Tuesday:) Toni’s Time to Fill Up the Gas Tank Without Sticker Shock

“Sometimes the little surprises in life are the best.”

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

**************************

I had a pleasant surprise when I filled up my car at the Kroger gas station. I was collecting my Kroger fuel points with my grocery and prescription purchases. But, the cool part was last month, Kroger had a special double rewards points coupon good for two weeks. I just so happened to refill my extremely overpriced prescription for Xeralto and they would only do a three month refill. That was almost $300 and double the points, I got almost 600 fuel points, and add that to my grocery bills all month, I had 900 fuel points. Woo hoo!

You know what that means? 90 cents off a gallon. So, I drove that car around until the needle was gettin’ pretty close to empty so I could fill up. I actually did it at a good time. I noticed that on my way home from church today that it had gone up 20 cents a gallon since yesterday. 🤗

Gas was $3.59

I was able to figure out how to get the full 90cents a gallon off after watching a YouTube video. I guess there were many complaints online about Kroger changing the instructions on the pump, and people were only getting 10cents off. See, it pays to plan ahead… and watch YouTube.

I filled up my almost bone dry gas tank yesterday at $2.69 a gallon. I was a happy camper, especially since the price went up today.

It’s the little things that make me happy.

Montage Monday:) A Week In A Peek-a-Boo

“Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.”

― Charlotte Bronte

******************

Gosh, I never really thought about it quite that way. Happiness unshared has no taste. How can you truly be happy if you don’t share your joy with others. Are you really happy? It’s like “if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, does it make a noise?”

I think that’s why I like to share my mundane silky stories every day, It makes me happy to tell you what silly things I’ve done or what wonderful people I’ve met or who I’ve taken brownies to. I like to show you my artwork or what I’ve been cooking. The things I do make me happy, but when I talk about it and write about it, it multiplies my joy tenfold. Especially when I receive nice comments or people share their experiences with me.

Here’s a week in a Peek-a-boo… a lppicture of my grand-daughter playing Peek-a-boo is always fun to share.

Wednesday:) Words of Wisdom

“If you look in the mirror and are unhappy, you’re looking at the only person who can change that.”

~ Toni Armenta Andrukaitis

**********************

“Happiness depends upon ourselves.”

Aristotle

**********************

It was a great weekend, and a good week so far. I drove home from Stillwater, OK today, taking over four and a half hours of zipping along I35 at over 80 miles an hour in some sections with cars flashing past me in a blink. 

I stopped at the first Texas rest stop to stretch my weary legs. Almost home, the sun shining, it felt great to be just an hour from McKinney.

Tired and thirsty and my right leg falling asleep on the accelerator, it was nice to get home. I unpacked my car, collapsed, and took a short refreshing nap. Then, I  went for a long walk  with my little neighbor doggie friend, Bella, before my support group at church. Back home, back to my routine. Ah!

We always discuss how our week went at our Wednesday divorce support group. With Valentine’s Day yesterday, a few people were feeling sad. We had a discussion on being lonely, and being happy. For some reason, there’s an extreme marketing pressure for people to do something special or be with someone special on Valentine’s Day. Why is that? 

I recounted a discussion I had with my now EX about being happy while we were going through our ugly divorce. He said, “I’m not happy.  I haven’t been happy for ten years. Are you happy?” I told him that I was happy.  I told him, “I can’t make you happy. You’re the only one who can make YOU happy.” Forty-three years together, he never once said that he wasn’t happy. Funny, how when you get caught lying and cheating, that suddenly you haven’t been happy. 

Here’s the thing, I look in the  mirror EVERY morning, and I like who I see, and I like who I am. No one gave me that, and no one can take that away. I like myself. I’m happy.

I hope you look in the mirror every morning and see a beautiful, loving, and happy person. I do.

Theme Song Thursday: Shake Señora

Dancing and running shake up the chemistry of happiness.
Mason Cooley
***********
Another early morning walk, another spectacular sunrise to paint the dawn with a glowing paint brush. Very poetic, huh? The amazement of nature will do that to you.

Immediately after an hour walk, off to Zumba at the YMCA. The music, the dancing, the comaraderie, and all that shaking it all around, loosens up all tension and anxiety. I’m ready to tackle the day. I stopped at the grocery store, came home and went for another quick walk.

Always good to shake up the chemistry of happiness. GO DANCE SEÑORA!!!

Sensational Surprise Sunday

“HAPPINESS [is] ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED”
― Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild
************
Instead of my usual Sunday sermon or silliness, I have something sensational to share. Today is my eldest son’s birthday. He’s a great kid and calls me every Sunday without fail. I knew that he was going on vacation with his lovely girlfriend, Lindsay, this week, so I didn’t expect a call. But, to my surprise, he called me in the afternoon to let me know that he had proposed to Lindsay and they plan to get married. I was sitting at Sweet Spot bakery and got soooo excited and emotional, that I cried like a baby. Poor Miss Kathy came over with napkins and touched my shoulder, as she thought something terrible happened. Isn’t that great!

Now, I am a happy mom who wishes a long and happy future for her son and soon-to-be wife. (I didn’t even say, “Finally!”)

Yes, happiness is only real when shared, so I’m sharing my joy with you. Congratulations Joe and Lindsay!

Theme Song Thursday:Sons

Happy is the son whose faith in his mother remains unchallenged.
~ Louisa May Alcott
****************
Tossing and turning all night, was replaced with fumbling and rumbling with the early morning sun. What started out as another cookie cutter gloomy day was instantly revitalized with a single phone call.

Who could be calling at 7:15 in the morning? You know how your mind goes into panic mode in those three seconds it takes to answer the phone?

“Hi Mom. Were you sleeping? Thought I’d call you before I went to work.”

“Sigh… No, Mijo, I’ve been awake for a while.”

We talked for around twenty minutes, just about this and that, the weekend, the weather, just small talk with a big impact. Matt said he was busy and sorry he hadn’t called over the weekend, and he just wanted to check and see how I was doing. If he only knew how much that meant to me. My heart tingled. When I hung up the phone, I smiled, jumped out of bed, and started my perfect happy day.

Sometimes happiness is only a phone call away.

CELINE DION LYRICS

“If I Could”

If I could
I’d protect you from the sadness in your eyes
Give you courage in a world of compromise
Yes, I would

If I could
I would teach you all the things I’ve never learned
And I’d help you cross the bridges that I’ve burned
Yes, I would

If I could
I would try to shield your innocence from time
But the part of life I gave you isn’t mine
I’ve watched you grow
So I could let you go

If I could
I would help you make it through the hungry years
But I know that I can never cry your tears
But I would
If I could

If I live
In a time and place where you don’t want to be
You don’t have to walk along this road with me
My yesterday
Won’t have to be your way

If I knew
I’d have tried to change the world I brought to you to
And there isn’t very much that I can do
But I would
If I could…
Oh baby… mummy wants to protect you
And help my baby through the hungry years
It’s part of me
And if you ever… ever need
Sad shoulder to cry on
I’m just someone to talk to
I’ll be there… I’ll be there
I didn’t change your world
But I would
If I Could!

Montage Monday

A week in a peak, sometimes it’s bleak, but now I can speak.

Excellent advice.

Fribble Friday

“A man with a scant vocabulary will almost certainly be a weak thinker. The richer and more copious one’s vocabulary and the greater one’s awareness of fine distinctions and subtle nuances of meaning, the more fertile and precise is likely to be one’s thinking. Knowledge of things and knowledge of the words for them grow together. If you do not know the words, you can hardly know the thing.”
― Henry Hazlitt, Thinking as a Science
********************************************
What did Henry just say? He probably is saying, the more words you know, the better you can express yourself. I am a big fan of vocabulary. I love to learn new words, but I’ve never heard of the word “fribble.” Have you? I didn’t think so. So don’t fribble away your day, add this to your vocabulary.
*******************************
frib·ble\ˈfri-bəl\
transitive verb
: to trifle or fool away. Intransitive verb
1 : trifle
2 obsolete : dodder
Other forms: frib·bled; frib·bling \-b(ə-)liŋ\
Origin: origin unknown.
First use: 1633
Synonyms: doodle, fool around, fiddle (around), goof (around), hang about [British], kick around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle
2
fribble
noun
: a frivolous person, thing, or idea
frib·ble adjective
*******************
Today, I fribbled away most the day, but I did accomplish one thing…I bought a new car. I was quite proud of myself, researching, negotiating and haggling like the “big boys.” Buying a new car is always scary. Did I get the best deal? Did I get taken advantage of? By the time I was finished, I think I did OK. But, it really doesn’t matter one way or the other. I have a beautiful new red Honda Odyssey. Who cares? I’m happy!
*******************
Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.
Norman Vincent Peale

Tuesday Tips

Today, I was contemplating happiness. Google is my go-to source for all information, because we all know that everything on the Internet is true, right? There are thousands of tips for being happy. Who has the right answer? YOU are the only one that can make it happen. My motto is: “Any day I don’t wake up dead is a good day.” (Feel free to borrow it.) My best advice is, start out by appreciating just waking up and go from there.

Quotes to live by:

Sitting Around Sunday: Citizen Kane

Another lazy Sunday. While the remote control flipped back and forth from “Monk” to “Murder She Wrote” episodes, (Yes, another marathon with Jessica Fletcher solving murders all day) I stumbled upon a movie I hadn’t seen in years. “Citizen Kane” is an award winning 1941, American classic, starring and directed by the talented Orson Welles. I’d forgotten all the intricate flash backs and symbolism woven within the black-and-white scenes. But, I did remember “Rosebud.”

********************
CITIZEN KANE: After Kane’s death…
Female reporter: If you could’ve found out what Rosebud meant, I bet that would’ve explained everything.
Thompson: No, I don’t think so; no. Mr. Kane was a man who got everything he wanted and then lost it. Maybe Rosebud was something he couldn’t get, or something he lost. Anyway, it wouldn’t have explained anything… I don’t think any word can explain a man’s life. No, I guess Rosebud is just a… piece in a jigsaw puzzle… a missing piece.
**********************
Charles Foster Kane went from rags to riches, acquiring phenomenal wealth and power, but never finding true happiness. He ended up alone and miserable, with only the word “Rosebud” whispered in his final breath. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? If all the money and power in the world can’t bring you happiness, then what can? Maybe, looking everywhere for happiness and love is the problem, because it’s already there inside of you. You have to be able to give love to find love.

I didn’t want to give away the “Rosebud” symbolism in case you hadn’t seen the movie. If you are one of the five people on the planet who hasn’t seen it yet, put it on your bucket list of classic movies to see. It’s an oldie but a goodie.