Saturday Update Time

 

 

Can you guess what I am doing?

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I recently notice while brushing my hair, the the top is almost white 😁😁, but when looking at sides and front, it still has little brown color.

 Above is the first 4 attempts to show the white that is seen on the top of my head, Straight on it doesn't show.

I decided it was time to show you what my current self looks like after the past 16 months.

I tried a half dozen times and could not get one I liked.

The first, I decided to show you the real me, no smile, wrinkles obvious. the second, I looked like I was praying for the wrinkles to leave, 3rd  hunchback, 3rd one eye squinted other wide. 

I will do a week end update for a while, and if anything needs to be told will do that also.

UPDATE: Bob will not do his PT Exercise unless I do them with him. After 3 weeks of doing the balance exercises together every morning, my posture has straightened, my back stopped hurting, the ankles bend and the veins don't hurt, plus they don't swell like they did.  

Bob is able to walk with his legs much straighter, using his walker, his toes are curling under from the CIDP, and now they are 50 percent straighter. 

Rain came, we got 6 inches in one week, the grass is growing as fast as the weeds. 

I cut the grass this morning, with my phone in one pocket and bottle of Gatorade, in the other pocket. When completed I looked like I had been swimming in my clothes.

Hair plastered to the head.  

Most of you can relate to this update: It Is Hot HOT HOT! last night at 9 pm the feels like temp was 104.. We start each day with high humid 82 degrees, feels like 90, at 4 AM.. We had a wild windy thunderstorm last night with no rain. It felled limbs to be picked up in front and back yard and the lightning strikes were right on top of us causing me to flinch with every BANG.. that's it, love you and miss you All.

Me.. July 16, 2026

THE END
Beau is doing well, just took this while typing this post, he pretty much does this most of the time.

Wordsmith Wed

 

While chatting via email with my long-time blog friend Cecilia, she mentioned my way with words. I replied in a joking manner, I am a wordsmith, a word remembered from hearing it on America's Got Talent said by Simon Cowell to a Poet.

Research found wordsmith has many definitions. 

I am not an expert with words,

 I am not someone who uses language well,

 I am not a fluent professional writer. 

I am not a writer of poems

But I AM a skilled user of words.

I can tell a story in rhymes or tell a tale and make it fun to read by using my wordsmith skill.

I have a gift for words, I can use them to make the ordinary things 

interesting or funny or both.

I have yet to find a way to Stem the Flow. Or stop them from spewing before I think. 😉

 This post is to my Inner Self! 

I was a miserable child, teen, wife, mother, employee.

Give me a compliment and my mind turned/turns it into the negative. 

A simple, I like your shirt, and I think, "you did not say I LOOK good, you just like the shirt"

Your hair looks nice, turns to "most of the time it doesn't"

My own worst critic!  Constantly comparing myself to others.

I can't sketch, or play an instrument, or paint, or do crafts. ON AND ON.

Since the day I learned to talk, I have been guilty of badmouthing myself and seeing only the things I am not skilled at. 

Compliments given when I sang in a trio at church, were lies people told me to make me feel good because I was the pastor's daughter. 

This Site 13 Struggles of People who are hard on themselves, is a list of everything I felt as I grew up and still to this day feel those thoughts.

Today I say

Hello, My Name is Sandra, and I Am a Wordsmith!

To Be Continued and continued and continued

Testing PicMonkey Mobile App

 

I am a member of PicMonkey Pro and receive updates letting me know when they add new things.

I always do the tutorial just because I LOVE to learn it.

Email came on Sunday AM and said the mobile App for Android phone now has new abilities. 

 I used a white Square

 Added a background,

 changed the color,

 cut myself out of an old photo,

added me to the mix,

place a palm tree on my shirt

and Added the Fonts.

Added a graphic YOU CAN'T STOP Awesome, which was purple, orange and blue

Changed it to black and white

ITS TRUE!

I can do all this on the computer, and now did all of this while on the throne and

in under 5 Minutes.

YOU CAN"T STOP AWESOME

Color Me 

P.S. If I get stuck waiting in the doctor's office, or hospital room, or a long line of traffic, I can create silly stuff and bombard you with it. I even have an app for blogger on the phone.

It's not as easy as on computer but if I am waiting what else could I do?

If you see me in a line waiting, Duck, you may show up on this blog.

P.S.S.. its about time they put these things on Android, Apple users have had it for over a year.

Sunday Selfies Gifhys

 

SHHHH! don't tell anyone but I learned how to make a Gif of myself using the video camera on my Chromebook. Each time they do an update, they send me an email that tells me what my book will now do. This time it was this.

It's Ok, you don't have to keep it quiet, I think by now the entire world knows I love to learn how to do the same things in other ways...

Thanks for stopping by, 

How did I do that?

 

Sometimes I amaze myself. I sat staring at this photo and thought,

How did I do that?

All I did was put the cell phone on full screen and SNAP!

this is a single snapshot.

Me, a phone, 2 windows, 1 wall mirror, 1 Magnifying Mirror for blind people who can't see their face without glasses on.

Somehow one photo got 5 photos of me with one click. 

it looks like art to me.

HOW did I do that? I have NO CLUE

I know how I did the 2nd one, PicMonkey is what I do.

Her Madness has a new name on Wordy Wed

 

MadsupershopperSnapper  Shopped for an hour and came home minus a whole of of $$$$$$

and reeling from sticker shock at prices that are leaping by dollars not pennies.

I bought a package of Talapia Fish and when I took them out of the car and into the house the fish stunk to high heaven, maybe even higher.

Bob said What is that Smell?

 I said its the &^$%# Fish, now I have to go back to Wal-Mart and return it.

I brought everything in the house, harnessed Beau and took him for his walk, came home and drove to Walmart all in a HUFF. As I walked in the door I thought OH NOOOOOOOOOO  I left the receipt on the counter. I carried the stinking rotten fish up to the Customer service desk and Linda, who has been there for 25 years said You didn't have to bring the fish, just your receipt will do next time.

I said Linda I left the receipt home on the counter. She said give me the fish and I need the receipt.

I said it was only 40 minutes ago, on my debit card.

She said put your card in the machine, I did and she said what wast the price, I said 12.80.

She said was it Tapia? I said yes, she said ok, its back on your card.

Did you know if you go in same day they can pull up what you bought and look at it?

They can also print another receipt. But they don't WANT TO.

She knew I have shopped there very Saturday for 25 years and did it for me.

I am the MadSuperShopperSnapping Return Guru

Are you wondering why all this when there is a rug above?

WELL a few more WORDS and you will know.

I wanted more fish but could not make myself buy from what was there, even though I have bought it for years and never had it be bad. I had one thing I had forgotten and one that I did not know I needed so went to the aisle to get that item and in so doing I passed the rug aisle and 

there they were... Rugs for the kitchen.  Note the photo of me in the new dress is to dress up the ugly photo. 

to be continued

Her Madness has a new name

 

Just In Case you are worried I will run out of Blog Fodder; keep in mind I am not only MadSnapper but am also known as

MADsupershopperSnapper

MADsnapper in bathroom trying to show you the 2nd House Dress that came on Sunday.

Mama went to Amazon and ordered 9 items and they all came on different days.

One day we had two delivers within an hour.

As long as she can push the button on the cell phone and click on Buy Now 

there will be a MadSnapper Post Each Day...

I received IRS return of 226.00 and Voila! 9 items for 239.00.

PLUS you will get to see what I bought.

But wait! there's more!

I put the cell on selfie and shot the photos backwards. Did you notice my hair is parted on the wrong side?

I like the house dress better than the first one. ONE more coming today.

In Search of the Perfect Selfie

 

SORRY that 3 of you saw this a few days ago when this posted on the wrong day put on said wrong day my a confused mine.

I was in need of a photo of my current self, to use in my Five Year Weight loss post yesterday

I started in the Bedroom Mirror.

Silly!

Still Silly!

How did I come out RED?

Edit in phone and now I was PINK!

I realized I was in my dog walking Christmas Pants and changed pants.

I moved to the kitchen.

Sat the phone in the chair!

Moved to the back yard Sat on another chair

Pregnant?

Giant?

What's with the ARM?

The phots look washed out.

I sat a bucket in the chair and made the phone higher.

Positioned the back of the chair with the sun coming over its shoulder, 😁

The color was perfect.

(let me insert here, I could not see the screen of the phone, the sun was blinding me, I had to take a couple run in the kitchen, look at the phone and run back out. Exercise!}

Still with the ARMS! Still look pregnant.

I rushed inside and grabbed the pillow that holds my kindle when I read

walked through the kitchen and grabbed a big fat pillow

stacked them and sat the phone on the pillows.

Bingo!

The Two I used in the post!  

Photography 101, The Camera Needs to be at eye level

Never Give Up! Gotta be a good one in that cell phone somewhere.

OOPS! does that sound like I am bragging on myself?

A new set of thoughts to ponder.

I look like Johnny Johnna CASH! Just hand me a guitar!

Will they think I am crazy with so many photos of myself?

Will they think I am in love with myself?

Will they think I HAVE NO LIFE so must play with my cell phone to have something to post about?

P.S. I do this all the time, take a zillion photos before I get one to post.

Does this mean I am a lousy photographer?

Will they understand I am saying Thank you for being my friends in sign language?

Five Years Today and Counting

 

On January 26, 2017, I woke up sick after overeating for days. I decided I needed to kick my Sugar Addiction and Go Cold Turkey.  I gave up Sugar and I said to myself, 

Hello, My Name is Sandra, and I am a Sugar Addict!

Today is Five Years of No Sugar. No cookies, No candy, No pies, no Cake. 

Above shows from the beginning to November 2019, each photo down 10 lbs

I have reached my goal set by my doctor and am now down 70 pounds. 

Photo taken January 19, 2022

If you think it was easy getting these 2 photos, Hang ON. The MadSnapper will not disappoint you! The Rest of the story coming soon. 

 I am NOT sending you a message using sign language; I am waving at my cell phone to make it take my photo.   No, My Brain did not lose weight. 

OR did it?

My story is under TOPS label HERE because I joined TOPS Take off Pounds Sensibly 2 weeks after I went off Sugar. I have not attended since March 15 of 2020.

The Ghost of Christmas Past FFF

 

In Sept of 2005, my dad had to move into a nursing home, suffering from advanced Parkinson's Disease and Dementia. He passed away July of 2006. During the year he was there, I spent many hours with him and all the staff and residents around him.

I fell in love with the home and the people. I retired Sept 26 of 2006 and went straight to the home and volunteered myself for 3 mornings a week, 9 to 12.

Christmas of 2006, above, I became Sandra Clause for the home until 2015.

My job was talking  to and loving the residents and also the official photographer for all events.

this included parties and dances and off-site visits to zoos and museums and parks.

I would take photos of the residents, make them into movies on CD's and then on a large screen TV we would all watch them over and over.

In 2007, new to the job of making CD movies, the Administrator said the families wanted copies of all the movies I made. I had no clue how to copy the movies.

Admin said go to room 401, Rich lives there and he will tell you how and might even copy them for you.

That visit to his room changed my life forever.

When I stepped in his room, there he sat, just like this. a twisted body, no movement except in his left arm and his head and of course his MOUTH which matched mine. 

We became Best Friends in that one visit. He not only copied all the movies for me but taught me how to do it and became my Photoshop Professor.  We spent hours and hours together.

It was a total shock to me that he could use a roller ball with only one hand and whip through his computer faster than the speed of light.

He brought laughter and joy to my life and to everyone who lived and worked in the home.

Nothing made him sad. this man who was picked up like a baby each morning and placed in his chair and lifted into bed at night. The aids that took care of him did it for LOVE not money.

Together Rich and I became Team Joy to the residents.

Every trip we took, every party we had, he and I were there together making people laugh.

That year, he invited me to meet him at the SPCA CANINE Festival, and we never missed going until the day he died. 

He left this earth Nov 8th, 2015, and remains in my heart still.

If you have a moment, scroll quickly through this link of my Life with Rich.

Rich could not hold a fork or spoon. He could feed himself at a special table, the height of his mouth. 

We laughed ourselves silly the first time I tried to put the harness on his hand that allowed a fork or spoon to be used to stab or rake food off the plate into his mouth.

I had in on backwards, not once but twice.

When we went out to eat, I fed him like a baby. Nothing bothered him, he laughed and talked and ate and made all the others at the table happy.

He had suffered from his disease his whole life, yet never complained, or whined, he was the most positive person I have ever known.

Christmas is the time of year I miss him most, because he loved Sandra Clause and she loved him.

Rich Rodgers LIFE in a wheelchair. As you scroll, be sure to click Older Post because the oldest are the best... you can see his life in photos, no need to read.

On this the day before the new Year of 2022, I wish all of you

a Year of the same Joy that Rich spread his entire life.

Happy New year from Sandra Clause and Rich of Christmas Past

Joining Yam on Final Friday Fiction, using a True Story

Do Unto Others

 

"He who does nothing for others does nothing for himself." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

Are you wondering what the Cammo mask has to do with this quote?

Last week I approached the Deli in Publix, and a TALL man with a HUGE smile in his chocolate colored face, said How can I help you and followed in the same sentence with I LOVE YOUR MASK!

I want one, where did you get it,. 

The one I had on was the black one that looks like a cowboy scarf!

He was the most helpful person I have ever encounter in the deli. Most of the time they are grumpy.

I said If you don't mind camouflage, I have one in the car you can have, it has never been worn.

I did forget I tried it on for the above photo, but that was the only time I ever put it on and just could not make myself wear it in public.

After he handed me my purchase I said I will bring it back when I am done shopping.

20 minutes later, I returned and stood watching him put food in a plate for a young man.

I said nothing, but waited, he glanced up and froze! I help up the cammo maske, he reached and grabbed it and as he continued dipping he was laughing and smiling and saying thank you, thank you, thank you.

It really was nothing much, but his happiness over the mask gave me so much joy, he has inspired me to look around me and see what else I can do for others.

And as I type this I still feel his joy. and Mine!

I keep wondering what his family and friends will think when he wears it.

Observations from the Lobby

 

POST created on Aug 9th, this one is OLD news found in drafts this is PRE- knee surgery

Part 2 of entertaining myself while waiting on My Man to get his stress test.

I decided to put cell on selfie and see what I saw, first it was these lights and then I peered over to see what was behind me.

After taking all these photos, I stood up to pace and sitting on the front desk was a big sign.

No Videos or Recordings Allowed

OOPS! then  I thought, I did not do video or recording, only photos which were not mentioned.

I watched and of course listened to all who chose to visit their doctor while I was suffering in the hard chairs.

A lady OLDER than ME, went to the desk and said, I want to pick up my letter that says I am allowed to go back to work!

What? she looks to old to be working. Of course they did not have it, and she said, so and so said she would leave it and the desk person who was about as friendly as a rattler, said it is not here. I sat and thought wow that is SHOCKING, no letter to be found.

She had to sit and Wait which gave me a few more minutes of entertainment.

She left and two women came from the back rooms. 

One was every day of 90 or more years and was just adorable.

She had on black flowered leggins, dressy sandals and a Black Lace Top!

If you follow me, you know I have wondered if I am to old to wear leggins.

She answered my ponderings. No I am not. She was precious! 

And comfy

Fascinating Sunny Glass Tiles. the colors are from plants and flowers outside.

I am easily entertained. I planned where I could put a glass wall in my living room.

Five Years Ago TODAY

 

  June of 2016, I met blog friend Debbie of Just Breathe,  at Cracker Barrel for lunch. The photo above showed up in her FB page this week as a Memory from 5 years ago and she emailed it to me. I decided to post it as is because I have shared with all of you my lifetime struggle with my weight.  

When I shared our visit in a June Post of that year Here, I made sure MOST of me was covered. You will get a kick out of the creative ways I HID my weight. HA HA on me.

7 months after this photo was taken, on January 26, 2017, I gave up Sugar completely which is my addiction. Eat one donut, finish the dozen that day.  

In the month of December that year, Bob and I BOTH gained almost 10 pounds that showed up in January. I was miserable, I felt sick when I woke up and sick when I went to bed. The two weeks from Thanksgiving until Christmas, we ate, just the two of us. 

1 fruit cake

4 sweet potato pies

1 Banana bread

2 packs of donuts

and ate out at Golden Corral, 4 times. 2 for breakfast and 2 for lunch. 

We both hit the desert bar and wiped them out. 

There is more but will spare you and myself 

I lost 50 pounds in 2017 

and 15 more in 2018 and held there until the pandemic closed us down.

Today I am down for the first 15 days of June, I am back down to within 3 more lbs from the day our world shut down.

This time I will make it to my goal weight given by my doctor. That will take a few months, since weight loss should be done slowly by lifestyle changes, not starving.

I needed this photo to nudge me to keep on the right path.

For now the rapid loss is due to drastic calorie cut and NO bread.

When I lose 3 more pounds I will add white flour, but only once or twice a week and it will be eaten outside of the home.

the best way to NOT eat it, is to not have it in the house.

We have 12 grain and Rye for Bob and I can eat 1 slice of that without wanting it because I hate it

My journey 10  lbs each photo

Now you know why I freaked out at my Pandemic Weight Gain

IF I MISSED COMMENTING ON A POST YESTERDAY, I ACCIDENTLY DELETED MY FEEDLY LIST AND MARKED ALL AS READ. I think I found all of you

Where She Was/What She Did

 

In the mall, in 1985 I paid $5.00 to have this photo taken with the baby Lion, held him all of 60 seconds.

We both had a PLAN for Saturday.

 Bob's PLAN started at 4:30, which was fill the pool, brush/vac/curse the pool to remove black sand from drought that filled the pool with black sand. 

He said we can't wait any longer for rain to put water in the pool, I will have to use the hose and pay for the water.

Yes it was dark, he used the back yard floodlights and who knows how many neighbors heard 

the cursing of said pool.

Remember this... No rain for many months. Nada! Not One Drop!

MY PLAN for Saturday also started at 4:30 AM

 Attack The Cabinet under the Nook where the Photos from a lifetime are stored along with various other things that fall out when I open the door.

4:30 AM placed chair in front of cabinet and remove 30 plus albums

4:35 AM Open first Album and page through photos.

5 AM stop paging take Beau Out to do his business

5:15 AM paging

5:30 eat breakfast

6 AM while paging tell Beau we will walk at 6:15 the same as we do every day

6:18 

The Rain Began! First a nice drizzle, Yay! and Bob kept working

I kept paging through photos

6:25 Beau goes to door, let him out, he walks out in rain and back inside, he hates rain.

The Top Shelf is still spilling and bulging.

The Rain Never Stopped, Bob kept cursing and working, I kept paging

Took Beau out 4 times to prove it was still raining.

At 10 it slowed to a light drizzle, I took Beau out in the drizzle and we hit the road, it wasn't bad, we walked half way and IT STARTED TO REALLY RAIN.

Came home dried off Beau and myself, hung my wet clothes in shower 

and 

BOOM! Flash! Boom!

BOB ITS THUNDERING I YELL, he can't hear thunder.

He yells I KNOW! I am going to finish this, I am almost done

I can't decide whether to pray the lightning hits him or doesn't! MEN!

 I kept paging. and paging and looked at the last photo at 11:30 and had done nothing but look at photos.

Bob came in and dried off, I put all the albums back in the cabinet and closed the doors.

the cabinet looked the same as when I started.

Day One of The PLAN. Bob did his, I did not,

But I did find photos I had forgotten we have and you may or may not be flooded with Throwback Photos a LOT!

P.S. I ordered Pizza Delivered, Paging through albums is hard work

What she did, to be continued

Valentine Day 1985, 6 days after we got married. Bob, Me and Skip, my 1st cousin. Skip was the joker in our family. He passed away mid 2020 and I missed his funeral due to the pandemic. He was 58

Bob and I at my son Dan's 18th Birthday party. 1985