This was my street at 1:15pm today - you can't even see where the street is! The only way you can tell there is a street there is because there are mailboxes on either side.

OK, so did you see the pretty picture I posted yesterday? Beautiful fireworks over Boston for First Night? Yeah, that's not going to happen this year. See the photo above? This was my drive home from work today. This is a 2 lane major state highway....ya know, usually doing 70 mph? This was at 12:30pm today...one lane was barely there and the other lane was invisible. The door locks on my car lock automatically when you reach a certain speed, I think it's 20 mph. My doors didn't lock until I was halfway home! I was so happy to be home, I know it's New England and I grew up here so I'm used to it, but I really hate driving in it. There are so many idiots out there who don't know how to drive in snow and ice and end up causing accidents. Like the guy in the truck who decided to change lanes and cut the car in front of me off...obviously forgot the braking rules when driving..YOU HAVE NO BRAKES, IDIOT! I think it stopped snowing about an hour ago and there's only 10 inches or so, but needless to say the usual family get together for New Year's is called off and we are staying if for family night....it could get ugly. I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year's eve!

First Night...Wherever You Are...

I love watching the First Night celebrations on TV. This photo is from First Night in Boston, I think last year. All the lit up trees around Quincy Market, then the Marriott Longwharf and the fireworks over the harbor. I'm not a fan of being there in person, I don't think I've ever gone in person. I usually watch the "Rockin' New Years Eve" from Times Square...but my favorite part is when they show when it reached midnight at different places around the world. I especially look for Sydney, Australia, since I used to live there, but I love seeing other places around the world as well. We usually spend it at a small family gathering, although this year with a snowstorm getting ready to hit only hours before festivities usually begin, I have a feeling we will have a quiet, yet festive, time at home. Whatever your plans may be, I wish you all the best for the coming year and to be safe. We all know New Year's Eve is Idiot Driver Holiday - they come out in droves so beware!

I Am The Exception....

I was going to give up on the neti pot, I mean really, I've used it about 8 times now and 3 of those times were right in a row. I was determined to make something come out of my sinuses...I wanted to feel that it helped me at least a little bit. Nothing. Don't tell me my sinuses are clear and that's why nothing comes out...5 minutes after using the damn thing I would get gobs going down the back of my throat....ugh, eww. Every person that I talked to, including the woman behind me in the buffet line at the Christmas party, said they swear by it. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it didn't work for me, that really is the story of my life. I'm sure if I checked somewhere on the neti pot box, in small print, it says that there is a .5% chance this will not work for you. That's where I come in. I've always been the exception. You know when you get a prescription filled at the pharmacy and you get that 10 page pamphlet on all the possible side effects of the drug...most are pretty standard. Then you have the section that says, "in rare cases you may grow an extra knuckle and lose hearing in your left ear". I can almost guarantee you I would be sitting there reading the info after having already been taking the drug for a day or so, and Me: "what is that lump growing on my hand?" My Husband: "What was that, hon?" Me: "Go have some fun? Is that what you said? I can't hear you!". Never fails. Unfortunately, I have passed this on to my children. My oldest daughter received the chicken pox vaccine the first year it was available, and she got the chicken pox. Another time she kept saying she didn't feel good, but had no temp, no sore throat, no nothing...after two days I took her to the doctors to "call her bluff" and she had strep....so now I just cut right to the "exceptions" for everything and count on that being the case....if the neti pot ever does work for me, I'll be sure to let you know!

TAG! You're It!

I keep meaning to write about this because I have found it to be quite ridiculous and very frustrating at the same time. When I was growing up....OK, that doesn't work because I still don't feel grown up.....when I was younger, maybe up until 5-10 years ago, and I'm sure there are people out there who know exactly when this began happening, when you purchased a shirt, sweater, sweatshirt, there was a tag at the back of the neckline. This tag was quite informative as it gave you the size, manufacturer, material the clothing was made out, as well as instructions on how it should be washed and dried! Very efficient. Then for some reason, and I'm sure somewhere out there is a person who can justify this, companies began using 2 different tags. The one at the neck now only stated the size and company. To find the washing and drying instructions we now had to hunt for another tag, usually on the side near the bottom of the shirt. Why? I can't tell you how many times I grab that neck tag to look for washing and drying instructions only to find that it's not there. I generally don't buy clothing that can't be put in the washer and dryer so I'm always checking the tags before I buy and inevitably I am turning clothes inside out at the store to find this "hidden" tag. Infuriating. If anyone knows the reason companies think it's a good idea to spend more money on making two tags, that have to be sewn into two different places, please let me know.

Happy Hanukkah....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrd9p47MPHg&feature

Not to have my Jewish friends feeling left out, I want to wish them Happy Hanukkah, even though it's almost over. This link is to one of my favorite holiday songs...Happy Hanukkah by Adam Sandler.
Enjoy!

We Wish You Peace....

We are looking forward to enjoying family time over the next few days and we wish the same for all of you during the holiday season. I truly wish for peace in your lives for the coming year and beyond. I intend to work on bringing more of it into my house and my life. Less clutter, more peace......and I hope Santa brings my light wheel bike for Christmas!

Serial Breastfeeder Missing In Action...

Just to let you know, there was no sign of the serial breast feeder at the Christmas Mass this afternoon. I was utterly disappointed. She went to midnight mass last year....I'm almost considering going to mass again, just to see if she's there...almost.

Snubber or Snubee?

I had to write about this since I was just discussing this with friends recently. Grab a snack while I give you a little background. A few months ago I was attending the funeral of my friend's Mom. During the funeral mass, it came to the "give peace" part of the mass. For those not familiar with this custom, basically everyone turns to the people next to them, in front of and behind them, shakes each ones hand and says "Peace be with you". Well there was no one in front of me and no one behind me, however, there was someone 2 rows behind me...so I was already turned around, reaching across the rows, and the old woman pretended she didn't see me; me, the one holding her hand out about 6 inches from her face...so in a brief instant I realized I had been snubbed and it was kind of embarrassing. I thought maybe no one noticed, but the friends I was sitting with were all snickering saying, "That was awkward". So the other night we were discussing it and apparently some churches put a stop to this practice during the winter since there are so many people with colds, etc. I can see their point. But I felt it definitely had to be a unanimous thing...I was still feeling the pain of being snubbed. That is until tonight. We just went to Christmas Eve mass and sat in front a row of 5 adults, all of whom spent the entire mass coughing or sniffing. I realized I had to snub them, as much as I knew I would feel bad about it. When the time came, I just spent extra long with each of my children and all the people in front of us...so it was never awkward, but I still felt bad. Call me snubber.

Roll With Me....

Another addition to the "my favorite music" folder. Montgomery Gentry is one of my favorite bands and this new song gives me such a great feeling when I hear it. Mercifully it has not been overplayed on the radio yet - for those of us who still listen to regular, old fashioned radio and not the new-fangled satellite stuff! Take a listen and let me know what you think:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVvgMEs9qeM

Chocolate Glaze Haze...

This picture will look familiar to you if you use melting chocolate in your baking at all. These are small chocolate wafers, maybe an inch in diameter, that are melted down and used to make candy or to drizzle over finished creations. As you know I was playing Martha Stewart this weekend and did a lot of baking....really, you need to stop laughing when I say that. Anyway, I had what was probably a 5 pound bag of these chocolate wafers and maybe half of the bag was left at the end of my baking frenzy. I mistakenly left the bag, in a plastic grocery bag, sitting on one of my kitchen chairs. In the morning, the bag was still there, untouched, and I had completely forgotten about it. As is my usual routine, I fed the dogs, let them out, let them back in and went to begin getting ready for work. Now, you know how sometimes you hear something that is out of place, but it doesn't occur to you that the sound is out of place right away...it's just kind of background noise? Well, I kept hearing a crinkling sound on and off but it didn't occur to me that everyone else was still asleep and this noise was out of place until it was too late. I suddenly panicked and realized the dogs must be into something and raced to the kitchen, just as Sheba is lifting her head out of a now nearly empty plastic grocery bag on the kitchen floor. Oh yeah, I would say at least 2 pounds of chocolate...gone! I didn't know for sure if both had indulged or just Sheba and anyone who has dogs knows chocolate is a big no-no...it's supposed to be like poison for dogs. I ran to the computer to do a quick Google search and quickly found out that the toxic level for dogs is (all you dog owners, write this down!) about one ounce per pound of dog weight. Well each of my dogs weighs about 50 pounds so I breathed a sigh of relief because I was pretty sure they didn't eat 50 ounces of chocolate, although I'm not good with weights and measures so I couldn't be positive.....so I kept reading. It said to watch for the signs of toxicity which included, of course, vomiting and diarrhea. Just the thing to perk up my morning - cleaning up after stupid dogs! Not even a half hour later there was, not to be gross, a heaping pile of chocolate wafers that had been "deposited" on my kitchen floor. So the decision was made to quarantine the dogs to the kitchen until we knew for sure they were both feeling better. One of them, or both have been getting sick throughout the day and we thought they were done with it earlier this evening. We went out for a nice visit with friends, came home late, and had nice surprises waiting for me all over the kitchen. Just when you think it's safe to call it a night....

Winter Wonderland...

I'm sharing a few photos from my yard. I hope you know I was just joking in my last post when I suggested we should all just sit on our asses and watch TV...I'm such a kidder! Shoveling is great exercise and there really is something about the air when it's snowing. It's so clean and crisp. I love going outside when it's snowing...at least until I can't feel my hands or feet. The first photo is from the front of my house and the second photo is the view from my kitchen. It was quite a first snow storm for the season and I do always love that first snow...but I have to say it really put a damper on finishing our Christmas shopping. No, I'm not finished and now it means I really have to cram it in since we have other things planned between now and Christmas. I hate Christmas cramming but it always seems to happen. OK, now I'm stressed...how did I get from peaceful snow scene to stressed out Christmas shopper? Ugh, I'm going to go eat some snow....

Target Practice....I Mean Safe Driving!

I'm revisiting the runner issue. We had over 12 inches of snow over the weekend, as well as ice. The roads are a mess and if you had to go anywhere you crossed your fingers and drive very slowly and carefully. Not to mention the roads are all more narrow due to the snow and ice plowed to the sides. Then I came across a woman out for her run. Yes, I'm sure she is in great shape; yes, I admire her drive and commitment to go running no matter what the weather is like. The problem is when you're in a car you have to drive around a runner to avoid them and doing this in icy conditions is not always so easy - you run the risk of sliding and could end up sliding right into them. Also if there is a car coming the other way and you have to stop in order to avoid driving into the runner, it's not always easy to stop and not slide. I don't understand why these people don't see how dangerous it is to go running under these conditions!!?? Get a treadmill for God's sake! Or better yet, be like the rest of us and sit your flabby self down on the couch for some TV time!

Don't Make Me Laugh at Church!

Why is it that I find so much blog fodder at church? Is that bad? Well today we had the pleasure of having to get up extra early on a Sunday to go to the 8:15am mass because Bethany was in the Christmas pageant that was held immediately following the service. The 8:15am mass also happens to be the mass that my parents attend, as well as many of their friends. Actually, I don't think there is a mass that I could attend that there wouldn't be people who know my parents, or even better, knew my grandparents - my Memere and Pepere. My Memere especially was well known in the community, not just the church community. There are still some of her friends or people who knew her that will say Hi to me. Even more so are all the people who know my parents and are friends with my parents. It's a lot of pressure for me to try to act like a responsible adult every time I'm in church. Thankfully my Mom and Dad have a great sense of humor and they aren't the type to "shush" people in church. Today My Dad and I were lucky enough to have aisle-view seating to the serial breast feeder. Towards the end of the sermon she whipped it out to try to feed the child; the child, however, was not interested so the show ended quite abruptly, almost at the same time the rather short sermon ended. My Dad leaned over to me and said "That was quick"....to which I asked, "What? The sermon or the feeding?"....he laughed...but I was serious!

I Hear You Barking, But You Can't Come In...

Here are Sasha and Sheba, the dynamic snow-Boxer duo! They were freezing their tootsies off and wanted in. They are so pathetic, they don't like to stay outside at all if we are not out there with them. I think I made them wait a whole minute on the deck before I let them in....and that was because initially Sheba wouldn't come when I called them to come in so I went out only to see Sheba snacking on poop. Even when I used my angry voice, she just looked up and paused for a moment, then continued on with snacking, ignoring me completely. Nice.

Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful....

But Inside It's So Delightful!
We are in the midst of our first big snowstorm of the season in Southern New England - by the time it winds down tomorrow, they are predicting we, in my area, will have accumulated somewhere around 12 inches of snow. Normally it's great when it hits for the weekend because I love staying inside and feeling cozy when it's blanketed with snow outside. However, this time is different since it's the weekend before Christmas and guess who still has shopping to do! Go ahead, tell me your one of those sickening people that does shopping all through the year and you finished up in October and completed all the wrapping in November.....I dare you! I am actually hoping to stay in most of the weekend b/c as you can see from my photo, I have been baking and have lots more to do....stop laughing, I'm really doing a lot of baking! In fact, that's what most of our relatives are getting for Christmas. What you see in the photo are the "Neiman Marcus" cookies. Now I thought everyone had, at some time or another, received the email about the Neiman Marcus cookie story. When I took these cookies to work for our recent food day, I found out many people were not aware of the story behind the cookies. If you go on www.cooks.com and type in Neiman Marcus cookies, up comes the story and recipe - basically it says a woman ate lunch at a cafe in Neiman Marcus and had their chocolate chip cookies for dessert. She thought it was the best chocolate chip cookie she had ever had and asked for the recipe. She was told it was "two fifty" and told them to add it to her bill. When she got her credit card statement, there was a $250.00 charge, not $2.50 and it wasn't a mistake. She felt cheated by Neiman Marcus and to get them back she said she would send their recipe to everyone and anyone so no one ever paid for it again. I don't know what possessed Mike and I to actually try making the recipe years ago, but we did, and they are, by far, the best chocolate chip cookie I've ever had...they are also a bitch to make! Very tedious, and you have to follow it exactly - no shortcuts...but sooooo worth it! The batch I made the other night made 144 cookies. Now, all that being said, I checked the story on Snopes.com and it's not true (www.snopes.com is a website that looks into the validity of all the stories out there. It's particularly good when you get an email about someone's daughter that has gone missing and it's pulling on your heartstrings to pass it along to everyone you know b/c if you're a parent you would want them to do the same....then you check it out on snopes.com and find out the story is false.) so basically someone came up with this ingenious way to market their fabulous cookies recipe...with one small flaw...they're not making any money off us!

Color Me Emo....

Were you aware there are now different classifications for teen angst? Well hold onto your seats people, you're in for quite an education! This past weekend we were having a few drinks with friends at their house before heading out to Mike's company Christmas party. Our friends have a 15 year old daughter, who is really a nice, grounded kid. And who will after that night forever be on my speed dial. Somehow we were discussing how one of our 11 yr old daughter's friends came to hang out with her one time wearing a black, leather dog collar with silver spikes on it, around her neck! And her mother just laughed it off..."kids, ya know!". I was horrified. When we told our friends about this, she said, "Oh, she's a "scene" kid"...."Scene kid?"...she says, "ya know, Emo kids, Goth kids, Scene kids"....my stomach started to turn, what world was I sitting in? I wasn't understanding anything....English, PLEASE?! She asked her daughter to come out and explain it to Mike and I. I was really stressed out now b/c there is this whole other world which is apparently operating side by side with ours, but in a completely different realm, and I didn't even want to think about the possibility that our daughter might already be aware of these things....not that I even knew what these things were yet, but I knew I didn't want her to know about them...ever. So their daughter explained that there are Goth kids - I am aware there are kids that dress all in black and listed to Goth music. She said Goth kids hate everyone, Emo kids hate themselves and Scene kids....I don't think I got a clear understanding what Scene kids are b/c I am drawing a blank. Emo (short for emotional) kids are kids that cut themselves, dye their hair black, wear very heavy black eye liner and they cut their hair so it is long, diagonally over one eye. I was listening to all she was saying, just taking it all in.
The next day I couldn't stop thinking about it. I tried to sound like I knew what I was talking about and asked my daughter, "Are there any Emo kids in your class?" and without missing a beat my 6th grader told me there was one girl, the one she had previously told me smoked. Inside I was screaming, "our baby already knows about this ugly world?" OK, so I googled some stuff and I'm not saying I have done research, but I've checked out some stuff on Scene and Emo kids. There is conflicting information on Emo and Scene. Some say they are one in the same, others say Emo is actually a kind of music and Scene is the style of the kids who follow Emo music. Others say Emo is definitely a lifestyle and most of them concur that these kids hate themselves and their life. OK, back up the bus a minute. Does this sound familiar? I know when I was a teenager I went through a period when I hated myself and my life and dragged my sorry ass around all mopey and shit. Until my friends kicked me in the ass for my own good. So basically what's happening is we have teenagers going through normal teen angst times in their lives and instead of saying "oh wow, they're really screwed up", now we have classified them into different categories. Granted I never heard of anyone cutting themselves when I was growing up - I think that's something someone thought of to see if they could out do all the outcasts who'd gone before them - but this is taking typical teen down in the dumps to a whole new level. They have created a lifestyle out of it! I actually watched a You Tube video showing how to get Emo hair - it had a girl who had long hair in the front, especially over one side, and really short hair in the back and she shows you how she sprays her hair so it sticks straight up and out all over.....go ahead, Google "Emo kids" and have fun!

My Car Does Not Like Sharing....

What do you see when you look at this picture? If you see a woman who is committed to maintaining her healthy lifestyle, including running, even when there is snow on the ground, you haven't driven with me. Now, anyone out there who goes running faithfully, just stop reading now because you probably won't like what I have to say. This picture represents an accident waiting to happen. I'm sorry, but when there are snowpiles on the sides of the road, it is just too dangerous to be out running. My car does not like to share the road with runners...or walkers. Cyclists are OK because they usually follow the rules and flow with the traffic. Runners and walkers seem to always buck the traffic...I think that's what they are supposed to do, but it doesn't make sense to me to walk into oncoming traffic....did our lawmakers share a bong before they came up with that one? Anyway, we have some mighty narrow roads near where I live and when I see a runner, I cringe. I can't always go around them because there is a curve in the road or I'm afraid I'm not going to pull far enough away from them and I'll graze them with the side of my car. This morning really set me off...and there is no snow, as a matter of fact, it was a beautiful day. I was driving to church and the road basically cuts through a lake, via a small bridge, which happens to have a curve right in the middle of it. I cringe when two cars have to pass each other on this bridge....if I can see a car is coming the other way, I will wait at the other side until the car has gone over and then proceed. So today, I didn't see any car coming, although that doesn't always mean there isn't, and right in the middle, on the curve, are 3 runners. Now I thought when runners were in a situation like that, narrow road, car coming, that common courtesy would dictate they would run single file until the road widened, or the car passed. Oh no. I had pull all the way into the opposite lane in order to pass them...I couldn't stop in my lane because they would have run right into the front of my car...not only that, but they gave ME a dirty look when I did pass! I should have put it in reverse and hit the gas! Kidding! But really...could they have been any less safe? I have to say, I have never felt more safe than when I'm curled up on the couch with my chocolate-coffee and some yummy toasted sweet-bread with peanut butter! Problem solved!

Can I Rent a Stand-In For The Family Christmas Photo?

The Christmas season is in full swing. For many people this is an exciting time with all the decorating, eating, getting together with good friends, maybe a little ice cream...what? OK, so I'm speaking from my point of view......with the good, always comes the bad...for me the Christmas season also means having to deal with the dreaded Christmas cards. There are some of you out there that know what I'm talking about...no, I don't mean the tortuously tedious task of writing and sending the cards. I'm talking about getting them. Ugh, it's awful. Yes, I love hearing from all my friends and family...my problem is getting the family photo cards of friends who are supposed to be the same age as you but still look like the day you graduated college! You can tell the envelopes that have those photo cards in them and I look at the return address...oh great, I bet she looks fantastic...maybe I'll get lucky and the kids are doing something stupid! Kidding...kind of....is it really bad if I'm not? I will be on our Christmas card this year and I'm not happy about it b/c I look like I had 5 kids, not 2....and stress does a number on your skin. Anyway, the photo above is one I copied from a website called "tiny prints"...it's not my family, but it's representing the perfect family...right? Although the husband kind of has a dirty smile, doesn't he? Like he's secretly groping his wife's backside, and her smile kind of goes along with that. The boy all the way to the right, with missing teeth, is saying,"I'm going to beat the crap out of you guys once we're done here" to his brothers; the boy in the maroon sweater is trying to hide behind his mother and the boy in the middle is saying, " ".

I really do love getting the cards, I'm just jealous that my friends have aged so well (Molly!Looking Fabulous!). I should start getting ready now for next year's photo....or maybe we'll just do photos of the girls :)

WELCOME TO 100!

(Queue the angels singing - miracle music?) THIS IS MY 100TH POSTING TO MY BLOG! Welcome and enjoy yourself - go get a cocktail and get comfy! I'd like to say the person to post the 100th comment to this blog wins a cool prize, but I haven't come quite that far....yet! I could email the 100th commenter some cool coupons maybe? So in 100 posts, what have we learned...let's review:
I'm a klutz, I can't cook and should stay out of the kitchen, the serial breastfeeder will one day realize she is going to burn in hell for flashing Jesus so close to the alter, I find humor in way too many things, I can be serious about some worldly issues, there is no such thing as a pregnant man, only a pregnant man-who-is-really-a-woman-pretending-to -be-a-man-but-never-really-wanted-to-be-a-man-because-she-kept-her-female-organs-to-have-a-child-who-will-grow-up-to-be-deeply-disturbed, I have actual health issues but am seen as a hypochondriac, I am still waiting for my "light wheel bike" to arrive from the Olympics, I have kids smarter than me, I love the Twilight books and want to be a vampire, I love ice cream, big foot is not real (didn't mean to shock you with that one), my friend's pig, Harry is adorable - look for his calendar soon, I will never dress up for Halloween again, I should stay away from Penny sales because I'm a loser, I love pets and taking pictures, and did I mention I love ice cream?
Hmm, guess I could have just written this post a year ago and saved us a lot of time! OK, do you need to refresh your drink before I move on? It's OK, I'll wait........Well, the photo at the beginning of this post....way up there, is from a local place that's called LaSalette Shrine. It's a holy place and they have a gift shop with all kinds of holy stuff (I'd probably burn my hands if I tried to look at anything in there) but the reason this place is such an attraction is that during the Christmas season, the place is literally doused in thousands of lights and light displays. It's free and the kids like it so it's a safe bet. My friend just told me it's starting to get a little theme-park like in that they are now selling hot chocolate in light-up flashing mugs! Very tacky...especially for a Holy place....ok, I want one. I mean how cool would it be...I'd be the only one in my office with a light-up flashing coffee mug! Sitting there at the bus stop with my flashing mug...I'd be so cool...right?

How Low Can You Go.....

Sorry for the crooked picture, I was using the camera on my cell phone and trying not to let the guy pumping gas see me. Not that I was doing anything wrong, but less questions are better....anyway! Do you see the price??!!! I think I have mentioned these 2 gas stations before - they are right across the street from each other, owned by the same guy, but one station is always one cent more expensive because they pump the gas for you. I always just go to the one on the side of the road going in the direction I am headed - no need for messy crossing of traffic to get out of the place, right? So across the street the price was actually $1.48. My "sources" tell me that we will see $1.00/gallon before this craziness comes to a halt. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving it, but I get an uneasy feeling when the price of gas goes from $4.00/gallon to $1.00/gallon within a year - I feel like we will have to pay somehow when this is all over. Maybe it's just my paranoia. Now all they have to do is add back in all the services they used to do, standard, when you drove into a gas station: clean your front AND back windows, check your oil, check your water or whatever....OK, maybe that was before I was driving, well not the clean your windows part, but my Pepere (French for Grandfather) and Uncle owned a gas station when I was growing up and they were always checking under the hood. You know why that would never work these days? We are all in just too much of a rush in our daily lives to go back to the way it was. Am I right? None of us like rushing around, but we all do it! I can't see people on their way into work, taking the time to let someone check their fluids and clean their windows. I think if I pulled into a gas station and they said they were going to clean my windows, I'd start looking for the hidden camera.

The Travelling Baby Bubble.....

People, what you are looking at here is our inability to let our children feel anything. We don't want them to get hurt, we don't want them to be cold, heaven forbid they have to walk, or if they can't walk yet, ride in a stroller. Today was the big Christmas parade in my town - it's a big parade - usually about 2 hours long and I try to go every year. I'm a sucker for parades. Anyway, I was standing there trying to get a good look at one of the marching bands, and I see this guy with this contraption on his back. I thought at first he was a vagabond just off the train, but then I saw a child buried in the bubble. Have you ever seen anything more ridiculous! OK, maybe I'm jealous b/c I want someone to carry me around like that....I know, we'd need a much stronger support frame!

O Neti Pot, O Neti Pot, (Let's All Get Into The Christmas Spirit!)

OK, not to revisit the whole Neti Pot thing, but I am. So as I said the first use cleared the passages, but I guess I was hoping for cleansing on a larger scale. I discussed this with my friend who originally had such great results and she could tell I was a little disappointed that I didn't have the same experience as her. Well.....come to find out, sometimes it takes a few uses to have the desired results...yes it does....so says the nice woman who happened to be standing behind me in the buffet line at my work Holiday party last night and overheard my discussion on the Neti Pot. She is a nurse and she said it could take a few times. Who knew conversation could be so interesting in the buffet line?!

To Neti or Not To Neti, That Is The Question....

"I'm a little Neti Pot, short and stout, here is my lid with a hole and here is my conical shaped spout"....If you have never heard of a Neti Pot, you should google it...quite interesting reading out there. If you have never used one, you might be in for a surprise. This all came about because a friend of mine had a bad sinus infection and was unable to take antibiotics so her doctor suggested trying a Neti Pot. She was clueless to the world of Neti Pots but figured she'd give it a shot anyway. She asked around and actually found a few people not only knew about these secret sinus cleansing pots, but raved about them. Needless to say, she also had a great experience with her WalMart Neti Pot. She described the incredible amount of ......how shall we say for the sake of those with weak stomachs....debris, that exited her nasal passages and sinuses. I understand this sounds really gross, and I'm definitely one who can gag just cleaning the toilet bowl, but the thought of not having to depend on medicine, prescription or not, is such an amazing thought that I had to get in on this. I went to WalMart and they were easy to find, just sitting on the shelf in and among the vaporizers. When I got up to the register, the clerk was a young girl with a few piercings, and I know I was judging, but I figured I would get up their with my Neti Pot and she would look at me like, "OK, Granny, have fun with your old lady items", but instead she caught me off guard. She picked up the box to ring it up and said "Oh, I hear these work really good!" I was sold.
So there I was this evening in my bathroom with my precious $15 investment in the future of my family's health and well-being; me and my pot, my pot and me. I mean it says right on the box that it can alleviate allergy problems, or something like that, and we're all allergy sufferers in this house. So I gave it a shot. Now I did feel some pressure around my temples beforehand so I figured this is definitely going to help. I did not have any debris exiting my nasal cavity, but after using my pot (that doesn't sound right), I can feel how clear my nose is. You know the kind when you breath you can feel it right down through your throat? You just feel the air moving around? yeah, I don't normally get that feeling much. It basically pushes a saline type solution through your nose. So as weird as an experience it was, I will definitely continue to do it. I still have the pressure around my temples so it must be stress or something. I told my friend we should create a Neti Pot club...we can recite all the ways it benefits our health and chant "All hail the Neti Pot" before taking turns demonstrating it use.

Music Favs....Lady A Rocks!

I don't usually impart my music opinions, but some of my close friends know how important music is to me. It's not just something to pass the time when I'm in the car. I've always been a big music fan....have slept out for tickets many times, have gone to many concerts and I get a lot out of music. So I decided that once in a while I may share some of my fav's with my blog fans. I am a huge fan of this fairly new band called Lady Antebellum. So give them a listen and let me know what you think! I don't know why, but I'm having a hard time embedding the video right into the blog, so you can either click on, or copy and paste the link below into your browser:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1435443648/bclid1438482107/bctid3149131001

You won't be disappointed!

Fa La La La La....Hey, Where'd Everyone Go?

This is an ornament I got from a friend (thanks, Kathy!) many years ago and it's one of my favorites. I'm not sure why, maybe it's the Victorian Santa look? Anyway, I realized this year that all of our ornaments are now all special ornaments. By this I mean, we originally started with a ton of colored ball ornaments 13 years ago and now we have no colored ball ornaments. Each ornament means something to us - you know the ones I mean. There are the ones the kids made you still have no idea what it is but you have to put it on the tree anyway. Ones with the kids names or pictures on them, all the "my first Christmas", "my 3rd Christmas", etc. Each year the kids get to buy one new ornament as well. And of course old ornaments from when Mike and I were young. I decorated our Christmas tree last night, and it's just not the same anymore. When I was little we would decorate the tree, sing Christmas carols while my Mom played the songs on a little plastic organ we had and we thought it was great....after my Dad finished his outbursts over the tangled lights that no longer worked, of course! Last night my older daughter apparently doesn't think it's cool anymore to help hang ornaments and since it was a weeknight Mike is in bed early...so it was me and Beth...until she heard her sister having a snack upstairs and making sure she didn't miss out on any good snacks took precedence over ornament hanging. That's OK, I'll make them all sing some carols Christmas morning before they are allowed to open any presents :)

Gas Me Up, Baby!

A dollar sixty-eight, Baby! That's what I paid for gas this week! Across the street is $1.69 because they pump it for you...both prices are for cash only...but who cares!? I can seriously remember being in college, which really wasn't that long ago, and the price of gas was around $1.60/gallon. OK, so it was about twenty years ago...WHAT! Wait a minute, let me do the calculations......this can't be right! I swear I graduated just a few years ago...how did I jump from the late 80's to 20 years later? Anyway, I know these prices won't last, so I'm celebrating every time I get gas...er, fill up the tank...you know what I mean!

Digging Out of My Mashed Potato Haze...

Welcome to the "home stretch" for 2008 as we all try to get back to some sort of normalcy after gorging ourselves over the Thanksgiving Holiday...don't try to pretend you didn't, because we all know you did....we did too. The only time I let myself indulge so freely in gravy is Thanksgiving and Christmas - same meal, one month apart. You'd think we would learn to space it out a bit better, or maybe it's better to get it all over with quickly....that way it doesn't really count, right? Thanksgiving is so relaxing for me...have breakfast, hang out, eat a huge meal, sleep, have a snack and go to bed. Yes, I had my pumpkin pie with Cool Whip so I'm good until Dec 25th.

In the meantime we have the tedious business of Christmas shopping. This year we're on a tight budget and it's almost a game. Let's see how well we can do with as little money possible. Have you experienced Freecycle yet? If not, you're in for a treat! Go to www.freecycle.org and you can search for the chapter in your town or closest to you. Everything posted has to be for free...so basically stuff you are sick of looking at in your house. You know, that basket of knick knacks that has been collecting dust for the last 10 years? Oh yeah, there is someone near you who will take it off your hands! Now being someone who sells on eBay, I will usually post something twice on eBay and if it doesn't sell, I post it on Freecycle! I just got rid of a bag today of winter hats/gloves that no longer fit my kids. I also emailed someone today about a "like new" easy bake oven - it's on Beth's list and she'll never know the difference.

We used to partake in the annual day after Thanksgiving sales...yes, we would get up at 3am and get our running suits on and join all the other crazies out there, but now I find I can do just as well online. And I don't have to worry about being trampled. I was talking with my friend at work today about the person at WalMart who was trampled to death in the mad rush when the store opened the day after Thanksgiving. I saw on the news where they are looking for the people who did it. I know this is going to sound...well, not very nice, but have you ever been in a situation like this? You really have no control over what you are doing...the crowd almost becomes a unit and surges forward with quite a force. I was thinking back to an Ozzy Osbourne concert in the late '80's at the New Haven Coliseum - I was there with a friend and we had seats on the floor. I, of course, was decked out in my spandex mini skirt, spandex top and my boots....what?....ok, stop laughing, I thought I looked hot! Anyway, halfway through the show Ozzy yells at the crowd "Come to me, children" and all the idiots on the floor start rushing the stage! Well it was quite scary and I was lucky my friend, Ted, was strong enough to deflect people away from me...why, you ask? Well, let's remember this is me we're talking about. When the crowd rushed, I somehow got thrown and ended up with my legs through a folded up, folding chair...oh yes, very attractive. There I was, flailing in a folding chair on the floor...hard to recover from that with any dignity. I'm still trying! Boy am I all over the place in this post! I guess I haven't quite recovered from my pumpkin pie fog......

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.

This wasn't tonight, but these are my kids costumes and my Dad in the middle. This was from the Halloween camping weekend a few weeks ago. (Rick, if you see my Dad, you'll have to say something about his costume...he'll be trying to figure out how the hell you saw it!) Anyway, this could have been us tonight, except that my older daughter, Jamie, decided she is too old to go trick or treating with us and the cool thing to do is to go over her friend's house to trick or treat with her family. So she kind of had a surrogate Halloween family...which probably works out better for Jamie b/c I'm sure her friends' Mom wasn't constantly trying to steal her candy! No, it was just me and Beth and we didn't go out for long b/c she wanted to get home to give out candy! I don't know about you, but not once in all my years, did I want to give out candy....not even as an adult! Getting candy was always the priority of the evening! Once Bethany was done making the rounds, we sat on our front steps with the big bowl of candy and she did all the work. Not that we had many kids...our street was noticeably quiet this year compared to previous years. Which, of course, left lots of time in between to eat the candy that we were obviously going to have left over.

Well, I hope everyone had a nice, safe Halloween!

Driving More Affordably

I paid $2.299 per gallon for gas this week! Just wanted to share that with you!

Also to remind everyone that we get an extra hour of sleep this weekend! Yay!

Sugar Rush 101

This was the Halloween weekend at a campground we go to - 2 years ago. The costumes actually fit their characters pretty well :) Notice their expensive trick or treat bags...only the best for my kids!

Ihopeyou'reallpreparedforthesugarrushourkidswillhavetomorrownight!


That was really hard to type without putting in spaces!


So tomorrow night is Halloween...it's like kids free pass to gorge themselves on candy, then they expect us to feel bad for them when they don't feel good....we're too busy not feeling good from all the candy we stole from them when they weren't looking! Not that I would do that, but maybe you do....
It's been a very hectic last month in my house and I am not kidding when I say we just put up our Halloween decorations tonight after dinner. We just have not had time. What is the point of doing now? Bethany asked if we were going to put them up and my response was "I think that ship has sailed until next year"...she started crying...so I gave in and we put them up...actually she did most of the "putting up" part....I always get the sorting out of the tote part.

How to Ruin a Peaceful Morning....

This photo was taken from the deck off my kitchen....what a nice peaceful morning and what a great way to start the day. It doesn't happen often, that these beautiful animals grace us with their presence and I always feel I have been privileged to see something special when it happens. As I've stated before, I'm not one to get into politics, etc., however it's my blog so don't read if you don't like it. I'm not a big anti-gun activist by any means, but when hunting season begins, we know it in my house. It used to be only on the weekends...early in the morning you would start hearing the pop, pop, pop of guns going off in the woods behind our house....I have been hearing them almost every morning this week. I just feel that if I can hear them, they are way too close. I don't get the whole man thing of donning the bright orange jacket along with camo everything else, squatting in the mud and leaves for hours, hoping to peg a poor, defenseless animal so you can brag about it. Oh yes, your very tough...would be funny to see how many hunters there still were if the animals could actually defend themselves!
OK, that's my vent for the day....

Just When You Think You're Safe....

I thought my co-worker, Eileen, would get a kick out of yesterdays blog so I told her to read it (not on work time, of course, we always wait until lunch time to do stuff like that ;)....she was laughing so hard I was afraid she was going to hyper ventilate...I'm sure it wasn't so much my writing wit as it was her enjoyment of getting to relive the events of how she crippled the last of my self confidence last Halloween. If this wasn't bad enough, she thought, "how could I enjoy this even more? I know! I'll forward this blog to all my family and friends!"...of course she has re-told the story to all her family, friends, neighbors, strangers she stops in the stores....I'm sure even her cats think now and then, "remember the story about the woman who really thought everyone dressed up for Halloween?! That was great!" So now, even I'm up for a good laugh now and then...and I think I have a pretty good sense of humor...so I'll admit, she got me good....but the worst was when we were walking out of work at the end of the day. We stopped to talk with Frank, the President of the company, for a moment and somehow got on the subject of yesterday's blog.....I thought Frank was going to start gasping for air he was laughing so hard...a little too hard I thought....just at the memory of what happened last Halloween! At least we know what to bring up if he is ever in a bad mood....I guess that could go for anyone in the building where I work.
My countdown has begun....to when Halloween is over!

Halloween Schmalloween...who needs it!

So it's almost the one year anniversary of one of my most embarrassing moments. Yes, I'm actually going to go through the agony of it and fill you in....unless you are one of the people I work with. Then you are probably sitting there, laughing and saying, "Oh yeah! That was great!"

I have a good friend where I work...I'll call her Schmeileen for privacy purposes. She really is a very nice person...however, and I have to say she has toned herself down a bit since last year, there is a side to her which is very mischievous. You just can never tell if she is serious when words are coming out of her mouth. So last year was my first Halloween at this company and I had always worked in places where everyone dressed up on Halloween and I had a lot of fun with it. I discussed with Eil....I mean Schmeileen potential costumes and she assured me she would be in costume as well.......I'm sure you can guess what happened, but let me just walk you through each painful detail.

I didn't really have a good costume and my husband works for Pepsi so I decided I would be a Pepsi delivery man. I had one of his uniform shirts, work boots, Pepsi baseball hat - it wasn't the best costume, but it would do. I know what you're thinking...not so bad, what's the big deal? Well that would be the props I had....no I couldn't just wear the uniform, I had a handtruck with a few cases of Pepsi loaded on to it. Now from where I park, I have to walk in front of the building by many windows and once inside there is a long hallway that empties into a large room with about 30 cubicles in it with offices along the outside walls....and of course my desk is farthest from the hallway....as soon as I exited the hallway and saw everyone dressed in their normal business casual attire I wanted to puke. I just kept walking towards my desk and thinking how I wanted to just turn around and go home and start over. Of course I had to go by Schmeileen to get to my desk and I made sure to let her know how unhappy I was about my situation. As soon as I sat at my desk my phone rang...it was one of the managers..."Yeah, I got a quarter stuck in the Pepsi machine in the cafeteria, can you help me out?" followed by lots of laughter. It was awful and I still get sick to my stomach when I think about it. I took it all in good fun that day, but the jokes got tiring and about a week or so ago people started asking me what my costume would be this year...yuk, yuk, yuk. Knee slapper I tell ya.