Upside Down Cats

I have a confession to make.

I've been unfaithful.

Yep, two-timing even.

Continue reading "I Am A Rich Woman" »

Another week, another menu planned in advance for the upcoming week. Here's some of the meals I'll be cooking...



Beef & Cheddar Patty Melts on French Bread & Homemade Potato-Corn Chowder

Shrimp Scampi, French Bread & Mixed Greens Salad

Chicken Parmesan Sandwiches, Waffle Fries & Marinated Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad

Chicken Kiev, Steamed White Rice & Broccoli Sauted w/ Olive Oil & Garlic

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches on Whole Wheat Bread, French Fries & Broccoli-Cauliflower Slaw

Homemade Chipotle Macaroni & Cheese & Mixed Greens Salad

Bacon, Cheddar & Egg Breakfast Sandwiches, Hash Brown Potatoes & Fresh Fruit



Besides sounding rather tasty, this post is notable for another reason...

This post marks the date of my one year anniversary of blogging - my blogiversary - if you will. It is my 242nd post here at Upside Down Cats. It's been an exciting first year of blogging. I've had a wonderful time writing and learning to think like a blogger! I hope I've been an interesting and enjoyable read for you, my readers. I've met some lovely people who are kind enough to not only read me but to comment as well. I thank all my readers for stopping by. I hope you'll continue to do so as I embark on my next year of Upside Down Cats.

Bon Apetit!

You may have noticed that I haven't posted much this week.

By way of explanation, it has been a busy and emotionally draining week for me. I have felt that I was too distracted by one issue to be able to focus on anything else. I've been blocked from writing by this monolith, and I couldn't see around it.

Last night it finally occurred to me... The only way to get past feeling overwhelmed by it IS TO WRITE ABOUT IT! It is going to take the thought process I use to write to lead me through the quagmire of my emotions and make some sense of it all.

Shall we proceed into the inner workings of my mind?

(Be careful...It's slippery when wet...)

Continue reading "My Adverse Reaction" »

I'll bet you thought you'd heard the last of NaBloPoMo from me...at least for a year! Yeah, me too... Before I let it go, however, I thought I'd share what my participation in National Blog Posting Month meant to me...

Continue reading "Five NaBloPoMo Lessons Learned" »

In honor of this, the first day of November and of NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) I am going to kick off my month-long series of posts about things for which I am thankful by writing about my beloved blog.

I have only been blogging for four months, but I can say definitively that in that short time the experience has changed my life for the better. Here's what blogging has done for me:

Continue reading "My Blog, My Friend" »

During the month of November I will be participating in National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo). It is a challenge to bloggers to post something on their site every day during the month of November.

I thought I would take this challenge a step further and blog on a theme throughout the entire month. Since November is the month in which we celebrate Thanksgiving, I plan to write about one thing I am thankful for each day. Of course, I will still blog about other subjects as well. I wanted to be sure to put this commitment in writing so I won't weasel out!

Now I've actually got to come up with 30 things I'm thankful for...Why do I subject myself to these impossible challenges?!

"You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take." - Wayne Gretzky

Who would ever think I would quote a hockey player...or even know without looking it up that Wayne Gretzky is/was a hockey player!

Anyway...I didn't have anything profound to say about this being my 100th post on Upside Down Cats, but I thought I'd mark the occasion subtly with an inspirational quote which includes "100."

Mr G. is right...if I don't try, I can't score! So here's to taking chances with the hope of racking up some points!

He's pretty wise for a hockey player...

Run a marathon...bike 150 miles...you might as well tell me to cure the common cold! To my mind, it is in the same realm of impossibility!

Yet that's just what my next Bitchin' Broad, Carole Wagner-Grauer has done! She's participated in many amazing feats of athletic prowess!

How did I discover this amazing woman?...well, I usually call her Aunt Carole ...

Aunt Carole was not particularly into fitness until 15 years ago when she won a gym membership as a prize for achieving high production at her company. Prior to that, she says she never enjoyed exercising. She began on her path to physical greatness by taking a few aerobics classes.

In time, Carole started participating in events to benefit charities. These included a two day, 150 mile bike ride to benefit Multiple Sclerosis and a three day, 60 mile walk to benefit Breast Cancer. Carole says the fact that she was raising money to help these causes provided inspiration for her throughout the course of her training and participation in the events.

Personally, I can't help but wonder what kind of person would heap these enormous challenges on herself. Most days are difficult enough for me "as is," without choosing to pile on more...There has got to be a logical reason why an intelligent, busy and highly successful businesswoman as Carole would voluntarily subject herself to such daunting challenges. I am curious to discover what makes her tick. I want to know what could possibly inspire a person not only to dream it, but to actually do it...to accomplish such inconceivable triumphs. So I asked Carole, and here is her inspiring answer...

Continue reading "Bitchin' Broads - Carole ... »

“Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought.” - E. Y. (Yip) Harburg, lyricist of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’

Recently I was reading Malvina Reynolds' daughter, Nancy Schimmel's blog, Writing Malvina and I discovered this quote. It struck me as the perfect answer to a question Scott and I often ponder and discuss, "Are song lyrics poetry? Can they stand alone and convey the same meaning as they do when accompanied by their music?"

Our consensus was (usually) that although lyrics often can stand up to analysis in much the same way as a poem, there is some indefinable difference between the two.

I think this quote colorfully illustrates why, as far as a song is concerned, in order to convey the entire experience, the words and music are inseparable.

While reading Michael Wade's blog, Execupundit, yesterday, I came across his post about the ninety year old author who has just had his first novel published. And I thought I was a late bloomer!

Talk about inspiration! I have struggled for many years with the feeling that I am leading an incomplete life. The work I do with the daycare children is fulfilling on one level, but I have always known that there should be more to my life than that. I am and have more than I can express through my role as daycare provider. I feel like an untapped well waiting to be brought forth.

Continue reading "What Do I Want To Be When I ... »