Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!

I will say it now, because tonight through tomorrow morning I do not intend to be feeling like bloggin....

Drunk ramblin' maybe....

I've been warned....

Do not fall on my face....

Do not cut myself....

Do not get weepy...

Do not vomit anywhere except the toilet...

Do not hit on my son's friends...unless they are my age and hot, right?

Do not crash in LDBoy's room - I have my own space for the night....

Not that I have ever done any of those things above....

And hey, I'm not the one who dropped the 300# block of ice before it got carved...

Tonight is a test....

If I pass, I may get invited back....

Kids are so tough on their moms....

But I am more beautiful than I was this time yesterday:)

New hair style, new clothes...

Tonight is promising...

Note to self...

I had enough take 'em or lose 'em vacation days saved up so that I should have been relaxing sans Peyton PHlaCe from December 16th through January 4th...

But NOOOOOOO, not me....

There is so much to do that I decided to try to work during the holiday season....

TRY is the keyword there...

If I do not work, it will be there when I get back....

On top of everything else that is coming due when I get back...

For me it is kind of hard to enjoy days off when I know work is just piling up....

And the FPMs will be breathing down my back about why I have not gotten this or that done...

But for the most part, I did stay away from the office and barely (try to keep your mind out of the gutter) worked from home...

Which helped a little....

Because for everyday I was there, I ate more cookies, candies, and other holiday treats that I did not need, and got yet more work from FPMs - because noone else is there to do it and ya know everything is a rush so they get their bonus...

But being at home, I just kept thinking that I should be relaxing and not worrying about whether this work gets done or not, because I am on vacation because if i do not take the days I lose them....

So I got like hardly any work done, except keeping up on emails and my laundry and getting ready for Christmas Eve and baking and cooking and getting ready for New Years Eve and shopping and.....

So what have I learned....

Next year, I will just take my F'ing vacation because I really need it....

Or...

Maybe I should find a job where someone else does your work while you're gone...

Like gas station attendant (she'll ring that up when she gets back...next year!!!)

Or librarian (just keep that book til she returns...next year!!!)

Or receptionist (please hold...still holding...you will be connected as soon as your party returns....next year!!!)

Santa Writes Back...

We, like every other appreciative family around the world, leave Santa milk and cookies every Christmas Eve....

Most times Santa acknowledges the treats.


With a thankful note from him and the Reindeer.

1987: I like free Toll House cookies.....

1991: Prancer says you sure have some good cookies....

1995: Vixen likes your balls...(I think he had to mean the Russian tea cakes)

2001: Rudolf wants the cherry blinks...

Christmas Eve 2005, the kids insisted I leave Santa hot chocolate...not one of their better ideas:

Did you guys ever hear of cup warmers??? Sheesh..

In 2006, we forgot to put out the milk and cookies and Santa had to go looking for them himself.

Actually, I am pretty sure I put the cookies out, but I think the kids were trying to pull something over on Santa. Santa was not impressed:

WHAT THE F#$@ ????

No cookies?

Do you NOT want anything from me???

Didn't you like what I left last year???

Or maybe I am too fat for you???

Ooops...


The house was a total mess when we woke up.

Cookie jars were tossed.

There were boot prints everywhere.

And deer droppings in the pantry.

I kid you not.

But Santa found himself some cookies...

And took all he found...

There was not a cookie left in the house for us to nibble on.

No Thank You in that note...

And not much left under the tree ...

Don't mess with Santa.

That was the last time the kids tried to hide Santa's cookies.

This year I decided to try to make up for that year and all the others that we were skimpy on Santa's treats for whatever reason.

I left Santa a nice plate of mint brownies, peanut butter fudge cookies, 7-layer magic cookies, a few rumballs, a pot of hot coffee with some Bailey's Irish Cream, and a Mon Avie Energy drink.

I am not sure if he liked the treats or not...

His note was a little tough to read....

Sibling Rivalry...

I made the trip back to Akron with LDBoy last night to pick up things I had left there Christmas Eve...

While looking through the fridge/freezer to see what was left that I could leave for New Years Eve - oh yeah...I have been invited back :) ....

I found a full pan of Mint Brownies and Peanut Butter Fudge cookies that I left there at Thanksgiving ...

LDBoy: Oooops...I forgot about these...I guess I will trash them...
ME: Noooooo....cookies and candies do keep well in the freezer....put them back...

Whew...one less thing to do this next week!

When I got back to Willoughby, G-Man and one of his friends (one of my favorites) were in the basement and asked me to stay upstairs for awhile.

It was after midnight by now, so I had no problem obliging. It was way past my bedtime anyway...

At 5:00 AM this morning they woke me and asked me to come to the basement...

And what to my wondering eyes did appear???

Nothing...

...no dust or dirt...
...no trash laying around from previous overnighters...
...no holes in the wall (don't ask)....
...no scuff marks on the wall....
...no crude drawings or poems on the wall size white board...

I was totally impressed and awed...

They picked up ...
They vacuumed...
They scrubbed...
They painted....

For five frickin' hours....

While I slept...

It was like a Cinderella dream come true...

I was so stunned I could hardly get a thank you out....

G-Man: Merry Christmas, Mom...I know it's not a day at Salon Preston, but Dan and I - we do what we can....

You do it well, guys, you do it well...

Thank you!

It is a Merry Christmas Morning!

Yesterday was pretty awesome as far as Christmas Eve's go...

I first arrived at LDBoy's about 9:00 AM and we immediately hit up the Giant Eagle and Target for a couple of last minute things...

Because what is Christmas Eve without the last minute shopping experience???

It provides some good bonding time as well...

Till I realized what time it was and that if I did not get the turkey started soon we would not be eating til Christmas Day...

So back at the Stone House - in the awesome kitchen - I was frantically trying to cut the wrap off the turkey, with a knife, because I was too impatient to wait for LDBoy to bring me a pair of scizzors...

Yeah, you know where this is going...had to slow down a bit to take care of the gash in my arm...

Don't worry, the spurting blood missed the turkey and other food....

And butterfly bandages with a little neosporin and a lot of ice and I was good to go....

At least good enough to supervise LDBoy while he got the rest of my casseroles ready for the oven...

Luckily for him, I did most of the preparation the day before, because he had enough of his own stuff to do without having to do my stuff and worry about whether or not he should take me to the ER despite my insistence that I was ok....

But it was more good bonding time...

Then I headed back North to pick up my Mom and Dad....

And I made time to stop home and see G-Man for a bit.

Long enough for him to help me change the wound dressing and determine it really was okay.

Unfortunately, G-Man had to work for Papa John Christmas Eve, so he was not able to join the family festivities in Akron. He laid the guilt trip on pretty good - must be part of the Catholic influence shining through...

Then I headed back to the Stone House with Mom and Dad...

CareBear and K and Taz were there when I got back. I was excited because they had missed the family Thanksgiving.

K is great in the kitchen; he made one of my favorites - corn pudding...

And he finished up my stuff....

And Carrie continually made sure everyone had anything they needed...

As G-Man said, when they are not there, there is a gap....because they are a big help and great company.

We feasted on ham, turkey, mashed potatos, green bean casserole, salad, corn pudding, and desserts....

But not sweet potato casserole, because we left that dish in the oven - totally forgetting to serve it.

That's seems to be a tradition with us....

Last year left the green bean casserole in the microwave where I had it keeping warm...I realized I forgot it the next day when I went to warm up my coffee...

I guess everyone is just too polite to ask "I thought you were making..."

At least then I'd remember where it was...

Or maybe there was enough food that noone missed it....

Then it was present time...

Not that I needed another thing..getting together with family and friends is my holiday wish come true.

But...

CareBear made me an awesome photo bulletin board....

Included a few photos and left room for me to add my own...

And LDBoy made appointments for CareBear and I and himself at his friend's salon.

I do not have to color my own hair this week...yay...

And it will last a lot longer...

And there is hope that I may be beautiful for the start of the New Year...

And more good quality family time at Salon Preston!

But for right now I am just relaxing and looking forward to another family Christmas Day tradition - going out to a movie.

Have a great day, everyone.

Happy Holidays!!!

That's right, I said Happy Holidays....

And do not even think about giving me any shit about it...

What is the big deal????

Yes it is Christmas...

And to my Christian friends who celebrate Christmas, I say Merry Christmas. (Although, shouldn't it be Blessed Christmas if you really want to get all righteous about it???)

But there are other holidays as well this holiday season.

Hanukkah, Kwanza, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day....

To name a few...

And I have friends who celebrate all of them.

Well some of them celebrate some of them and some of them celebrate others of them, but you know what I mean...

And we do not all have to be Christian, do we? (Okay, forget I asked that - I do not want a lecture.)

Let's just say I am okay with you if you are not Christian...

Who says my God has to be your God?? (Again, that is rhetorical, people...no lectures will be acknowledged.)

Just so you are not killing people in the name of your God or some such nonsense.

So to all of you....

No matter what you are celebrating this season....

Happy Holidays!!!!

Lessons Learned....

As I mentioned in an earlier post, LDBoy and friends hosted Thanksgiving.

They are also hosting Christmas Eve.

It will be fun I am sure...

After we get a few things taken care of...

Ya see, by the time Thanksgiving dinner was served and enjoyed, I was tired and decided I would ask LDBoy and G-Man to take over the clean-up duties...

First mistake...

Second mistake was not believing G-Man when he told me later that night that they had not even looked at what needed cleaned up.

After I left, apparently the boys enjoyed a few rounds on the trampoline and a whole lot of video games...

So when I stopped by earlier this week just to inventory what was leftover from Thanksgiving by way of non-perishables and to see what ovenware I had left there that I could use again...

Well, I found a whole lot more leftovers than I bargained for...

I had left 2 roasters there and figured I really only needed one for Christmas.

I found them both sitting out (not where I had left them) with the lids on them...

I flipped the lid on the one I was going to take....

Holy Green and Black and Ripe...WTF????

Well, you cooked the turkey in a bag - we thought the roasters were still clean...

And remember the industrial size fridge???

Yeah, well there is a downside.

There is so much room in there that there is no hurry to clean out leftovers...

As of last Thursday, there were Thanksgiving leftovers galore...

Green potatos and ham, black beans, and wtf is that???

You boys got some work to do before christmas Eve.

I will be sending daily friendly reminders...

It's A Christmas Carnival!

From now til Christmas....

Come Join the Fun at Humor bloggers dot com!

My Christmas fun began when ex-Mom-in-law (aka Grandma to G-Man) sent him an early Christmas card...

With a nice chunk of change...

And what does G-Man do....


Thank you Grandma...

I have a proposition...

This work week got off to a crazy start.

I finally saw 6 new product document kits through the entire release process...

The FPM for this project (I'll let you decipher the acronym) pushed our team to get these kits through the system over any other projects we were working on.

So he would look good to his managers...

So I helped make it happen - mostly so he would quit stopping by my desk every half hour to check status.

Are they done yet????

How about now???

Where are they????

And just as the last one was making its way through the final hurdles...(more about the hurdles coming in a future post near you)....

Oh, by the way. We have to release a version B of one of the documents in the kit.

And we have to get it translated.

And then we need you to rework all those kits you just released.

And we need to not let this hold up the project.

Suffice it to say, I blew a gasket.

So, let me get this straight.

I rushed through hell and back to get this shit done on time...

Ahead of time...

So you could look good about releasing part of the project early...

And now I have to do it all over again????

Well, yeah...

And you want me to do it right away...

Before I do stuff for that other project that is now late because you got it bumped for your project?????

Well, yeah...

I mean, if we get it done this week, we get our bonuses.

So we want it done this week....

We want our bounuses, right???

Listen...

....you can hear the silence from my cubicle...

...it is deafening...

Oh, but you probably don't get a bonus, do you?

And then he just walks away...

So here is my proposition....

Which FPM wants their bonus?

Which FPM wants Sister Phillipia (she has God on her side) to help them get their bonus?

Which FPM is going to donate to the Sister Phillipia Habitat?

Sr. Phillipia is willing to bargain....

Because, as of this morning, Sr. Phillipia is officially on PTO until the end of the year.

That's Paid Time Off....

Yep, if she does not take it, she loses it....

And Sr. Phillipia hates losing...

That's right. Sr. Phillipia does NOT have to be here finishing up your projects...

...or catching up on all the things that did not happen...

...because you wanted other things to happen first...

...but now everything needs to happen...

...because, well, it is the end of the year...

...and, oh, yeah, your bonus DEPENDS on it...

So what now, Mr. FPM???

Happy Endings...

I was over at Ed's Daily Rant reading And the answer is.... when I remembered that I forgot to update you on the Men of Steel...

That's because there weren't any....

Last week I mentioned that G-Man and I were working a Charity Poker Fundraiser to benefit the high school athletic department.

And the Men of Steel were suppose to be performing in the same building...

Suppose to be is the key word there....

There was a little itty bitty handwritten note on the door that they would not be performing again until after the New Year...

What good does that do me - I am here now....

But the guys who gambled their money into the Athletic department pockets were not as disappointed.

There was a new attraction to the gambling floor this year.

Professional Masseuse service - $1 per minute.

Seriously...

Now some of the Rebel Moms were a little taken aback...

They found it a little disgusting that all this was allowed to go on during a school function - personally, I think they were jealous - but what do I know?

The school athletic department did make a tidy little profit from that poker fundraiser...

Over $30K if my sources are accurate...

So I am thinking with some of that profit the school may soon be developing their own Men of Steel....

And giving masseuse lessons to the trainers...

So next years fundraiser should see even more profit...

Happy endings all around:)

Cougar Prowl

I came across this article Saturday:

Confessions of a Cougar

How appropriate.

No - I am not going to confess any of my past cougar prowls...

Just know that every one of them was unsuccessful...

Lucky for those guys....

'Cuz I had no clue what I was doing...

But I digress...

Friday evening I stopped off at the local Irish Pub to meet up with a football Mom.

We needed to make an exchange of sorts and how better than over a beer at one of the local hot spots?

Her son, QBBoy, who graduated a year behind CareBear and is somewhat of a local hero because of his high school and college football career, was there with a few of his friends.

As were a couple of G-Man's coaches and their wives....

And some other local talent...

The ghost of Christmas past showed up feeling pretty damn good and telling us about his colorful past and how he was looking forward to an adventurous future (by future, I mean the next few hours).

There was "Fuck You" man who could not seem to have a conversation with anyone that did not include several such salutations.

But the best was the cougar...

She kept playing the same song over and over and over on the jukebox...

Or trying to - I never knew there was a skip switch behind the bar...

Apparently she didn't either.

Anyway, Ms. cougar was hitting on QBBoy pretty damn hard.

Buying him fruity shots....

Hanging all over him at the juke box...

Is that you that keeps bumping my song, honey?

Scaring the poor kid...

She did not look it, but she confessed to being a couple years older than I am...

Which is a few years older than QBBoy's Mom...

Well, cougar and I do have one thing in common...

She was not successful in her prowls, either...

At least not that night.

Mommas keep your babies close...

Happy Merry Birthday...

I do feel bad for people with a birthday during the Christmas Season.

Especially kids...

If it was my birthday, tho, I would be grateful...

Just forget about it...

If I do not celebrate a birthday, I can pretend it did not happen...

And that gives me another year to live...

And another year for you to have to put up with me:)

From Balls to Bananas and Back Again...

Recent Peyton PHlaCe office conversation - no lie:)

CW1: My son has high balls, they they did not drop...

CW2: You mean, undescended testes.

CW1: Yeah, that's it.

CW2: Hey that reminds me of something funny. I was getting cigs at the Circle K last night; the girl in front of me was buying condoms and whip cream...

CW1: At a Circle K?

CW2: Yeah, after she paid, she says, ooops hold on and then she runs to get a banana...one banana. She slams it down on the counter and looks at me and winks.

CW1: They have bananas at Circle K?

CW2: Yeah - they have a table of bananas - just bananans...no apples or pears....

CW1: No need for apples or pears where she's going...

CW3: Look what I just got from the party downstairs...ball stoppers.....

CW2: What????

CW3: I mean jingle balls...

CW2: Did any of you take that mandatory sexual harrassment training yet?

CW1: Haven't had time yet.

CW3: No...what a waste.

CW2: Well, I'm taking it now and I think we should all just agree that this conversation never happened.

BTW, I was not part of this conversation.

I was taking my "Sexual Harrasment in the Workplace Awareness" training.

While sitting on Santa's lap.

Taking the Bad with the Good...

I did not want to go into the office today....

It was cold out and I wanted to work from home...

But the Browns won last night...

And there are way too many Shittsburgh Peeler fans (THEM) at the local Peyton PHlace office...

So, yeah, I went in...

And made sure I mentioned the win in every conversation I had with one of THEM....

I actually found reasons to converse with ALL of THEM today...

Happy Friday:)

Happy Holidays 2009!!!

I am not going to send Christmas cards this year, be snail mail or email...

I explain this to everyone in my email signature:

Happy Holidays 2009!!!

In an effort to GO GREEN and CHEAP,
please accept this email as your Christmas Card & Gift:)

So if I email you about anything between now and Christmas you get a greeting from me...

Otherwise....

But then again, you are my faithful readers and you deserve better than that.

So for you, I will share the card I received from my younger, jolly, brother....

When I grow up...Part II

Last night G-Man had a training night for his new job as Pizza Hut delivery guy....

Not sure why he needed that....

I taught him to drive a couple years ago....

What else is there to know???

Anyway...

He still has his one day every other week job at KFC.

Which works out well because the boss likes G-Man and puts up with his one day every other week crap....

So G-Man comes in the door and announces:

I have tomorrow off...from this job.

I am working at my other job tomorrow.

Damn, I never thought those words would be coming out of my mouth...

Music to my ears...

Keep singing, G-Man!

Thank you, Papa John.

When I grow up...

It was just a few short years ago when G-Man got his first local newspaper interview for Player of the Week...

Reporter: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Smartass G-Man: A pizza delivery guy. (That didn't get printed)

Well, G-man has made his dreams come true.

Yes he is now officially a Papa John's delivery person.

Congrats G-Man.

You got your dream job...

Driving around town....

Bringing people happiness...

Listening to your favorite music....

Smiling at the girls...

And congrats to me, too.

Ya see, I know why G-Man was being a smart ass all those years ago...

He wanted to follow in his brother's footsteps.

LDBoy paid a lot a bills delivering for Pizza Hut and Marco's throughout the Akron area...

For quite a few years, until he decided to start working for himself...

The way I see it, G-Man just became a lil less high maintenance.

He will now be able to pay his own insurance and cell phone bill and put gas in his car....

And buy his own favorite pizza...seeing as he gets a 50% discount...

And maybe even save for that tattoo he is wanting so bad...

Oh what fun...

So in a few minutes G-Man and I are headed downtown to work the Texas Holdem Charity Poker Fundraiser for the high school athletics department....

Yeah, since he is 18 now, he too can WORK...

'Cuz I am sure he can deal better than I can...

Yesterday one of the coaches texted me a reminder to bring G-Man along and asked if I needed directions...

I found directions on-line and also learned that the event was in the same building as the Men of Steel All Male Revue...

I quickly texted coach back...

Me: I will be there but I may need a few extra long breaks throughout the evening since men of steel will also be there....

Coach: OK, no problem...just close your eyes when I am on stage....

Not exactly the reply I expected....

Peyton PHlaCe updates...

I know you have missed them....

I have a few co-workers who loves to announce when they finish a stage of a project in an email to everyone they know - especially their boss and boss's boss and VP and...

These are the same co-workers who like to run around and see who is not in the office in case they need them...

To that I say:

Mind your own fucking business - they was here five hours after you left
last night...

or

They gets more done at home in a day than you do in a week here minding
everyone else's....

But, today I stooped to their level ...

I sent out my own email...

Just wanted to let you all now that I just finished my morning bathroom
break. Everything came out fine. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity.

Piss on it....

ONCE AGAIN

I was disqualified from the

neighborhood best decorated house contest.

Something about a bad attitude...

I think it's time to move to a new neighborhood...

Dear 高収入アルバイト,

I am going to reject your comment everytime you try to post it on my Survivor, Texas Style post...

Why, you ask?

First, because I cannot read it....

Second, because I put it into a translator and I still could not understand it....

Not all of it anyway...

And just to be on the safe side, I am going to answer with a resounding NO to what I think you are asking...

NO, I am not interested in playing with your sex toys....

NO, I am not interested in being part of a research group about my increased sexual desires after playing with your toys or reading your paper....

NO, I am not interested in being a high priced street lady part-time....

And next time you leave a post, translate it for me, ok?

Especially since "pressing 1 for English" did not work so well....

Sincerely,

Phip

Is Aging a Disease???

I was with some family friends the other day when this idea that was brought up...

I always considered aging a stage of life...

But if it is a disease, that means there is hope for a cure and I may be able to live FOREVER...

Good for me...

Not so good for those of you who get to put up with me FOREVER...

On that note, let me share with you a beautiful message about growing old...

.......

Damn, I forget what it was....

Oh well...

I'll just leave it to Maxine...

Another Death...

My laptop power cord cable has been acting up lately.

I first noticed last week that the computer was not always charging even when plugged in.

I fiddled with the cord a little and the computer started recharging.

For a while....

Fiddled again....

And again....

Pretty soon I was holding the cord at just the right angle in order to charge or even use the computer.

I got in the habit of propping the computer with a pillow so the cord was at just the right angle to allow charging overnight or whenever I was not using it.

And then - late last night - I unplugged the cord to relax in battery mode on the coach....

Or I tried to unplug it....

The lil end adapter decided to stay plugged in and I was left holding and end-less cord.

Not endless as in never-ending...

Endless, as in without the end.

So if my blogging is a little sporadic over the next few days while I am waiting for a replacement cord....

It could be because I am too tired after long work days to wait the 45 minutes for my company laptop to reboot so I can log into to my blog and facebook accounts which are not deemed company appropriate so I need to answer the "Yes I understand and wish to continue" dialog over and over....

You understand....

RIP Mikey

Our microwave (aka Mikey) died Wednesday....

The funeral will be next Wednesday - trash day in our end of Willoughby ...

I would have preferred a quick funeral but Mikey passed away after the 10:00 AM pick-up.

But if you know Phillipia, there is a lesson to be learned and an opportunity for adventure in everything...

With Mikey, it is easy enough to put stuffing and potatos and turkey in their neat places on a plate and warm them up....

But, with only the stove to work with, I prefer the one sauce-pan approach.

So I used the demise of Mikey as an opportunity to introduce G-Man to one of my favorite leftover concoctions.

Leftover Stew:

Leftover Turkey Meat (White and Dark) - All

Leftover Mashed Potatoes - All

Leftover Green Bean Casserole - All

Leftover Sweet Potato Casserole - All

Leftover Stuffing - All

Leftover Gravy - All

Leftover Cranberry Sauce - All

More Gravy - However much you like

Combine all leftovers in a sauce pan.

Add More Gravy to Taste.

Heat, stirring as aften as you remember, until hot throughout.

Serve immediately.

Store leftovers in the fridge.

Warm up leftover Leftover Stew throughout the weekend whenever you are missing the great taste of Thanksgiving dinner....

G-man was impressed - or at least he acted like he was at the time - hunger does strange things to him.

Who's on 44...

SuperBowl XLIV, that is...

So the Bowns will not make it yet again....

But The Who will....

And I can handle that:)

See ya in Miami....

From my living room....

Open Apology

To all my Facebook friends...

All 101 of you...

I love you...all of you...

For being my friend...

Lord knows, I need all the friends I can get.

So what am I apologizing for?...

For totally and consistently ignoring all your requests to send smiles and join causes and play games and join your Mafia wars and beat your high Bejeweled Blitz score and get rich in FarmVille...

I would beat your score you know...in no time at all..I kick butt at those games...

Because once I start to play, I play and play and play all day and all night until I do have the most fertile farm or get the golden nugget...

I may even miss a few days of work to beat the high score if I need to...

Yeah, I get addicted pretty quick...

Which is why I reject your invitations to play....

It really is nothing personal...

But I learned my lesson that one time when I was invited to try a line...

And keep up with the rest of the line-cutters....

Not sure if it is addiction or competitiveness that makes it hard for me to give up things once I start...

But I am not starting again...so quit asking, okay?

Unless, of course, you like rejection.

In that case, ask away:)

The Closer...

Thanksgiving was awesome...

Well, not perfectly awesome because CareBear and KB were in Michigan visiting KB's family and since they have not figured out how to be on two places at once....

LDBoy and his housemates hosted. And what gracious hosts they were...

I made a couple of deserts and applesauce and sweet potato casserole Wednesday.

The plan was to get up early Thursday and get the Turkeys all ready and head to Akron in time to turn roasters on and make green bean casserole and gravy and pudding pie.

But instead I overslept....

Note to self - no matter how bad that earache hurts, avoid taking nightime cold meds at midnight when you want to get up at 6:00 am to prepare for a holiday dinner.


So I just gathered everything I needed and headed to the big house...(aka big stone
mansion LDBoy and housemates are renting in West Akron).

That ended up being the best decision of the week.

When I walked in LDBoy asked which kitchen I wanted to use. I opted for the basement...Great decision...I am on a roll....

So I set up near the industrial sized oven with the industrial sized fridge and freezer behind me and the awesome industrial sized counterspace.

And for the next three hours I sipped on wine and listened to holiday music piped in from somewhere...

And prepared turkeys and casseroles and desserts....and used the oven they had never even turned on before....

And NinjaAnnie was working in the upstairs kitchen making apple pie and pumpkin roll and cauliflower casserole and a mac n cheese casserole...

While LDBoy and RJ and Spike catered to our every need and kept or wine glasses topped off and set a beautiful table....

Me: Who folded the napkins?
Spike: Me.
Me: When and where did you learn to do that?
Spike: Five minutes ago - I googled it.

And after I was done cooking, I had my choice of powder rooms to freshen up in...

Hmmm, the jacuzzi room or the party shower room...it was a tough choice, especially sine I was short on time and could not enjoy the facilities as they were meant to be enjoyed...

When the guests arrived, the hosts made me proud. I love those guys.

Fiends and family together for a beautiful Thanksgiving Dinner...

Thank you, LDBoy, RJ, and Spike.

We'll be back for Christmas:)

I may just stay after Christmas...

Take my time checking out all the amenities...

Move on in...

I'll be discreet, you'll never know I'm there....

Especially since Boa and I get along ok...

LDboy: Ok, guys...the relatives have been here 3 hours now.
Spike: Yeah, how do we get them to leave?
LDBoy: RJ, what are you doing?
RJ: Hey, has anyone seen Boa?
Grandma: Who's Boa?
RJ: The 7-ft snake that was in that tank by the wall...
Grandpa: He got out????
Spike: Calm down everyone...he's here on the couch.
Grandma: It's way past my bedtime...
Grandpa: We need to go...
RJ: He looks hungry...
Dad: I'll get the car.

Boa, the closer.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am Thankful for so many things...

Today and Everyday...

If you know me at all you know that my kids are my most precious blessing...

I am also thankful for my extended family....

And for my many friends....

My friends are the family that I have found along the way:)

But rather than get all mushy - I'll leave that to the potatoes and applesauce -

I just want to say....

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey be 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!

Happy Thanksgiving !!!

Weekend Past Part II

If you read my previous post, you know I did not do a bit of work Saturday....

Which means I really needed to get into the office Sunday to avoid missing the "by the time you get in Monday" deadline I had set for myself.

Note to self: quit setting deadlines that depend on network connectivity and other things outside of your control....

Such as three hour visits to the ER.

Thank you, G-man.

Yeah - football IS over.

Who would have though indoor soccer could get so violent...

G-man joined to soccer teams this session.

One played at 9:00 AM Sunday Morning. I met G-man at the field as he spent the night at a friend's.

And I sorta got the feeling that if he would have gotten hurt during that 9:00 AM game, he would have felt no pain.

He looked as if he had been up playing ping-pong most of the night.

After that game, I headed to work and then met him back at the field for a 5:00 PM game.

I debated missing that game as I was rolling along pretty good at work.

But after 5 hours of Sunday at the office, I figured I deserved a break.

I got a longer break than expected.

A few minutes into the game and G-Man collided with another player. I did not see the collision as I was at the other end of the field and some people just do not understand the logistics of sitting on the bleachers rather than standing in front of them and blocking everyone else's view.

In fact, I did not even know it involved G-man, because the next time I saw him - about 2 seconds after I heard the loud crash and felt the vibration of bodies hitting the glass walls - he was still playing the field.

And then I saw the ref tell him to leave the field - or at least that is what he seemed to be saying. I am thinking he got carded for playing so rough.

I head down to see what was going on - as he is heading to the concession stand.

Me: What happened?

Him: Nothing.

Me: Why'd you come out of the game?

Him: The ref told me to.

Me: You're bleeding....

Him: Oh yeah. He said I was bleeding.

Me: Are you okay?

Him: Yeah, I'm fine.

Me: Your nose is bleeding and your lip looks split.

Him: Yeah, I need ice from the concession stand.

Me: Did you hit your head on the wall.

Him: I don't know.

Me: You don't know??? I know you have a hard head, but didn't you feel it hit.

Him: What???? I need to get back in there.

And with that he went back into the field.

Not to play - thank you Coach Rick.

Oh he did try to play again, but Coach pulled him right back off. Of which he still has no recollection.

After the game, he was pretty quiet but said he was fine and was going to heat to Life teen at the church.

I followed him because I was not so sure he was fine.

He made it to the church ok and I headed back to work.

That was a mistake. The network had slowed down to a creepy crawl.

It took a good half hour for my system to boot up and then I my cursor was having a tough time keeping up with my 5 word per minute lightning fast keyboarding skills.

Within an hour I was so frustrated I was contemplating just shutting down and heading home...

Then the call came.

This is NurseC. I help at Life Teen and I am heading to the ER with G-man. He is not right. Tell me something I don't know.

Do you want to meet us there? Contemplation over...I'm outta here - thank you G-Man.

Three hours later, a CT scan, an x-ray, a prescription for an antibiotic for the split lip, a visit from a priest in case he needed last rites (not funny, Father Andy)...

Your son is fine, Phillipia. It is just a concussion...

The x-ray showed that nothing is broken in his face.
The CT scan found his pea-size brain and it is in tact.
Give him a few days to come to his senses - call us if he doesn't...
Oh...and you can wake him up every couple hours just to annoy him if you want...

Oh, it was a fun couple hours after that,

Ames and I took turns messing with ConcussionBoy.

Me: Wasn't that a great dinner before the game?

ConcussionBoy: What dinner?

Me: I made your favorite shrimp and pierogies.

Ames: And I made you homemade chocolate chip cookies.

ConcussionBoy: Really?

Me: What did you do with the $50 dollars I gave you for gas money.

ConcussionBoy: I don't know...did I get gas???

Ames: You always get gas...

ConcussionBoy: Did you give me lunch money for this week, too?

Me: Don't tell me you lost it already...

ConcussionBoy: Did we win the game?

Me: you scored, remember? for the other team....

ConcussionBoy: No way!

Ames: They kicked you out of the game.

ConcussionBoy: Were you there?

Ames: The whole time.

Back to reality....