A fun goodbye to 2009!

I seemed to have misled some of you in my last post...

But, I was not even around when the ice block exploded...really...

And I cannot take credit for this:




Or any of the other sculptors cut from the salvaged pieces...

I left Willoughby early yesterday afternoon and headed to Kent.

CareBear and I spent the afternoon making Hanky Panky (aka Shit on a Shingle), jello shots, crab dip, and watching "Hangover" until it was party time.

We made it to the Stone House in time to get a driveway parking spot so we did not have to park at the Church across the street and take the chance of getting towed or hearing an early morning impromtu sermon on the evils of having fun...

Yes Reverand Party Pooper, my head is telling me it was wrong...now move aside so I do not vomit on your church shoes...

Anyway, I think Jesus was there with us.

Because the water fountain started spouting champagne right around midnight...

The party was awesome....

I love celebrating New Year's Eve with friends and family.

I hosted for years, when the kids were all still young enough to not mind bringing in the New Year with Mom.

Of ourse, my parties were a lil less extravagant...

Okay, a lot less.

• I never had it catered with skewers of steak and chicken and stuffed musrooms and shrimp cocktail....
• I never hired a bartender...
• Or a DJ...
• Or a bouncer...
• I never had a trampoline full of balloons in my ballroom ....
• Or a fountain of champagne...

I did have a great time last night, at least what I remember of it...

And I do remember most of it...

Til about 2:00 AM anyway...

Then there is an 8-hour lapse....

Next thing I remember was waking up on the bathroom floor...

But it was the bathroom in the room I was staying in...

And I had my pillow and blanket in there with me...

I do not remember walking up the three flights of stairs to get to my room....

Or why I decided to make my bed in the bathroom...

But I am sure I had a good reason at the time...

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....