My daughter and I went to Walmart the other day to do some Mother/Daughter Bonding. There’s almost no better way to bond with your daughter than to browse the Clearance rack at Walmart. Wow…it’s full of such interesting things to talk about. Most of it is absolutely hideous, but there really are some cute things if you are willing to stand there and dig deep enough.

Well, after about 45 minutes of Clearance rack diggage, we decided that we’d take the little bit of money we had and buy something for Lonnie with it instead of ourselves. Both of us love to give and we agreed that he’d earned a special treat.

We made our way over to the men’s clothing section. As a general rule, Lonnie hates to get clothes as a gift. He prefers more…uh…oh, I don’t know. He just likes more fun items like movies, computer stuff, magazines…etc. Clothing is generally not something he gets excited over. I seem to slowly be changing that fact, though. Yay!

So anyway, my daughter and I found ourselves looking through the boxer rack in the men’s section. They have so many cool choices. Well, then I saw them:

The Almighty Mario Boxers!!!!

 Are they not the most badass $5 purchase known to man?!

“Daddy” is the nickname I call Lonnie. Well, I was looking for something to do a bit earlier, and I decided to make him a graphic. Nobody but him will probably appreciate it…and I’ll actually be surprised if he appreciates it, himself.

So, without further ado, here is Lonnie’s gem of a graphic.       Keep in mind that I’ve not slept in almost 48 hours and am stressed out more than I knew possible.

Lonnie - I’m sorry we’re not getting along lately at all.  I know there’s a lot of stress you’re dealing with and you often feel as though you are dealing with it alone. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am in this boat paddling right along side of you.    :)      Maybe one day soon our pay-off for paddling so damned hard will present itself!  One can hope right?           I love you very much.

I made this just for Sarah! I hope she will like it…

(Click on the image to enlarge it if you’d like to.
 FYI: The reason I’m going nuts with all the birthday stuff for Sarah is not only because she’s my best friend. It’s also because her twin girls happen to have the same birthday as Sarah does!  Being the selfless and loving Mom she is, I can so totally picture Sarah placing herself on the back burner so that her girls get the highlight.  While that’s super sweet and everything, it has got to make for some fairly unfulfilling birthdays. I mean, I hope not, but I’d not be surprised if that’s the case. So that’s why I’m going all out on this year.  I want Sarah to have a special day for HER. A day where she is meant to feel as special as she makes everyone else feel.   So now do you get it?! I hope so.  I love you, Sarah!   

This might not mean to much to you young whipper-snappers, but legendary film star Paul Newman, whose brilliant blue eyes, good looks, and talent made him one of Hollywood’s top actors over six decades, has died at age 83 after a long battle with cancer.    (Sorry for the immense run-on sentence)

I was watching television a little while ago when they mentioned Newman’s death. I immediately broke out in a loud, “Oh no!!!”  It’s always so sad and hits me pretty hard when I hear of someone dying.  It’s not like I knew him personally or anything, but I’ve seen him on the big screen and on TV for my entire life. Not only that, but I’ve always loved his Newman’s Own line of products. They’re all so tasty and I have always felt good buying them knowing that a portion of the proceeds goes to Newman’s Own Foundation.

Paul Newman believed in sharing his good fortune. He created Newman’s Own Foundation, a private independent foundation, to carry on his commitment of donating to charity all profits and royalties he earns from the sale of Newman’s Own products. Paul Newman and the Newman’s Own Foundation have donated more than $250 million to thousands of charities worldwide.

I suppose that’s really all I have to say on the matter. I’m honestly quite upset over the death of Paul Newman. I was just telling my bud, Matthew, that I didn’t even realize how fond of Newman I was until I learned of his death. I mean, I knew I liked the guy a whole lot, but while I was looking through different sites in preparation for this post, I found myself getting all teary-eyed. It’s just so sad…death is depressing. At least we know that he is no longer suffering, though. I know that’s a pretty cliché thing to say, but it’s true.

I was surfing the Net the other day when I came across a YouTube video that really amazed me. The video was for this place called The Cat House On The Kings. The Cat House on the Kings is California’s largest no-cage, no-kill, lifetime cat sanctuary and adoption center located on 12 acres along the Kings River in Parlier, California, which is in the central San Joaquin Valley, southeast of Fresno.

“Since its founding 16 years ago, The Cat House on the Kings has saved over 16,000 cats and 4,000 dogs (not counting the 40,000 animals we have spayed and neutered!) and currently cares for more than 700 cats and kittens in a unique, cage-free environment!”

This place is absolutely amazing!  They currently have about 700 cats wandering around all 12 acres the property. Can you imagine? The founder of the place is a woman named Lynea Lattanzio.

“Over 16 years ago, Lynea Lattanzio dedicated her home, her property,
her finances and her entire life to create The Cat House on the Kings,
a no-kill, nonprofit sanctuary, rescue and adoption center for cats.
Lynea has rescued thousands of animals from shelters, abusive homes, and abandonment.”

If you’d like to see the YouTube video, click HERE.

The Cat House On The Kings might have kind of an odd name, but wow…knowing there is a place out there like that for innocent little animals completely warms my heart. I wish I lived closer so I could volunteer to help. It’d be an honor to do so. If I could afford to, I would donate some money to them. The time will come, though, when I will be able to afford it, and that’s just what I will do!