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......