At Home At Last

2010-11-16T16:25:00.001-08:00

SomeONE in my family gets to meet Charlie Batch of the Steelers tomorrow and someone DOESN'T. I'm officially sulking.

I'm not THAT sick!

2010-11-09T11:02:00.000-08:00

Cough cough.... I'm not that sick. Really. Well, not compared to a few days ago, anyway.

Knowing this, when my son called from school to ask me to drop off a folder he'd left behind at home, I thought it would be no problem. I grabbed his NFL Steelers folder and dashed off to the middle school.

I arrived and the secretary was all smiles, but she pulled her SLEEVE over her HAND to take the folder! (Uh-oh!)

I said, "I'm not that sick, really!" (My voice only cracked and wobbled a little, with the most minor hacking cough at the end).

She smiled and just walked away with the folder. When she came back, I apologized and told her I wasn't really trying to pass along germs to her (more hacking coughs, gasping for breath, sniffing).

"Oh no!" she said, "I'm not afraid of a few germs! I don't get sick."

(Huh?)

She continued, "It was the FOLDER. I can't touch THAT. It's a (and her face sort of crumbled as she forced herself to say the word) STEELER folder." (I could hear the distaste in her voice.)

I started to laugh (and gasp, and choke a bit) and then I found out she's a COWBOYS fan. Then I really couldn't stop laughing!

The visit practically killed me. It certainly put my recovery time back a few hours. ;)))

Lights! Camera! LICE?

2010-10-27T04:58:00.000-07:00

I tend to have nightmares when I am stressed. Last night I woke up, terrified of my dream, sure it was NOT a dream, and screaming, "LIGHTS! LIGHTS!" (So I could see if the horror of my nightmare was really there.) Unfortunately, I was not screaming clearly enough and Rob thought I was yelling, "LICE! LICE!" Needless to say, he did NOT turn on the lights. If it had been me, I would have turned on the lights FASTER in fear of lice. And yes, I could have turned on the light myself, but I was busy fending off a monster. So there.

True Beauty

2010-09-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

"People are like stained-glass windows.
They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,
but when the darkness sets in,
their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within."
-Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

I Need a Baby

2010-09-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

I need a baby. What? I'm almost 46 you say? Too old? HEY!

No matter. I just want the baby food jars so I can make these:

Aren't they cute? I saw them over at Be Different / Act Normal (awesome site) and I am now coveting a set.

If you are thinking about Halloween like I am, head on over to Kasia's blog and see the cutest pic of a baby in a Mario Toadstool costume that you have ever seen! (Okay, I WANT ONE!) :) hehe

Whooops!!!

2010-09-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

Today I discovered, to my dismay, that it is not a good idea to shop online for shoes while waiting on hold for an insurance company to figure out your coverage for medical supplies.

Oh, how I love shoes!

Although, if you have a few hundred dollars sitting around, helplessly waiting for you to use it, I highly recommend this method of passing time while you wait... and wait... and wait. :)

Me, I just need to find a good book and let the shopping be. :) Well, except for those new suede boots... :)

Jalapeno Madness

2010-08-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was making macaroni and cheese and while testing the noodles, I dripped boiling water on my lip. OUCH!

(Let me just assure you, there are easier and less painful ways to get plump lips than by dripping boiling water on them!)

So, today I have a blister on my lip and what did I decide to do?

Why, make a recipe with jalapeno peppers, of course! Jalapeno poppers, from scratch, so you buy the peppers and deseed them yourself. Which, I had never ever done before. (Yes, I like them already done and in the freezer section of the grocery, usually. Pioneer Woman, I am not.)

And what is the first thing they tell you to do when deseeding jalapenos? WEAR GLOVES.

What did I NOT do? (You guessed it.)

And what did I sample (against my blistery lip) as I finished them up? Yep. That's right. Cream cheese doused in jalapeno pepper juice.

YOW! (You may have heard a commotion coming from WV today around 4 PM... that was me.)

You may have heard it again at 4:15 PM, when I forgot myself and sampled the cream cheese again. (But you'll be happy to know I came to my senses before touching my eye, which suddenly itched, since I couldn't scratch it, of course.)

I blame this entire event on Money Saving Mom who told me how to get FREE cream cheese at the grocery last week, thereby causing me to have to come up with multiple cream cheese recipes. :) (YUM!) Cheesecake anyone? Lemon squares? :)

So, what do you think? Were they worth the pain in preparation? ;)

Click here for the yummy recipe.

Happiness

2010-06-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

Happiness is...

An air conditioner that spews out wonderful cold air into our home... especially the second floor, which, with no a/c, masquerades as a sauna.

My no-bake cookies will finally set up instead of sitting there in big ooey gooey globs. (Although, in my book there isn't really anything wrong with ooey gooey chocolate blobs EVER.) :)

I think I'll pop in a movie after I get dinner started (in my kitchen that will NOT heat up to 100' with the oven on) and enjoy sitting in a chair and not sticking to it.

Ahhhhhh.....

And, in addition to just enjoying the temperature in here, I get to enjoy being RIGHT about diagnosing the a/c's problem. Yep, I can look just enough up on the internet to be truly dangerous. :) I passed it along that the repair person should bring a new contactor for our particular a/c unit. Did he have it when he arrived? NO! Of course not. Hey, I tried. But I was happy b/c he still got it fixed after a quick trip to pick one up. I just wish I had some electrical knowledge so I could have saved the service fee and installed it myself!

Back to enjoying these wonderful temperatures... (some days it takes so little to make me happy)... :)

A Perfect Week to be Stuck in the 70's

2010-06-28T07:09:00.000-07:00

What a perfect week for our air conditioning to start acting up.

Seriously.

It's a gorgeous week in the 70's. I'm loving it! (And I'm also loving it that the a/c repair person is arriving on Wednesday to save us.) :)

One of my friends commented on Facebook today that it was going to be in the 70's all week. One of her commenters replied, "I've been stuck in the 70's since jr. high school. I still wear bell bottom pants and listen to Tony Orland & Dawn on my 8 track."

I just found that comment to be completely hilarious. :) Makes me want to find my 8-tracks. :) hehe

A Thousand Reasons

2010-06-10T06:09:00.000-07:00

"When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile." Author Unknown

(Quote swiped from my most wonderful cousin Kara on Facebook this morning.)

The Unusually Flattening Adventures of Flat Stanley

2010-05-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

A daughter of a friend of mine gave me Flat Stanley so that I could chronicle his adventures in West Virginia. Silly daughter. Silly friend.

He arrived a month ago, but I am slow, so he ended up celebrating Rhubarb Pie Day with us instead of doing much in the way of hiking up hills, washing the pick-up, or coal mining.

I think he looks like he's having a good time, don't you?

Actually, TOO good of a time! FLAT STANLEY! I took my eyes off of him for two seconds and just LOOK! He is not so flat anymore!!!

Oh no, oh NO! I've ruined Flat Stanley! I told my friend and she was aggrieved, to put it mildly!

Fortunately, I was making a visit to Magee Women's Hospital the very next day and they have a machine guaranteed to flatten anything.

The technician was very helpful and even flattened him on both sides, just to be sure he was well and truly squished. How thoughtful!

So, our trauma is at an end. Flat Stanly is flat again! Plus, he's gone to a place where no "man" EVER wants to go! Poor Flat Stanley! He may never be the same. (I'm also sure I gave the technician something to talk about for days!) ;)

A Perfect Husband in the Making

2010-05-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Matt's only eight years old right now. Still. Read this and you be the judge. Will he be the perfect husband for someone someday, or what?

(Plus, he's just about the cutest thing ever.)

First of all, you need to be aware that our family joke is that dinner is done when the smoke alarm goes off. Ahem.

Here's the story...

For an after-school snack, I tossed a small pizza in the oven.

Then I left the kitchen for the 17 minutes it took to bake.

25 minutes later, I sniffed the air.

"Odd," I thought, "that smells like pizza! OH!"

(Flying dash to oven.)

Pull overdone pizza out of the oven and look up to see Matt watching interestedly. "Mom," he says sincerely, "that looks perfect!"

(It helps when you set the bar low.)

"Awww, thank you, Matt!"

My daughter Sarah walks in and mentions that she actually likes burned pizza.

Matt, not to be outdone, says, "Yes, it brings out the flavor of the pizza."

(Obviously, we need to watch less FoodTV.)

See why I love them?

Wrinkly Boys

2010-05-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

What is it about BOYS and WRINKLES?

Mind you, I never buy anything that needs ironed. I am allergic to ironing. Honest. ;)

Downy Wrinkle Releaser is my friend!

BUT, when you are going to be on stage, SINGING a SOLO, in front of ALL your PEERS AND your FAMILY, do you really want to have on a costume that has been STUFFED into a string backpack for THREE DAYS?

Huh. Tommy, age 12, does.

He's going to be so unhappy when he sees it all IRONED and on HANGERS. :) heheheh ... I am SUCH an evil mom! ;)

And it ends with a Snuggie (could be worse!)...

2010-04-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

Today is the day of my daughter's Strings concert. She plays violin. Want to know when I found out? Yesterday.

So, yesterday I told her to get her outfit ready for the concert. They have to wear a special white polo shirt and black pants. Pretty easy.

But...

You guessed it...

No shirt.

Gone.

We tore her room apart looking for it and it was just not there. Sarah can cope with a lot, but it was a really tough day for her at school. Her best friends turned on her and called her things like, "idiot" and much worse. (Seventh grade girls... save me from the drama!!! And the viciousness!!) Even worse, her chorus teacher told her that she didn't do a good job on her solo and it might go to someone else instead for the big musical next week. So, the shirt was kind of the last straw.

I didn't want her to have yet another thing to deal with, so I pulled things out from every corner of her room today looking for it again. Then I gave up and drove over to Goodwill thinking any old white polo would do for one night and at least she could participate. No white polos.

So, I drove to Target. I love Target. $6 later, I had a white polo. I drove to her school. I dashed in. I asked the nice secretaries to page her. I met her in the hall... and she was wearing AN OFFICIAL STRINGS POLO SHIRT.

(ahem)

I was a tad exasperated that she didn't CALL, but mostly just happy that she dealt with it on her own.

Then I gave her a SURPRISE. I had with me something she has been begging me for all month... a SNUGGIE. She wanted it for a school project. I refused to dish out $15 so I told her she couldn't have one. BUT, Target (I LOVE TARGET) had one for $7.50 on clearance.

She actually squealed for joy when I handed it to her. :) I love a happy kid, don't you? She needed that, I think.

All's well that ends with a Snuggie. :) (Evidently.) (And this school project better get an "A"!!!)

(And I wonder why I get nothing done around the house some days!!!)

A Flat Out Lying Meme (Can you guess?)

2010-03-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

I just swiped this from Daisy. :) Thanks, Daisy! I think it's fun!

Meme: For If Truth Be Told

For this meme, according to the rules, I am to list seven wild or wacky tidbits about myself, at least one of which is true.

So this is my list. It is up to you to decide which ones are true and which ones are outright lies and products of my creative license.

1) I have 2 brothers named Scott.

2) I survived a 6.2 earthquake and a 3-day mandatory evacuation due to a crack in a local dam.

3) At one time, I had 33 collies.

4) Two of my kids are named after former students of mine.

5) I once worked in a castle for an entire summer.

6) In college, I was on the varsity tennis team.

7) When I was 10, I caught a wild chipmunk with my bare hands.

Now, I am supposed to tag seven bloggers to pass this on to, but since I don't actually like memes, and I know many others do not as well, instead let me just say that if you would like to participate, please consider yourself tagged. Let me know you are playing so I can come and read your list too.

Now, have you figured out which tidbits above are true and which are false?

I put the answer in the comments section. :)

(Thanks, Daisy, for the meme!)

It's a Sunny Day... Oh, how I love SPRING!!!

2010-03-27T12:34:00.001-07:00

I have a confession...

2010-03-10T06:53:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I have a confession. (shhh!)

I'm one of those people who plays Zynga games on Facebook. I know, I know. What a waste of time! But, in some instances, the games are quite fun! You think at first that they are almost like Solitaire, but they are not. For example, Mafia Wars is quite interactive.

I've even gained a very amazing friend through it... and she threw a party (and even invited me, a person she had never met, who was playing a fake MW game as part of her mafia). :) Life is short. Sometimes you have to throw caution to the winds. :) And it was the best party ever, complete with chocolate cigars, cool hats, and great music!

But, all that said, it still remains a FAKE GAME. There is no REAL mafia here. (eyes rolling!) Yet, I find that there is an increasing marketing strategy to try to influence people to use their REAL MONEY to play this FAKE (and FREE) game! How? By buying these gift cards! It's true! I saw one myself for sale at Gamestop.

What will be even worse is the day I see a gift card/ game card for Farmville. Use real cash so you can plant fake crops? NOOOOOOOO! ;) Surely, someone will draw the line at that? (riiiight)

After this, I need some coffee. In case you do too: :)

(But, you know, let me know if you want to be in my mafia on FB!) :) hehe

"I need a pig here!"

2010-03-01T07:50:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the trailer for the new "Alice in Wonderland" movie where the evil Red Queen says, "I need a pig here!" And then a pig immediately throws himself under her feet, belly up? (It's such a cute pig, too!)

And she says, “I love a warm pig belly for my aching feet.”

I love those lines! She says them so perfectly, with just the right amount of practicality in her voice, like everyone has a pig to prop their aching feet upon.

Right now I could really use a pig belly for MY feet. I wonder if a collie would work just as well? :) Of course, I'd have to first convince Harley that he should lay belly up on the FLOOR not the cushiony couch. Ahem. On second thought, "I need a pig here!" (Definitely!) ;)

I am a bad, bad mom...

2010-02-25T15:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I walked out to my car, keys in my right hand, SLIPPED next to my car, and was unable to catch myself because I refused to use the hand holding the keys to catch myself (on my newish car). Can you imagine putting a key line on your own car? Too horrible to contemplate. I fell instead. Better to sacrifice my knees. And, OH, were they sacrificed. VERY painful. But, Matt (my 8-year-old) was with me, so I sucked it up and laughed it off instead of boo hooing and wallowing headfirst in the snow, like I wanted to.

Today, I walked out to the car again with both my sons. I made sure the boys were getting in the back seat (so I thought) and walked around to the driver's side. My neighbor was wobbling around in the snow around HER car and barely caught herself before she fell. We caught each other's eyes and laughed and shared falling stories.

MEANWHILE...

I heard a tiny voice say, "Mom, lock the door."

"What? Who said that?"

The voice again, "MOM, lock the door!"

(I catch on slowly.) "THOMAS? Is that YOU? WHERE ARE YOU?" Seriously, I realized I couldn't see him anywhere. He's 12 and was wearing a florescent hat, very easy to spot.

Matt chimes in, "Mom, he FELL."

"WHAT?"

The poor boy was huddled practically under the car because he slipped trying to open the front passenger door, WHILE I WAS LAUGHING WITH MY NEIGHBOR ABOUT FALLING STORIES.

Yeah. I felt terrible. He just wanted me to lock the door so he could use the handle as leverage to get up. That's right. He didn't want me to come over and help him. All I had to do was lock the door. Oh yeah. AND NOTICE HE WAS ON THE GROUND.

I am a bad, bad mom.

Just pile it on, Dull Gray Day, pile it on!

2010-02-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

So, it is a GORGEOUS slate gray day today. Really stunning. A PERFECT day for cleaning.

(Hear the sarcasm?)

Almost made me stay in bed this morning, actually.

But, it was sooo worth getting up. Really.

I've cleaned the trash can, inside and out.

I've cleaned a mess left by my sick cat, the likes of which I hope to never see again.

I've cleaned mouse poo off of treasures accidently left in the garage when we moved. (Treasures which will now be wrapped in plastic b/c I still can't stand to touch them. Ick. Worth my time? Well, yeah. Treasures.)

(Are you thinking maybe the sick cat should spend some time in the garage?)

I've cleaned up the water in front of my dying washer.

(I ate 2 peppermint patties for moral support.)

I've scrubbed carpets in 3 rooms.

I've cleaned up collie fur from places I didn't know collie fur could congregate.

(Mental note: Shave the collies.)

I'm pooped, although I hesitate to use that word after the day I've had!

Someone help me!

A Tale of Woe... of Snow and Amazon and Cheese

2010-02-18T11:15:00.000-08:00

14 snowy days in a row... 3 snowbound kids... uh-oh!

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But an Amazon box, filled with books for the tots.

Thank you, Mr. Mailman and Amazon, for saving the day! It was AWESOME! I could already hear the peace! And quiet! (A sound that quite possibly, after 14 days, felt better than having a entire bag of Dove chocolates all to myself. Possibly. Let's not get crazy.) ;)

So, in the excitement of delving into the Amazon box and parceling out treasure, I forgot about lunch. Cooking. On the stove.

Sniff. Sniff, SNIFF!

Would that be BURNING grilled cheese sandwiches? Tomato soup boiling over?

No problem. I can scrape off char.

In the process of scraping, bubbling cheese oozed out and severely burned my hand.

In my anxiety (and blinding pain) to get the sandwich on a plate and off my hand, I pushed a different sandwich onto the floor.

I was left holding the burning hot UNscraped sandwich while the scraped and ready-to-serve sandwich plopped on the floor.

Now you know why my golden retriever loves me. And why my family asks if dinner is done when the smoke alarm goes off. ;)

And why we better have school tomorrow. ;)

What they forget between third grade and age 45...

2010-02-16T10:56:00.000-08:00

My daughter's Valentine's Days have been ruined forever.

They've been ruined since the third grade. It was a boy's fault, of course. We'll call him Dan.

Dan had been sweet on my dear daughter since kindergarten. I thought it was cute. Then came third grade.

Valentine's Day that year came in the midst of a snow storm. School was cancelled. No one was going out. Evening came along and we heard a large truck pull up out front. A snow-covered youngun' stood on our stoop absolutely laden with gifts to delight his beloved. It was ADORABLE. He had a large card (2 feet tall, at least, that he made himself), a huge stuffed bear, and FLOWERS.

HOLY COW!

How can any guy she dates ever compete with that? You should have seen my own husband's face fall! HA! Oh, I soooo enjoyed the entire thing. Rob considers Valentine's Day to be a Hallmark holiday and therefore to be ignored (lest you become a sheep, forced to follow the flock of Valentine's Day followers over a cliff of chocolate despair).

For the record, to me, Valentine's Day should really be about thoughtfulness and reminding the ones you love that you care deeply about them. So, it's not really about flowers, or chocolates, or cards, but about showing you care. Sorry, Hallmark, but we don't really need to buy stuff to show that. What we really need is a sweet third grader reminding us that sometimes you just need to make an effort, trudge through a bit of snow, make sure your sweetie feels loved. :)

I'm a .... ???

2010-02-14T00:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love this song!

To take our minds off of the overwhelming snow for a moment...

2010-02-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

Snow, snow everywhere! We've stopped trying to estimate how much we have. It's A LOT. The kids may go to school ONE day this week. Maybe. If they can shovel out the school buildings and restore power. It's rather amazing. Still, nothing as bad as what they've gotten on the coast. Back-to-back blizzards? Oh. My. WORD. They must be going crazy.

So, to take our minds off of all the white outside, how about an amusing little picture that tells quite a story. My munchkins, years ago, role playing. The longer you look at this photo, the funnier it gets. Smile and enjoy. ;)

What do you see that makes you smile the most? :)

A) Is it the stack of (wipes) containers that have been carefully placed to "cushion" her head?
B) Is it the lack of any covering?
C) Is it the patient's ability to listen to her OWN heart?
D) Is it the somewhat evil grin on Tommy's face? (hehehe)
E) Is it the high tech tape binding her wound?
F) Is it the high tech tape holding her leg up against the chair back?
G) Is it the "doctor" clothes worn by the surgeons (stolen from dad's drawer)?

Or, something else? ;)

Because Everyone Needs an Igloo

2010-02-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

So, the storm has come and gone and now we have almost a foot of snow. We have really been enjoying it! But, I don't think anyone enjoyed it as much as my boys did. They started making a snowman but decided it wasn't turning out as planned, so they came up with the idea of an igloo. OH, THE JOY! :)

When they were done, they called me out for a photo shoot. They usually don't like my picture taking... saying things like, "Mom, is this another picture for your BLOG?"... and then hiding. But they are my very favorite blog fodder! What do they expect? :)

I was so impressed with the igloo. They had to show me all around and demonstrate how to fit into it (rest assured that I had NO HOPE of fitting inside). :)

My favorite pic was of their feet.

They've since added a flag and peepholes. We've been teasing them that some deer is going to come along and sleep in it tonight to get out of the subzero temps. I have a feeling they'll be charging outside first thing in the morning to check the status of their igloo! :)

Walmart, the Day Before the Storm

2010-02-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

I went to Walmart today. The day before we are to get (possibly) 16 inches of snow. It was a zoo. But, surprisingly, people were NICE. Yes, nice. I couldn't believe it. I mean, except for the few crazies that were trying to get through express checkout with 1,987 items, it wasn't bad at all. One had a screaming baby, so I totally didn't blame her.

I was picking up a grand total of 3 items. Don't ask me why I needed to be out. I laughed at my total of $9.14 (at Walmart!). How is that even POSSIBLE? I never leave there with less than half a cartload! I explained my chuckle to the cashier, saying something to the tune of, "Why did I feel the need to come out in the snow to spend $9.14?" And she said, "Because it's EXCITING." She was completely straight-faced. She meant it! EXCITING. Hmmmm...

But there is something to her comment. Being out in treacherous conditions seems to create a bit of a "Survivor's Club" in the participants. People (the ones who aren't grumpy about the snow) seem more friendly, somehow.

For example, I was standing in the baking goods aisle, trying to read the expiration date on yeast (my new bifocals were brilliantly left at home), when a very nice lady (a stranger) struck up a conversation with me about bread baking. The day is not yet done and we've already exchanged a recipe via email. I actually know her family, so it's not that weird. :) Gotta love small towns.

Then, as I was pushing my cart with 3 items (I don't know why, but that just seems so funny to me! At Walmart!), I passed a man who wanted to know where I got my coat. My coat is at least FOUR years old and (sadly) at any given time probably has a dozen collie hairs on it. But, I told him Cabella's and he seemed pleased to know. He said he liked it a lot and thought his wife would too. He was wearing a hunting cap so I have the idea that maybe an excuse to go to Cabella's made him happy. :)

So, aside from some crazy drivers in the parking lot, and a few in the store (not driving) :), I quite enjoyed my foray into the pre-snow shopping "Survivor's Club." :)

What is it about me that screams, "CLEARANCE RACK?"

2010-02-05T16:31:00.000-08:00

I was shopping at some local outlet stores and I walked by a store that I have never been in. Hmmm... They had a FINAL DAYS CLEARANCE sign in the window. WELL! Not one to pass up FINAL DAYS, I walked inside. :)

It was a Columbia Sportswear store. Now, I just bought my son a winter coat for $15 at JC Penney that was regularly $80. I was in DEEP CLEARANCE MODE. So, I walk through the Columbia store, thinking of buying my daughter a new (warmer) coat, and it becomes QUICKLY obvious that my idea and Columbia's idea of FINAL DAYS CLEARANCE differ greatly.

I just want to mention here that I didn't (for once) look scruffy. I have on a rather nice Cabella's coat and my good (non-scuffed) purse. I am relatively dog hair free (with three large beasts at home, this is a feat in itself). I am even holding large bags (showing that I'm obviously willing to spend!).

So, I am browsing. Salespeople offer to help. I decline. I continue to browse. I work my way back to the front door b/c I am obviously out of my price range.

BUT WAIT! They have suddenly identified me as A CLEARANCE SHOPPER and direct my gaze to the newly marked down CLEARANCE RACK. It is SO SPECIAL that employees are not allowed to purchase from it. WOW! (riiight) But, I start looking. I note the 75% off sign. I spy ... BOOTS! :)

It was really funny because I gushed, evidently loudly, over the rack to such a degree that there was a stampede to it by every other person in the store. I was lucky to drag my loot over to the register before someone else grabbed it! I mean, I nabbed $80 boots for $12.50! COLUMBIA boots. AND a pair of ski pants for my daughter that she's been begging for that were $100... for $15!!! That's like a TARGET clearance price! (And boy, do I love Target clearance!) When I left, the other shoppers had nearly emptied the rack. It was rather amazing. I felt like I'd won or something! :) How much do I love finding things we really need at rock bottom prices? A LOT!

It was perfect timing, too, because now we are expecting something like a foot or more of snow tonight and I see SLED RIDING in our future! :)

Well, What DID I Expect?

2010-01-26T12:24:00.000-08:00

I just returned a pasta pot to Macy's. It was beautiful and $100, so I was looking forward to using what I thought was a quality kitchen product. After ONE use, I noticed rust spots in the bottom of the pot. RUST. $100 pot!!!

It is not as if I let the water sit in the pot for any length of time, either. I washed it out and dried it when the handles were still warm.

So, I found the receipt and the box (thank goodness I still had it) and marched it into Macy's.

As soon as I got to the counter, I heard an employee saying, "I can leave in 5 minutes." So, I thought, "Oh, she'll be right over."

(Waiting.)

(Waiting some more.)

Another employee walked by and eluded my stare, but then, several minutes later, realized that I had a BOX and I was waiting near a REGISTER. "A SALE!" he thought!

He called over the person who must have practically had her coat on by this time. She was grumpy. Now, if she had come right over when I got there, she would have already been done!

I told her what was wrong. The return was no problem. But then she turned it over and said to me (LIKE THIS WAS MY FAULT!), "Well, it's MADE IN CHINA, what did you expect?"

What did I EXPECT? Really?

I'd like to have a few words with the higher ups in the Martha Stewart kitchen products division. I really don't care where the item was made. If it can be purchased at Macy's (with a $100 price tag!) and Martha Stewart has her name on it, I EXPECT a quality product.

So, there is my rant for the day. I wish I had a good pasta pot. Does anyone have a suggestion of one they use and like?

One out of 6 ain't bad

2010-01-12T10:54:00.000-08:00

Ain't? Ain't? Yes, I said ain't. It's the result of hearing "youns" instead of "you" for the past two hours. I really don't mind, but it has this gosh darn effect on me, daggone it.

(Taking off hillbilly hat and putting on my usual one...note I did not say "normal" one. :) I hesitate to read the commentary that word would dredge up when used in affiliation with me. :) hehe)

So, I'm back from my haircut and coloring appointment. There is probably some hip word for all that, but I don't know it. Hey, I finally stopped calling the place a beauty parlor and refer to it as a salon. One step at a time, right?

I now have hair that seems to be shaped like Dolly Parton's (on a pouffy day) and colored like Sarah Palin's. Only shorter.

Ahem.

No photos will be forthcoming.

Still, one iffy haircut out of six over the past year isn't bad at all! I still love the person who does my hair... next time I'm just going to ask her to step away from the hairspray...

(She really is talented... we just had some miscues this time.)

UPDATE: Just combed out the pouf and I actually really like it now! :) I'm so pessimistic with hair. It's really soft and I LOVE the new color. I got a whiny post out of it AND I like it after all. Win-win! :) lol

And it ends...

2010-01-11T07:59:00.000-08:00

The season of Cake Fest is finally at an end! It's been a no man's land for my diet, let me tell you.

We started with a Twilight / New Moon party for Sarah, who had a Thanksgiving birthday this year. Two tiers of strawberry and french vanilla yumminess. The first cake. Devoured rapidly. Ignore the vampires. I almost made a blood red cake to go with the theme, but resisted. I think the girls appreciated that. :)

Note that I was NOT serving wine to 13-year-old girls. We had cranberry Sierra Mist in wine glasses (because when you turn 13, beverages in fancy glasses seem cool). You can see the evidence of this by the 2-liter bottle in the background. Hey, we are classy, too! ;) lol

Then we had Matt's birthday on Pearl Harbor Day. Of course, he had THREE "parties" so he had THREE cakes/cupcake trees. These were devoured rapidly but we were losing impetus as we got to to the last cake.

Here's the first cupcake fest:

And here is his cake on his actual birthday:

Now, I enjoy baking birthday cakes, but even I was losing steam at this point.

Along comes Christmas. Cookies. LOTS of cookies. I did not bake a SINGLE Christmas cookie and we STILL had trays of cookies (gifts). The kids LOVE this time of year. Cakes, cookies, what's not to love? ;)

I said no cookies were baked, but the CANDY we made, well... that is another story. May I highly recommend Oreo Truffles to anyone who likes that sort of thing? Super easy to make! Homemade caramels, orange-cranberry mini bread loaves, and peanut butter balls (they are really BUCKEYES but people who like WVU refuse to eat BUCKEYES, so I've been told to call them peanut butter balls. Hey, when in Rome...)

So, my diet made it to about Dec. 15, intact. No real blows yet, since we gave most of the candy away. Then I just lost the fight. Sigh. New Year's Eve... OINK.

Then comes January... our LAST birthday. Thomas loves Reese's, so we had a Reese's cake. This thing is too rich even for ME.

But first, we started with the cupcake tree at grandma's. (Note the extra awesome new Steelers shirt.) ;)

Then we went sledding to shed the pounds gained. ;)

We went home to THIS.

My dear daughter stayed up with me until midnight the night before putting this together! SOMEONE wouldn't go to bed (too excited about turning 12!) and we wanted the cake to be a surprise.

In case you doubt the richness, here's a pic of the inside... it has pudding, whipping cream, melted chocolate, and cocoa ALL IN THE CAKE batter. The icing has peanut butter, whipping cream, butter, powdered sugar, etc. Really. Four layers of cake... 2 layers of chocolate icing... one layer of peanut butter icing... all slathered in MORE peanut butter frosting... then decorated with Reese's miniatures. Not. Rich. At. All.

Did I mention that when we stopped to pick up VANILLA ice cream to go with it, Tommy fell in love with CHOCOLATE Moose Tracks ice cream and would NOT be dissuaded? Yeah. Well, it was his birthday.

This is how I ate MY piece of cake. You may note that I don't care for peanut butter.

I don't think I've ever eaten a piece of cake quite like that before. :)

So, the Cake Fest is over. Thank goodness! My diet can continue unabated at last! :) I've ordered Jillian's 30-Day Shred from Amazon. haha It will probably kill me.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T14:46:00.000-08:00

I've been reading other blogs about how people have fared over this past year and it's made me think about my own life. Everyone has their ups and their downs. I'm very grateful that right now, things are going well in my own life.

I feel loved.

That's huge. Some people search their whole lives looking for that feeling. I just started thinking about the people I could list that I am absolutely sure love me and I can count on. It's about ten cherished souls. I am so grateful.

I feel like I've come through a dark tunnel at last.

Part of this year has been really hard. Harder than I ever thought I'd have to deal with. Death, loss of friends, uncertainty in life... it all just feels like a huge weight sometimes. But, God really does heal through time. The hurts don't really disappear, but they stop feeling so gut-wrenching and the tears become less frequent.

I guess I'm just sitting here tonight feeling happy. Happy that I can love. Happy to feel loved. Happy to be holding my loved ones close. Happy for all the small things that I cherish in life. It's a wonderful way to start the new year.

I'll close this post with the words a friend of mine shared on Facebook today. I found the words to be very moving. They are words from a Jewish prayer book.

May we lie down this night in peace and rise up to life renewed. May night spread over us a shelter of Peace, of quiet and calm, the blessing of rest.

There will come a time when morning will bring no word of war, or famine or anguish; there will come a day of happiness, of contentment and peace.

Praise be the source of joy within us, for the night and its rest, for the promise of peace.

Ick

2009-12-30T17:37:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I get new glasses... and not just any new glasses... BIFOCALS, the no-line kind.

I'm just not so sure how these are going to work out... I had to pick out NEW FRAMES too (always a trauma). Usually, I just pick out a bunch and choose from the ones my husband likes the best (since he's the one that has to look at me the most). :) BUT, this time I IGNORED him (OH NO!) and went with what my daughter and both sales people liked. Uh-oh! These are a whole new shape and smaller than I've ever worn. What have I DONE?????

I'll take a picture as soon as I'm having a good hair day... which may not be until mid-Jan. when I get my roots done. :)

In the meantime, wish me luck! I feel OLD. Bifocals. YUCK. How did 45 get here so fast???

On a plus note, while pondering my new frames choices, I paced around the mall and found an ENTIRE $80 outfit for only $24 at Christopher and Banks. How often does THAT happen? NEVER! I'm THRILLED. I think I'm going to tell everyone that I bought it to go with my new glasses. :) Best part, I can steal my daughters brand new black suede boots to go with it. (hehehe) Pay her back for permanently "borrowing" my new sheepskin-lined WARM boots and letting my poor feet FREEZE in these low temps we've been having. :)

Random thoughts...

2009-12-28T08:30:00.001-08:00

Today the kids are hiding from me b/c they remember I said it was haircut day. I wonder where they are? ;)

The Christmas tree... well, I'm wanting to take it down today and put most of the decorations away. I always wait until New Year's Day. This is odd. I shall try to resist.

All Matt's new toys won't fit in his room. I was afraid of this. It is time to purge the Rescue Heroes. I think I will mind more than he will. I love the Rescue Heroes.

What I should REALLY do today is defrost the upright freezer in the basement. Goody. Pretty sure I can find enough to do upstairs so I can rationalize putting that off (again).

I have HUGE news in that someone close to me is having their first baby. I am keeping mum under extreme duress. I've always felt that kind of news is best told by the people actually having the baby... and this blog feeds into my Facebook page... sooo... but, I'm VERY excited!

Tommy got an electric scooter for Christmas that goes 15 mph. I think he feels like Superman riding this thing. It is COOL. He's a very careful kid, so I am not nervous about him riding it or anything, but I'll still be mother hen and remind him to be careful... every second or so. ;)

Steelers have a chance at the play-offs. I'd love to see that happen! Sunday is going to be nerve-wracking! Right now, I bet they are really regretting letting the Browns beat them. That never should have happened.

My online buddy, Speedy, is making me pay for popcorn in his movie theater and I'm rebelling and sneaking in my own snacks. So there. HA! ;) (Daisy, are you with me? I'm bringing homemade caramel corn drizzled with dark chocolate. Speedy, I'd be happy to let you buy some. hahahaha)

My gene pool rears it's ugly head

2009-12-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

I have 3 kids. Two have so far escaped wearing glasses. My youngest has my eyes. Darn. For some silly reason I was hoping that since Matt has blue eyes and I have green... that maybe he escaped. Not so. Wouldn't it be nice if you could tell by color?

About 6 weeks ago, he came home with the classic complaint... couldn't see the board at school. He was in tears over a failed quiz in music class because he couldn't see what she was writing on the board. So, I made the eye appt. and asked for a seat closer to the board. All was well.

Every day, "Mom, is it time for my eye doctor visit yet?"

EVERY. DAY.

You have never known a child so excited to get glasses!

Finally, after a month of waiting, he had his exam. The doctor was surprised he could see much of anything clearly at all.

And then we all went to Lenscrafters. It was An Event.

He took about 2 seconds to choose his favorites.

Doesn't he look adorable?

Then, after thinking about soccer, and skateboarding, and sled riding... we decided a pair of sports glasses was in order. Giddiness ensued. ;)

Believe it or not... they had BLUE (super cool) sports glasses. BLUE. His favorite color.

AND the nice man who helped fit his glasses found him a BLUE glasses case.

Just when he thought life couldn't get any better, we decided he needed some easy way to keep the glasses clean. A brief internet search discovered this:

It's BLUE. It attaches to a belt loop so he can't lose it. It's at Radio Shack, a mere block away from our house.

Let's just say that I never guessed getting glasses could be so much fun and delight a child so much!

Lest anyone think I am dead...

2009-12-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

I have not abandoned my poor lonely blog. I have at least 10 entries that I just need to finish up and post. Why is it so hard to do that sometimes?

In the meantime... some random thoughts...

Today I'm trying my second batch of homemade noodles... like grandma used to make. Only, hers were delicious. Mine are, well, iffy. They are kind of more like dumplings at the moment. But, I bought more flour and chicken broth and I'm ready to try again! I am so fortunate to have a family that is willing to try anything. :) One of my favorite memories is coming home from college to see family and then grandma sending me back with her special homemade noodles, so I wanted to see if I could replicate them. Fingers crossed!

Tomorrow I start baking Christmas cookies. I LOVE this time of year! I think I appreciate it all the more for having worked in retail so long and not having the time for so many years. I absolutely revel in the spirit of the season. Cookies, anyone? I ship! ;)

Sunday our family is in charge of coffee hour for the first time. This could be interesting. But, I love the excuse to dig out my good serving platters and fill them up with (hopefully) yummy goodies. Sarah is going to bake her monster cookies with red and green M&M's. I'm doing my old standbys and trying some new ones too, like Peppermint Meltaways. For some reason, those just sound so delicious to me!

So, I'm doing all this AND trying to stay on my diet. hahahahaha Really. Don't laugh. ;)

I did just safely (or almost safely) make it through Sarah's birthday (on Thanksgiving) and Matt's birthday (this past Monday). Do you know how many cakes that involved all together? Go ahead. Guess. You'll never guess. SIX. That's right. We go a little overboard on celebrating birthdays around here. I LOVE birthdays.

Well, that's my randomness for the day. Now Speedy can quit bugging me about my dead blog. :) (Thanks, Speedy! Now, go harvest your dead crops in Farmville!!) ;) lol

Block Party

2009-11-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun with Halloween this year! It's two weeks of kids bouncing off walls because they can't wait for everything to begin! We always start the festivities with a trip to Boo at the Zoo. We have a progressive Halloween party. Our neighborhood block party fits in there somewhere. And, of course, there's Trick or Treat night. This year, all my kids had to dress up five different times for various festivities.

Last night we had our block party. Now, this is quite an event. One of our neighbors is a chef and we have REAL FOOD. He brings out two enormous grills and creates the most wondrous food. Grilled shrimp, ribs, etc. Oh, the RIBS. I think my eyes start rolling back in my head as soon as I start to smell them! BUT, there is more to come...

Here are a couple of pics of last year's party. I had to include them b/c I didn't post them last year and Charlie's grand save of the the grilled meat was truly a brave feat.

Everyone gave a gasp of relief when dinner was saved! ;) Although, I have to say, there was so much food that I'm not sure it would have been missed.

Now, look in the tin tub of soup. Know what that is? Here's a better picture.

Go ahead. You can drool. That's LOBSTER BISQUE!!! Have you EVER seen that much lobster bisque at a block party? Plus, it's the BEST lobster bisque in town. It really is. I think I DREAM about this lobster bisque for the weeks leading up to the party. I bee line straight for it.

This year, I was distracted by picture taking so I asked my husband to get a cup of it for me.

You might THINK that cup in his hand was for me. OH NO! It was NOT. He was so delighted to be eating LOBSTER BISQUE that he neglected to collect my cup of soup. I actually had to stop snapping pictures and get my own. IMAGINE! ;) I believe he had to live that down for the rest of the evening because quite a few people heard our exchange. I really enjoyed that!!! :) In his defense, it does make you forget everything else while you are eating it.

Obviously, I found time to feast. :) Here are a couple of pics of the entire layout.

And my plate... it's a bit blurry b/c my hand was trembling in anticipation of digging in. YUM!

You don't want to know how quickly my plate turned into this. Can you believe I couldn't finish everything? So much yummy food! I definitely need a second stomach for these occasions.

Others did more justice to their plates and then enjoyed displaying bones like a skeleton hand. :) (We are easily amused at these parties.) ;)

We even had dessert. Now, our house was one of the houses responsible for dessert. I LOVE dessert. :) I wanted to make something easy to eat but still festive, so I made candy corn cookies. Which may or may not have been successful because my neighbor thought they were monster teeth. AHEM! Although, when tested as monster teeth, we decided he did have a point. Oh well. I made way too many and now we have a bunch of them here, tempting me.

I think I need to invite someone over for cookies and tea!

Well, after all that food, I have to go nap now. It may take me days and days to recover...

I'm always the last to know...

2009-10-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

Well, evidently, this has been around for awhile and everyone has seen it but me. I laughed until I nearly cried! Maybe it's because I have 2 herding dogs. (Not that they herd, but they just know they could if we would buy them some sheep. In the meantime, they practice on our cats... to the dismay of the cats.)

"What Welshmen Do When They Are Bored."

And if the herding dog video doesn't make you laugh, try this one. :)

Ah, pugs. Just one brick shy of a load. Gotta love 'em. I didn't realize until after I'd posted that it was not very nice to make the sweet pug video follow up those top-notch, brilliant border collies. ;)

Castle - ABC

2009-10-14T15:36:00.001-07:00

If you have missed out on seeing Castle on ABC, here's the complete episode 4 from this season. It's quite good! Castle is my current favorite tv show.

Yep, that's Nathan Fillion from Firefly fame. He plays a famous mystery writer (named Castle) and there is only one way to describe his role in the show, charming. The funny part is that you can actually buy Castle's latest book, which they highlight in this episode. It's on Amazon and supposed to be pretty good!

You can keep the cows at YOUR local fair...

2009-10-04T21:14:00.000-07:00

This past weekend marked our county's country fair and our local Octoberfest celebration.

We have all the usual fairings and exhibits. But I noticed one rather unusual addition this year.

You can have your cows and pigs at YOUR fair. At ours, "there be 'DRAGONS' here." See the "Dragons, Emergency Exit" on the back of the bus? That's right. They bus them in. But still, all in all, a fascinating diversion for the fair goers, wouldn't you agree? They put the dragons to work firing up the grills and toasting various foodstuffs. Dragon-flamed pulled pork, anyone? YUM! :)

I kept looking for an oversized door for them, but it was nowhere to be found. They must have been very slim dragons. :)

It Happens...Whatever

2009-09-30T22:11:00.000-07:00

Some days are just harder to "get it all together" than others.

I used to completely let myself get upset over "the little stuff" but now, it's not so bad. Sometimes you just have to readjust your focus and decide what's actually important.

I just shrugged when I couldn't find a single pair of hose this morning. Oh well. It's still warm outside. I will eventually find that new box of SIX pairs that I just bought.

I just shrugged when I used my daughter's conditioner for the first time and discovered I used WAY too much...and had to redo my hair...when I was running late. Hey, at least my hair is really soft today!

I just shrugged when I had no time to eat breakfast and discovered my "emergency" food stash in the van had suspiciously disappeared. Okay, that one was harder to shrug off. I'm a beast when I am hungry.

And I made it through. It was actually a good day! Kind of relaxing after the initial trial by fire.

Although, I just heard a rather loud noise upstairs. I suspect a catastrophe of some sort. I better run!

Or walk. I don't actually hear any screaming...or see any streams of blood...

Things I Learned Today (and all before noon!!) :)

2009-09-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

Things I learned today:

1) When I enter the WV State Police Barracks, I leave my brain at the door.

2) People who drive enormous pick-up trucks are C.R.A.Z.Y.

3) I can buy more vegetables than I can carry at Jebbia's Market for $23. (Guess what's for dinner?)

Mental note to my children: Do not tell your mother that you feel deprived that you have never tried eggplant (implying negligence on her part) because your mother will stomp right out to the vegetable market and buy more vegetables than you ever thought existed for you to eat. YUM! :)

And there's MORE! :)

Things to NOT do in the WV police barracks (and which I did indeed DO):

1) Announce when being fingerprinted that it was MUCH easier this time than the LAST time you were fingerprinted.

2) When given the form to fill out, immediately fill it out with the WRONG NAME, and then be forced to either a) ask for a new form, b) SCRIBBLE IT OUT (Guess which I chose...)

And yes, I did indeed collect my brain at the door on the way out. Surprised as I was that they let me leave...

UPDATE: A reader just asked me if I was arrested today. hahaha ME! I have never even had a speeding ticket! So, I thought I better make a note that I was just visiting the State Police barracks to see the DMV for a driver's license renewal because the big 4-5 is coming up and my license is expiring. Honest! (My, this electronic metal ring they stuck around my ankle is itchy!)

Vive la Différence

2009-09-02T06:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've been something of a hermit all summer because of those procedures I had done. As a reward, I finally had my hair done (and by that I mean, goodbye gray!) and now I feel better about myself. I've been trying so hard to start caring how I look. I know it's superficial, but a couple of years ago I woke up and realized just how far I'd let myself go. I even purposely used a very blurry pic on Facebook when I opened my account.

So, this summer, I went from this hair:

To THIS hair:

And I have to say it feels just great. The hair stylist tried to tell me that this is my natural color, but I don't know about that. :) I think she was being nice.

After going a DECADE cutting my hair myself and paying nothing for my hair except a $1 bottle of shampoo occasionally and some hairspray, I have a bit of sticker shock, but I figure it'll take a verrry long time to catch up dollar-wise and I should just enjoy it. ;) Besides, it's fun to be part of the "Hair Color Club." Let me assure you, IT EXISTS. More about that another time. :)

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-09-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, maybe not the most wonderful, but being able to go out to breakfast with 2 friends because the kids are all back in school? PRETTY DAGGONE WONDERFUL!

We had a breakfast that lasted THREE HOURS. I think we needed the chat time. :) It was kind of funny, because all of our kids had experienced a meltdown in the last few days. School-related stresses, I'm sure. Somehow sharing stories with other moms just makes you feel better.

For example, I thought I won the "Worst Mom of the Year" Award yesterday, but as it turns out, I had some competition... if you asked a few kids, that is. :) All I did was ask my youngest to change his shorts. Yep. Change his shorts. A calamity, let me assure you. But, one of my friends simply wouldn't let her son have two eggs (to start with) instead of one for breakfast. He could have the second egg IF he finished the first. Uh-oh. Meltdown. We both completely felt better after we shared stories. I love how that works.

And, of course, we had to discuss the school system. We've all now had the joys of dealing with one particular teacher, whom we've nicknamed "Barbie." Ahem. Well, she does give off that aura. My one friend, whose motto is, "if you can't say something nice, sit next to me," thinks "Barbie" is dumb as a stump. Now, I don't know about that, but I DO object to feeling like I need to edit almost everything she writes, especially on the online school site. Silly me, I think spelling is important. (I know, I know, you can most certainly find errors in my blog, but I'm not writing to my students here, either.)

The other problem is her tendency to lack professionalism. For example, when we gave her a fan for her desk as a Christmas gift, she very kindly sent my son a thank you note. My son was 9 years old at the time. She's around 30 years old. She actually told him that the fan would be very helpful with her hot flashes. I kid you not. Tommy was most confused. It was obviously a joke, but for a 9-year-old?

So, my friend, who likes to chat, was talking to her electrician and telling him these stories.

My friend: "This teacher can hardly spell and she's so unprofessional!"
Electrician: "Well, that ain't hardly right!"

Yeah, you have to love West Virginia.

Can you tell what time of year it is?

2009-08-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

A challenge! Can you tell what time of year it is just from looking at these two pictures? :)

First, we have my eldest son, bribed mightily, posing for a picture (greatly against his will.)

"But MOM, you'll just post this on your blog!"
"Of course I will, honey, smile now! And here's a buck."

Isn't he just too cute?

But, he was feeling like he rather resembled a Q-Tip with all that hair (personally, I didn't see the resemblance, but he wanted his hair cut - WILLINGLY - so who was I to argue.)

I chopped and snipped and assured him repeatedly that I was almost done. And, voila! We have one shorn sheep. I mean, BOY. ;) Who is richer by a whole buck.

So, can you guess what time of year it is? ;)

Guitar Hero: Les Paul, 1915-2009

2009-08-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

What an amazing man and an extraordinary life. He'll be missed.

Matt, my youngest son, wanted to know why that last video wasn't in color. I told him it was because there was no color back then. Everything was black and white. I've always wanted to say that. hehe ;) (And yes, he knew I was teasing him, after an initial shocked silence where he was obviously wondering what the world looked like in tones of gray.) ;) But, the neat part was how much he enjoyed the music. I caught him dancing almost as soon as I started playing the videos. :)

I was able to see some of Les Paul's guitars in person when we went up to the Rock Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio a few months ago. It was really awe-inspiring to see them and read the history. I highly recommend a visit! It was fun even for the musically-challenged, like me! ;)

He's Annoying Too!

2009-07-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Lest you think my dear spouse is a little too wondrous based on some of my latest posts, let me just share our most recent dialogue. (Yeah, I'm sick. It's SUCH fun.)

Rob: "Wow, Chris, you are burning up! You should go lay down."
Chris: "I was. I'd rather sit at the computer."

5 minutes later...

Rob: "Chris, have you felt the urge to wallow in the mud?"
Chris: (eyes rolling) "Why no, dear, why do you ask?"
Rob: "Because that is the test for swine flu."

Gee, thanks. That is SOOOO supportive. I feel better already.

But, he is making dinner after working all day while I lounged around the house trying to not feel dizzy. I think I'll forgive him. :)

Unless, of course, he persists in suggesting that the shivering alternating with sweating spells is really some kind of early onset menopause.

Biggest Snake Found Dead

2009-07-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

(Turn up your volume so you can hear the dialogue).

Biggest snake found dead. Click here to view.

I Feel Good

2009-07-20T17:40:00.001-07:00

Rob has been extraordinary Super Husband for the past day. He fixed our fence, found my lost cat, fixed our air conditioner drainage pipe, picked up our son from camp, got our old Toyota ready to put up for sale, AND he spent the day at work today.

Wow!

When he came upstairs after fixing the pipe, he said, "I feel good!" I knew that he would now. :)

I'm really thinking maybe I should have provided something better than leftovers for dinner. ;)

A Detestable Man

2009-07-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

I have an evil and detestable husband.

Evil.

And detestable.

Why?

Oh, that will become obvious as you read along. Rest assured, this story completely undoes any positive (and glowing) effects that he had today when he told me (for the first time in 20 years) that I looked beautiful.

(swoon)

But, I digress.

No, the new memorable moment of today occurred just a few moments ago and sent me running out of the house (into the pitch black night) in a blind panic.

My evil spouse decided he was hungry at 10 PM. (I am on a diet). He went and made a double cheese grilled cheese sandwich. (I am on a diet). It had provolone and american cheese on it. (I am on a diet). It had whole wheat bread. (I am on a diet). He put 7 perfect rounds of pepperoni on it. (I am on a diet). It smelled of gooey lusciousness. (I am on a diet).

He came and sat down in the same room with me, incredible smells emulating from a plate carrying not one but TWO heavenly sandwiches.

I started to drool. I asked, "Can I just taste one?"

"Of course!" he said.

I took a bite. I sighed. It was perfection. I nibbled along the edge. He said, "I made one just for you."

"WHAT?"

"I made one just for you!"

"AAAGH!" That sandwich was way too delicious to walk away from. I had to RUN. Outside. Fast. WithOUT that sandwich.

So, I saved myself from his evil machinations. That Robert with his, "You're beautiful," and his, "Here, I made this incredible sandwich just for you," comments. I am not fooled!

He's just throwing me off my guard so he can lose more weight than me in our weight loss race! I know it! HA! ;) (WINK)

Some Humor Right Now Would Be GOOD

2009-07-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

I hope some of you have some commenting humor in you today because I sure need it!

I just stepped in ankle deep water in our basement. The part of the basement containing boxes and boxes of old (but new) inventory from my online business. Stuffed bears do NOT do well in water. They never learned to swim.

I immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

I told Rob.

He's on it.

Bless him.

I can't even think about all the damage.

Apparently, it's a leaking pipe.

I need some tea.

And maybe some life preservers for the bears.

UPDATE: Minimal damage, all things considered, and my dear spouse is fixing the pipe issue himself, probably saving us a couple hundred dollars. Isn't he great? :)

One Left in the Nest

2009-07-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

This has been a very unusual week in our household. Usually summer is busy and NOISY. Well, this week my youngest has been the only one at home. The oldest two are gone for the week. So, it's a week to spoil Matt and boy, has it been fun!

He has swim lessons each morning and finally got to swim across the DEEP end by himself! OH THE JOY! :)

I think you can see his grin as he takes a quick breather halfway across. It's the DEEP END, by golly. :) He makes me smile.

We also can do other things that we don't do very often with a family of five... like go out to eat! Just look at the fun my boys had last night. :)

Who do you think was having the most fun? The 45-year-old or the 7-year-old? :)

They had a little competition for the winning drawing. You can vote too.

Plus, Matt had an overnight at grandma's house last night. We are seeing Ice Age 3 tomorrow. Fireworks tonight and tomorrow night! Life is good... and I think Matt's enjoyed being an only child for a week. It's rather nice to be doted upon. :)

Doting on our Dear Daughter

2009-06-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

Our dear Sarah is out at church camp for 2 weeks. She absolutely loves it there! The counselors seem to dote on her. I love that!

As soon as I saw her this past weekend (we pick her up for a weekend break... and to do her laundry), she gave me a huge hug and started jabbering about all they had done all week. Then I saw her hair!

The counselors LOVE her hair. She gets these french braids done for her every time she goes. There is something so wonderful about seeing her just beside herself with joy.

Bereft Without You (or Water!)

2009-06-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

Rob is making fun of me for using the word "bereft" to our 11-year-old son. Thomas was invited to go on vacation with a friend's family and he called from the resort. I told him we were bereft without him. He's a smart kid. I think he got it. He certainly didn't miss a beat in saying, "I miss you too, mom."

I love that boy!

But, now I get to enjoy the rest of the day with Rob fitting the word "bereft" into each and every sentence he utters (and he utters a LOT of them, trust me!) Don't think he can do it? Oh, don't challenge the man!

The problem is, he thinks it is ENDEARING.

(eyes rolling)

Okay, well, maybe it is. A little. :) He does make me laugh!

Oh, and to clear the record... remember my Mother's Day and the, shall we call it, LACK of celebration? Ahem. Well, I went and bought hanging baskets and he has watered them for me EVERY day all month. I think he's reprieved. :)

Zippy Cars and Hair-Raising Pickups

2009-06-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

We finally replaced our 1991 Toyota truck a few months ago. We chose a Corolla because we have upcoming teens who are going to be driving in a few years and this seemed a good car for learning to drive. It's zippy! It's good on gas mileage! It's PRETTY. :) Okay, maybe the boys didn't think that was as important, but I sure did! I LOVE IT!

I've been driving it up to Pittsburgh to visit my dad who is in the hospital. I feel so bad for him. He's on his 3rd surgery for the same hip replacement. For this last surgery, mom told me not to come up. It wasn't that big a deal, she said. But how do you NOT go see your DAD in the hospital when it's only an hour away? She said she'd worry if I tried to do Pittsburgh traffic. She said it would be okay, though, if ROB (my husband) DROVE ME. Well, HUMPH. Enough of THAT. I hopped in the car and charged up there and surprised her. I'm rebellious that way. :)

On my way home, I had specific MOM instructions to CALL HER as soon as I got home, just to make sure I wasn't in a horrible accident. I rolled my eyes like I always do when she's overprotective (I'm FORTY-FOUR and she still does this!).

It was a GORGEOUS afternoon for a drive. I was day dreaming and missed the ramp for I-79. Well, oops! I ended up adding 30 minutes to the trip AND taking a tour of the Pittsburgh airport. Yeah, well, maybe my mom has a point. :)

I finally got onto I-79 and it's a cakewalk home after that. La la la ... Driving along...

I glance in my rear view mirror and I see a HUGE GRILL from a PICKUP TRUCK bearing down on me from the SIDE at GREAT SPEED!

HOLY COW!

There's a car on my other side too!

I hit the gas, HARD, and got out of there. OH, how I LOVE my zippy car!

I got as FAR from that pickup as I could and just let him go by. What a JERK. My actual thoughts may have been a little more colorful. Ahem.

Then I noticed that he was weaving all over the road and nearly hitting other cars! So, I just stayed back. Ten minutes later, ALL TRAFFIC came to a grinding halt. I looked ahead and about 100 feet ahead of me I could see an overturned minivan AND a wrecked pickup. Evidently, the truck ricocheted off of the guard rail and hit the mini-van.

I felt so horrible for the people he hit! A fire engine and FOUR ambulances showed up and they still called in a helicopter for a life flight. It was truly a mess, but I kept asking the folks that walked up closer to see it all, and they said no one had died, which was a huge relief.

I have to admit that I was feeling most grateful to be alive at that point. If my car hadn't been zippy or if I hadn't glanced back and seen that truck, I don't know how my small car would have fared. I didn't even mind the nearly 2 hour wait sitting on the interstate. I was just glad to be where I was and not on a life flight.

Did I tell my mom this story, OH NO, I did not! But, today, I am feeling MOST fortunate to be ALIVE.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's the report: http://www.wpxi.com/news/19836278/detail.html

Lucky Days

2009-06-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

I am so happy today! I just got back from what I HOPE is one of my last doctor appointments for a good long time. I actually have the cards in my purse for the last two appointments until another YEAR passes. That is such a good feeling!

But, I was a tad late getting to my appointment this morning. I took a cancellation and didn't realize the interstate on-ramp was going to be closed... and then I got behind a VERY SLOW car in the parking garage. Seriously, I wanted to get out and push the car in front of me... I think it would have gone faster!

But, I eventually got parked and ran to my doctor's building. Door closed. Use alternate entrance. I'm now officially LATE.

And then I had a little dose of reality. As I was starting to feel snarly over all these delays (all because I was fortunate enough to get a cancelled appt. on the very day I called in), I stopped at the hospital reception desk to get my parking ticket validated.

The lady looked at me and said, "Is that all?" I said, "Yes."

But, before I went hurtling off to my appt, another lady just calmly looked at me and said, "You're lucky."

I looked at her and smiled, but I still dashed off as fast as I could. After I was checked in and waiting for them to call my name at the doctor's, I thought about what that nice lady said.

And I realized, I am lucky.

My medical issues are coming to an end, hopefully. Others may not be so fortunate. Before I get all snarly about some little things, like slow moving cars or closed entrances, or lack of time, I should think about that.

Sunk in Depression

2009-06-11T07:56:00.001-07:00

(Because summer vacation will do that to you).

Conversation between my 11-year-old son (Thomas) and my 7-year-old son (Matt)...

Matt: "I just love my blankies! I'm never going to give them up!" (snuggling face into blankies)

Thomas: "Well, Matt, you are going to have to give them up soon enough, when you are dead."

Soon? Dead? WHAT?

I told Matt that he could have his blankies for another 80 years or so, if I have any say in the matter. Then I gave him a big hug. He didn't seem too bothered by Tommy's comment.

And then I took away the Nintendo Tommy had been glued to for way too long. What is it about those things that makes my usually sweet kids MEAN?

Is this evil?

2009-06-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

I've noticed of late that most people that call our home think that my voice is my daughter Sarah's.

Also, of late, BOYS have been calling this 12-year-old, bright, blond-haired, blue-eyed daughter of mine. Ahem.

So, when a boy calls... for the 5th time in 24 hours... and I answer the phone... and he says, "Hi Sarah!" ... would it be evil of me to play along and see just what he's up to?

Hmmm....

I guess it would be.

But it sure is tempting!!!

Relaxin'

2009-05-27T06:21:00.000-07:00

Now, here's a boy who knows how to relax! You should have heard the giggles! :)

Matt highly recommends using a noodle, goggles, Spiderman swim-fins with water-squirting capabilities, and 2 water weights to maintain a calming, buoyant float in the pool.

Ack! My LIPS!

2009-05-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

I have thin lips. Yeah, I know. Boo hoo. I never really cared and I'm sure not into injecting anything into them to make them fuller, but then I started seeing these lipsticks that supposedly plump them up.

I keep expecting one of them to have the slogan, "I'm gonna PLUMP ...you UP." (Thanks, Hans & Franz, for that).

So, when my daughter Sarah and I were out shopping, we found a pretty pink lip gloss and laughed ourselves silly because it is also a LIP PLUMPER. Are you smiling? Yeah. It's funny. It was also half off and just the right color... so I bought it. I feel SO TRENDY!

I put some on yesterday. I love the color. It's pink and glossy. :) But I think it plumps lips by BURNING THEM OFF. :) Oh, I laughed and laughed over THAT. And WHAT in the WORLD happens when you KISS someone with this stuff on? I was afraid to even kiss one of the kids! "ACK! MOM! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY CHEEK! IS THAT A LIP-SHAPED HOLE YOU'VE BURNED INTO MY FACE?"

But, thankfully, the burning wore off and after awhile it just looked like pretty lip gloss. Were my lips fuller? Maybe... from biting them to keep from laughing uproariously the entire time I had it on.

Then I discovered that I BOUGHT THE WRONG KIND! I'm on this particularly ineffective diet that has me on a plateau I cannot get off, and here all I needed to do was BUY THE RIGHT LIP GLOSS!

Loss Gloss (Lip Plumping & Appetizer Inhibitor):
"Now you'll have luscious lips AND lose inches from your hips with new Loss Gloss. Experience a totally unique holistic approach to beauty. This regimen will allow you to protect and beautify your lips while providing recognized appetite inhibitors and sugar blockers.*

Well, what do you think? Is it worth the $7.50? hahaha Oh, I seriously doubt it, but it might be worth it just to have a box that reads, "Lip Plumping and & Appetizer Inhibitor." That just cracks me up!

Mother's Day... a Thankful Memory

2009-05-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

I heard something on Mother's Day that made me very thankful for my mom.

A lady at church who has adopted children wanted to remind us all to be thankful for moms ... and for the moms who raise other women's children.

At first I thought that was very nice, especially since I was adopted myself.

But then I realized how grateful I am that my own mom never made me feel that way. I never once felt like I was anything other than her own child, adopted or not. It was a sense of belonging that she gifted me with, as well as abundant love.

Is He in the Doghouse???

2009-05-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

Is my husband in the doghouse? You decide. :)

Does forgetting your kids are making your wife breakfast on Mother's Day and waking her up 10 minutes before their alarm goes off so that she is already eating when they wake up count?

Does leaving the light on so that your wife wakes up 30 minutes too early on Mother's Day count?

Does NOT SAYING Happy Mother's Day EVEN AFTER YOUR KIDS AND TWO (that's right TWO) OTHER MEN have wished her well count?

Does MOM (ie ME) having to fix dinner on Mother's Day count?

Does NO chocolate, NO flowers count? (BTW, we live 3 miles from a Russell Stover OUTLET.) (Also BTW, in his job as pastor, he gave flowers to THREE other women today. THREE)

I could go on, but I think I can rest my case. What do you think? I think I'm off the hook for Father's Day in a BIG WAY.

Now, in case you are thinking, "OH MY! Chris had a horrible day!" Don't. I'm rather used to it. I've stomped on his feet a few times to express my displeasure and it's okay now. MY KIDS made my day wonderful. They gave me such wonderful gifts, but my favorites were all their beaming faces when they found me this morning to say, "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!" :)

SLAM!

2009-05-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

My poor 45-year-old husband. He went to the dentist today and after they had him in the chair, the dental hygienist asked him if he was working or retired. Working. Or. RETIRED.

He's 45.

Okay, so maybe he has a lot of gray hair. :) Personally, I think it looks really great on him.

But, not only does he now think he looks old, but they told him maybe he should drink his coffee out of a straw to cut down on staining his teeth.

So, he's been walking around all day with his coffee mug and a purple straw and possibly contemplating hair color.

Ahem.

The Explanation

2009-05-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

(My brother just sent me this in an email ... I couldn't resist posting it here).

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Berlin . In order to increase sales, she decides to allow her loyal customers - most of whom are unemployed alcoholics - to drink now but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).
Word gets around and as a result increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar.
Taking advantage of her customers' freedom from immediate payment constraints, Heidi increases her prices for wine and beer, the most-consumed beverages. Her sales volume increases massively.
A young and dynamic customer service consultant at the local bank recognizes these customer debts as valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit. He sees no reason for undue concern since he has the debts of the alcoholics as collateral.
At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert bankers transform these customer assets into DRINKBONDS, ALKBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then traded on markets worldwide. No one really understands what these abbreviations mean and how the securities are guaranteed.
Nevertheless, as their prices continuously climb, the securities become top-selling items.
One day, although the prices are still climbing, a risk manager of the bank -- subsequently, of course, fired due his negativity -- decides that the time has come to demand payment of the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar.
However they cannot pay back the debts.
Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations and claims bankruptcy.
DRINKBOND and ALKBOND drop in price by 95%. PUKEBOND performs better, stabilizing in price after dropping by 80%.
The suppliers of Heidi's bar, having granted her generous payment due dates and having invested in the securities are faced with a new situation.
Her wine supplier claims bankruptcy, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor.
The bank is saved by the government following dramatic round-the-clock consultations by leaders from the governing political parties.
The funds required for this purpose are obtained by a tax levied against the non-drinkers.

Finally an explanation I understand ...

Aja the Angel Collie (I think) :)

2009-04-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, a stray 4-year-old collie was picked up in the country and taken to an animal shelter in WV. He was very thin and very scared, but it was obvious to everyone that he was as sweet-tempered as they come. You can't tell from the pic, but he had a lot of mats in his fur too. But, the worst was how skinny he was. You could feel every rib. I could pick him up effortlessly and he's a big dog.

While he was at the shelter, puppies gnawed on his leg a little too much and Aja started limping. The shelter was nice enough to work with collie rescue and I went to pick him up so that he could be fostered in our home.

As much as his leg obviously hurt him, Aja never once growled or showed any aggression at all... even when my golden retriever got her nose all bent out of shape and snarled at him (she gets jealous of new fosters but calms down pretty quickly).

In some trepidation, I took him to the vet. They diagnosed a torn ACL in his leg and recommended a $1000 surgery to fix it. ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS. The rescue I work with does everything they can to help... especially when the dog is as terrific as Aja, so they decided to go ahead with surgery.

While we waited for the surgery date, Aja seemed to be getting much better every day until we couldn't figure out which leg even hurt him! There was NO limping. He went in to the vet and they discovered through an x-ray that his leg was completely okay now! This was a huge relief to the rescue because they had just taken in 3 puppies with parvo that were on the verge of dying until they were treated... to the tune of several thousands of dollars.

So, Mr. Aja has been snuggling into our hearts for the last few weeks. He's such a charmer! This morning I woke up to my toes being licked (NOT the most pleasant of feelings since I have very ticklish feet!) and chewed upon.... and just as I was about to make him get off of the bed that he's not really allowed on anyway, he SNEEZED. TWICE. All over my legs and the clean sheets. Formerly clean sheets.

As I was distracted by all that, well, SNOT, I felt my OTHER collie, Harley, plop down next to me (efficiently pinning me to the bed... I should have escaped when I had the chance) and start licking my face.

I generally shower at night, but trust me, I felt the need for another this morning! :)

Here are the two culprits:

But, don't let that oh-so-innocent picture fool you. Aja has calmed down QUITE a bit over the last week. At first, he was very destructive. I pretty much kept him with me at all times and kept my ears on high alert for the sounds of teeth on wood (like chair legs). See how the floor is clean in the picture above? Well, aside from the big hairy dogs, that is. :)

Well, for 2 weeks, THIS is more like what it looked like. He chewed up EVERYTHING he could get his teeth into! Seriously, he did all this in about an hour! He's killing that tissue box in the pic.

Here he is up at the soccer fields. Isn't he beautiful?

He's one of those dogs who has never met a stranger.

I have a feeling that he's going to be very hard to give up when he gets matched up to a new family. He's really sweet and has learned so much! As much as he hated a crate at first, now all I have to do is say, "crate" and he hops right into it. He takes treats from your hand as gentle as can be. He's learned to come and sit down next to me when he wants attention (instead of landing in my lap). :)

Yeah, I'm gonna miss this guy.

GET IT OFF OF ME!!!

2009-04-26T05:49:00.000-07:00

So, it's a tick. Just a tiny little bug. Doesn't it look small and defenseless? Really, nothing to freak out over.

NOT!

Really, just looking at one in a picture... no problem. Wait until you are getting ready for a shower and you discover one on your ARM... ATTACHED AND GETTING READY to FEAST. I may have screamed. Ahem.

ICK!

I have my husband to thank for this. He took the boys fishing and found a nest of ticks. Matt (age 7) was horrified, even though none of these things actually attached to him.

OH NO!

I was the only lucky one that had one actually attached... and I DID'T GO FISHING!

How is it POSSIBLE that with FOUR LARGE HAIRY DOGS roaming around, the tick would find ME? Rest assured, all dogs will be bathed today and will receive tick meds! ICK ICK!

What is it about knowing you had a tick YESTERDAY that makes you ITCH everywhere TODAY?

In case you can't tell, as often as I've hiked in the woods, built forts, etc, this is only the SECOND TICK I've ever had and the FIRST that ever ATTACHED. EWWW!

Matt just walked up behind me and in a rather devilish voice said, "TICKS ARE EVIL." He's so funny. He didn't even know what I was typing. He was just still responding to the trauma of finding himself in a nest of them yesterday.

So you can live my pain (because I'm thoughtful that way)...

MIA

2009-04-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it's a wild few months of doctor visits for me. For example, today I got home from the hospital only to find TWO MORE messages from DIFFERENT doctors that I'm visiting within the week.

I'll be out of commission off and on for awhile. So, before all that starts to happen, I'm getting lots of things done.

On one hand, I'm dreading it all and on the other hand I am thrilled to finally be getting it all taken care of so that I don't have to worry anymore.

So, excuse me if I occasionally seem a bit flipped out in my blog entries in the near future. I try not to stress, but sometimes I can't help it.

I guess you know you are having a bit of a hard time when you start to cry at the doctor's office and they hand you a tissue box. I took one tissue and the doctor just calmly handed me several more before taking the box away.

Yeah, I'm a tad stressed.

Collies: Not for the Faint of Heart

2009-04-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

We have here one MOSTLY brushed happy collie. Don't you love his loooong nose? What a sweet pea!

He is happy because he HATES being brushed and he was thrilled it was over. I'm ruthless with a brush.

Want to see why collies are not for the faint of heart? Just remember, this is just PART of what comes off of his coat every Spring.

Here ya go...

Kind of disgusting, isn't it? Almost looks like some small gray animal just exploded in our entry way. Trust me, you should see the YARD. Animal protection services are probably being called by nervous neighbors even as I type.

Dazzling Daffodils

2009-04-04T16:03:00.001-07:00

The daffodils are so bright that they almost hurt your eyes! Aren't they beautiful?

Everyone Needs a Pair of Bunny Ears!

2009-04-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs bunny ears! They make you HAPPY!

My friend Sherri bought these yesterday at Cracker Barrel. Then she made the mistake of showing them to me on our way to the gym. WELL! I thought we should immediately have a photo shoot in the parking lot! It was SUCH a gorgeous day.

I'm really glad we did take pics, because it's rainy and overcast today and I needed a reminder of the sunshine. I was planning to go take picture of the daffodils blooming up at Oglebay Park today, but the rain nixed that. The flowers are so beautiful! What a perfect sign of spring! I can't wait to go see them all in bloom!

Did Ye Know Yon Pirates Can't Sing?

2009-04-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

As part of County Chorus, Thomas received a pirate eye patch. He was to wear it during their pirate song.

So, why are none of the kids wearing the patches over their eyes?

Alas, a good question, observant mateys!

I pondered that very question and asked my son to explain.

"Well, Mom," he said, "The music teacher had us wear them properly at first, but then she told us to just wear them above our eyes because WE SOUNDED BETTER WITH THEM OFF of our EYES."

Because, you know, EVERYONE, especially a pirate, hears notes better when they can SEE.

Coming Out of the Closet

2009-04-01T15:59:00.001-07:00

Tonight we went to go see Tommy perform for the last time as part of the Ohio County Chorus Honors Ensemble. This is a pic of him with his friend Robert. Thomas has the shorter hair. Everyone says they look like brothers, which I find hysterical. They really do.

On top of that, Robert's parents, Sherri and her husband Paul, are taking Thomas on their family vacation to Lake Erie this summer. It's super nice of them!

So, tonight I was joking around about what their friends up at Lake Erie (a place called Lakeside for Lutheran pastors where they go every year) would think about them suddenly showing up with another boy who looks REMARKABLY like their own son.

I told them they'd have to tell people they'd been keeping Thomas in the closet.

At which point Sherri (who's as funny as they come) mentioned that I probably would NOT want her telling people that Tommy had just come out of the closet.

Ummm... NO! I don't think I would want that.

And then for some unknown reason I turned beet red. Sherri REALLY laughed then! She made every one standing there look at my face. How many 44-year-old people BLUSH? Pathetic.

My husband hugged me in sympathy, but they KEPT LAUGHING. :)

Ah well, if you can't let your friends laugh at you, who can you? :)

You Collect Teapots; I Collect Noodle Makers

2009-03-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

Some people out there collect things like bears or teapots or dolls. Not I! Oh no, that would be too normal.

It started when I was a child and saw my grandma making her special homemade noodles for holiday dinners. She knew how much I loved them and as I got older, would send a bowl home with me so I wouldn't starve while away at college. :) I always felt so special when she put some in a container just for me because our entire family loved the noodles. She was just showing me she cared since I was away from home and couldn't join in family celebrations all the time.

So, this memory has always been with me, and when I hit 40, for some reason I decided to try to make noodles myself, probably because we finally had a house with enough counter space to do this sort of thing.

I have my trusty KitchenAid Mixer with a dough hook, so I just needed a noodle maker. Grandma cut them with a knife, but I wanted a method that was a little more speedy.

Do you KNOW how expensive noodle makers are? VERY expensive, let me tell you, even just an attachment for my mixer. I decided to go the garage sale route and I FOUND one for a mere five bucks. WOW! Much better than $50 - $100! I happily purchased it.

I looked up noodle recipes.

I found noodle drying racks on eBay and considered a purchase.

I looked at the noodle machine.

I put the machine (still in the box) in a corner of the kitchen.

That was 3 years ago. Let's just say it's dusty now.

OOPS. :)

Then the noodle craze hit me again. I was at our church rummage sale and there it was. The PERFECT noodle maker! I immediately realized that my problem was that I had THE WRONG KIND OF NOODLE MAKER.

Obviously, this was the answer. I snatched up the new (to me) noodle maker for a whopping $3.

Today I looked up noodle recipes.

My husband laughed when I mentioned I needed a noodle drying rack.

I put the machine on the counter.

That was this past weekend.

So, what do you think? Will I make noodles anytime soon? :) Or, am I just a strange noodle machine collecting woman? Wait. Don't answer that. :)

Just WHAT Was IN That Cake?

2009-03-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

One of my dearest friends was having a birthday and I begged her to let me bake the cake. I don't make the most beautiful cakes, but I sure have fun doing them! And THIS time something amazing and new happened!

But, you have to wait for that detail. :)

I didn't have much time to come up with a theme for this cake, and who really wants to be reminded of a number when you get past 40? NOT ME! :) So, I decided to make the inside of the cake worthy of being fifty-ONEderful and not the outside. The outside can be 39 forever. :) I just made sure I used her favorite colors.

See the first pic? The cake matches her shirt. :) Favorite colors.

But here was the yummy part... it had THREE layers. I love a tall cake!

Strawberry / french vanilla swirl cake
layer of chocolate icing
Dark chocolate fudge cake
layer of chocolate icing
Strawberry / french vanilla swirl cake

All smothered in a buttercream frosting. I used LOTS of frosting. MMMMMMMMMM

Here's what it looked like after we demolished half of it:

And now for the best part. I never care if anyone actually thanks me for a cake. I just want to know that they LIKED it. So, I'm sitting at the table, ready to dig in, when I hear strange noises coming from across the table. VERY strange noises. LIKE MOANING. I glance over and notice that one of the guests has already eaten half of his cake. I was startled, so I was a bit tactless and said, "Dan, are you MOANING?" It was so cute because he laughed a bit self-consciously and just KEPT EATING.

I've never made a man moan over a cake before. :)

Maybe I should start serving more cake! :)

Good Golly, Miss Dolly!

2009-03-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well. You learn ALL KINDS of things about people at the gym.

I previously posted about the friend I scared while she was on the stationary bike.

She bided her time, but last Thursday, she hid in the changing rooms and jumped out at me as I was walking into the pool room... right as I was walking past a mirror (thinking no one was around) and adjusting my suit. Okay, okay, so MAYBE I deserved that after giving her several gray hairs last week.

But, you know, I couldn't let it rest there...

After working out in the pool, some of us got in the hot tub. I LOVE the hot tub. It was a bit crowded and we were all talking a mile a minute.

So, Sherri is talking and I glance at her... and I notice her suit TOP has BALLOONED up so much that it is ABOUT TO TOUCH HER CHIN. All those little air bubbles in the hot tub have apparently collected in one central location and they are giving her QUITE THE ENHANCED LOOK!

Now, being a good friend, I turned away so I could laugh and not make her feel awkward. And I really meant to tell her! Really!

But, as it happened, she looked down and noticed first. I believe because the huge "chest suit bubble" touched her chin or impaired her ability to speak.

Ahem.

Oh, I'm gonna pay for this post.

Here's her new pic on Facebook (she chose it herself!!):

I think she's enjoying the harassment, don't you? I mean, really! She's just ASKING for the nickname of DOLLY! :)

What Color is the White House?

2009-03-22T12:02:00.001-07:00

Here's a picture of one of the most famous buildings in our country. What color do you see?

Keep that in mind.

So, my son is in fifth grade and in the delightful public school system in WV. This is one of the better districts in the state. This is one of the best elementary schools in our district.

Keep that in mind too.

One of his assignments for social studies is often a map of a particular battle in US history. The teacher is VERY particular about how these are COLORED. Yes, they receive a grade largely based on COLORING. (Did I mention this is fifth grade?)

Earlier in the year, Tommy came home with a map that had a B+ grade. Everything on it was correct EXCEPT that he didn't use VARYING COLORS OF FLESH-COLORED crayons for the teeny-tiny little faces of the armed forces.

Yes, you read that right.

This teacher is a stickler for authentic.

But, now I am worried because a month ago he came home with a map to be colored and on the map was the WHITE HOUSE. THE WHITE HOUSE. What color would you color the White House?

Guess.

Really.

Would you leave it white and not color it? Would you use a white crayon? Remember, Tommy's has gotten a lower grade for not being authentic!

I bet you would have left it white and you would have gotten a B on YOUR map!

No, no, I'm not crazy. This is A REAL STORY. The WHITE HOUSE had to be COLORED. So, Tommy chose yellow.

Guess what grade he got on his WHITE HOUSE that was YELLOW map? He got an A.

I am afraid. Very afraid.

YOU'RE SLACKIN'!!!!

2009-03-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

Mental note... if you wish to KEEP your friends, do NOT sneak up behind one of them at the gym and yell, "SCHAFER, YOU'RE SLACKIN'" in her ears.

She might SCREAM, and nearly fall off the stationary bike she's riding. And her heart rate might accelerate to the point where she passes out. And then the gym employees might have to call 911 and then escort you from the building...

Oh. Wait. That didn't happen.

But, I did yell, and my friend Sherri did scream. Rather loudly. Loud enough to turn all heads, as a matter of fact.

I think she should thank me for getting her heart rate up, don't you? :) That is, if she's still speaking to me. I do know this, I'll be watchin' my back at the gym! :)

Help! I'm a Facebook Addict!

2009-03-12T09:07:00.000-07:00

I've been off of blogging for a bit. Why? Because I've been addicted to Facebook and online Scrabble! Someone save me! :)

Today I ran into a friend I play online Scrabble with. We were both at Kroger. We hadn't seen each other in months and after the 30 seconds of "catch up" time, the "Scrabble Babble" began.
"Did we finish that last game?"
"No, it's your move!"
"Hurry up because I want to finally win a game!"
and on...

Then I dashed home and ran to the computer to see how my other friend (I have 2) played her last move. She's another friend on Facebook and I haven't seen her in YEARS. So, we chat while we play and it's great.

I realized how much I've been playing when I walked through our TV room last night and saw Wheel of Fortune was on. They solved the puzzle without CALLING THE Q. The Q is worth TEN POINTS! You always play it! Oh! Wait. That's Scrabble.

Uh-oh.

Is there a 10-step program for Facebook Scrabble addicts? Hello, my name is Christen and...

In an attempt to hurry Spring along...

2009-03-03T06:19:00.000-08:00

I've decided to start planning SUMMER. What the heck, right? Spring is taking her good 'ole time arriving, so I'll just skip right to the good stuff. VACATION. :)

One of my friends has invited one of my sons on a week's vacation with them in July. This is VERY funny because not only do our sons look like BROTHERS, but their dads are BOTH named Robert Paul and are BOTH ministers in town. Anyway, Thomas is going to have a marvelous time with them. It will even give him a chance to see how a NORMAL family interacts. :) I'm jealous.

This got me thinking about what I want to do this summer too!

We always go to an amusement park at least once. We love that!

But this year I want to go to the Rock Hall of Fame in Cleveland too. Rob LOVES it there but I've never been. We are taking our neighbor friends with us. Doesn't that sound like fun? Isn't it a cool building? I know next to nothing about music so I'll have to do research or something before we go. I am looking forward to it!

And I've also just discovered that the rescue group I work with that is headquartered in Columbus, OH, is having their reunion in June. COLLIES, collies everywhere!!! Everyone brings their own dog and their foster dogs and it's just a grand time. Or, so I've heard. I've missed the first three of them. But, this is the year!! Here are some pics from the 2008 reunion. It will be so wonderful to see how some of the dogs we've helped in the past have found their place in the world.

Plus, I've decided to inflict myself on some college friends this summer. I really meant to see my old roommates LAST summer, but I cancelled for stupid reasons. Like they cared if I looked horrendous. I'm much better now. Someone told me that as your kids grow up, and start to need you a little less, it's like you come out of a cocoon. That is exactly how I feel. After ignoring myself for a decade, I'm figuring out how to be back in the big world again. :) I got my hair done. I'm whipping my body back into shape. It just all feels SO GOOD.

Summertime, here I come!!! :)

If You Are Ready for SPRING, Raise Your Hand!

2009-03-02T08:16:00.000-08:00

Are you? Are you ready for SPRING? Because I AM!

I read about the gigantic snow storms on the coast and let me just assure you, BETTER THERE THAN HERE.

I LOVE snow, but we've had enough this year, thank you very much. Plus, it is MARCH.

I want to see new green sprouts of grass.

I want to see daffodils filling the flower boxes.

I want to see baby bunnies hopping madly across the lawn.

I want to go hiking on my favorite trail and see everything lush and green again.

SPRING!

I can't WAIT!

An Illuminating Experience

2009-02-25T06:57:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I had my youngest home from school with me. He's sick. Again. We REALLY should have gotten him a flu shot like we did last year.

It made for a long day. I love getting to spend the extra time with him, but sick kids are just needy.

So, evening comes along. It's 11:30 PM and I'm showered and ready to call it a night. Suddenly, I decide to do LAUNDRY. This is SO ME. Middle of the night cleaning frenzy. I work a bit then sit down to play some online Scrabble. I just need some alone time, you know?

I chat online.

Play more Scrabble.

Comment on some blogs.

You know how it goes.

Suddenly, it is 4 AM! HOW did that HAPPEN?

I dash upstairs and try to get some sleep asap.

This morning I'm drinking my tea (and yawning), when my NEIGHBOR (and best friend) calls.

"WHAT were you DOING last night? Are you OKAY?" she wants to know.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

Well, it turns out she came downstairs in her OWN home last night and said that MY house was lit up like a BEACON in the night to the point were she DIDN'T NEED TO USE A LIGHT TO GET DOWN HER OWN STAIRS (yeah, our houses aren't that far apart).

And the funniest part of it all is that SHE'S ILL and she wants to know if I'M okay. Heck, I was just cleaning a bit and goofing around on the computer. I'm feeling a tad guilty that I worried her to such a degree that she'd call to check on me feeling like she does!

Plus, a bit disconcerted that THE NEIGHBORHOOD is aware of WHAT I'M UP TO AT NIGHT. EEKS! :)

An Adoption Story

2009-02-22T21:06:00.000-08:00

Friday I wrote about my first memory which involved my parents adopting my brother Scott. Today I thought I'd tell you a little more about that story, mostly because I love it and it always makes me smile. I hope it makes you smile too. :)

I've never asked why and the information was never volunteered, but my parents did not have biological children. After about 6 years of being married, they decided to adopt. My mom in particular had prayed about this decision for a very long time. Years.

So, they dutifully went through the long process. They filled out applications and people came to do home visits. They were approved. Now to wait for a baby.

They weren't particular. They just wanted a baby, boy or girl.

At the time, there were almost NO girls available for adoption at this agency. Pretty much just me, and I was supposed to go to a different family. My parents were thrilled with either a boy OR a girl, so of course they were slated to adopt a boy.

A minister that worked with the adoption agency stepped in and said that he believed I should go to my parents instead. It was very odd, but they SWITCHED me over to my parents. Maybe they felt it was a better match and just needed to hear someone else say it. But, I believe God was watching out for me.

And then 2 years later, my brother Scott was in foster care, aged 3 months old, and up for adoption. My parents were delighted to complete our family.

One day a year or so later, my mom was giving both of us a bath and she suddenly noticed that Scott and I have IDENTICAL birthmarks on our sides. IDENTICAL. When I was a teen, she told me that she felt shivery when she saw the birthmarks, like God was telling her that HE provided her family and it was all His plan.

It was very cool. Even though adopted, I have always felt a complete part of my family, like it was handpicked. It was such a good match in many ways, that I often thought the OPPOSITE of what biological kids think... instead of wondering if I was ADOPTED, I actually wondered if it wasn't all a big SCAM and I was really biological! :)

My First Memory (Plus)

2009-02-20T13:20:00.000-08:00

Wow! I've been a baaaad blogger of late! :) I've still been enjoying visiting my bloggy friends on their sites, but I haven't felt like writing anything. No reason. Just no muse, I guess. Maybe I just need some sunshine.

With that in mind, I decided to write about something happy today, my first memory.

I was barely 2 years old and my parents had been accepted as adoptive parents to a baby boy. We all traveled down to the agency in Long Beach, California to meet him. I remember the nurses taking me by myself into a separate room with baby Scott. They gave me a blue rattle to show him. I remember being rather awestruck of the entire thing.

The thing was, I thought ALL people added babies to their families this way. (High school health class came as a REAL SHOCK, let me tell ya!) :)

And I also thought EXCHANGING babies would be equally as easy as picking them up!

So, even though I liked him at first, I later REALLY wanted to exchange him for a girl. :)

I must have known what was coming. When he reached high school he GREW very tall and was on the football team. Suddenly, it was HILARIOUS to dangle his big sister upside-down by my feet until I practically hyperventilated. :) He remembers that fondly to this day, I believe.

Me, I still kinda wish I had a sister too. :)

Rent-A-Robert

2009-02-16T16:36:00.001-08:00

Rob and I went shopping on Friday night. Let me just assure you that he was THRILLED with this activity. THRILLED. Really. I could barely restrain him from wanting to leave early and go to extra stores. Ahem.

So, after I used the cattle prod and got him in the car...

We went shopping for new dress clothes for him. His old dress pants were horrible. They desperately needed replaced. I'd been out during my day of leisure :) at the same store and I'd noticed a good sale.

We got there and I took him straight to the sale pants. He approved. He started trying them on. Now, for some unknown reason, he dislikes for me to browse while he's doing this. But, I did anyway. I'm like that. I found a FABULOUS peach-colored dress shirt and an AWESOME rather hip tie to go with it. It matched the new brown dress pants beautifully. I told him the shirt was orange. :)

We gathered up all our purchases (he let me include a brand-new purse ... wasn't that sweet?) ...

... and made our way to the cash register.

The cashier was looking a bit frazzled. It was Friday the 13th and evidently the loonies were out in force. So, we tried to be nice. Rob in particular was being charming. He's accustomed to calming down frazzled women. After all, he lives with ME. :)

So, I handed the cashier my % off coupon. She looked at it and then looked at our rather high total. Her eyes traveled over the people in our immediate vicinity. I thought this was rather odd. Then with a FLIRTATIOUS GIGGLE and a glance at ROB, she whipped out her EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT card and scanned it in so we saved an extra TWENTY DOLLARS.

I was THRILLED.

I am taking Rob shopping MORE OFTEN.

He is NOT thrilled. :)

Anyone want to rent a Rent-A-Robert? :) He's worth the rental fee just for the extra savings you'll find shopping! :)

It's DONE at LAST!

2009-02-14T18:53:00.000-08:00

This is my mom & dad's 50th Anniversary cake. It's finally done! Isn't it cute to have an anniversary on Valentine's Day? We are celebrating tomorrow because the restaurants are so crowded today.

My 12-year-old daughter Sarah picked the colors, but they are fitting because it's a Valentine's Day anniversary. And, I admit, I didn't have metallic gold food coloring. :)

See all the white conversation hearts in the pink flowers? Notice that they are turned so you can't read the printing? That's because out of 2 boxes of hearts, there were very few in white and most said things like, "Hot Mama." Well, maybe not that steamy, but you get the idea, not for your mom's 50th anniversary cake. :)

I worked on this thing ALL DAY off and on. I baked THREE cakes and made SIX pounds of icing! I loved it! :)

The bottom layer has a homemade apple filling. I can't wait to try it! I've never made a filling for a cake before. But, the leftovers in the pan sure were tasty! :)

I just hope mom and dad like it! It's very very VERY pink, after all. :) It's going to have to stay that way because I can't think of anything to make it more manly.

Step Away from the Rice

2009-02-14T15:17:00.000-08:00

Today is Valentine's Day. Rob's been wanting General Tso's Chicken and since I am perfectly capable of buying a box of it at Sam's Club, I picked up a box today.

I forgot about the rice that would have to go with it. Rice and I are incompatible. Read here for proof! :)

But, I decided to just approach it head on. I got out the rice cooker. I located the rice. I even have a choice of clearly labeled rice types.

I decided to use the baggy of rice that was already open. So, I slide the zip lock at the top open and somehow spill rice all over the floor! A huge heaping mound of it! Fortunately, the collies find raw rice to be delicious.

So, once again, Rob took over the rice making for me. Can I just buy premade rice? :) I just don't get this at all!!! :) I think I may have some sort of rice phobia.

This Life of Leisure....

2009-02-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

This life of leisure I have going is absolutely exhausting!

Up at 7 AM.
Exercise at the gym at 8 AM.
Go shopping with mom at 9:30 AM.
(Spend $40 of Rob's hard-earned money.)
Lunch out at noon. Mom's treat. (Thanks Mom!) :)
Swimming at 2 PM.
Email bloggy buddies and friends, 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM.
Eat chocolate snack at 4 PM.

4:30 PM - actually do some work by starting dinner.

I'm exhausted! :) I am SUCH a valuable wife! :) (haha!) I better watch it or Rob is going to be looking for a new one! :)

Now, where are my pearls?

Music Monday - Something Beautiful

2009-02-09T12:46:00.000-08:00

This is absolutely my favorite song. I love the Newsboys. They are Australian. Need I say more? :)

These lines get me every time:

"When we laugh so hard we cry
all the love between you and I
Something beautiful"

I hope you enjoy it too!

"Something Beautiful" Lyrics:

I wanna start it over
I wanna start again
I wanna new beginning
One without an end

I feel it inside
Calling out to me

It's a voice that whispers my name
It's a kiss without any shame
Something beautiful
Like a song that stirs in my head
Singing love will take us where
Something's beautiful

I've heard it in the silence
Seen it on a face
I've felt it in a long hour
Like a sweet embrace
I know this is true
It's calling out to me

It's a voice that whispers my name
It's a kiss without any shame
Something beautiful
Like a song that stirs in my head
Singing love will take us where
Something's beautiful

It's the child on her wedding day
It's the daddy that gives her away
Something beautiful
When we laugh so hard we cry
all the love between you and I
Something beautiful

It's a voice that whispers my name
It's a kiss without any shame
Something beautiful
Like a song that stirs in my head
Singing love will take us where
Something's beautiful

It's the child on her wedding day
It's the daddy that gives her away
Something beautiful
When we laugh so hard we cry
It's the love between you and I
Something beautiful

Something beautiful

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

How Much Is Too Much?

2009-02-05T14:03:00.001-08:00

I am surrounded by sick people. My husband's been home for two days with the flu. What is it about men that have been home too long wanting to revamp certain housekeeping habits?

Really. What's up with that?

Did he lay on the couch thinking about the state of our pantry during his convalescence?

He was up and about and lurking in the kitchen as I started dinner tonight. I made a comment about how I've been trying to use up the food in the freezer and that's why our food bill this month has been so low. (At this point I was expecting kudos, of course).

He comments that he has heard that is the best thing to do when trying to stick to a budget. That is, eat the food you have before buying more. And then he rather pointedly looks in the pantry at the stack of Jello boxes.

He has a theory that if I would just use up all our Jello before buying more, our food budget would always be under control.

Okaaaay.

I debate this, of course. We have 3 kids. All have their favorite flavors. Kids that are sick and grumpy want "their" flavor. I don't care to argue at that point. I just stock the flavors they like. I like to be prepared. And I am stocking JELLO, for pete's sake, not gold bullion.

I mention this.

He looks at me somewhat askance.

And then (heaven help me), he starts counting Jello boxes. (Darn it, who stacked those so neatly?)

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13- "STOP!" I yell in defeat! "OUT of the kitchen!" I demand!

He is going to work tomorrow with JELLO for lunch. :)

A Blog Bet

2009-02-03T13:13:00.000-08:00

Speedy was so funny with his sign after losing our blog bet, that I had to post it here! He has it on his blog too.

Isn't it eye-catching?

It made my entire family smile, so I'm posting it here in hopes that it will bring smiles to some of you as well.

The Steelers WON, the sun is SHINING, all is well with the world. :)

PS: There is a really great sweater for sale on eBay! :)

I made a grave error today...

2009-02-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

Today started out as a normal day. It's Sunday. We have to be at church by 9 AM. I'm running late. All normal. :)

I throw on my sweater over my turtleneck and dash out the door. Everyone is waiting in the car for me, although that is because I worked on the kids' hair before my own. Really! I would have been done first otherwise! :)

And off we go! We arrive, dash into church (am I a bad person for always making the minister, my husband, late?), send the kids off to choir practice, and start the routine.

I have 1/2 hour before I go down to Tommy's class for their Bible Bowl (which involves a football-style quiz game covering questions from their Sunday School curriculum). It's the parents vs. the kids. You would THINK the parents would win, having people like the MINISTER on their team, but no, we were slaughtered. Kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it? :)

But, I digress.

Before the Bible Bowl, I was chatting in the church office with a friend. Of course, we were talking about the big Steelers game today. Apparently some team named the Cardinals is also going to show up. :) Everyone has big party plans for today!

Then I walk downstairs to the Sunday School rooms. I walk past the adult class and I notice that EVERYONE is wearing black and gold. EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. Darn! I should have worn black and gold too! That's what I get for being late.

I walk into Tommy's class. I feel eyes whipping toward me. Odd. I'm only a minute late and they don't look to have started yet.

Then I hear it. "WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?" And I see red eyes shooting sparks my way. OH-OH!

I look down. And I see THIS:

I think I may need to find a new hometown after this!

Tommy quickly took stock of the situation and grabbed some room decor. That's why I have a gold ribbon necklace. I had to think fast but my STORY became this:
"Oh, this is a SYMBOLIC outfit! See the ribbon? It's STEELER ribbon! It's to show how they are going to TIE UP the Cardinals today!"

Do you think they bought it? Yeah. I don't either. But at least the red sparks died down.

Seriously, I had people tell me I had to go home and change! One person who was leaving after Sunday School offered to CHANGE CLOTHES with me so I wouldn't have to sit through church in such a HORRID outfit! It was suggested I turn my sweater inside out!

But, I resisted all that and stood strong behind my "tying up the Cardinals" story. :)

I sneaked into church at a fast clip hoping to not be noticed by any more black and gold wearing fans.

I sat down.

I looked at my bulletin.

And I noticed that our church secretary has sly sense of humor because our gold bulletin that is printed with black letters also had TWO CARDINALS at the top of the front page.

The irony. :)

Umm... Maybe this wasn't such a great idea....

2009-01-29T18:48:00.000-08:00

I had a really nice day, but then I started dinner. It was just leftovers like Taco Soup, so no problem, right?

WRONG!

I open the fridge. I reach for the Taco Soup container. It seems stuck. I yank on it... and the tall plastic container of ORANGE JUICE that is right NEXT to it, slips off of the shelf, lands at my feet, and forms a GEYSER of OJ straight up into my face and all over my clothes. Great. JUST GREAT.

Still, I can cope with spilled geyser-like OJ. It's not a big deal. I mop it up, fix dinner, relax for a few minutes.

Time comes for my 7-year-old to get ready for bed. I go up and start his shower. SOMEHOW, I do not REMOVE my head from the shower BEFORE the water comes on FULL BLAST.

Yep, you guessed it. I am drenched again. Oh, and did I mention that it's like 20' outside and feels pretty cold inside our drafty 100-year-old house as well? Didn't I mention that? Oh. BRRRR!

But, still. Clothes dry.

So, the kids are all set and I sit down to read my favorite blogs and their updates. I note Speedy has updated. He seems to think the WRONG team is going to win the Super Bowl, so he challenges the blogosphere to a bet. I accept. OF COURSE. I LOVE the Steelers, after all!

But, now I am wondering... was tonight the BEST night to accept a BET? I do not have such a great track record so far! Now I am nervous! OH-OH!

This promises to be a great time! :)

GO STEELERS!!! :)

New Dyson DC18 Slim Vacuum, How Do I Love Thee?

2009-01-27T10:23:00.000-08:00

New Dyson vacuum, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

1) You keep me from picking up socks and mittens with your super smart hose feature.
2) You are beautiful!
3) You maneuver under my furniture with ease.
4) You make me smile when I clean.
5) You only cost me $211 at Target.

Now, IF ONLY you would bring me flowers (and Tim Tams!) on Valentine's Day and pick up dirty clothes off of the floor and do back massage!

Still, you are awesome. I love you.

I LOST TWO POUNDS ON THE TIM TAM DIET!

2009-01-26T09:51:00.000-08:00

NEWSFLASH

Evidently, eating Tim Tams like they are going out of style all weekend is a surefire way to lose 2 pounds! If you look at my sidebar, you'll see my weight loss ticker and how close I am to my next goal weight! WOO HOO!

I wish I'd known about this diet sooner! I need to go back to Target to stock up since we are expecting to be snowed in for the next few days. Who knows how much weight I would gain back without TIM TAMS at hand? I'm down to only 2 bags and getting nervous about the low supply!

Now, this diet MAY have been helped along by the crazy busy weekend we had and all the work that got done around the house, but I'm sticking to my TIM TAM theory! They were my reward for getting work done, after all! :)

Finally, a GUILT-FREE chocolate! :) Bring on the Tim Tams!

Sledding Down the Hill of Death

2009-01-22T16:20:00.000-08:00

It was last Friday and we decided to go sledding. Never mind that it was 10 degrees outside! We are tough Moutaineers! :) In my opinion, there is only ONE hill to go down around here. The Hill of Death. :) It is just across the road from the ski slopes. You are getting the picture, I am sure! I remember going there as a teenager and it was so much fun! Now we live back in the area and I can take my kids. It really doesn't get any better!

We took a little tour of the ski slopes just to set the mood. They were still making SNOW! As if we didn't have enough! Look at this. Imagine watching that snow blowing through the air as you stand in a frozen, 10' parking lot, wind whistling past your ears, so cold it makes your teeth hurt. Brrrr! :)

Then we went over to the sledding slope. It's really the golf course. :) We have VERY tough golfers around here! Very fit. This is one LOOONG and STEEP hill. Just to make it extra fun, you have to avoid the pine trees on one side, the RAMP some teenagers made on the right, and at the end, the DRAINAGE HOLE. OH YEAH! :) Challenges just make it more fun! :)

What I forgot was that as a teen, I used to take off my glasses before going down the hill. That became a problem.

Matt puts down our sled and we tuck ourselves in... and take off! WHOOOSH! Oh geeez! I forgot how FAST you go and how much SNOW hits you! Every time I tried to slow us down with my feet, I just made a HUGE FREEZING wall of snow hit the sled. I felt like I had ice cubes pelting me in the face! I think I had icicles dripping from my glasses. MY FACE WAS SO COLD!

However, it was worth it because at the very base of the hill (after we barely dodged the pine trees and the ramp AND the drainage hole), Matt leapt out of the sled and jumped up and down and said it was AWESOME. It made it all worth it. I smiled all the way back up the hill. Every. Last. Step. Up. That. White. Curtain. Of. Neverending. Snow.

Sledding in 10 degrees down the hill across the road from the ski slope... what WAS I thinking? The boys LOVED it, of course. But then, they don't wear glasses AND they had ski hats on that covered their faces. :) They went so far down the slope that they were just little black dots in the distance. Or, so it seemed. By that point my glasses were pretty coated in ice and visibility was a tad impaired. :)

Warning: You may not be able to get this song out of your head!

2009-01-22T13:17:00.001-08:00

GO STEELERS!!!! :)

I'm in a QUANDARY! Help!

2009-01-20T12:03:00.000-08:00

Now, SOME of you may think that I mention Tim Tams a little too often. Summer most certainly does! :) (But in a good way). :) If you want a chuckle, read her husband's opinion on this here in the comment section.

But, today, I HAVE to mention them! The most FABULOUS THING happened! I was walking out the door to get in the van and go to the gym. I have to exercise so that I can afford to eat Tim Tams, after all!

As I turned to check the door, I noticed a PACKAGE. Wow! I sure wasn't expecting anything. I looked more closely. See the RETURN ADDRESS?

AUSTRALIA!!!! I started jumping up and down on the porch because Melanie at Write Stuff told me about this package and its contents. TIM TAMS! AUTHENTIC ones, from AUSTRALIA! (I may have to say AUSTRALIA a few more times because I think it is SO COOL!) :)

Dal, Hel & Bel (who must be awesomely cool themselves) sent this package! I don't even KNOW them! And they went all out! No surface delivery for this box. No way! AIR MAIL! OH MY GOSH! Who ARE these nice people?

So, after just enjoying having the box for a bit and thinking about its contents (it's all about anticipation, after all), I got out the scissors and opened the box from AUSTRALIA. :)

And, GOLD fell out!

Okay, maybe not. But, seriously, can YOU see the difference? Because I cannot.

I am drooling just LOOKING at that last picture!

(Excuse me for a moment while I blow the AUSTRALIAN TIM TAM cookie crumbs off of my keyboard).

Dal, Hel & Bel even added a nice note!

So, I think this qualifies as one of the NICEST DAYS EVER when it comes to AUSTRALIAN PACKAGE DELIVERY! :) Thanks for making my day! :) Thank you, Melanie! Thank you Dal, Hel, and Bel! You guys really didn't have to go so all out over Melanie's contest winnings. But, you sure did make me smile! :)

If you are wondering what in the world my quandary was, it was which Tim Tam cookie to try first! I -um- already took care of that little dilemma. See the dark chocolate choice? Oh YEAH! YUM! :)

(Later this evening...)

We've discovered the fun with Tim Tams just never ends! Even our CAT is enjoying the BOX that they came in! Do you think those packing peanuts took on the flavors of the Tim Tams they were packed with? Maybe I should put those away...)

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2009-01-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

The kids are FINALLY back to school today after what turned out to be an INCREDIBLE FIVE day break from school due to bad weather.

I have time to BLOG again! WOOO HOOOOO! :)

So much happened that I'll have to split up the blog entries, but just so you know these are on the way...(I haven't forgotten my bloggy buddies! Please don't forget me!) :)

1) COSI with 5 Bottomless Pits
2) Sledding Down the Hill of Death
3) Crushing those Horrid RAVENS!
4) My BF has found her trophy husband!

Have a great day! :) I really have to repair the HOUSE after 5 days of ignoring it and having a tremendous time with the kiddos!

Relaxing with Tim Tams and Twilight

2009-01-17T19:14:00.000-08:00

Today was spent galavanting in Columbus. Our family had 2 of my son's friends with us (that makes 5 kids if you are counting). What a great day!

But, also exhausting!

So, now I am enjoying a cup of hot tea with a few Tim Tam cookies compliments of Melanie at Write Stuff (thanks, Melanie!!! You are awesome!) while I start book 2 of the Twilight series.

Does it get any better than this?

Of course, I start the book with great trepidation. I am not a particular fan of vampire books. But, I really liked the last one, despite reading the first half of the book with tears blurring my eyes. That's right. The FIRST half. Hopefully, I have more resistance to over-sentimentality with this one!

It's a HEAT WAVE!

2009-01-15T07:25:00.000-08:00

It's a balmy 8 degrees outside right now. Balmy!! It's going to get up to 10 degrees today and I just don't know how we are going to stand the heat!

I want to show you what can happen in this kind of cold...

See this? Notice anything, oh say, ODD about this key?

That's right. I put it in the lock on my front door, tried to turn it, and IT BROKE OFF IN THE LOCK! I couldn't believe it. Fortunately, I could still get in the house because it broke after I turned it once. WHEW! I would NOT have liked being trapped outside in these temps!

It's really rather neat how everyone is taking the low temps with a good attitude, though. One of my friends on Facebook was joking around about breaking out her bikini. I guess red, dripping noses, blue lips, numb toes, and shivers bring out the best in people! :) Who knew?

Back to Reality

2009-01-13T07:14:00.000-08:00

Shhhh! My little munchkin is sleeping on the couch. A big Golden Retriever has positioned herself on Sarah's feet (to keep them warm, I am sure... not because Peachie considers it her couch or anything like that...).

The FLU has come to town! Sarah is the first casualty.

I sure hope she feels better soon. I'm glad she's able to sleep. I just hate it when my kids get sick. I always wish I could be sick FOR them.

This reminds me of a little story about my youngest, Matt. When he was about 5, he caught the flu with the rest of us. But, he'd been watching me care for his sibs and knew just what to do.

So, he comes downstairs looking gray and wan. I worriedly say, "Oh honey! Are you sick?"

"Yes, Mom. But I took care of it."

"What?" (Remember, he is FIVE.)

"I put my blankets down the laundry chute and I rinsed out my bucket."

That's right. He felt miserable, but he wanted to CLEAN UP after himself so I wouldn't have to do it.

I just love how he surprises me with the most amazing things! And yes, I washed his blankies up right away so he'd have them for comfort asap.

I really hope that we manage to keep flu casualties to a minimum this time around.