Some people are lucky as far as winning contests and raffles and stuff like that, but I don’t happen to be one of them. I like to enter contests online and when HGTV had their dream house contest last year I entered and even put the picture on my computer so I could visualize living there. I thought so many positive thoughts I felt my head would explode. I didn’t win. Of course  we wouldn’t have been able to afford the taxes on it either.

I love looking at all the new products that come out, but I can’t afford any until they’ve been on the market for years and become common place and the prices drop drastically, like the microwave it was years before I got one of those and a DVD player, same thing. All good things come to those that wait which is fine because I don’t have to have something the minute it’s out. Just like going to the movies I know eventually I’ll be able to see it on TV. Most of our friends have huge plasmas, but we still have the bulky 32 inch.

We’ve been looking at the plasma televisions, but we probably wont get one because our other set is still good and since we are frugal we’ll wait till prices drop lower. Bill told me that a guy he works with won a 42 inch plasma plus a party for 30 friends from our local radio station for the super bowl. I asked if they gave him a mount or plasma stand with it, but he said he didn’t know. It certainly wouldn’t have bothered me to buy my own after winning all that, but I’m never that lucky.

If we do decide to get a plasma I’d rather have it mounted on the wall I think and get rid of the bulky hutch because our TV room is so small. I’m sure he will have to pay taxes on it since it was a contest, but he didn’t tell Bill that part only about all the food they provided for the party. I have never won anything, but then I don’t sit by the radio and try to be the 10th caller either. My Son won a few things by doing that when he was young like tickets to a concert and t-shirts.

Karen asked a question at her blog in one of her posts about style or comfort which was preferred and of course I responded comfort. I never go any where that has a dress code and I really appreciate that people can now wear whatever they like to church without people looking down their nose, even jeans, amazing. I never really thought God cared much about the outside I knew it was all about the inside, but people of course think differently, at least those views have changed slowly over the years.

I have never been very fashionable or stylish because I like being comfortable. At one point in time when I was young I wanted to look like everyone else, but I grew out of that quickly when I realized I wasn’t comfortable or happy looking like a carbon copy of all my friends and besides they always looked much better or so I thought, so I quit competing and decided to just be me and comfortable.

I never wear dresses anymore just my jeans or slacks and Bill and I are well suited because he isn’t a dress up kind of guy either although he looks very handsome in a tux. So long as we have comfortable shoes we are quite happy in our jeans and t-shirt riding the bikes instead of dressing up and going out dancing although he loves to dance. Maybe we should go to that Valentine’s Day dance after all, but I refuse to dress up.

I have never been able to wear high heels, I simply can’t walk in them. I have a hard enough time walking in sneakers. I have always had a hard time buying shoes and my favorite type right now are crocs because they are so comfortable, but ugly or so I think and I don’t like all of those neon colors so mine are black and not as bulky, but I have to wear socks with them and they’re not good in the rain and snow.

I had never heard of Beautifeel shoes until recently and thought how catchy the name was because they want them to feel as beautiful as they look. I have to have comfortable shoes because the older I get the harder it seems to be on my hips and back when I walk it’s not fun getting older. I can just see Bill pulling both me and Shadow in a wagon when we start taking our walks again. I really do need some new shoes so I will be investigating all suggestions.

With all the worry about layoffs and losing jobs Bill has been very lucky that the small company he works for is still going when so many large ones are going under. Some of his company’s work can be seen in the Lancaster R&A Magazine and as soon as it comes out online I will supply the link, they just featured a home that was renovated and his company did the precast stone for the exterior. This small company does excellent work so hopefully they will stay in business for awhile.

Bill’s very proud of the work they do, but he still wants to retire after he turns 62. He’s been with that company for over 40 years, but being a small company they really don’t offer a retirement package. So we will have to learn to cut some corners which shouldn’t be hard because we really don’t live beyond our means, we don’t have to have the best or the newest and we always get by, but we will have to find a few alternatives.

All the veterans I have ever known have taken advantage of the help offered through the VA and they should because they deserve all the help they can get for serving their country. I told Bill he should sign up for benefits because they would pay for all those expensive meds for his eyes. When he retires paying for insurance will be very expensive of course I’m not sure what all Medicare and Medicaid covers, but he should still sign up.

Bill’s health insurance rates went up 75 dollars a week at work and the coverage isn’t even all that great anymore. He even has to pay a larger co-pay for doctor visits and more on his meds so it makes no sense. Of course with the economy the way it is I guess everything is on the rise, gas is even going back up. They’re even going to add 10 cents more to cigarette taxes plus raise the state tax to 7 cents instead of 6 here.

I know everyone is worried and unemployment is the highest it has ever been. Everyone is cutting back on everything that was taken for granted in past years. I don’t think there should be a panic epidemic yet, but some people apparently do. I was totally shocked when I heard the news that one family because they lost their jobs killed themselves and their children. That type of desperation I really don’t understand because I do have faith in God that he will provide.

Valentine’s Day will be here before we know it and many sweethearts get engaged on that day, which is sweet and romantic. Many young men will be ready with their little box to pop the question and hopefully they know what type of ring she would like to have and be prepared. I would be hard to buy for because I’m not impressed with diamonds like most women that’s why when Bill asked me to marry him, I picked out my own.

For a lot of women their engagement rings have to be large and flashy. Even though I was married twice I never received any type of ring from either so I should have known then that they were doomed, two of the worst choices I ever made in my life. So when Bill and I got together the first thing he wanted to do was buy me a ring and since I don’t like diamonds by themselves, yes I know I’m weird I chose this as my engagement ring.

My taste in jewelry is simple so it doesn’t have to be expensive, the small ring next to it is my Harley ring Bill gave me last year. If anything ever happens to me he knows which of the Grandkids get which pieces of my jewelry, but I guess I should make some kind of DIY will anyhow so he’ll know what to do with everything else. I also need to finish filling out my declaration form so they know I don’t want to be on life support.

Enough of the doom and gloom it’s almost Valentine’s Day. I know many will be alone, but I hope it will be a happy day anyhow.