All you 'kneed' to know...about my knee replacement surgery.

Welcome to my Knee Replacement Journey.

If your reading this, its for one of 3 reasons...

1) Your my friend and didn't get enough of my play by play on Facebook haha

2) Your about to have knee replacement surgery & looking for other's stories

or

3) You've had surgery..and still like to read about others.

Before you read further..I must warn you...I am picture happy and there will be a lot of pictures,
some of them a bit graphic. So if you are weak with these kind of things....
stop here...don't read on.

You HAVE  been warned! :D

Where did my knee problems start?

I've had problems with my knees for a good 20 years now.

They gradually got worse over time, until it came to a point

where it just needed to be completely replaced.

This is an x-ray before surgery. Notice the knobs sticking up (bone spurs)

and there is no gap between the bones on the inside of the leg. I was bone on bone.

Hosting your 1st Thanksgiving?

OMG! I am hosting Thanksgiving! 

What do I do?

Well..I've hosted a few dinners in my life...

and I think I can give you a pointer or two to save you a little stress and worry this year.

Or next year...or the year after....

Time to put on your thinking caps.....

Alicia's first 'formal' dinner at home.

My daughter got a wild hair and decided she wanted to have a 

'girls formal' dinner at home.

She wanted the company of some good friends and

an excuse to dust off those dresses hanging in the closet!

I told her to go for it...and go for it she did!

Alicia and her co-host, Brittany, planned well ahead of time.

They got invitations, addressed them and mailed them off.

Target Trash Bag Babies.

What's a Target Trash Bag Baby?

Well, I'm happy to share the story.

I have a client who called one day to ask me how to care for kittens.

Her and her son had been shopping on a warm day at Target

(over off Arlington)

and her son heard a noise in the bushes.

 

They went over to investigate and found 3 little baby kittens 

(about 3 weeks old)

wrapped up in a plastic bag. 

The bag was all sweaty from the heat.

(I won't say how I feel about the person who could do a thing like that..

it may end up taking up this whole blog...and that's not where I want to go.)

A.D.D. - but we call him Donatello.

We had a neighbor who had a soft spot for dogs.

They would find strays and take them in.

As long as they were all 'ok' with each other,

they usually stayed ...

but most of the time..they managed to find homes for them.

*-*-*

I believe they were up to 5 large dogs 

when my husband came home and told me that they had yet 'another' new dog.

What? Ok...I had to go harass them haha.

Iwent over and Jeff was in the front yard

with a little white thing on a leash zipping around his legs.

My goodness, that thing was full of energy!

I asked him about the dog and he said his wife had

found it running close to the street in front of the post office.

They didn't 'want' another dog . . so if I knew anyone . .please help!

*-*-*

I knew someone who had recently said they were looking for a small dog.

They were living in their 'parents' place (not with them, just their extra home)

but they were not 'technically' supposed to have any dogs (parents rules.)

I took this puppy over and we all had a good play date.

But of course...she called her parents and they said no.

Ok...back to the house we go! 

Here is the little bugger sitting in my truck on the way home that day....

That was April 29, 2006.

Our cat Mr P & Holly the Shepherd.

Animal's have always, 

and will always be, 

a part of our family.

I've had animals as long as I can remember . .

and can not imagine my life without them!

Even when they are naughty and I get mad at them. haha

I'm sure I will share some 'past' pets too..

but right now, just the ones who currently live with us.

*-*-*

We shall start with Mr P.

Yup...Mr P..

Mr Pathetic, Mr Personality, Mr Puff ball, Mr Psycho...

He fits them all! lol

Saturday Morning Humor.

You know my motto...laughter is the best medicine.

So enjoy your cup of coffee, relaxation ...and a couple of jokes!

*-*-*

One morning, a grandmother was surprised to find that her 7-year-old grandson had made her coffee!

 (My grandson just turned 1..I have a few years to go! lol)

Wow! I am a Minister!

I am a wild~n~crazy gal!

And as I posted in my 'About Me'....

a professional 'dabbler' lol

So I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that I am a Minister.

I'm sure if your reading this blog...its because you are computer savvy...

and you know how easy it is to get lost in

  ::insert dramatic music here::

  the world of   'internet'.

That's what happened to me..

After A While - Poem

  I rise every morning somewhere between the crack-o-dawn and OMG early. At least, that's what my friends & family think lol (Is 5 am really that early?) I read my paper religiously with my 1st cup of coffee.

 (Photo of my sunrise coffee on my last cruise.) After wards...with my 2nd cup of coffee in hand...I stumble down the dark hallway towards the office.
As I read Annie's Mailbox this am....someone requested that they re-post a poem..and I guess it kind of hit home.

Natural Steam Facials.

I know you have been waiting on this....

and there may be more posts on this topic down the road.

* - * - *

The first thing we need to do, is figure out your skin type.

Your skin type will determine what and how often you can do steam facials.

[I found this skin test on line]

To determine your type, use a simple test with a clean facial tissue

(or paper) to wipe your face in the morning, when you have just woken up:

Silence = Peace ...ahhhh

I was trying to come up with ideas for my next blog.

So I threw the question out to my friends on Facebook

&  I got a lot of great ideas!

But one person said a single word...

'Silence'.

Shhhhh....

Ok..how do you 'blog' about silence??

I really had to rack my brain on this one....

But I think I figured it out.

I need help!

I need to pick a good 'display name'...its kind of like a pen name.

My Blog is called (for now anyway)...

'A girl and her computer'.

When I leave a comment on another page,

it shows my display name.

(It also shows on my profile).

I don't really want to use MY name (Melodie)..I don't know why.

Maybe cause its hard to prounounce and spell? lol

People always spell it wrong and a lot of people call me Mel,

I'm assuming because its easier for them to say.

I accept it....but I don't really like it (sorry...but Mel sounds like a guy)

I was trying Reverend Gunn for a bit..but that wasn't sitting well with me lol

ALL thoughts...ideas....words..suggestions...etc

would be very welcomed!!

Thanks!!

Who in the world pays $1600 for a hair cut?!

 Let's step back a bit 1st...and tell you how this haircut came about....

Last year, I got a call from the MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association).

They informed me that 'someone' had 'turned me in'
(ME?! Sweet little old me! Do you belive that?!)
and told me that I was going to be LOCKED UP!

 Some friend eh? lol

Why I haven't blogged!

OH NO!

She started a blog and then left us hanging!

Well...I'm still here, I promise.

I'm working on all the 'fun' <--did you catch that sarcasm? stuff!

Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Recycle

I think we all have a favorite pair of jeans that we can't stand to part with? 

Yes?

And then...the inevitable happens!

::sigh:: Yup. A tear...right where you can't fix it!

Thank goodness it was cooler weather and I was wearing a long cover shirt!!

Cause I'm sure the couple I was meeting with would have thought twice about hiring

a minister with the back end hanging out lol

Well..I hung onto them...just cause I thought I could do 'something' with them some day.

Then it dawned on me...every time I do laundry and/or throw a pair of my jeans on the bed..

without so much as a moments notice...one of the cats is there! Bam! Mine!

How to post a comment on my Blog.

OK...A lot of people can't post comments because it asks you to 'Comment As'. 

The drop down screen gives you the following options:

Google - LiveJournal - WordPress - TypePad - AIM - OpenID - Name/URL - Anonymous

My Blog (Blogger) is run by Google.

I found it a bit confusing at first (but aren't all new things??)

But in general, it was pretty easy to start.

The Best Mechanics....ever!

I decided that I needed to let everyone know that there ARE good people left in this world....

even mechanics!

I know..I know...

Mechanics and Lawyers....

The 2 people in this world you can't trust...right?

Well...let me tell you about a different breed. . .

My Favorite Green Bean Recipe

Let's talk food!

I found a really quick and easy recipe that has become one of my favorites!

I can't help but nibble on them right out of the pan ..

and I even make extra to take to work the next day for lunch.

As a bonus...its healthy!

What you need:

Fresh Green Beans:  General rule is 2-4 oz per person.

Fresh Rosemary: A good size sprig should work.

Olive Oil & Sea Salt.

Gay by choice!!

Ok...I just had to share this.....

Stepping back in time..... 

I like to keep pictures on my desk at work. They have good memories and make me smile...plus they are good for 'conversation starters' when people are at my desk. My current picture is a rather funny one of me and the last couple that I married. Here is the picture...just so you can feel like your part of the story :)

The Beginning...

Friends

                                                               What are friends? 


They are usually people you have things in common with. They can make you smile, laugh, or even cry. They KNOW if you are OK just by looking at you, or asking one simple question 'are you OK?' and they will make you talk and offer their shoulder for you to cry on.


Friends come into our lives...and sometimes they drift off in different directions. There are different 'kinds' of friends...from childhood to adult. Some even manage to have friends that start in childhood and go into adult hood. Us girls have our 'girlfriends' for our most intimate talks....and then we have our 'guy' friends. Couples have 'couples' friends. A friend will talk and share their lives with you..and lend your their ears so you can share yours with them.

One little word, or even gesture,  can send the other friend into laughter...becuase they know exactly what it means.

But what is the difference between a friend and an acquaintance?

Learning To Blog

Well..I decided to try my hand at blogging. Once I have it down..I'm sure I will have a lot of pics and stories etc to share...but right now...holy cow! I had no idea there were so many options . .and buttons . . and colors etc to choose from just to get started! I will have to play with them...ALL of them...just to get this puppy tuned in right! :D
So...here I go....