I'm all for functionality.  But how is it there are so many people out there who don't understand the purpose of a decorative towel OR the difference between a rag and a dishtowel?  I don't want to hear "don't put the towel out if you don't want it used".  We're out in the world, too, doesn't mean we want to be "used".  The protocol for decorative towels translates to the respect you have for the homeowner.  Those of us with home training know to show our host respect!  

Rag - you can use it to clean, wipe up messes...it is intended for this purpose and will never be placed neatly on the rack to be displayed for it is exactly what it's moniker implies...it's a rag.  Sometimes, it's actually a cut up old shirt, or a threadbare towel.  Don't worry...you'll instinctively know it's a rag because it will look tired and beat up.  

Decorative towel - usually embellished and ties in with the homeowners decor.  Even if you're like me and aren't fancy enough for decorative towels, we got proper home training and we know it's not intended for greasy paws or to mop up an overflowing toilet.  We just KNOW.  You don't mangle them up into a ball and throw them in the corner of the sink.  The home owner likely spent a bit more money on these embellished, pretty towels so we show our common sense and respect by treating them with the delicacy they deserve. 

Hand towels - they may be in a color that compliments the decor, but won't have embellishments.  I, personally, don't like embroidered, or embellished towels because they get wonky once you wash them.  The stitching puckers or the tassel hem shreds up, etc etc etc.  I prefer cushy, soft hand towels in a color that matches the room.   You'll know it's a hand towel because it looks fresh and vibrant with all it's thread count, unlike it's threadbare beat up cousin the "rag".  
 
Paper towels - the most versatile white trash you'll ever meet.  It can be used as a napkin, to wipe up messes, wipe your nose, in a pinch you can use as toilet paper, to sop up filth or spills and yes, you can wipe your grubby, greasy paws all over these and no one will care.  You insult no one if you use these an any fashion you see fit.  You can't say that about your garden variety white trash, can ya?  The toothless guy cookin meth in his trailer can only hope to be as versatile as a paper towel.  He'll spend his whole life falling short of the being the ultimate white trash.

When in doubt, please ask your host!  

If you know someone who's been a victim of decorative towel misuse or know someone who abuses decorative towels, show them this blog.  ;)    

I don't want to come off as a scrooge.  I do donate to a handful of causes regularly and I will donate when I come across a worthy cause at random.  But, it seems like every time I turn around someone else is asking me to support their cause with a financial contribution.  Every time I turn around, someone's trying to get in my wallet.  

Facebook friends with birthdays are in on it, too, now.  Instead of a gift, they post a link for a charity they'd like to raise $ for.  Um...wasn't getting ya squat, so you want me to click on the link and to donate zero dineros? We're FB friends, not real friends, get over yourself.  

I can't go to the grocery store any more without there being a pop up charity stand.  Help us raise $ for a field trip, help us get to Coopersville, help us keep the Girl Scouts alive & thriving, help our ball club buy new equipment.  Um...I don't have kids for a reason, what makes you think I want your kid burning through my pocket change?  I need that $ for Taco Bell.  

GoFundMe pages are sometimes for great causes, but sometimes they're not.  Look, stop sending me notifications time's running out to donate.  Um...I saw your page, read about your cause, then went back to living my life.  What I'm saying here is it was a deliberate dismissal!

Now let me see a commercial where Sarah McLaughlin is singing about neglected animals and I'm on the ASPCA page clicking the link to donate.  But I'm not just gonna donate to every cause because you asked me to.  I'm going to donate to the causes that resonate with me, that make sense to me and when I can.  So, all ya little rascals can stop barricading the entrance to Publix, cause I don't care if you get new equipment for your ball club.  But, bathroom attendant, I will leave you a dollar because I quite like a tidy ladies room.  

Before memes came about, we were all just hollow versions of ourselves, unable to effectively express our thoughts and feelings.

Evidently all the young fellas got together and had a convention. Or perhaps it's a culture shift taking shape and growing into a movement? I'm getting hit on by guys half my age over the last few months and I'm scratching my head. It's like they're all playing a special game of BINGO and their cards have a space that says "bang a broad 45+ yrs old". OK, OK, the kids don't use that kind of verbiage, but you get me. This has been the weirdest! And when did these kiddos start looking and talking so grown? I thought this guy was late 30's and even then I was feeling all kinds of squirrely about it. But, I liked our convos and his seeming sincerity. In casual convo, I learn he has no idea who Mary Tyler Moore is. Uh, 'scuse me?! A little detective work from my friend and I learn he's 26, possibly 27. Dear Lordt! DAMMIT!!! How did I let a 26 year old sweet talk me?! I've entered a parallel universe. Someone give me directions back to my world...a world where I meet a sophisticated man MY age.

I get reminders every so often in life of why it's not our place to judge.  Well, life has schooled me again on this topic.  DeeDee is married to a friend named Keith.  Keith is well dressed, well spoken, well kept and so congenial you'll be hard pressed to find a person who doesn't like him or want to be his friend. DeeDee is sloppy, curt, alienates others with her sour expressions and snarky comments. We could never understand her lack of hygiene or common courtesies.  Over the years, there were multiple head scratching moments regarding DeeDee's behavior and parenting.  Alarming moments, such as DeeDee strongly encouraging & condoning her young daughter's promiscuous behavior.  

Then, it happened.  They day we collectively suspected would come.  Keith moved out and filed for divorce.  According to him, he couldn't take it any more.  She couldn't hold down a job for more than a couple days, accrued 18 car accidents in two years shooting their semi annual insurance rate over $5k, spent almost all their savings frivolously, was not only sloppy but was unclean and she was "detached".  Seemingly not in touch with him or grasping the severity of the state of their marriage. 

Shortly after moving out, Keith learns the reason behind her odd behavior.  He learns she has been diagnosed with early on set Alzheimer's.  The Doctor says her mind is regressing and is currently equivalent to the mind of a 14 year old.  This condition will certainly get worse, the Doctor explained.  Since this news, Keith has decided not to pursue divorce and plans to take 100% care of her as well as take charge with his now completely out of control daughter (please note he acknowledges he has made bad decisions as a Dad...we can't pretend he didn't have ample time to get ahead of that train wreck.  It is never too late though!).

I was flooded with head scratching moments over the span of 13 years and wow.  This all makes so much sense now. 

I know I will have moments where I think "well, that sure was odd", or have an opinion of a situation.  However, I will stop short of judging.   I've once again been reminded it's not my job.

Bebe Rexha is the latest talent being denied by Designers because she's "too thick". Bebe Rexha has been nominated for a Grammy and she's having difficulty finding a designer to make her a dress.  She explains she wears size 6-8.  That's too big to design a dress for?  Puh-leeez.  Phfft!

They may have told Bebe Rexha she's "too thick", but you know what I actually hear?  I hear the designer admitting they lack talent.  What I hear is they are not skilled or talented enough to deviate from a size 0 pattern.  Like when you have a recipe that yields 2 servings, but you need a recipe to yield 4 servings, all you gotta do is double the measurements.  If designers can't figure out the math to double measurements, then they are either lazy or ignorant.  Maybe both.  

Kanye's expression says it all...

Whadda ya say, ladies?  Total world domination...you in?  This is our year.  To be our best selves.  To find fulfillment.  To do what makes us happy.  To surround ourselves only with people who lift us up.  To only allow in your home things that make you happy.  Beyonce said it best "Who runs the world?  Girls!".  Let's get what's ours this year. 

2019 will be the year of the QUEEN!

I got a wild idea in my mind around June.  I want to see Gwen Stefani in Vegas for NYE!  I asked everyone I knew if they'd be interested.  Being that it's a long flight, a holiday and a pretty darn expensive trip, I got no takers.  The feeling stayed strong...I couldn't shake it.  Must.  Get.  To.  Vegas!

I sat with this strong feeling for weeks.  It was like something told me "if you book it, they will come".  SCREW IT!  I pulled out the iPad, bought 2 tickets to Gwen's NYE performance and booked the Plant Hollywood hotel with a premium fountain view.  Am I crazy?  Yes.  Yes, I am.  I decide I'll buy my flight in October to see if any takers step forward in the interim.  If not, I decide I'm cool going solo.  Maybe I'll take my dog?  The website says the hotel is dog friendly.  I don't think a dog in Vegas is the best option, but we are best friends.  We certainly would have fun even though she couldn't join me for the concert.  ;)   

Approximately 3 months later, I get a taker!  Holly is joining me!  By October, her boyfriend is joining us!  Within a week or two, another couple decide to come, too!  I'm so freakin pumpt I can hardly stand it!  My first destination NYE and it all came together just as my intuition said it would.  I'm so happy I listened to my gut!

Like many of you, I have a Pinterest board titled "My Style".  I've been clicking and adding snaps of what I think are good guides to how I want to look.  I like sleek lines, not a lot of jewelry, something that flatters my silhouette.  For example, I have a long torso, so drop waist fashion is NOT for me.  It makes my torso appear impossibly long and my legs unbelievably stubby.  

Ok, to my point...I've been pinning away onto my virtual board and I realized something today.  Some of the items on "My Style" board aren't really my style.  So what gives?  Ahhhhh....I pinned figures I wish I had.  Hahahahaha!  So, let's edit those and move them to my "Mind & Body" fitness board instead.  

The palm of your hand.  The bottom of your feet.  The tops of your feet.  Your knees.  Your ankles.  Your neck.  Your elbows.  These are some of the places on our body's that the skin is pulled taut by nature.  You have natural give in the skin on other parts of your body, say the belly or the love handles.   And let's face it, time marches right across our faces, so that skin has more give than we'd like, too.  We know this.  We know it's coming and a lot of us do what we can to take care of ourselves so our body's can take care of us as we age.  Aging is a gift not all receive, so we can't forget it's a blessing.  I can loose sight of that fact when I'm complaining about looking tired when I feel alert & happy.  Then I realize it's the sagging of my eyelids starting to make me look permanently tired.  I tell myself "gurrrl, don't pick at ya'self, be happy!".  Besides, I have a lot of life left in me!  

But one of the signs I'm aging that I find to be a complete kick in the teeth is when one of the LAST spots on my body I suspect loose skin would be a problem gets caught or pinched.  That's when the sign is oh so clear my skins elasticity is breaking down.  Recently I pinched the skin on my knee so hard it left a bruise.  No clue how it happened!  I shrugged it off.  This morning, I caught the skin on the PALM OF MY HAND between the door and the garbage bin.  Not a finger, not a toe, but the SKIN on the palm of my hand.  There is now a blood clot and bruise on my palm and I had NO idea that area of skin could even get wonky or loose.  It's one of the signs ya can't outrun Father Time.