At my age...

I should not pull all nighters...
I do that once in a while, forgetting that I am not as young as I once was.
Last night I stayed awake most of the night reading - just could not put that book down. So this evening about 7:00 I was chatting with a friend online and fell asleep...sound asleep...the phone woke me at about 8:45...

Hey, Mar, its Kathy...
Hi (in the perkiest half-asleep voice I can muster)
How are ya?
Good..how are you? (Kathy who?)
What are you up to?
uh...not much (who the hell is this?)
I reserved a table at the reverse raffle...
Ohhh, Kathy, how are ya?
Were you sleeping?
Well....
It's 8:45...
No, its not it's still dark out...
At night, Mar...
oh, wow...I fell asleep...
No kidding...

Boy, was I sleeping good...but now I am awake...should I go back to bed (cuz a 90 minute cat nap just does not cut it at my age) or try to get some stuff done I should have been doing all day? Life is full of tough decisions...

Ya can't forget what ya don't know...

Pfizer Corp. announced recently that Viagra will soon be available in liquid form, and will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable for use as a mixer.
It will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one.

Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink...
And it gives new meaning to the names of 'cocktails', 'highballs' and just a good old-fashioned 'stiff drink'
And how will Pepsi market the new concoction you ask?
MOUNT & DO (gotta luv it)

As more and more money is spent on breast implants and Viagra today there is less money to spend on Alzheimer's research. So, by 2040, there could be a
large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections and
absolutely no recollection of what to do with them...

Thanks RichyB...

Tis the season...

More Christmas stories...cuz it is my favorite time of year...have I told you that?
So I invited a few of my closest friends over for drinks and snacks the other night...
And they had a Christmas present for me...
Before I let you in on what they gave me, let me give you a little background....
These friends are all neighborhood Moms. We have watched each other's kids grow up since my youngest was still in training pants. We have been each other's support for whatever goes on...
There is one big difference between them and me, tho...I am a single Mom and they are each happily married to the father of their children...

They are all aware that I am tyring the online dating thing...and they are all supportive...like friends and Moms...(on a side note, I think they may be a lil jealous and are trying to live vicariously through me, but I could be wrong...)

So what to my wondering eyes did they they hand me on the day after Christmas...
A little bag with a big present...from Victoria Secret no less...
And by big, yes, I mean in size. There is just no way that anyone who fits into that thing should be allowed to wear it (including me) because there is just no way anyone can fit into it, if you get my drift....it should be outlawed...someone could die laughing ...

And thank you ladies for making sure my daughter was there to see the gift exchange...

Remember, sweet revenge is mine, and when you least expect it...

Christmas Eve Reflections...

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I love Christmastime...and all that comes with it...even when I stress myself way past the point that I am fun to be around. (I am working on that, really...)
This year I was given a sharp reminder that maybe I was trying to do too much....

It was Christmas Eve day and all through the house...
It was Just Me, myself, no mouse.
The candles by the palm tree were lit
As snowflakes from each frond glistened.
Flour was everywhere...dishes were in the sink...
Apple crisp was in the oven...Time to make the soup...
(I never said this was going to rhyme...)
Now to peel onions without crying...
Rinse them in cold water and sharpen the knife...

Then came the reminder...the knife did not stop at the onion but kept right on going until blood was pouring out my thumb and tears out my eyes...
You'd think I chopped my hand off for all the red there was...
Well that put a damper on how much I got done before the kids arrived...

(By the way, those really are red sprinkles on the brownies.)

And what did I learn from all this?
If you are going to slice your finger, slice one you do not need so much.
Ya need your thumb...for everything - except blogging:)
I cannot keep any size bandaid or gauze on it and I keep bumping it and snagging it on everything. Triple antiobiotic has yet to heal this cut but seems to work wonders
when it shouldn't (like on pierced ears, but that is another story).

Yeah a few stitches might have helped, but it was Christmas eve, for cying out loud...and I did:)

Time to slow down...

Ah, I love the Christmas season...

But I have a tendency to overextend myself, not just during the holidays, but more so during the holidays...

I have been thinkling about New Year's resolutions - here is my preliminary list..

Watch my health closer by:
Visiting Bally's at least 3 x per week
Riding my bike at least 3 times per week
Putting a plan in place for healthier eating habits...
Making a good effort to follow the healthier eating plan.

Continue fishing for that ltr by...
Rewriting my online profile with more info about me and what I want (after I figure out what it is I want)...
Making an honest effort to meet new people and enjoy the friendships...
Learning to realize who the scammers and players are earlier in the friendship and adjust accordingly...

Renew and maintain friendships by...
In January, make contact and catch up with friends I have gotten out of touch with over the last few months (especially the fun ones)...
Making an honest effort to visit with good friends at least 3 x per year...
Keeping in touch with good friends via phone or email at least once every two months.

Quit overextending myself by...
Learning to say "No" when I really do not want to do something....
Learning to say "No" when I know I would have to lose sleep in order to get it done...
Not committing to do things within an unreasonable time frame...

Well that last one pretty much wipes out half of the others:)

Merry Days After Christmas!!!

Santa was soooo good to me...

Although I have been assured that it is ok to be naughty (because coal turns into diamonds eventually), I must have been reasonably good over the past year, because Santa was sooo good to me.

The best part of Christmas was spending the day with my kids all together. I love family time and I know I am so lucky to have three children who are so good to me and who still visit.

We had agreed to only do stockings for Christmas. I tried my best to keep to that agreement, but some stuff just will not fit into stockings. So there was a little overflow.

The kids seemed to enjoy their presents, though. Ldboy got shirts and ties he loves for business meetings and night life; G-Man got the cross and chain he wanted; Carebear got some jewelery and accessories because she is all girl.

I think I made out best, though. Santa brought me a digital camera that I have been wanting since I broke my last one (which was a big clunker anyway). I am so excited to have a camera again. Not that I am photogenic or a photographer of any sort - it is just nice to have a camera to capture everyday life. Thank you Santa:)

Thanks to ldboy, we followed through on our annual Christmas movie event. We saw the new Jim Carey movie "Yes Man." It was pretty good - one of the better of his movies I have seen lately. Kinda of made me realize that maybe I should slow down a bit:)

Santa's goodness did not last all day...there were a couple of incidents that hampered our fun, but we will not go into those too much. Let's just suffice it to say that the canine of the family had better watch his back around ldboy for awhile if he likes his tail the way it is:)...

Accidents happen and hopefully we all learn from them...

• Let a sleeping dog lie...
• Keep drinks and other objects away from computers...2 computers down in one month in this family...that's gotta be a sad record...
• Excited dogs have no control over their tails...

Merry Christmas 2008!!!

I heard it from a friend...

It is ok to be naughty enough for coal...

...in fact, the naughtier the better....

...because coal turns into diamonds...

...eventually...

...ok, so maybe not in this lifetime, but still....


Thanks, Cedric, for the incentive:)

Once upon a midnight clear...

Click on graphic to see full size...

Thanks J for sharing:)

Where has the day gone...

Oh yeah - I've been baking...

I love Christmastime...have I mentioned that before?

Yesterday and today, I did bake. Mint brownies, brownies, 7-layer cookies, rumballs, peanut butter fudge cookies...I also made some chocolate covered pretzels, peanut clusters, and coconut haystacks.

Tomorrow I will make apple crisp, onion soup (will become French on Thursday), hanky panky and turkey stuffing...

And I will shop for Christmas breakfast food because Micky D's and BK are not open on Christmas (I seem to forget that every year)...which is not a problem for me because I like brownies for breakfast, but my kids, God love 'em, like to eat healthy.

Christmas Day Menu will be French Onion Soup, salad, turkey and stuffing, cranbnerry sauce (if I remember to get it tomorrow), Honey Baked ham slices, french bread with dipping oil, green bean casserole (we are in Ohio and I love it), candied yams, and garlic cheddar mashed potatos (yes, Betty Crocker recipe). Did I forget anything?

I hope to have most of my cooking done by noon so I can hit up Bally's hot tub - cuz I have a feeling I am going to need it. Then I will hit the grocery store for breakfast food and cranberries. Then I will tidy the house a little, and if I am all done by 6:00 pm get ready to go to Church with a neighbor family. Not a Catholic Church this year; I have been invited to Christmas services at a Lutheran Church downtown. I am not into organized religion, but I do like to go to Church at times, especially holiday services and if I am attending with friends. For a few years I attended my home parish with a neighbor family, but the past few Christmas Eve's I have not been done with my chores in time for the 5:30 Mass. Let's see if 7:00 is a better time....

Yeah...I know, I am a C and E churchgoer, if that, but I am who I am...

Ok, the lights are flashing, it is windy out, and G-man is on his way to his dad's...I am waiting for the call that he got there ok...

And since tomorrow may be busier than today, I want to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or Happy Whatever Holiday (HWH) you are celibrating this joyous season!

Be safe, be happy, be merry (or mary)!!!

Best laid plans...

So I started out the weekend with a plan...
Friday I left work a little early and stopped off at the library to browse for some holiday reading material...Then I ran a few errands before going home and after that, the night is a blur of the James Patterson latest release I picked up....

Maybe I should not have stopped at the library...

I had every intention of getting up early Saturday (that was yesterday) morning and heading out to Chardon Walmart to get groceries for baking and Christmas dinner...

And I did, if you consider 11:00 AM early...it was James Patterson's fault - The Appeal kept me awake longer than it should have...

I did make it to Walmart, after I ran to the mall to get G-man a certificate for his work party - cuz he is just too busy to do his own shopping...I hope he finds a good wife, because she will need to be a saint...

"Honey, while I am at the gym, showing off my 6-pack and then going out with all my friends, can you do my laundry and clean the house and have dinner ready when I get back, so then we can spend some quality time together..."

After Walmart, I stopped at the beverage store to get rum for the rumballs...now I have everything I need to bake with, assuming I do not drink too much tea or coke before I get to the rumballs:)

Sunday, today, I had every intention of getting up early and starting the baking/candymaking. And I did - get up early that is...but instead of baking, I started going through some paperwork and cleaning the living room and kitchen area...and doing some laundry...because it all needed done...

And now I am ready to start baking...but I am feeling kind of tired. And I need to do some stuff for work that I promised a co-worker I would have to her by Monday morning.

So here are the new plans...color my hair (I know - that was not even on the list, but it needs done, too), take a nice bubble bath, have some dinner (not make, just have - hmmm, order in sounds like it could work), do what I need to do for work, and get to bed reasonably early...not necessarily in that order, even tho it would probably be best...

Tomorrow, I will start nice and early with rumballs and brownies (especially for me), mint brownies and chocolate covered pretzel clusters (especially for ldboy), 7-layer cookies and coconut haystacks(especially for CareBear), and peanut butter fudge bars and honey roasted peanut clusters (especially for G-man). Of course, I like it all:)

Ok, J. P., time for some quality time....

Paying Forward?

I must be living wrong...

There was a layoff at Peyton PHlaCe a few weeks ago. The company kept all laid off employees on the payroll until 12/31 (yeah they are still being paid to stay away from the office while we do their work). And their benefits are in place through March...

This week, one of my coworkers (a contractor) just gave her notice...

So, now they are bringing back the guy they let go last month, but as a contractor...

Which means while he is doing the work he was doing before he got laid off, he will be getting severance pay from Peyton PHlace and a salary from the contracting agency that Peyton PHlaCe is now paying to have him do the work he was doing before....

Meanwhile, on a different note, today I signed papers to refinance my house.

And I am thinking (yeah, I do that at times)...I am never going to own this house (or any house). I may as well be renting.

And meanwhile, my oldest is in town visiting and a friend asked me where he was staying. A night with his dad, a night or two with friends, a night or two with me...

And that got me to thinking even more (oh no, not that again)...

When G-man goes off to college, there is nothing keeping me here in this condo...I could sell it and go on the road...

Stay with me here...This could work...

See, I have given my kids a place to stay for the past 25 or so years, right?

I am sure they would not mind (in fact they may even love it) if I stayed with each of them for short durations at a time.

I would not get in their way...
I would not mind sleeping on their couch...
There would be no need to make any special arrangements for me...
They would not even know I am there...
No worries at all...
I would never expect them to keep it quiet just because I am there....
Hell, I may even cook dinner for them once in a while...
Maybe not a healthy dinner, but dinner none the less...
And I promise not to spoil the grandkids (if they ever give me any)...
And I promise to try not to explain to them the better way to do things...

Yeah, this just might work....
Think I can get G-man to take some extra classes and graduate early?
Retirement is looking better all the time...

Just kidding guys...please do not revoke my open invitation - I still do have one of those, right?

Role Model

No cheating now...

• Pick your favorite number between 1-9.
• Multiply by 3
• Add 3
• Multiply by 3. Hopefully you have a 2 or 3 digit #.
• Add the digits together.
• Now with that number, see who your ROLE MODEL is from the following list...

1. Einstein

2. Nelson Mandela

3. Jacob Zuma

4. Tom Cruise

5. Bill Gates

6. Gandhi

7. Brad Pitt

8. Hitler

9. Phillipia

10. Barack Obama

I know, I know ....
I just have that effect on people ....
One day you too can be like me.... :-)

Thanks Ameriquest...

Too funny not to share...

That's what I keep saying...
do not judge too quickly...
I am not a nun:)

Did the Browns win?

I try to watch the Browns every Sunday - yes, I am still a fan, they are the home team...

About 7:00 PM last night, I realized that I had not checked their schedule and most likely missed them....

But no...tonight against the Eagles no less...

Didn't they win their last Monday night game?

Go Browns...

Ya know what your problem is...

"No...what is my problem?"
"You are a Christmasaholic..."
"Yes I am....I love Christmas time..."

That was part of the conversation I had with CareBear this morning. And she is absolutely right - I am a Christmasaholic. I love to share at Christmas. It is just such a great time of year to tell everyone you love that you love them and are happy they are in your life.

This year I am so busy and financially hndicapped (aka, broke) that those I love will be lucky to get a box of homemade goodies from me...but there should be plenty of those to go around, because once I start, I cannot seem to quit.

As for cards...I am not snail mailing ... but I have every intention of emailing cards...of course I had that good intention last year...and as my friends and family know...there was no card from my email box...:(

And holiday parties...I miss being able to just invite anyone over whenever I wanted...because my budget cannot support the Italian in me that insists the hostess has food and drink for all:)

But we will keep our family tradition of a movie on Christmas night. Maybe we will add a walk in between dinner and the movie. I love walking on winter nights when it is not toooo cold, but the air is crisp and clean and the lights reflect off the snow....

Then hot tea (or cocoa or irish coffee) around a fireplace...okay, so we do not have a fireplace, but I can dream...that's what the season is about right?

Clean the house?

This morning, G-man asked if I was going to clean the house today...
To that I say (among other things, not so polite)...If you are looking for some of your stuff later, G-man,...well, I cleaned house...:)

Finally...

I got my outside holdiday lights up!

...and I did it all by myself.....

Thanks for sharing, D...

Say What?

Last night before I left work, I called G-Man to see what he was up to for the evening. I caught him in the middle of a nap, but he was able to wake up enough to let me know he was heading over to Ames in a bit...

Me: So, what about dinner?
G-man: What about it? I am going over Ames...
Me: For dinner?
G-man: uh-yeah...
Me: You are sure? You sound a little not sure.
G-man: I'm trying to sleep.
Me: Ok, sorry...I will not worry about dinner for you...
G-man: Why not?
Me: Cuz
you just said you are eating at Ames...
G-man: So...I will be hungry later..I am eating both places...
Me: Say, what?
G-man: Let me sleep..I'm hungry...I'll talk to you later...when I get back..
Me: After dinner?
G-man: Yeah...no..before dinner...bye.. (click)

Ok, then...
(I learned later that he was not as out of it as I thought...he did eat again when he got home...)

Hello Bambi?

I have my ex as a contact on one of my buddy lists. It is a great way to ask him something about the kids or give him some info we need to share and get an immediate response...

Anyway, his buddy status this week has been Hello, Bambi.

Hmmm, dare I ask....

I know it is deer season...and I know he hunts deer, but I will start crying if he tells me he killed Bambi...

Hopefully, he just met the girl of his dreams...

Thinking ahead to the New Year...

Lately, I seem to have a lot of random thoughts running through my mind.
And where do they end up? In an email to the last person who sent me one...
I think my 2009 New year's resolution will be to blog more and email less...or at least more concisely (is that a word?)

I looked at the email trail between my brother and myself today and then between myself and another friend, and I started feeling sorry for them..actually, they were probably feeling a lot sorrier for themselves that they ever sent a simple "hi - how are ya" email to begin with and then even sorrier when they replied to my reply....and even sorrier...you get the picture...

And it is not like I spent all day emailing...I actually had a very productive day at work...let me tell you about it...just kidding...:)

Hmmm....

I was browsing news headlines during lunch break today and I found this interesting article...

Woman Claims To Find Virgin Mary Image In MRI

Wonder what my brain MRI says about me....

Just what I thought - nothing I did not already know....(if you cannot read the MRI, email me for an explanation at phillipia@yahoo.com)

The plan....

I am not one for political conversations....but I thought this was a well thought out plan...

Bush will resign now.
Then Dick Cheney becomes President.
Then he appoints Condoleeza Rice as VP.
Then Cheney resigns two weeks later and Condoleeza Rice, a Republican, becomes the first BLACK President and the first WOMAN President!!!

Think that will tick off the Democrats?


Thanks to MSC...

Not-so-sweet dreams...

I used to dream almost every night...but for the longest time, I did not dream at all....

...at least not when I slept...I mean, I am not dead and I often day dream about that hot knight in shining armor coming to take me away to a life of romance and all that happily ever after brings....but I digress...

Lately, I am back to dreaming almost every night....all night...waking up from a weird one and falling right back asleep into another even weirder one...

By weird I mean all mixed up, people from my past and present all tangled in there together... reality dreams, but not the kind of reality I would want to be living or reliving...

About right now, I could really use a shining knight, happily ever after dream...or reality...

Early Morning Trek...

Traditionally, I fill a shoe (or boot) for whoever is at my house on the morning of St. Nick's...
This year, I just kind of let it slip through...not giving it much thought for a couple reasons.
First, finances are tighter than any other Christmas season I have celebrated...
Second, I never know who, how many, or if any, of G-man's friends will be spending the night.

Well, I goofed...

With G-man's renewed interest in Catholicism, I should have realized that he would be reminded of St. Nick through other sources...

And wouldn't it ya know it, I woke to a shoe set outside my bedroom door filled with one of my favorite snacks - pistachios....

So, I made a quick jaunt up to the corner Speedway....gum, gas card...

Thanks, G-man, for setting me straight....

Thanks in advance, ldboy, cuz I know, after reading this, you will not tell your brother about my lapse of Christmas Spirit:)

I am missing you ldboy, and your sister ...everyone is so busy...cannot wait for Christmas when we will all be together again at least for awhile...

Happy belated St. Nick's to all...

OK, that was fun...not:(

Our house switched from TWC to AT&T the other day...for economical reasons...hopefully.. Well, actually, AT&T installed, but I have yet to cancel TWC...

G-Man uses a TWC email address and if I waited for him to create a new address and get everything he needs out of his old email account, well we may be supporting two cable companies for who knows how long.

So, I decided to help him (and my finances) out...I went through his email box and deleted what he did not need (such as messages from Facebook, Myspace, Friendtrap, and what ever other social networks he was signed up with...) and forwarded anything I thought he may want to keep (such as notes from Mom) to a Yahoo account I created for him...all with his permission, of course...

Well that kept me busy for quite a few hours today....he had almost 1000 unread emails and not quite that many read emails...

What I learned today....:)

• G-man has a lot of friends on social networks.....wow...(I wish I was 1/8 that popular growing up - I may have enjoyed my teen years a little more...)
• G-man rarely reads his email, mine included...
• G-man does not subscribe to any porn sites - at least not with the TWC email:)
• G-man does not have incoming mail automatically add the sender's address to his contact list...which made it easy for me to input his few contacts into his yahoo account.
• I knew or knew about most of the friends G-Man received Facebook type messages from...which makes me feel good that he is following Mom's advice to only talk to people he knows...not advice I always follow, but no need to tell him that...

So now I can say goodbye to TWC this Monday...

Thanks, G-Man for trusting me with your email...

OK...stumbling goes on....

Glad someone in the family has some smarts...never thought of hooking my laptop to the t.v...thanks, G-Man.

At least now I can access all my data (and stumble) until I can afford a different solution....:)

Life is ok again...

Oh noooo...

I am so upset with myself.

I love(d) my laptop....

I was going to take a late afternoon nap today - cuz I thought I deserved and needed it (but that is another story)...

Before I lay me down to sleep, I closed my laptop, with a pen in it...

I did not think anything of it at the time, I mean I did not close it hard or all the way - I just took the pen off of, closed it, it and went up to take a nap...

After nap, I wanted to check my email, cuz I have a tendency to do that a zillion times a day...

That's when I realized what I had done. Apparently, the screen did not like my pen pressing against it and now I cannot read the bottom half of the screen at all and the top half looks like it is on its way out...

So now I need either a cheap monitor and keyboard to make my laptop a desktop :(or a new laptop, neither of which I can afford at this point. (If I am not buying anyone else anything for Christmas, I am certainly not buying myself something...)

I hope G-Man does not mind sharing his computer for awhile....

Forgive me, ldboy:(

Just say "no"...

I found this while stumbling and thought it was good advice - especially for some very Catholic parents I know and love, but just do not understand...

Just saying 'no' prevents teenage pregnancy the way 'Have a nice day' cures chronic depression.
-Faye Wattleton

Further Adventures at Peyton PHlaCe

So coming back after a few days hiatus (aka Thanksgiving holiday), several of my male co-workers have sprouted new facial hair... Hmmm....

• Some of them look bad boy scraggly (me likes the bad boy look)...
• Some of them just look like boys trying desperately for a show of manhood (I liked their baby face look better)...
• Some of them are having a rough time of it (I give them 3 more days tops)
• Some of them are hunters and are trying the au natural bait ploy (at least they did not give up the Right Guard for the office)
• Some of them are just taking Peyton PHlace advice to help promote prostrate cancer awareness (while promoting Norelco shavers).

Seriously, the email sent out a few weeks back encouraged employees to grow facial hair (specifically, mustaches) to raise awareness of prostrate cancer and promote their brand of shavers. I have been trying my best to be a good employee - but it is just not quite working out the way it should, so...

Today I learned...

Sometimes no reply is better...

As many of you know have been trying the online dating thing for a few months. I have met a lot of different kinds of people - most of them nice enough even if not interested in striking up a friendship...

As you may also know, I have made an honest attempt to meet people on line by initiating contact with guys who seem to enjoy some of the same things I do or who have interesting profiles.

Most (99%) of the guys I initiate contact with do not even have the decency to reply after they read my email. So, I just recently started adding to my email that a reply either way would be appreciated...

After the reply I got today, I think I will omit that line...

Thanks, but I already have a DOG!!!

In fact, I may quit initiating conversations altogether, at least until I lose some weight, get a haircut, and can post a better picture...a dog????

Ok...thanks to maddawg98 for putting me in my place:(

Accomplishments...

This is a busy time of year for me...busier than usual this year.

What have I accomplished in the last few days?

• Applied for refinancing so I can get out of the ARM I did not realize I got into three years ago (thank you Countrywide)...
• Cleaned the house enough for Thanksgiving Dinner...
• Cleaned the house enough for a decent appraisal (I hope)...
• Fixed the garbage disposal all by myself (ok, with help from an on-line disposal doctor, but still - I am proud)...
• Helped my friend pack and move (ongoing all week - to be completed by Sunday)..
• Obtained a newer dishwasher (traded the one in my friend's condo for my original issue, falling apart POS) which I still need to get hooked up properly, but hey, it looks nice...
  
• Did several loads of laundry - mostly blankets, but laundry none the less...
• Worked on updating Player profiles for the web so the coach can use the info at recruiting nights throughout the year (to be completed by EOD Sunday, hopefully)...
• Avoided Bally's the past few days (I think moving boxes and furniture up and down stairs a few hours a day qualifies as a pretty good workout)...
• Get the house ready for the cable guy who will be here this week...
  
• Posted this, my 150th blog!!!
  

A christmas tradition...

Our family has had a few Christmas traditions that have come and gone over the years (yeah, we make new traditions whenever we get tired of the old ones).

We use to always have a live tree. That ended one year when the live tree I bought fell over for the third time...out the door it went and to K-mart I went - got the best looking fake tree I could find within my low price range...the kids were not happy with me, but we were not stepping on pine needles in the carpet in July, either:)

After a few years the cheap fake tree got to be looking less and less real - no matter how many lights or strings of garland I covered it with, so to the curb with it...now what?

Well, CareBear and I had been wanting to spend Christmas on a sunny beach somewhere, but I could not afford that any more than I could afford a live looking fake tree. So we came up with another brilliant idea...why not get a live-looking palm tree for our living room and decorate it with lights and snowflakes at Christmas. A new family tradition is born...and we can store the tree out in the open living room all year...awesome!!

That was a few years ago and the kids are starting to ask if I will ever get a traditional tree again...so maybe it is time we start a new tradition...I started browsing online for ideas ...hey, I shop for a lot of things online, why not trees?

And here is what I found...


So...here is where I need some help...I think I want Jose to build my tree, but I have not been saving the bottles. Who wants to join me in Margaritaville?...

Altogether now...One tequila, two tequila, floor...

A question from the turkey...

"Why on this day does everyone feel the need to roast a turkey and candy yams and bake apple crisp and knead bread dough and mash potatoes and clear the table and wash the dishes and fall into bed exhausted when they could just as easily sit back and enjoy a hamburger or a pork sandwich?"

Happy Thanksgiving!

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

Thought for the day...

There are some gentlemen out there...

I knew if I kept at it long enough, I would eventually meet a gentleman in the world of online dating...

Yeah, Bad American, I am talking about you...

You are sweet and kind and sensitive and a true gentleman...

I enjoy our chats, online and in person...

I like that you spend time with your kids...and try to do what is best for them...

I appreciate your honesty and caring about what I am looking for...

Though I may not enjoy talking politics and religion as much as you do....

Though I may not be as good a housekeeper as you need:)

I hope that we will stay friends for a long time...

Bad American, you are one of the good guys....

And I wish the best for you...

I hope that you find that someone special that you just know you cannot live without...

... because she completes you...

Thank you for restoring my hope that there are some true gentlemen and all-around good, honest guys out there....

You are the sweetest Bad American I have yet to meet:)

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for your friendship...

...& Fundraising

The Boosters (aka...Athletic Department Supporters) sponsor a Reverse Raffle fundraiser every january. It is pretty expensive (dinner ticket plus everything you take a chance on after you get there) and more of a couple or group activity. So I usually do not put that event on my calendar.

but...

At the football awards dinner one of the dad's suggested that the group of us who sit together at the football games get a table and go have some off-season fun...

So here we go...maybe...depends if we can get enough people to fill a table that are willing to part with the dinner fee knowing they will blow another few bucks while they are there....hmmm...what do I get myself into?...but it will be fun...and I will take only so much cash with me...and I will leave my debit and credit cards home even if they are not maxed out- I promise...

No more fundraisers, please....I'll buy my kids uniforms and gear....

Volunteering...

I just cannot help myself...
The High School Athletic Department decided to try a different fundraiser this year - a Nautica Poker Festival at the PowerHouse in the Flats (or what is left of it).

Being the Rebel Mom I am, I have volunteered to be a Fee Collector/Shift Monitor on for a couple of 4-5 hour shifts...I have no clue what I am suppose to do...but I was assured that it would be easy and fun.

G-Man wants to know what the heck I am doing going down to the flats at night alone. I said I will not be alone, I am going with another Mom...that didn't help my cause much...but how do you know what its like in the flats anyway, G-man?

If any of you who stumble across this blog are interested in helping a good cause (IMBHO), we are looking for dealers for Thursday and Sunday shifts...I am assured that no experience is necessary. One of the football coaches has supposedly won awards for his dealing abilities and can teach anyone(except me)in a few minutes...

Hmmm...recently there has been an increase in the number of football players caught gambling in the student lounge...coincidence?

I refuse to deal...I am not going to take the chance of misdealing and having some angry card shark follow me when I am leaving the flats at night...

But I think I'll have the O-line coach escort me to my car just as a precaution...:)

Mom's Turkey Recipe

Thanksgiving is at my house this year....and I guess my mom did not like the turkey I made the last Thanksgiving at my house because she sent me this email this morning...

Here is a recipe perfect for people like you-who obviously cannot tell
when the turkey is thoroughly cooked, but not dried out.
(I do not know why you continue to trust those pop up thermometers.)
Baked Stuffed Turkey
10-12 lb Turkey
1 cup melted butter
2 cups stuffing
2 cups uncooked popcorn
Salt/pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Thoroughly clean your kitchen floor and sink area.
Brush turkey well with melted butter salt, and pepper.
Fill cavity with stuffing and popcorn. Place in baking pan withthe
neck end toward the back of the oven. Listen for the popping sounds.
When the turkey's ass blows the oven door open and the turkey flies across the room, it's done!!!

Thanks Mom.

Back to Work Monday...

Not the break I wanted...

Ok, I hate housework, but this is not the kind of break I wanted....

My best neighborhood friend called a little bit ago and asked if she could stop over for a bit. I had a feeling something was up because we stop over each other's house a lot, but we either do not call ahead or call ahead because we want to borrow something or return something...or see if it is a good night to walk her dog...

Well, she told me her family is moving out of the neighborhood for personal reasons. And they are moving this Friday. I am bummed...she is moving only a few miles away, and I will visit until she is sick of me...but it will not be the same as having her in the neighborhood. She has been here since I moved up here...she has been here for all the neighborhood kids whenever they needed anything...and she does not want to go...I wish there was something I could do...

I am getting more bummed the more I think about it...

New Plans...

So the chores are getting there...time for a blogging break:)

This morning, on my way to Bally's, (which I forgot to put on the chore list) I went to the library to pick up a couple of books I had reserved. Going to the library is like feeding an addiction for me. I try to reserve books so I just go in and get what I reserved and get out quick....cuz I could browse all day and not get much else done...like chores:)

Well, the WH library makes the mistake of putting new releases, 14 day checkout - no renewal, right by the desk where ya pick up reserved books. Now that's a problem...because over the summer I started stumbling (in more ways then one) and slowed down on my reading. In the meantime, all of my favorite authors have released new books, and there they were right in front of me...I could not resist.

Needless to say, I have a lot of reading to do in the next two weeks....

But this could be a good thing...because I have a plan...ya see I put the books in the room with my exercycle/clothes rack and I have made up my mind that I will only read while I ride.

Reading can be good exercize...
read the pounds away...
let's see how long I keep that resolution...

Planning my Weekend...

I figure if I am going to blog this morning, I should make it useful...
So...boring as it is here is my weekend to do list...

• Laundry...lots of it
• Clean G-man's room, my room, living room, kitchen, bathrooms, basement...
• Check schedule for OSU game...done - how can I schedule rest of day w/o knowing?
• WHills Library to pick up reserved reading material (thank you Janet and Sandra)
• Grocery list (it's Thanksgiving week - yay)
• Grocery shopping - cuz turkey needs to thaw (otherwise this would probably be on Wednesday's list...)
• Budget - before I grocery shop so I do not overdraw at the grocery store...
• Sunday Mass at 2:00 or Browns game on tv (ok, ok, it is for G-Man)
• Update football profiles on web...
• Add countdown....to web
• Catch up on G-man's calendar
  
• Find some time for me...
• Quit blogging and stumbling and get to it....

I will add to this blog as I think of things to add to list...(you know how good I am at finding ways to get out of chores...)

Happy Weekend!

My Football Hero....

So last night was the High School Football Sports Award banquet.

G-man was voted by his teammates as Best Offensive Back for the 2nd year in a row. I am proud of him because he worked so hard this year to come back after a season-ending ACL tear late last year.

I try to let G-man understand how proud I am of him, not because of his God-given talents, but because of how he makes use of them to better himself and be a good team leader. Earlier in the week I decided that I wanted to do a little something to show him I care.

He plans to participate in a teen retreat this weekend, so I thought I would pick out a Bible and a rosary for him, not just for the retreat, but because he has been showing an interest in the Catholic Youth Group his girlfriend encouraged him to join. (I believe it may have been more of a shotgun type encouragement from her Dad, but that is another story.)

I started with my usual approach to shopping...on-line:) I did find a few choices in the $15-$45 range. But since I wanted this Bible pretty much next day and I wanted to look at it to make sure it was something that would interest G-man, I knew I was going to have to visit some bookstores.

Where to start....not too many Christian bookstores in the area...but then any bookstore would have Bibles, right. And I just happen to know a guy who own a bookstore....And would you believe, he actually has a used copy of an Athletes in Action New Testament. Hmmm, not sure I wanted just a New Testament and not sure I wanted a used Bible....

But then I got to thinking. Until recently, G-man was almost as religious as I am. I want to encourage his faith formation, but I think he may want to pick out his own Bible. So all of a sudden Athletes in Action is sounding pretty good. It's a deal.

Now for the rosary - not at this bookstore. So, I head to the nearest religious gift store I can find. Now mind you, I am looking to buy an inexpensive (~$5) corded rosary. This store has a few different rosaries. And they are beautiful...and they should be for $40.

So then I got to thinking, again...I saw a corded rosary in G-man's car a few months back after one of the Youth Group sessions. I'll bet it was a gift from his girlfriend and he would rather use it than one from Mom....

So last night, just before we were ready to leave for the football dinner, I give G-man a card and he sees the Bible in my hand....

Is that a Bible, Mom. I don't need a Bible - I asked the group leader last week. I do not need a Bible. Why did you buy a Bible?

Ok. Ok. Calm down. I guess you do not want a rosary either...

I have a rosary in my car somewhere...

So why are you going on this retreat? For your girlfriend?

And the other kids...I made a lot of friends in the program and it is fun and I am learning a few things and Fr. Andy is a nice guy...but I am not getting all religious or anything...

Well, just take the Bible on retreat in case you want to read it...or if you want to look up a passage they are talking about...

Yeah, let's hope it's not in the Old Testament cuz this book comes up short in that department. Or maybe one of the cute girls will have the Old Testament and I can be her study partner....

Yeah, that's the G-man I know and love...

Hmmm...wonder if I could get those letters back I wrote....

Ahhh...so that's what I have been doing wrong...

Further Aventures of Peyton PHlaCe...

So I am sitting in a defect scrub (aka, a long boring meeting) when my phone vibrated...yes, an excuse to walk out of the meeting.

After I answer and assure G-Man I will be home in plenty of time to get to the sports awards dinner, I decide to take the long way back to the meeting. Through the ladies' room, past a friend's desk (who also found an excuse to leave the meeting), grab a jolt (gum), and ok, if I have to, back to the meeting.

Sitting there I am thinking that this would be a good meeting to program my phone to ring automatically. I can fake answering my phone as good as the next person.

So I sent a message to my walk-out cohort suggesting we figure out how to do that. He replies 'good idea' and at that exact moment a phone rang. It was not a phone belonging to anyone in the meeting. It was the Peyton PHlaCe phantom phone that we hear every so often. The ringer sounds like an old-fashioned ringer. I am not talking rotary phone bell ringer, older than that - Alexander Graham Bell-Watson age ringer.

And no one knows exactly where in the building that ringer is coming from...it sounds the same wherever you are in the building when you hear it. And apparently not every one hears it at the same time...

My Futurama....

Fool me 7 times...
shame on you!

But fool me 8 or more times,
shame on me...

Yeah, I was watching tv again...

From Scoop Sunday into Blue Monday into White Tuesday...

Sunday was a busy day as far as Sundays go... I got myself out of bed relatively early, did a load of laundry, made breakfast for G-man and prepared to take on the chores I skipped on Saturday.... Then the call came....yesss....

What ya doin, Mom? Ya know we need to renew our phone plan and I have have errands to run - so why don't we go to lunch in Akron?

I will do anything to get out of housework:)

So now I have a new phone instead of a clean house... Scoop, scoop...please be patient over the next few months while I figure out how to answer, text, save numbers, etc., etc...but I did figure out how to take pictures...now what do I do with them?

On the way back from the Alltel store, I did stop at Ballys to work off the Steak'n Shake lunch (cheddar topped fries with extra chesse on the side...yum) and a deluxe topping burger with musrooms and grilled onions (double yum).

Then I headed home to fill out paperwork for a LifeTeen retreat G-Man decided he wanted to participate in...no problem, except all paperwork and registration was due last week and $70 does not grown on trees...but we got it handled...never discourage spirituality in a teen...even if the initial intent is to impress a girl...:)

After G-man left for teen life I did start a few chores and then the call came...:)

Mom, guess what I left at home...the forms and money you for retreat...can you rin them up here?

I am not meant to do chores...I am sure of it...

And when G-man came in the door later that evening, he was upset...hit the punching bag across the basement floor upset....must be girl problems...stay out of his ways and pray for his safety...by morning all was well again...

Except for the swollen cheek...it was bigger and more painful than it was last night...did I forget to mention that above?... ok, that is pretty tough to fake...G-man gets the day off from school... And I am off to a day of meetings and office chatter about what the morrow will bring...

And hoping for a snowstorm tonight so tomorrow is white-out Tuesday instead of black-layoff Tuesday:)

But hope the snow holds off till we get back from Kaiser...cuz the cheek is suddenly worse...

Stumbling....

Wishing I had picked up a good book to read earlier in the day (note to self...start carrying your list wherever you go), I found myself instead stumbling for quizzer content...

I happened upon a Rorschach inkblot test. I like that kind of thing, so I decided to play along...

I stared at that first inkblot quite awhile, but all I could see was inkblot...so, I decided to type in MALE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS....well, actually, first I tried inkblot, but that didn't work, literally....see for yourself at
http://www.virtual-arts.com/inkblot.html

What do you want to be married to me for?

So I can kiss you any time I want...

good answer:)

So if you know me, you know I do not watch much tv...

But I ran a few errands this morning, visited a friend, and came home to try to do a few more weekend chores.

And, if you know me, you also know that it does not take much to get me away from those weekend chores.

So when G-man got home from work and wanted some hanky panky, I warmed that up and we sat down in front of the tv. He was in charge of the remote, cuz I was not really watching...until Sweet Home Alabama flashed across the screen and I said stop there...and much to my surprise, he did...it took me a few minutes to realize that he was not watching it because I wanted...yeah, Reese caught his attention...

G-man actually watched for about 15 minutes until he finished eating. Then he found somewhere else to be and left, leaving the tv on.....and it is just not right to shut off a perfectly good movie with a perfectly good looking Jake....especially when you know the ending is one of those happily ever after ones...except for Andrew of course, but I am pretty sure he will survive and be president of something someday....

Ok...time to get back to the chores...

No wait, G-man's back, with Chipotle? You just had a pound of hanky panky an hour ago...yeah, I know you're growing...so am I...but I am trying not to...

So now we are watching Bruce Almighty...Jim Carrey is much easier to look at than dirty laundry...

Saturday night ...what are all the football players doing at home with their Moms...but I am not complaining...

Hanky Panky...

Since today is payday, and a couple of bills did not get posted yet, and CSEA payment came through on time, I had enough money in my checking last night to get some groceries...

Unfortunately, I just realized this as I was leaving work, so I did not have time to make a physical list. But the list in my head seemed pretty good...

Get the staples to feed a 17-year old active teen...milk, bread, ground beef, sausage, cheese, cookies (big chocolate chip ones with M&Ms....mmmm), iced tea, gatoraid, yogurt with blueberries on bottom (for me), french bread pizzas, eggs, onions, shrimp, butter, pierogies.

We should be good for a couple days...

Rather than freeze the meat, I decided to make hanky panky with it. Try explaining that to online chat buddies...excuse me while I stir the hanky panky....yes, I am alone...I am
just browning beef and stirring in cheese...no, I'm not serving cheesy beefcakes...no they are not stinky...

Only my favorite daughter, CareBear, understood. 'I love hanky panky, Mom. Will you share?'

To the rest of you....it is ground beef, sausage, and velveeta, served on toasted cocktail bread...and it is yummy:) and filling...even for G-Man.

And then the call came..."Oh yeah, Mom. I am working til 10 and don't bother cooking. I am bringing us KFC..."

Hmmm, the one night I cook...but I love KFC and hanky panky keeps...

And I have learned...never refuse a free dinner...

Today's lesson...

I can chat with 2 girlfriends, my daughter, and my girlfriend's daughter while cooking dinner ...and not burn dinner...and only type in the wrong chat window a couple of times.
(I know your daughter didn't need to know that - I didn't meant to tell her, really.)

Another fine day at Peyton PHlaCe....

The CEO sent an email earlier in the week to update Peyton PHlaCe employees on the impending doom...there will definitely be a 5% workforce reduction starting next week.

That has just made everyone...

• Work harder...at finding another job...
• Start wondering out loud...next week Monday? or Tuesday? or Friday?
• Start analyzing what it means when their boss passes them in the hall without looking at them....is he just busy?...is she avoiding me on purpose?...does he hate me because I do such a good job he has to keep me?
  
• Spend more time in hallway conversations figuring out who will get the axe.
• Spend more meeting minutes (as in time, not summaries) discussing who will be left to do all the work...
• Write shorter meeting minutes because most of the meeting was idle chatter about the impending layoff...

More to follow...

A day in the life....

I woke up feeling crappy today and needing a few extra hours of sleep...so I emailed work and fell back asleep within a few minutes.

G-man has a habit of stopping home between his classes at Lakeland and his classes at South. If it were not for that habit of his, I may have slept the day away....

But after I crawled out of bed and made a little lunch for myself, I was feeling quite a bit better.

In fact, I probably got more work done in 5 hours at home than I would have in 8 at the office...yeah, part of that is because I would have went to all of the scheduled meetings if I was at the office, instead of just one phone conference...but that is a whole other issue...

About 6:30 I decided it was a Bally's night. Apparently, a lot of other people in Willoughby decided the same thing. I am one of the strange breed who like to work out by myself. I do not mind going with someone, but once I get there, I like to go off on my own at my own pace; It is like a road trip for me...time to be by myself and think...

Well, tonight I was thinking and wondering...why do they have beach chairs around an indoor lap pool? And why were they all occupied tonight? Ok, so there is a sauna and steam room and hot tub, and you are suppose to take a break after a little bit in them, but these people visit with each other, take naps, do sit-ups and leg exercises...I just do not quite get it...what am I missing?

Maybe it was because the water in the pool was so cold tonight. I actually could not get warm...so I too took a break. But I opted for the hot tub, where it was warm.

After two sessions in the pool, I headed for home. As I pulled down my road, a noticed a van in my drive. Ah, my friendly neighbor was returning some books she borrowed. She and her husband were on their way to the library...hmm, I had been thinking I need to get to the library, so I hopped in their van and off we went...me not thinking that I had just come from ballys and looked like it...sweats and no supporting underwear...bare feet in slipper like shoes...wet, unbrushed hair tied back...no makeup...

Oh and by the way, after the library, we're stopping at our brother's house to drop something off...maybe we should have mentioned that earlier....

Oh no worries, I will just be your token tag-a -long slob.....

But all in all it was a fun evening; a nice little impromptu jaunt around town with friends, all sharing stories of our lives as parents of teenagers, and noone commenting on my state of un-dress - just as if I was one of those teenagers whose parents do not care how they leave the house...hey just as long as they come back on their own power and not escorted by the cops....

Thanks for the joy ride J & G:)