Our week in pictures....

It was a full week with family in town....there was a basketball game, shopping,

more shopping....eating.....laughing....baking....cooking...

Madonna...football in the yard....

making s'mores

my neglected Mom got her first s'more this week.

Lindsay trying on her salsa dance costume for Grandma

ole'

Coach carving the turkey with 2 little drooling dogs staring and thinking:

Please, please drop a turkey leg right herrrrre......

Lauren is our "starch/carb lover"
A little ham and turkey w/ your mashed potatoes?


And yes, she cleaned her plate.
That is her on the couch about 25 minutes later in a turkey/mashed potato induced coma.





The girls got new scarves this week....not how they will be wearing them to school though..



Only dinner for 10.
We could have fed many more families...






My Mom, Cuz Patrick, Coach, Uncle Jim and Aunt Trisha...I suppose this would be the adult table?



Suz, Mother in law Judy, FIL Gary, Lo and Linds....yep, I am still at the kid's table. ;)





Tu Madre.




After Dinner there was a football game in the yard.
My Mom decided to be the cheerleader. Wearing Lindsay's tiara blinged cowboy hat.
My Aunt is the cheerleader coach?

My Uncle crashed during the game....it was terrible.

Even worse? Not getting it on video.

He is fine today though...

The highlight of Thanksgiving day was my Aunt receiving an email from my Cuz Chris who is in Afghanistan. He said he had a very nice dinner and was thinking about all of us.

There was even a football game within his group.

We sure did miss him....

Heading to see my other in laws in the morning.....

more good times to come.

Dirty chips for those not in the know.....

My Pre-Thanksgiving event.....part 1

Oh, some things should be so easy, but then there is reality. My reality.
I run like a madwoman to leave my house in time to meet up with girlfriends on the East coast.
We are to meet at a bar/restaurant near the stadium to see Madonna.
I am 10 minutes late and am freaking out. I loathe to be late. I loathe to make people wait for me.
I call the friends...."Oh, we are stuck in horrible traffic. We are running really late."
An hour later...." we got lost. We are still going to be another 45 minutes. "
I am thinking to myself, I could have had a NAP. OR I could have done some pre-thanksgiving cooking, darnit.
At this point, I have eaten an entire bag of dirty chips. (Soon to find out this is MY DINNER)
I have been approached by a very large man who only wanted to say: "happy holidays and by the way, he is down on his luck". Yes, I am sitting alone in my car in a parking lot.
I decide to go into bar and have a glass of wine.
Friends who are picking me up, are driving us to the stadium and I will have hours before I have to drive again.
I am completely uncomfortable in a bar. by myself. I sit at the bar. I realize every person in this bar knows each other. and the bartender. they are all bff's. awkward.
I order a glass of wine.
A few moments later a small, older man approaches me. He came from about 6 bar stools down. I am ready for him to 1) hit on me or 2) ask for money.
He does neither.
Herein lies the best sentence/phrase in the history of the world.
I bet a million bucks that NO ONE has had this said to them before. It is forever etched into my brain.....
He says to me:
"Excuse me miss, but you look like you can read"

It took a second for me to digest this information.
I say, why yes, I can read. ( I may have puffed up my chest too, not sure)
......I am so proud to say this out loud, finally some of those school skills are paying off.
He then hands me his bar tab and asks what the total is.
I tell him $9.53.
He thanks me and proceeds to walk back to his bar stool.

Many thoughts are running through my brain now.
1)Wow, I look smart.
2)Wow, all the people between he and I look dumb.
3)Wow, he did not even need me to read words, just numbers.
4)Wow, why the hey am I sitting in a bar by myself the night before Thanksgiving.

Oh, to gather my thoughts for part 2 include
crazy friend of a friend/driver & the police, the seat moocher, and coming home at 3:10 Am

I should be...

getting ready for my most favoritest holiday of the year.
But I am not.
I am leaving my family and driving across the state to see my friend Madge.
She only visits on rare occasions. I was really upset that she chose the eve of Thanksgiving to come, but what can you do?


You see, it is her LAST night on tour....and She really wants me to be there with her.
Cause, lord knows where she will be next year.


With A-rod somewhere? In NYC? who knows?



This is a leap for me. Leaving my house on the eve of Thanksgiving and all.


I have lost both of my Grandpa's and my Dad on the eve of Thanksgiving.


And here I am traveling across the state...............by myself.


I will be cautious though. I always am.
If you don't hear from me, I am running away to help her start her next concert tour!!


And I won't hear a word about how the turkey is dry come tomorrow.....cause the good lord and I know, it won't be.

I have the best EVER recipe for Turkey from Martha.....I have used it every year since 1999.....no one has been disappointed. yet.

well, if they have, no one has heard of it because their bodies are in the empty wooded lot next to our house.
I hope everyone has a great day tomorrow with someone they love.
Enjoy!!!

Some great guessers and some NOT SO great guesses....

My Mom, my Aunt and my Uncle have been ingesting this concoction for about 6 months. (They are still upright and still speaking fluent English)
They read about this in The Peoples Pharmacy.
They have had arthritis issues and thought this might be a worthy remedy to try.....after all, it included liquor. What could it hurt?
Gin Soaked Raisins

The rule is:

You can only have 9 raisins each day.

Only NINE.

8 is not enough.

And I don't know what can happen if you get 10.

I can't be held responsible. Please, don't try it.

So, the gist is, you soak a bunch of raisins in Gin. When the gin evaporates (my Mom does not wait for the evaporation btw :) )

Then you eat 9 per day.

They have had good results and NO DUI'S.

As an afterthought....my Mom thought, Gin is Good. Why not tequila? Scotch?

You see where I got it from.....

WINNERS: You know who you are....Dinner is at 3:00. Please bring a side dish or dessert. Oh, and a nice bottle of wine for me...Not the cheap stuff either....

All you others who were not so bad really....you gave it a good try....I heart you...But, please follow directions: LOSERS: Please send Gin. and raisins. And some good wine would not hurt...

Happy Thanksgiving. I hope eveyone has a wonderful and memorable day!!

What the Hey?

You know when people come to visit, they sometimes bring oddities with them?

Some of the oddities can be in the form of people or things.

Well, in this case the strange stuff showed up in my fridge.

Can you guess what this is?

Free Thanksgiving dinner to the first correct guesser.

Dinner is at 3:00.

travel arrangements provided by correct quesser. :)

void where prohibited.

And so it begins.....

Just kidding. My family got arrived promptly at 8 pm last night. They TRIED to convince me earlier in the day that they would arrive around 6:30. They can't fool me. I have known them for a long time....never on time. But I still love them.

Coach made a fantastic Chili dinner, including steak. yes, we are living the high life. He also put some beans in there...so a bit on the yankee side. But it was still delish.

There is 4 people visiting. But apparently they have more people in the bags.....

one week, right???

Coach made "to order" breakfast. Eggs, any way you like. So good. Turkey bacon or fried salami???

Too bad he had to leave to watch the dolphin game. I needed him to make lunch for us too. :)

Remember when I questioned whether or not I needed meds?

Well, it looks like that will be in my future...it is in the genes.

All this for 4 people.

Mom tried to convince me that hers are mostly vitamins...

We had a lovely day, reading the paper, talking, laughing and we watched The Wizard of Oz just for nostalgia. Lo would not join us though, she is 15 and still very much afraid of the flying monkies.

The dogs are loving our good weather. The doors and windows have been open for a few days now. hoping it holds out and I don't have to put on the a/c.

Oh, the life of my dogs. When I die, I want to come back and be one of them.

I have issues that may require Meds.

a typical day for me goes something like this:

Start unloading the dishwasher.

See cat at lanai door asking to go out.

Let cat out.

Remember the dogs are out in the yard somewhere.

Follow cat out and call the dogs.

meanwhile notice the petunias and basil need watering.

water plants.

between pool pump waterfall and hose, now I have to pee.

go inside past the open dishwasher and open cabinets and head to guest bathroom.

remember I have guests coming in 2 days, must wash towels.

Take towels off towel bars and head to laundry room.

Not enough towels to start wash.

go to the girls bathroom to collect towels to add to wash.

ohhh. girls bathroom in in total disarray again.

start to pick up then realize it will take an hour.

grab the girls towels and head back to laundry room.

still not enough to make a full load.

head to my bathroom for some dirty towels.

ohhhh dogs are at the front door.

let dogs in.

Remember to myself the need to use the restroom.

Take care of that task....

now, what was I doing?

Oh, emptying the dishwasher.

finish emptying dishwasher. wipe down countertops.

what is that horrible smudge on the cooktop?

Did someone burn eggs onto it?
Who was cooking eggs?

go to mud room and get out special cleaner for the cooktop.

Notice unopened mail, read a few envelopes and remember I was looking for the cleaner.

pour cleaner onto cooktop. Must let it sit for a bit.

meanwhile, I notice all the appliances are smudged.
Do my family members have to touch EVERY square inch of the microwave and the fridge?

open fridge while cleaning the inner side of the door and see some leftovers.

oh, I am hungry.

It is lunch time.

Warm up some lunch.

finish cleaning the stainless steel.

phone rings.

blah, blah, blah,

yada yada yada.

where was I?

I don't know.

I still have not made the bed yet.

Make my bed.

brush my teeth again.

realize I don't have a hand towel to wipe my toothpaste hands on.

this triggers a memory....oh, I was going to wash towels.

grab dirty towels and take to laundry room.


start the wash.


What is that all over the craft table?

Lo's 15th birthday pages from JULY?

What is my holdup? I must get this done....

4 minutes later....I realized I needed to be doing something else...


Oh, I need to change the sheets in the guest room.

While I am here, I don't think I like the layout of this room.


The bed would look better over here...

well, maybe over here. no. it was good where it was.

I leave the room and head elsewhere..

I tell myself I will focus on ONE thing and get ONE thing done.

by the time I figure out the ONE thing, the stainless steel all needs to be cleaned again.

This happens on a daily basis.

Does anyone else walk into a room and go completely blank, then asks the question to anyone (human or animal)
What did I come in here for????

Should I take this personal?

I am working at my desk....I look over and see our "kitten" Krispy.
She is so adorable.
I heart her.
I give her the "kissy sound" with my pursed lips and she rolls over, licks her crotch and meows at me.
What the hey??
Is that a compliment?
So confused.

The joys.....

Am I the only parent that feels this way....you go to check your kids grades online and see that they did not turn in any work and ended up getting a 0 for their grade.....DON'T YOU WANT TO SHANK THEM????
Really. This is their job. do the work. turn it in. how hard is that?
Next month you will have to do that, AND clean the house, AND purchase the groceries, AND cook dinner, AND clean all the clothes, AND drive me everywhere, AND tend the animals AND pay the mortgage. darn it.
Oh, AND and don't you even forget the cell phone bill....sista.
word.

Random stuff from Random me.

I say the strangest things to my kids. They hardly blink an eye anymore.


We were driving in the car and out of the blue I had a thought.


I said very serious to them both:


I've got 4 very important rules for you to follow in life.

Now listen carefully.


number 1) You don't tug on Superman's cape.


number 2) You don't spit into the wind.


number 3)You don't pull that mask off the old lone ranger


number 4) and you don't mess around with Jim


What? Who is Jim? Do you mean Uncle Jim? Why would we mess with him?


Yep, I learned all the important stuff from the radio.

*************************************************************************************

Did anyone else have Click Clackers when they were kids? They were made of hard acrylic.
I just loved them. I had several different sets. I recal they did break on occasion. And as a matter of fact, I think that is why they took them off the market.
Someone lost an eye.
Mom's don't always lie, now do they?

*************************************************************************************

Two days ago Coach called me and asked about going to a college basketball game with my family that is coming into town for Thanksgiving.
I pondered the event and said sure, that will work.
He then told me to call them today and confirm that they would be interested.
I said, sure but I will wait till it gets closer, we still have plenty of time.
silence.
Me: hello?
Then it dawned on me that Thanksgiving IS next week. I thought I had a whole 2 weeks to prepare. crap. lots of house to clean.
Now, the ostrich (me) does not only avoid the news and newspaper, I am also avoiding my CALENDAR.
I am excited though. My Favorite Aunt. My Favorite Uncle and wonderful cuz, Patrick and my most favoritest Mom will be arriving this Saturday.
Did November fly by for everyone????
Gotta go clean some rooms.....

Oh, to be a child....

A fellow blogger Rebeckah Posted recently about a problem with her son.
He got caught in school giving the middle finger. He learned this new trick from buddies in school. But he was the one caught. go figure, right?

Rebeckah was so distraught, thinking that she did something wrong as his Mom.

Don't we all feel that way sometimes, when our kids don't act perfect.

Anyone that has read any of her blog will attest to the fact that she is a fabulous and loving mother....He will be fine and won't grow up to be in a chronic finger giver.

One finger, what harm can that do?


This brought up a few memories for me.
First off, the finger.

A few years back I was in the car and I saw someone give someone else the finger for bad driving....
One of the girls saw this motion, heard my gasp, and then asked what happened.
Before I could think I just said: "her gave her the finger."

Of course I was hit with an onslaught of questions...


what finger?

what does that mean?

Can you really give a finger to someone?

They were to young to understand and if I had explained it to them, I was quaranteed to see the "finger" given in the house.

So being the perfect mother that I am (am too) I made up a story having to do with something like if you are an unhappy person you put up your pinkie finger.

Yes, I did. It was used for about a week, and then forgotten like everything else.

This all reminded me of getting into trouble myself in school.

I went to school for one thing: Social hour.

I had no interest in learning. That was boooooorrring and it interrupted my socializing.

I wanted to enjoy my friends. I had a plethora of friends in elementary school.

I always got into trouble for onespecific thing. Laughing.

I remember on 3 specific occasions that I was asked to stop laughing in school.

You know what happens when you are asked/told NOT to laugh?

You just laugh harder.

On all 3 of those occasions my best friend and I were taken to the front of the class and.............we were SPANKED.

Once in 1st grade and twice in 3rd grade. (we must have been separated in 2nd grade)

Can you imagine? The pain of the paddle was not nearly as bad as my humiliation.

I remember my face being so flush that I felt like it was on fire.

And do you know what? I never learned my lesson. I still laugh.

Sometimes at inappropriate times.

My girls tell me I laugh TOO much!

What? how can one laugh too much?

I tell them they are lucky their Mom laughs at all. I could be crying all the time.....

C'mon, could anyone really spank this little angel?

Perhaps Mrs. Duncan was jealous of my short dress and matching scarf...haters. I still never leave the house without a purse.

I am so surprised I did not get away with more...really......

omg....that is my deluxe kitchen set in the background.....reminds me that I need to go clean mine!

The drawbacks of having those fashionable, inflated lips....

For instance... sometimes they get caught on your teeth....

Or on the couch cushion whilst you nap...

I wonder how often she encounters the same dilemma's........

Borrower....

I am a borrower today. I borrowed this idea from Jen at Unglazed. She borrowed it from someone, who most likely borrowed it from someone else....I thought it was cute.

5 Things you will never hear me say:

*No to a glass of wine.

*I think I'll get up really early and exercise.

*I don't like mexican food.

*I can't be bothered with recycling.

*I love to cook.


And I borrowed this from Big Hair Envy . I have seen this idea around, but did not partake until I saw her do it first. I am like that, scared, but I will follow my peers.....and yes, this did get me into trouble back in the day.



The instructions are:

Post the fourth picture in your fourth folder.

I was a bit scared as to what I would end up with, but hey, not so bad. At least I was not in the picture.

July 4th 2004. A family reunion in South Carolina. My nefew, my BIL and Coach. They took a break from playing a game of HORSE to pose. Coach was not even coy with trying to hide the fact that HE was actually the first man to become pregnant.

We don't know who the baby mama is .

Feel free to do your own!!

This and That...

Thanks for all the great comments about my um, you know, my butt and my bike situation.

A couple of you scared me with the visions of callus's on my derriere. It is bad enough I get them on my feet!!! I don't think the nail tech. would appreciate me coming in to have my butt exfoliated....Now, try to get that picture out of your head!!!

Then it was cleared up that my tush would eventually get used to the bike seat. And that I would NOT get real callus's that would be seen.... Thanks Woody, but I am not wearing bike shorts. I have sworn off anything containing spandex. ;0 Spandex is not my friend.

I taped a few episodes of some shows on FIT tv and did an hours worth of abs, shoulders, legs and tush workouts this morning....I will be in pain very soon.


Who knew there were so many words for our "rear"



I had to take Lo to the Dr. today. She has been complaining of headaches for a while now...they are not going away and are becoming a daily event.

The Dr. is unsure of what is ailing her, he threw out a couple of maybes: anemia, tension headache, sinusitis....

He ordered a CT scan and we went and had blood drawn. I have to wait to hear back from the insurance company for approval on the scan.

We just got new insurance and I can't stand it. They are still giving me a hard time about her wrist fracture, they are doing what ever they can to not pay up.

I am trying to think positive that this will just be something simple. **fingers crossed**

And now a funny snippet....
Waiting for the Dr. to come into the exam room, I told Lo that her hair has really gotten long. She says as she is pulling it down in front: "I know. I want it to grow really long so I can cut it and donate it to breast cancer."
I said: "Don't you mean Locks Of Love"
She started laughing hysterically after she realized what she said.


She is also a bit concerned that the CT scan will show large voids in her brain from where she has inhaled helium. great.

Weekend Highlights

The excitement never ends with me....I sure hope that celebrities don't stumble upon my blog for fear that they will end their lives seeing how the other half lives.

• Coach fixed all bikes for the family....new tires, breaks adjusted etc.... yeah!!!



• Realized the girls are still riding the bikes they got 6 years ago. Time to upgrade. Their knees hit the handlebars.



• Walked 2 miles on treadmill Sat. Morning.



• Pumped some iron. I am really KICKING BUTT.



• ate the last 3 Reese's peanut butter cups that were in craft room freezer. Now I am just Adding BUTT.



• wishing I had recorded coach trying to ride his bike and take the two dogs along on their leashes...cocoa is terrified of bikes to begin with. It was extremely funny seeing her put on the breaks and run out of her collar and leash.



• Lindsay and I rode our bikes 6 miles on Saturday.



• Got caught up on Greys anatomy, Private Practice, Desperate Housewives and Celebrity rehab on Tivo.



• Taught the girls once again how to properly clean their bathroom and bedrooms, I bet the rooms will stay clean exactly 30 hours.



• Lindsay and I cleaned all the interior and exterior windows facing the lanai....she did all this for a new pair of "leg warmers." Go figure. Flash dance is apparently making a comeback.

Nothing warms my heart like seeing someone ELSE clean...

• Linds and I rode another 6 miles on Sunday on our bikes. ****Serious question**** How do you ride a bike and NOT have it hurt your BUTT?? I am in major pain. I feel as though I may have been violated without knowing it. Do I need a "special" seat???? I am gonna have to put in a call to Lance Armstrong and find out how he survived.

FYI. I metioned Butt 3 x times in this post. what is up with that?

Gratitude....

For this week...


After driving past several homes that have been abandoned or foreclosed upon, I was able to put our mortgage payment into the mailbox...I said a little "thank you Lord" as I did this....



My new deluxe hose and sprayer that made cleaning off the lanai (almost) a breeze. I love Home depot. :)


Good coffee already brewed when I drag myself into the kitchen....


Gas prices going down....I can fill up the car for $53.00 now.......


My new glasses....I can see so much better......


My family all agreeing to the "no Christmas gifts" policy that I am enforcing.....


My cousins Daughter getting accepted into the college near us so we will be able to spend time with her and that part of my family for the next 4 years....


Coach making me breakfast on Saturday AND Sunday.....


This pretty pink sunset....the camera did not quite capture the awesomeness....

Too funny...Cocoa and Ozzie

I watched in amazement as the two large dogs decided to share one tiny bowl of water.
They had just come in from playing and I was on the treadmill in the craft room.

This is not their "regular" bowl of water, it is just an extra in the craft room, so don't yell at me for depriving them of water. ;) It is actually a cereal bowl....

You know they are good dogs when they can share like this....they eat side by side too with NO food aggression. It is just lovely. And they have only known each other for almost 4 weeks. Instant friends.

The video is very loud, I had on the Bonnie Hunt show in the background turned up loud to hear over the treadmill, but you can still hear the slurping.

I want to be a Loser

I don't think this post has much focus....

But here goes.....
I just love the show the "Biggest Loser"

I find it very inspirational whenever I watch it. I need to lose 10 lbs and these people lose so much more.....I need Jillian and Bob in my face daily....

(don't give me heck about 10lbs not being a lot, I am only 5'1 w/ a petite frame and it looks more like 20lbs)

Anyhoo, My cousin Patrick (on the right w/ Lo and Linds) He calls the show: "The Biggest Fat Loser." So, every time I watch the show, in my mind it is called the biggest fat loser. Makes sense right? I mean, they are losing fat.



Linds suggested to me recently that the two of us gain a bunch of weight and go on the show to win. Yeah, my luck we would not get on the show. ;)


I am trying to get myself back on the saddle, starting my exercising again.
Apparently doing "not much" does not work for me. I miss having a waistline and tucking in my shirts and actually wearing a belt.
I tried to make myself believe that all the housework and yard work I have been doing would make up for the dust on the treadmil, but I can't fool myself any longer.


I was toying with the idea of starting a fitness boot camp next week. It is only an hour a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. I think it is what I need to get my booty moving. But then my good friend "Debbie Downer" told me it was going to kill me. I don't know if she is exaggerating or if she really fears for my life.

I decided on a compromise. I am going to re-join the community center gym that is about 2 miles away. I will alternate walking there with riding my bike and once there use all the weight/resistance machines. My goal is 4 x a week. Not too much for me to get bored with I hope!!!


On Monday of this week (before my gym revelation) I walked with Debbie Downer for an hour. We got in about 4 miles and DD can really walk fast. We threw in some sprints too.
I generally have a rule about running.
My rule is ONLY RUN WHEN BEING CHASED BY SOMEONE WITH A SHARP OBJECT.
I broke the rule for her and I did.not.like.it.one.bit.

By Wednesday and I could finally walk across the room without wincing. Yeah, I am out of shape.

Bob and Jillian....I NEED YOU!!!!!

We have too much stuff.

One more reason NOT to buy more unneeded stuff this holiday season.

This was also in the back of my mind when I decided to "skip Christmas" (only the shopping part) this year.

If you have a bit of time watch the video on this website Story of Stuff.com .

It shows us, in an "in your face" kind of way what we are doing to our world since we are such huge consumers.

It is EYE OPENING.

All our "stuff" goes somewhere when we are done with it......can you guess where it goes?

And really the disposal of our stuff is not even the worst part, the manufacturing of our stuff is even worse.

Please pass on the information to everyone you know. Consider it your good deed for the day.

I just did mine.

FYI, I accidentally typed in the wrong address looking for the story of stuff.com.

I may be blinded. I think I saw that lady again from the store holding her cell phone in her cleavage....only there was no cell phone. or clothing. Yikes. The Internet can be so flippin' dirty.

Dear Abby,

For the sake of this post, you, the reader are Abby

I have an interesting conundrum that I could use some expert advise on.

Each year for the past 8 years my husband and I have hosted a lovely cocktail party at our home around the Christmas holidays.

I look forward to this special occasion each year as I love to give parties, it is one of my favorite things to do.

I go through a lot of trouble each year starting with the invitations. I think the invitation is the precursor for the party to come, you know, it sets the tone.

I clearly state on the invitation each year that this is a cocktail party.

(I don't want anyone to be confused that if could be a pool, costume or slumber party)

I always plan the event a bit later in the evening around 7 pm.

And I always state that we will be serving heavy hors d'œuvres.

It is a great night for all to dress a bit nicer, have a festive martini and have adult conversation with the friends you only see a few times a year.

The guests are usually family members, neighbors, some key employees and a few very good friends. Usually adding up to 25-40 people.

It never fails though that each year, I am greeted by not only my invited guests, but some of their children also.

Mind you, the kids that come are not "young".

I don't have little toddlers running around, but I do have children at the dining room table picking through the lovely table of food sometimes leaving the chaffing dishes completely empty while the adults are still mingling.

My next lovely vision is of them planting themselves in front of the dessert table and dipping fingers into the beautiful chocolate fountain. I know a chocolate fountain is very tempting, even for adults. But come on!

But don't you think the parents would know better? First off know better than to bring kids to a cocktail party, then by perhaps policing their food intake if they do let them attend?

My children are always instructed to be "out of the way" for this party. They get it and they don't really care. They understand that this is an adult party.

How come some adults themselves don't get this? Should I just NOT invite the offending parties?

Or, should I suck it up and just sigh when I see them at my door on the night of the party? Concede and put out pigs n blankets to keep the kids away from the shrimp cocktail and bacon wrapped scallops.

I hate to do that, because then it is NOT really the party I had envisioned .

I don't want to sound like some mean person who does not like children. I just think there are "kid friendly parties", then there are adult parties.

You would think that parents would love to have a night out with out their kids, Lord knows I do.

Signed,

Hopeless Hostess

A picture is worth a thousand.....

.....Sweet memories of "sweet" girls

**warning, do not show to young impressionable children**

And a thousand questions......

Question number 1...

Why would they grow up and do this to their barbie?

Sugar and Spice my foot.

My child is nuts....

In the orthopedic surgeons office last week waiting to get Lo's cast off of her wrist....

we had some time on our hands to have some silly conversations.....

Lo: Why does the DR. always wear those dress shoes?

Me: I don't know. But he sure is cute, even in the purple scrubs and dress shoes.

(it completly embarasses my girls if I say a man is attractive)

Lo: You know purple means "royalty"

Lo: I want to paint my room purple, white and black.

Me: It will still be a messy dump.

Lo: No, it will be a "royal dump"

Very true.....

On the way home after getting the cast off (she has had it for 6 weeks)

Oh, look I can snap my fingers again. wheeee wheeee (loud squeeling)

Oh, look I have unlimited texting capabilities (texting)wheee wheeeee (again, loud squeeling)

Oh, look at all the dead skin cells (as she is scratching off dried skin) ooohhhh ohhhhh

Me: Stop leaving your DNA all over the car please.

A week prior my Mom sent the girls Halloween cards. She stuck a few bucks in there for the girls.

Lo opened her card, said oh, that is so sweet. I love that Grandma Bev.

Then she took her cash and stuck it in her bra stating that: This is where Grandma would put it.

I told her that in a few years she would have enough cleavage to put her cell phone in the middle of her bra like the classy girl I saw at the store recently.

(yes, the woman was walking around w/ a baby on her hip and her cell phone resting in her cleavage. classy....I just can't get the image out of my head either...)

A big Thank you

To everyone who responded to my Skipping Christmas Rant.

Everyone had great ideas and some of them will be implemented this year.

I feel much better (less Grinch like) knowing that most people feel the same way.

It just seems that Christmas lost the "joyous" feeling.

I really do feel less stressed already about it.

I have most of my family members on board with me, limiting the gifts to just the kids in the family.
As my Mom put it, "if I want something, I will buy it for myself, if I can't afford it, neither can anyone else". That is how I feel too.
We are going to get back to the basics of time well spent with each other.

I have few ideas of some small, meaningful gifts that girls can handmake for their grandparents and then I just need to shop for my girls and my niece and nefews.

It will be a much brighter year around here with me not running around like a chicken with my head cut off. ;)

We can focus on some charity too....

I am acutally looking forward to Christmas this year and I think it will just be splendid.
What a difference a few days make.

She said WHAT????

I want to preface this post saying that I hope it in no way offends anyone. That is not my intention. It is just another funny story from my funny 12 year old. Seriously, I could write a book alone on all the funny things my girls have said over the years….

A bit of background. Where we have lived for the past 11 years is a lovely town. It is however lacking in cultural diversity.
The elementary school the girls both attended was predominantly Caucasian, with Hispanic being next then African American.
No matter to my kids, they love everyone. They have been raised very open minded in our house and they don’t see color, culture, orientation as factors to judge a person.

When Lindsay was about 5 we were watching the news one day.
A story came on about something to do with racism.
This brought up yet another discussion on why in the world are there so many mean people out there.....

I wish the innocence of a child could get through to the most ignorant of people...the world would be a much better place.

She was so concerned as to why someone would not like someone else because they looked different.
I agreed with her and from there she stated clearly and matter of fact that her very best friend in the world was African American.

I told her how wonderful that was.
And then I thought about it and realized she did not have any kids in her class that were African American.
I asked her for her bff’s name. She said: “Carly.”

I chuckled a bit and told her in the kindest way I could that Carly was not actually African American, she is Italian.

You see, Carly has been blessed with the most beautiful tan skin tone in the world.
(seriously jealous here)
Lindsay said, well I don’t care, I love her even if she looks different than Me.

Fast forward to present day.

Since then both the girls have changed schools and are exposed to many different ethnicities these days.
They both love it. They have friends of every color.
I love that they embrace everyone and don’t have preconceived notions about different cultures.
Although, I think they favor gay people over everyone else, but that is another post for another time.

This week Lindsay came home from school and said to me:

“I just realized today that Barack Obama is the first African American president. EVER.”

I had quite a surprised look on my face thinking that I had kept her under a rock for part of her life....
and I said “really?”

She said: “yes. I don’t want to sound stupid or mean at all, but I really thought that President Andrew Jackson was also of African American descent.“

I laughed so hard. That was the end of the discussion.

Today, as I was going about my day I pondered this again. I was wondering why she thought that Andrew Jackson could have been black.
The only thing I can come up with is the only folks she knows of with the last name Jackson is Michael and Janet.
I love Janet's music and I sing her quite well in the car....
Seeing Michael Jackson on TV always perplexed the kids.....

The resemblence is uncanny.

Skipping Christmas

I hope this does not make me sound like a total moron.

But what would happen if I skipped Christmas.

I mean, I love Christmas. I love the meaning of Christmas.

It is a joyous day to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

I love getting together with family and friends for Christmas.

I even enjoy the decorating part. I love the cooking and eating part.

The sending and receiving of Christmas cards part.

I just don't like the shopping part. The good lord and my family know that I am a gung ho shopper in general.

I just find Christmas shopping to be such a stress inducing part of life. I started worrying about it last month. It is not even the money part, it is the "finding the right gift for everyone" part.

I know I am going out on a limb here, but why do we need to exchange gifts????

I heard a rumour it started with The Three Wise men....but I bet they were not stressed.

They were overjoyed to bring the gifts and Baby Jesus was happy just to be.

The three gifts he received....gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Two of those are not for sale at the mall.

Why does there have to be gifts at all?

I would be fine if I never got another Christmas gift in my life. really.

Perhaps I am just being a curmudgeon. I don't know...my dad used to complain about Christmas too and then run out and spend tons of money last minute. But of course he was manic.

That was how he rolled. He would be in debt the rest of the year.

I know my girls don't feel the same way, but even the last few years they realize how much they already have and are only given a few gifts from Mom and Dad.

Grandparents, they are another story all together....I can't control them. ;)

I suppose what I really want to do is skip the gift exchange...not Christmas in itself.

I know way back when, Christmas was not celebrated by running out to Macy's for some last minute items to fill a list, all the while stressing in traffic and worrying if you can pay off your credit card this month, when will you have time to wrap the gifts, did I spend enough on so and so, did I buy equally for all the kids, what am I going to make for dinner, why can't these kids stop arguing, who took out the dog, how did I not get to exercise today, did I even take a shower today, who is calling me now.....etc....

Do you think I could start a new movement?

Are you willing to join in and make a stand? You can sit if you are tired.

Or are you already standing in line at Target for the newest toy/gadget/camera/etc...

On a side note, I enjoy buying for charity, giving to the needy (next year, the needy may be ME)

That has always been fun.

I suppose I figure needy people are needy and will enjoy the little gifts I can offer....

any advise???? Am I the Grinch for 2008?

My three girls 2007

(unaware that their Mom is turning into the grinch)

Nothing quite gets under my skin like loose change banging around in the dryer. Soooo annoying. It takes forever to pull everything out and look for the culprits...then only to have to do it again and again, Because they hide when you open the door.

Now, what I would like to find in the dryer is some crisp green bills.

Those are a pleasure to find....silent and needed.

But are they ever there???? Not so much.

then again, I should be thankful for my dryer and the bits of change I find in there...oh it is hard to be thankful sometimes!!! arrgghhh.

Save the planet and perhaps some frogs too...

If you have a minute visit the website Conservation International. It is chock full of information about our lovely little planet and things we can do to help it last a bit longer....

If you have another minute go ahead and take the Eco Footprint Quiz. and see just how green you are...you may be doing more than you think. (ego booster)
I feel that I scored fairly well. But I sure do have lots of room for improvement.....
I mean, I am not living in a house made of recycled tires (yet) or growing all my own veggies or
even producing my own wine...but a girl can dream can't she?



This website is full of great information..... Such as the list of critically endangered wildlife and how we can help to save them.

You know I am all about saving stuff...money, animals, the planet....you name it.
The giving and saving never ends and that is why I am so tired. ;)


I digress....This is where I started reading (and lost track of time) about the Lake Titicaca Giant frog that is almost extinct.


I have heard of this...well not just the giant frog but of Lake Titicaca itself from my oh, so immature kids.....say it slowly, Lake Titicaca.....
you know you giggled too.... we are all so immature....that is what makes life fun.





Admit it, he is almost cute. He is giving us a thumbs up....

And of course he deserves to be saved.....

Thanksgiving Memory Lane....

Thanksgiving is my MOST favorite holiday.

I suppose as kid, Christmas would be at the top of the list.

Since I have been an adult (well adult age anyway) I really look forward to Thanksgiving with enthusiasm.

It has all the elements of a fantastically perfect holiday. It is full of Pros and low on Cons.

Pros's

*Family and friends get together

*good food

*a few days off from work/school

*NO GIFT BUYING!!!! ( I should have put that at the top)

CONS:

*Nada. Zip. Zilch. negative. (unless you happen to be Tom Turkey)

We have hosted it at our house for many years and I enjoy the chaos.

I don't care how many we have over, the more the merrier. I love it.

We have had from 12-20 people and it is always a great day.

*On a side note....I am having serious issues getting into the spirit of Christmas.

I know it is only November, but I was dreading it already last month. More to come on that...I have an idea. I may start a revolution of sorts....

Ok, back to Thanksgiving Memory lane

Back in 2006 we actually left our home and rented a house up in the North Carolina Mountains. I was a bit concerned it was not going to be as nice, with us NOT being at our home.....

But, it was a fantastic holiday.

We picked up my Mom in GA on the way up. My Aunt, Uncle and Cousin met us up there.

The day we pulled into town, the heavens started dropping little teeny tiny snow flurries for us. How nice, right? It was the first time the girls have seen snow and they seemed less than enthused about it all (when are we getting out of this car??)

It ended up warming up quite a bit and was a fabulous week away.

This was the view from the rental house....

I was insistent on getting a good picture of my three children for our Christmas card too....This was a winner that year.

We set a beautiful table as usual...and I had to take a pic. Not very good lighting.

The girls collected leaves and we wrote the place setting names on them with a gold leaf pen.

The only down side to this Thanksgiving is that I forgot one of the most important elements of our Thanksgiving table. I nearly ruined Thanksgiving by forgetting these very important peeps.

That is our joke around the house...you ruined our Thanksgiving.....what ever. ;)

My Cousin Patrick, Linds and Lo.

We have a piece of property in the area, and we enjoy visiting it. This is OUR rock. That is what the girls say anyway....we are making payments on that rock and the land under it.

If business does not pick up by a gazillion percent we very well may be living under/next to/on top of that very rock.

Nice views though.

I will be boring you all with more Thanksgiving memories over the next few weeks. I may even share my most PERFECT turkey recipe....I stole it from Martha herself.