless steel number. And we painted new baseboards around the whole room.

 

One of my favorite things is the area above the kitchen sink. This used to be a window on the back of the house. Hubby put up a shelf and framed it out. I'm liking the results. It's a great place to display the German dishes I picked up at a garage sale. Hubby dislikes using these dishes, but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of them. At least I can put them here and enjoy looking at them. The bare bulb, that was above, is now a recessed light.

 

It's looking a lot better in there now. We will do more later, but this was a good start on the kitchen overhaul.

Now on to the living room....

My Sixth Sense

If I had never watched "The Sixth Sense", then I wouldn't be so freaked out every time I walk into my kitchen and see the cabinet doors ajar.

The truth of the matter is that this is not an other world visit, it's just that the kitchen is fairly old and the latches don't work so well any more. Still, it unsettles me every time.

We've been in the process of updating the kitchen. Carpet and two different linoleum floors have been replaced with brand new flooring... that I love.

(I can't take a photo in this house without getting a dog in it.
Hi Cricket. No, I'm not stealing your soul) 

Ugly blue and white checkered wallpaper has painstakingly been pried off the walls. I disliked that wallpaper since we bought the house over ten years ago. I can't believe it's taken me this long to remove it; except for the fact that it's a total pain to take down. Please people... do not glue paper on your walls.

 (Old wallpaper that made my eyes go haywire)

I'm so looking forward to picking out a new paint color. And light fixtures.

Right now there is a hideous dusty ceiling fan hanging on one side of my kitchen, a brass looking lantern light on the other, and a bare bulb above my sink. This mishmash of lighting freaks my Monk self out. Light fixtures are one of the cheapish ways to update a room, but I don't think most people ever think about doing this. Or maybe they procrastinate for over ten years, like yours truly. 

 

Another unsettling sight this morning was checking the temperature before dressing for work. Nineteen degrees with a wind chill that made it feel like two degrees. Crap! I have a tendency to hibernate in such weather.

I've been found a lot lately under a blanket watching Turner Classic Movies. The mere fact that I have time to watch a movie lets you know that television is in a sorry state of late. Normally, I have too much recorded programming to watch movies. But I've viewed "The Mortal Storm", "Casablanca", "Our Vines Have Tender Grapes", "To Catch A Thief", "A Face In The Crowd," "Until They Sail," "So Long At The Fair," and several others. I also watched a movie that was made this decade which starred John Travolta. It stank! Afterward I said, "That's why I watch old movies."
 
I guess there's just not much on regular TV these days that I enjoy. I watched How I Met Your Mother last night; the first time this season. When it was over I said to hubby, "Huh, remember when this show used to be funny?" What the hell happened to HIMYM? That episode sucked.
 
This morning I watched Jennifer Hudson's Christmas special that aired last night. That I enjoyed. When Jennifer soulfully and spiritually sang "O Holy Night", I was moved. It was everything the Carrie Underwood special was not. Sorry, but I thought Carrie's show was way too cheesy. Except I enjoyed seeing Sons of Sylvia (the band formerly known as The Clark Brothers). Can't wait till these guy put out an album.
  

Other than this, I've still been obsessively busy working on my genealogy. Hubby tells everyone, "She sees dead people."

Wanted: One Idol Stylist

I was flipping channels on Friday and saw the last few minutes of Oprah. Did you catch it?

 

All I can say is American Idol winner #1 Kelly Clarkson should get a stylist like American Idol winner #4 Carrie Underwood.

Our little Okie Carrie is always in style.

    

 

       

Kelly, not so much.

 

   

 

    

And I get that these gals don’t wear the same size. Kelly’s got that big ol’ bum. But that doesn’t matter, there are ways to camouflage all that junk in the trunk.

Think how fabulous Queen Latifah looks when she appears at events these days.

    

 

  

 

Please Kelly, hire a stylist.

 

 

 

Update: If you hire a stylist, please pay them. Queen Latifah sued.

The Windmill of My Mind

So, confession time again. When you are out Christmas shopping, do you always buy a little something for yourself? If so, what did you get?

If you are like me, you don’t do this on purpose. Something shiny just catches your eye. Personally, I could not resist this adorable Old World Christmas Windmill Ornament. It makes me want to design a whole theme around it for a tree next year. I don’t know if the theme would be rustic, or Oklahoma, or something else. I’ve got a few days to think about it, now don’t I?

Another confession, I didn’t even put up a tree this year. So, that’s pretty funny that I’m out buying myself an ornament. Plus, I received two more ornaments as presents. I take that as a sign.

 

 

Have I ever told you how much I love Jose Feliciano?

Ashley, You Made the Sleeves Too Long

Reason #447* that I don’t like winter: long sleeves.

I mean really, really long sleeves.

I’m 5’3”. Petite size clothes, I believe, are made for those 5’2” and under. They are too short for me is all I know. So that puts me on the lower end of the average size clothes range. But who the heck has these long monkey arms? I’ve never had anyone say, “Hey, your arms look proportionately short for your body.” So I assume that they are the perfect length to match the rest of my frame.

Normally, I just buy shirts with three quarter length sleeves. They hit me just above my wrists. But I liked this Ashley Judd brand shirt, so I’ll be taking it for alteration. If I can find a new tailor. Long time Lawton tailor, Gil, passed away last year. I went by one place but he was backed up for over a week. "It’s just sleeves dude." This would be a good town to start an alteration shop in, all you sew-y people out there.

*Less you think you missed the 446 other reasons, you didn’t. My internal random generator picked that number.

Man Gets Panties... In A Bunch

….Of Trouble.

A Lawton man is going to jail after he was spotted stuffing women’s underwear down his pants at Kmart Tuesday night. The suspect also pilfered a sporty man's thong for himself. The “responsible” young man did stop and pick up some contraceptives before leaving for his planned romantic encounter.
Instead he was “encountered” by security in the parking lot. The man took the items “for my girl, I was thinking about her,” the 26 year-old said.

I’m sure he was. My PSA: Some agencies, like the health department, give contraceptives out for free. No stealing involved.

To my Okie Sisters in Idabel: If you are thinking “Honeymoon,” I’m right there with you!

Is It Just Me?

Are you able to grasp and remove the plastic piece stuck onto the top of a new deodorant, or do you pull it out with your teeth?
Not that I would ever do that, I’m just asking.
And why is it called a stick?

I was headed out the door this morning and almost didn’t catch the fact that I was still wearing my comfortable Isotoner slippers.
Yes! One day closer to retirement.

My friend went to Wasilla, Alaska and all I got was... delicious smoked salmon from Copper River Seafoods ...it’s like “a party in my mouth.”

Is it just me…
or is the large bin at the post office that you drop priority mail packages in... the best idea they’ve had in years... that and buying postage online. Both keep you from having to stand in long lines.

RIP: Diet Pepsi Jazz Carmel Cream.
Goodbye, My Friend. I hardly knew you.
If anyone knows where I can buy this on the black market…..

Morning Madness

Gee, your hair smells….

I’ve mentioned before how chaotic my mornings are. One of the last things I do before heading out the bathroom door is grab my can of Tresemme Hair Spray and plaster down my locks. Oklahoma is after all, where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain….

If you don’t want to look wind blown all day, then you better use some spray.

So, there I was, running late for work; rushing to complete my morning routine. I grab the spray can, lofted it high above my head, squeezed the trigger, and suddenly everything smells like apples and cinnamon…..

 

Rule number one at our house has always been, don’t go barefoot. If you decide to shun this rule and step in something; see rule number one.

I have a favorite pair of house slippers. They are Isotoner Secret Sole house slippers that I purchased at JC Penneys last year to replace an identical pair that I had completely worn out. What makes them special is foam cushioning, arch contour, toe support, and most importantly a rubber sole that makes them feel more like a real pair of shoes. I can’t tell you the number of mornings that I’ve gathered up my phone, my camera, my tote bag that I carry back and forth to work, poured my coffee into my mug, changed out my regular glasses with my sunglasses, grabbed my purse and my keys, headed for the door only to realize that I am still wearing my slippers. Of course, I have to set everything down on the table in order to change out my shoes and start all over again. I just know that one of these days, I’m going to show up at work still wearing my Isotoner slippers. I’ve asked my co-workers that when that day arrives, to please quietly send me back home because I will have finally lost what’s left of my mind.

I have contemplated designing a pair of work shoes that feel like my comfy slippers. If I could achieve this, I would make a fortune. Then I could stay home all day, wearing whatever shoes I wanted to; because rule number one is...don’t go barefoot.

Annie Get Your Camera

Annie Leibovitz is an iconic photographer whose pictures have graced the cover and pages of Vogue and Vanity Fair magazines and have been exhibited at galleries and museums throughout the world. She has shot many legendary photographs throughout her career that are beautiful, insightful, intriguing, clever and sometimes controversial.

It would really be a shame if her most popular photo turns out to be of teen sensation Miley Cyrus, daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. Outrage and controversy have erupted this week over a bare backed photo she took of the Hannah Montana star. In the photo Miley is topless, with a sheet covering her chest. Miley was told the photo would be artistic. To me, she looks more like a deer caught in headlights. Miley was upset and embarrassed by the photo, as I'm sure was the Disney franchise that backs her. I would have been upset too if I had the famed Annie Leibovitz take my photo, and this is what I got in return.

Leibovitz has photographed many of the rich and famous of our day. When I think of her work, the first photo that comes to mind is the controversial one of Demi Moore wearing nothing but body paint. This was a very cleaver way to take a nude photograph. She also shot one of a very pregnant, naked Demi.

Second, I recall Bette Midler on the cover of the Rolling Stone covered in roses. Too divine.

Next, I think of Whoopi Goldberg in a bath tub filled with milk. The contrast is intriguing, plus it's also just good clean fun.

Speaking of milk, Leibovitz has even shot several Got Milk ads, including actors Amanda Bynes, Heroes' Masi Oka and Haden Panettiere. This is more the kind of shot a 15 year old should be making.

     

For topless or nude shots, leave those to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sitting atop a steed smoking a cigar or Sting naked and covered in mud. Both of these are clever and macho.

     

For pure aesthetics, admire this very popular shot of actress Nicole Kidman. I love the lighting.

 

For movie buffs, how about Jodi Foster in The Birds?

And you film noir fans should appreciate Sharon Stone, Anjelica Huston and Diane Lane in the Killers Kill Dead Men Die photo spread. As well as, Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and Tobey Maguire.

   

For a little controversy, what do you think about Chris Rock in white face? The cast of The Sopranos posed for several artsy shots, including one titled The Last Supper.

Several actors have recreated various Disney scenes, Alice in Wonderland, and the Wizard of Oz. Then there's the series of Drew Barrymore in the Beauty and the Beast photo shoot. Drew is a classic beauty.

The list of the famous goes on and on: John Lennon and Yoko Ono a mere five hours before Lennon was killed, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, country singers Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash, etc. Not to mention real life photos of everyday people and places that Leibovitz has documented with her camera lens.

Bottom line here, Annie Leibovitz has an incredible catalog of work. Will she now be best known for a snapshot of Miley Cyrus? That would be sad.

A Hair Raising Encounter

Dear CL,

You’re back after all this time. Where have you been and what kept you locked away for so long? You left without any warning, just one day you were no longer here taunting me; waving and bobbing while I tried to make you have style. I did not miss you. You were out of sight and off of my head. I didn’t even realize you had departed and that it had been so long. Manely things were back the way they should be; every hair was falling into place. I didn’t even know it was because of us being apart. I had turned the page.

It’s been a couple of years since I had to pay a professional to comb through your various parts in order to keep your unruly self under control. She had a way of managing the twists and tangles you made out of every strand. She is no longer in my life to make things gel and now you reappear front and center. How will I cut you out of my life now? What made you come back and infringe on me? Was it something I did, or didn’t do, to cause this present condition. Is your return permanent? I'm dyeing to know.

I used to resent you because you kept me from having bangs. Bangs are supposed to hang down from the hairline, not wave up and flip out, or separate in the middle.

Cowlick, are you back because of how I curl up and sleep at night. Do I need to buy one of those satin pillowcases to straighten you out for good? Is it the warmer weather? Less humidity? Believe me when I say that I am not going to take this NOT laying down.

Sincerely,

Okie Sister