Mmmm. That right there, my friends, is one of the main reasons I love Thanksgiving. Pie. It's the pinnacle of the day for me. Once I've had my slice of heaven, the day is done and it's nap time! Actually we usually end up playing a big family game of cribbage or Mexican train, with the adults being far more into it than the children. I thought it would be only fitting on the eve of Thanksgiving to review what I'm thankful for.....here we go:
I'm thankful for:

• The obvious - the wonderful meal on Thanksgiving Day that I get to share with family.
• My sense of humor - I'm still able to find humor in almost anything
• The fact that I haven't grown up yet - and still have no intention to
• ice cream....ok, so I really like ice cream...someone has to be thankful for it, right?
• A husband who can fix almost everything I break, really quite a big job
• My love of reading and that I have passed that on to my children
• Being unable to cook - I haven't figured out why, but I know someday I will be thankful for this...
• Living in a place that has 4 seasons because this means I don't have to worry about the lawn/garden for at least a few months out of the year,
• ice cream....I'm REALLY thankful for ice cream
• Having children to test my patience almost every day...yes, I still have some
• Pets who eat everything that is dropped on the floor, food or not, giving me a break from housework
• Friends who really know me and still want to be my friend
• And ice cream...oh, did I already say that?

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!

8 Year Olds With Bling....

Yesterday in church (I never knew there was so much blog-fodder in church!) there was an 8 year old girl and her mother sitting in the pew directly in front of us. I know them, that's how I know the girl is 8 years old. I also know the woman's husband is a doctor and they appear to be "well-off" for all intense purposes. And it's really none of my business what other people spend their money on, but this little girl was dripping in TIFFANY jewelry! In case you have lived your life until now with your head in the sand, Tiffany's sells very shiny, expensive, pretty jewelry...did I mention expensive? If you have never been on their website, take a look. The 8 year old had on the ring pictured above....a mere $175. She also had on a bracelet...I didn't get a good enough look to be able to price it, and also an initial necklace, which may, or may not have been Tiffany. Regardless, I cannot imagine giving my 8 year old the responsibility of not losing a ring that cost more than our groceries for one week! Maybe it was a gift, but I would put it away until she got older...I don't think I was responsible enough to own jewelry that expensive until I was married! Personally I like Tiffany's mini Elsa Peretti starfish necklace or bracelet...just for the record. Not that I would ever pay $265 for it....I'm going to let you in on a little secret...there is a website www.ioffer.com where you can get knock-off's for tons of items at a fraction of the cost! Oh yeah....you can get authentic-looking Tiffany jewelry for say $10! They have all kinds of knock off's on that site...familiar with Links of London? They have knock-off's on there. Ed Hardy clothes? Got 'em. Almost all of them that I've looked at appear to come from somewhere in Asia...but the shipping is not expensive. The Tiffany stuff comes with the Tiffany box and everything...great if you want to really impress a relative for the holidays! The only way I think someone can tell they are not real is if they take them to a Tiffany store and weigh them...I guess the real thing weighs more or something....not that I researched it or anything :) So the lesson here is buy your kids the cheap stuff until they realize the value of the good stuff!

Sit, Stand, Kneel, Stand...No, Sit!

Anyone who reads my blog knows I belong to a church, but I'm not sure if I mentioned it's a Catholic church. Why am I bestowing this information on you now, you ask? My daughter had one of those realization moments in church this morning and it was kind of funny. First, let me give you a little background in case your not familiar with the whole Catholic church experience. Upon entering the church, make sure you grab a guidebook on the way in, also known as the "missallette" (I don't think that's spelled right and if my Mother read my blog, she would yell at me later!). The guide book will kind of take you through each part of the service so you can read along and look like you know what you're doing. I, myself, never use a guidebook. I find that I don't really listen to what is being said if I'm just looking at the words in a book...Bethany, however, faithfully follows along in her guidebook. Now, Catholics believe everyone can always use a little exercise, so they built some right into the service! About every 5-10 minutes you either sit, kneel or stand. We also have a "get-to-know-your-neighbor" part when everyone shakes hands, although I never understood why we didn't introduce ourselves during this part. Your exercise efforts are rewarded with a light snack towards the end of the service. OK, so briefly, there is our services. (I'm so glad my parents don't have Internet access yet!). Anyway, today was the first time Bethany realized that in the guidebook it tells you when to sit, stand and kneel. She thought this was cool until one part of the service when we were standing, she couldn't find where she would be able to sit down again and she began to panic...she really thought she would just have to go on standing there forever. I assured her if she waited a few minutes we would be sitting and then she'd be getting her snack. All was right with her world again.

My Loser Cup Runeth Over...

What you are looking at, my friends, is the end of yet another mostly losing year at the annual church penny sale. If you are not familiar with this yearly tradition, let me fill you in. Once a year our church holds a night of raffles in the church basement, which is the church hall. There are various tables set up around the perimeter of the hall showcasing different series of gifts. For example there is one table selling raffle tickets to win all kinds of gift certificates, one table for "turkey baskets" which is basically enough food to feed a large family a nice Thanksgiving meal and then you have the "special" series. I'm not quite sure how they came up with the term "special, but some of the gifts on these tables we could do without. Then there are regular series in between all the table series....I know it's getting confusing, but hang in there. Basically you spend the evening buying raffle tickets for whatever the next table or series is coming up. They have a guy on stage in front calling the winning ticket numbers for each prize. You spend half the time thinking "please call my number, I really want this Yankee candle set" and the other half saying "please don't call my number, I really don't want a large, fake poinsettia plant". Of course I always find the evening amusing. Tonight my brother was there with me and we find humor in many things so we could be anywhere and have fun. I had it in my head that I needed to win some lotion. I know, I know, but my hands were REALLY dry and I thought wouldn't it be great if I could just win one of those cute little gift baskets that had lotion in them. Then the woman in front of me won one and used her lotion, almost as if to taunt me. Stupid woman and her stupid lotion. Later she introduced herself as she knew my mother - they got married on the same day a couple of hours apart, in the same church. I take back one of the "stupid's". I should mention that my mother basically helps put this whole shindig together and my Dad cooks in the kitchen (yes, they sell food there too). Somehow after an hour, Bethany ended up working in the kitchen. My brother felt strongly that this was only part of her plan to get closer to the food. I almost didn't buy any raffle tickets for the children's series because you always run the risk of getting something you don't want your kids to have or something baby-ish...but for some reason there was a portable TV mixed in with the toys and I thought..hmmm...that might sell on Ebay. What do I win? A chair...one of those chairs that you can sit around the campfire in and it folds up and fits into a sleeve? They called it a sports chair....as if that would make it seem like a better fit for the children's series? Anyway, it still wasn't lotion...but suddenly there was hope! A nice big bottle of wine! Yes, I could drown out my sorrows of not winning any lotion! Nope. All in all, I spent about $35 for a folding chair, a cruet dipping set, a cup of coffee, a bottle of water and some brownies (like how I omitted how many?). It might seem like a lot, but I have been coming to this penny sale since I was Bethany's age and I would sit with my grandmother...I get to see people I don't see often and that's what makes it worth it...and of course all the humor I find in it!

Now I have to mention here that Rick, one of my biggest blog fans, was also there. Thanks for your support. Linda, you're going to hell for not being there and supporting your church :)

The Gift of Gas

I took this picture today when I filled up at lunch time. Yes, it says $1.75 per gallon! I honestly never thought we would see it this low...enjoy it now kiddies b/c I'm sure it's not going to last long...

Twilight.....

Well, I and a few friends went to see the long-anticipated movie, Twilight on opening night this evening. First I want to comment on the general experience at the theater and the valuable things I learned for future opening night movies. Granted, the book this movie is based on is categorized as a book for "young adults" so we kind of figured there would be plenty of 13-18yr old in the crowd - note to self: next time take the day off and go to the morning show. All of us being past the "lets go out and party afterwards" age decided the 730p show would be a good time for us...completely forgetting that this is prime time for 13-18 yr olds - see previous note to self. Once the lights go out, you're engrossed in the movie so it doesn't matter who is in the audience, right? Wrong. The first scene that shows Edward, the main male character, the theater burst out in spontaneous teenage swooning! Ugh...I feel old. Periodically throughout the movie swooning would break out, but the worst, was by far, when the father of Bella, the main female character, yells after her once she has left on a date with Edward, "You have protection?"...I thought the theater was going to come crashing down with all the giggling. When the main characters share their first kiss some lovely child from the front row yelled out "Do it" and the giggling returned. Then during the final, crucial action scene, the sound went out in our theater...we were in disbelief! So the experience in the theater took away from the movie for me a bit. I did really enjoy the movie, it kept closely to the story in the book, I just would have enjoyed it more without all the distractions.

When You're Doing Your Holiday Cards....

Thank you to my friend, Linda, for passing this email on to me:

"When doing your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to this address. If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful special people who have sacrificed so much would get.

A Recovering American Soldier

c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center

6900 Georgia Avenue,NW

Washington , D.C. 20307-5001

please pass it on."

I love stuff like this b/c even if you don't agree there should be wars going on, that's no reason to forget about our troops and all that they do for us.

Maybe Not The Pretzels...

Update on the pretzels....last night they were awesome....however, I didn't let them cool completely before sealing them in a big ziploc and overnight from the moisture, they got rubbery. So we are going to make another batch and try storing them different ways to see which way keeps that fresh, pretzel taste the best! I'll keep you posted....or if anyone already knows any pretzel-storing secrets, please share!

All I Want For Christmas Is A Pretzel...

Don't these look scrumptious? Well they are and I know you won't believe me (especially anyone who knows me) but I made them! Why am I a pretzel-baking fool, you ask? Christmas, that's why. Huh? Do you believe there are a couple of radio stations where I live that started playing Christmas music after HALLOWEEN!?! That has to be against some law somewhere. Anyway, once I hear the Christmas music, I start thinking about Christmas shopping (I swear this ties into the pretzels soon) and what am I going to get everyone...ugh. Things are really tight this year in the financial department, as with so many others out there, so I decided we are going to make gift baskets of home-made goodies for everyone! So I've been trying some recipes to see what works and what doesn't. The pretzels are a definite YES! I made the dough in my breakmaker - takes about 10min to add the ingredients, then you push a button and let it run for 2 hours. The hardest part was shaping the dough into pretzel shapes!
I plan on making some cookies, some chocolate and maybe some little cakes as well. We'll see how ambitious I get. I think people will appreciate the love that went into it...wait, did I really just say something so sappy? I just think the gift giving can get out of control. My boss put it into perspective the other day; he said his family runs around getting gift cards for each other because they feel they have to get each other something, but really they're just swapping gift cards. What's the point? So go bake some pretzels and get ready for the holidays....low-key style!

Cooking Mishap....Who? Me?

I know you're all well aware that my life is really just a test to see which mishaps I can avoid and which ones trip me up....so you'll enjoy this one.

For those of you who don't know, I'll give you a little background on my kitchen expertise: I don't cook. I don't have time to cook, I don't really enjoy cooking and I'm really out of place...cooking knowledge that comes naturally to most people, my husband included, is lost on me. I can cook and occasionally do, but mostly I plan what will be cooked.
So Saturday morning I took a big piece of meat out of the freezer and told Mike I would get the cabbage, etc. to have a boiled dinner on Sunday...that he would cook, of course. All day Saturday the big piece of meat was thawing. On Sunday while I brought the girls to CCD and church, Mike began cooking. When we returned home, I saw a big pot on the stove, but then saw Mike checking another big piece of meat in the oven? He saw my quizzical look and explained that while we were at church he went to the store to buy the ham for the boiled dinner since what I had pulled out of the freezer was actually a pork roast....how was I supposed to know? I haven't a clue about these things. So he was going to make pulled pork from the roast and we would have the boiled dinner as planned. We actually ate in the middle of the day, very nice, filling meal. Even the girls liked it...very hard to please everyone normally. I'm going to remind you here that I was in no way involved in the cooking on this day. About an hour later I was finishing a game of scrabble with the girls when I noticed the oven was still on and seeing that we had already eaten, I shut the oven off...yes, I was not cooking, I shut the oven off. I thought to myself how I would gloat to him later about how he forgot to turn the oven off. About an hour....or so, Mike came out to check on the roast, still in the oven. All it took was the sound of the oven door opening, and before the words "Let me ask you a stupid question" were escaping from his mouth, I was trying to reason how I could have turned the oven off on his roast. I seem to remember a bunch of sorry's, but nothing beyond that. I'm really better off staying completely out of the kitchen.

$1.89 and Counting!

You saw it right....$1.89! OK, I know the picture says $1.85 but I couldn't find a picture that said $1.89....tough crowd....Do you know what that represents? That is what we paid for gas per gallon this past weekend! Holy macaroni, I can't even remember the last time gas was under $2 a gallon. Granted this was at a cash only gas station. The funny thing is, there is another gas station right across the street and we happen to know the same guy owns both of them. They are both cash only except the one across from where I go is usually one cent more per gallon...why? Because they pump it for you! Crazy, I know! I'm trying to enjoy it while I can because you know it's only a matter of time before it goes back up......I wonder how many of those 5 gallon gas containers you can store out in your shed before it becomes dangerous?

Mini Me In The Making....Poor Thing

OK, tell me these aren't Freddie Flintstone feet? Bethany took this photo of her own feet. She takes after me in so many ways, it's scary. Do I tell her now, or let her try to live as normal a life as possible before she realizes what she's in for? Remember my train wreck the other day? Well the very next morning she was arguing with me about what to wear to school and we were half in, half out of her closet. I hadn't realized that Mike had left some of his supplies buried deep in the corner of her closet from a recent remodel of her room, but all of a sudden, out of nowhere, this long broom handle comes crashing down on her head! Of course I got blamed, which seemed unfair at the time, but then I realized it's the curse that she has inherited! Along with feet impossible to find shoes for....hence I have maybe 4 pair, maybe 6, but that's pushing it. So I really was to blame after all.

The Daily Trainwreck That Is I

For those of you who know me, or have read some of my blogs, you know my day is not complete with some amount of upheaval. I'm just one of those people that attracts accidents or mishaps. It doesn't mean I accept it gracefully, in fact, I still find it quite irritating. Let me give you an example: yesterday began like every other - my alarm goes off at 5:30am, I hit snooze but the dogs have already been queued to come wake me up. So after spending 5-10 minutes trying to catch the weather, I roll out of bed to go feed the now happy-dancing, nudging me down the hall, dogs. Only on this day, I step in something wet along the dark hallway. Without missing a beat, I quickly assess nothing has stuck to my foot so I continue to the kitchen to feed the dogs and let them out. Now I go back to see that someone did something in the hall while I was sleeping, but (and not to be gross here, but you will be if you don't have a dog) the dogs have already "taken care of it" and there is just a wet brown spot that needs cleaning. Cut to an hour later, I'm showered, dressed for work (in my only clean top, mind you) and getting ready to bring Jamie to the bus stop. I smell something by the kitchen sink and determine it's the ceramic lasagna pan I left soaking overnight. I decide I can give it a quick wash and still make the bus. When I drain the pan of all the now dirty water with bits of cheese and pasta floating in it, the sink clogs and fills with the dirty water - now the pan slips out of my hands into the sink sending dirty water, bits of cheese and pasta cascading over my head and top half. I should have gone back to bed right then and there. I changed into a clean, but with 2 coffee stains, shirt b/c when things like this happen, it's best not to dwell on them!
I'd love to hear some mishap stories from the readers! Let me know I'm not alone!

Welcome to My Ancient Life

This was one of those "Holy Crap, how is this possible!" moments. I really don't have them often b/c I could care less about age. I'm 39. There I said it. It means nothing to me because in my mind, I just graduated from college a few years ago and, at least for the foreseeable future, I can't imagine thinking any other way.

Yesterday at work I had a conversation with a young co-worker who is fairly new to our company, but I already know she has a good sense of humor. She told me how she and her fiance had dated for 5 years before they got engaged. I asked if she got engaged when she was 12 b/c she didn't seem old enough to have been in a serious relationship for that long. She said she was 21. (make a mental note of this number)

Cut to a few hours later I was looking in the bathroom mirror at one of my favorite possessions in the whole world. I don't know why they are, but these earrings are great. I really would be devastated if anything ever happened to them. I was looking at them and fondly remembering that I bought them on a trip with my parents to Weirs Beach in NH. Then I remembered that I was a Sophomore in high school (smiling less), then I figured that I was probably 15yrs old when I bought them (smile is gone), I did the calculation and determined that my earrings were almost antiques! My earrings are older than my co-worker friend! For some reason this horrified me and I stared in disbelief for a moment.

Then I went back to admiring the earrings...I mean really, look at them, the sky is like blue mother of pearl, the beach is abalone and the sun and palm trees are inlaid something-or-other...adorable!

Autumn Signals the End is Near....

Autumn, or Fall as most people say, is my favorite time of year. I love the air gets a little crispness in it, I love the changing colors in the trees, I love almost everything about it...except for the whole dark at 4pm thing. This photo is from the woods behind my house. I guess the biggest reason I love Autumn is that to me it means the Holidays are near and then we begin a new year. No matter how you look at it, everyone wins when a new years begins. If you are having a great year, chances are it will carry over into the new year; if you are having a bad year, for some reason the new year gives you a sense that you can start over or begin anew. I can smell all that newness right around the corner! OK maybe it's just the litter box, but I'm ready!

White Noise

Head....hurts....election....over...
.........must.....rest.....brain.......
(queue white noise).....ahhh, much better.....
After Bethany had a shower this morning I went into the bathroom to find that she had written "OBAMA" in the fog-covered window.....
Thoroughly enjoyed watching the election returns come in last night - it was amazing to witness such an historic election....but one thing was bothering me and it's so petty I'm almost ashamed to bring it up...almost.....
If I knew there was a possibility that my husband might be elected President in one of the most historic elections of our time...one that nations all over the world would be watching...I think I would make sure that I looked INCREDIBLE...I mean if I needed plastic surgery I'd do it - think about it, the whole world is going to have their eyes on you....WHAT THE HELL WAS MICHELLE OBAMA WEARING LAST NIGHT!!!???? What the hell was it? I actually said outloud to the dogs, "Are you kidding me? She couldn't find anything more flattering to wear than that?"....they, in turn, stared at me as if to say, "Did you say food?" because that's pretty much all they think about.

So today I realized why I like the fact that I was brought up not to discuss politics. Sometimes you might get into a harmless discussion with a friend about an election issue or even overhear people discussing issues and once their opinions have been spoken, there is no going back. The problem with this is a few times I have heard peoples opinions on certain issues and I'm totally taken aback that they think the way they do and now I think they are idiots. My whole view of them changes. Silly, I know.

If 3rd Graders Rocked the Vote

This is Bethany after getting her face painted in Disney. The face of innocence. I say this because Bethany came home yesterday and said they had a debate in school about the Presidential candidates and had a mock election. She said she wanted Obama to win. I asked her why and she stated several good reasons - things that he was going to do for the people - as to why she wanted him to win. Then I asked her why she didn't want McCain to win...she said b/c he was a bad person...she said he was a prisoner for 5 years and was in jail! Horrified, I tried explaining to her what a prisoner of war is and that he is actually a war hero, but she would cut me off and just say "No. He was a prisoner. Not voting for him." and she wouldn't listen to anything else we had to say about it. I actually emailed her teacher and asked her if she could please explain this to Bethany b/c maybe she would listen if it was coming from her teacher instead of us.
See what happens when you don't get the whole story?

All Hail President Obama!

It's official. Channel 7, Fox News and CNN are all reporting that Obama has won the election! They are showing some of the thousands of people gathered in Chicago to celebrate his win and there are many, many people joyfully crying. I, in my lifetime, have never experienced an election like this. Not only is it historic because our country has elected its first African American President....or bi-racial President as one news anchor just pointed out, but the intensity of emotion that people are feeling over this win is palpable. People are just so hopeful that this person is going to help our country recover from where it is right now. I can already feel the weight on his shoulders and its quite a bit to live up to. Regardless, my opinion is that the economy will show some signs of recovery, at least short term, with the election now over b/c we know Bush will be gone.
Sleep tight, my friends, a new dawn is on the horizon.