On holidays that are ruined by Hallmark and others

St. Patrick's Day may just be the last unspoiled holiday.

Think about it.

• Christmas - devoured by the pressure to get the perfect gift. and stocking stuffers. and cards. and office Secret Santas

• Valentine's Day - whether you're single or married, need I say more?

• Easter - somehow has morphed into another gift-giving occasion. Easter baskets and candy and Easter gifts and new dresses and shoes.

• Mother's Day - what to get your mother. what to get his mother. how to ooh and ahh over another clay ashtray or other craft doodad. and hope that if they cook for you, you don't get stuck with the clean-up.

• Father's Day - they only ever want ONE thing, no matter how thoughtful you are with your gift presentation

• Fourth of July - Someone always wants you to make your special potato salad when all you want to do is lay in the sun and take a swim

• Halloween - a sheet to be a ghost is no longer a good enough costume. And God forbid that you try to convince your child to wear last year's $49.99 costume with accessories that cost $19.99 each. You have to plan and shop and save for the. perfect. costume. Or, do a Martha Stewart impression and sew up a wonderful creation as a symbol of your love and status as a homemaker. And a bag of Hershey miniatures is no longer good enough, as the neighborhood children have a spreadsheet and keep track of which houses give out the cool candy. And you have to get candy, cards and treats for your kid's entire classroom. and teachers. and the lunch lady. and the bus driver. You know what I mean.

So, that leaves St. Patrick's Day. An excuse to have a nice cold pint, dye your hair green if you so desire and have fun. NO gifts. NO cards.

Nada.

Zip.

Just fun.

Now, aren't you getting excited?

A giveaway (not mine)

Do you like LIlly Pulitzer? Then go to thepreppyprincess.wordpress.com and check put the Latte-Da mugs and stationery set. There's still time tonight, but not much, so hurry!

They are giving away not one, but two items from the new line, both in the Cabanarama pattern, a prize package just perfect for sitting at your computer with a cup of coffee or tea.


Here's the contest link:

http://tinyurl.com/bxjbm3

Go visit my friend!

My Blog and Message Board friend, Barb, has posted *MY* recipe for Greek Spaghetti (well, actually, it's my Greek mother-in-law's recipe) over on her Blog, "Black Belt Scrapping" as her featured recipe on "Recipe Tuesday".

I mentioned yesterday that I was making Greek spaghetti for dinner since it's a favorite comfort food of my husband's. He hates the cold weather and is miserable, so I thought this dish would cheer him up a bit.

I'm flattered because she always has great recipes there with amazing photographs.

Disclaimer: the photo of the dish is mine and not up to her standards.


So, we love this spaghetti at our house; but it's not very tomato-y or saucy like Italian sauce. It's more of a spiced ground meat sauce with a cinnamon-y undertone. The details are on her blog.

She's an artist and a digital scrapper, so head over there and check out her blog. I love her photographs, especially how she gets them to "pop". I don't know the technical photo terms, but they are so clear and sharp.

Dig around a bit and I'm sure you can find her other delicious recipes from "Recipe Tuesday". She's always got something good and it's usually been "lightened up", which is a good thing for all of us.



PS - the link is fixed now. Sorry about that.

MuCho RanDoMnEsS

Okay, let's see....

Random stuff floating through my brain.

* Lately, I've been getting stuck on words or mixing them up. Signs of aging? A weird brain tumor? Normal? Typical brain fart?

Examples:

• I was trying to say the cat was heavy and I said he was "money"
• I said he was a cute dog (the Cat)
  
• I was trying to tell my daughter her jeans were in the laundry basket and I couldn't get the word "basket" out

* I was at the Dollar Store the other day and the check out girl was trying to close the lane so she could take a bathroom break.

She then proceeded to go into great detail about her bladder issues and about leaking and bladder infections.

Now, I know I may make the occasional foray into that territory in Blogland, and so do some of you (you know who I mean), but in the Dollar Store? Waaay too much info. Let me buy my cheap crap and get the heck outta there.

* I spent all day Saturday with 5000 teenage girls. I knew 6 of them. They all screamed a lot and had waaaay too much bouncing energy. But I had fun. Really. I didn't even come home and drink. ;-)

* I'm slowly making my way through 2 weeks worth of Real Housewives (caught up), Top Chef(Soooooo glad that Stefan did NOT win - he was insufferable), Big Love (whoa, Nicki! Watch out), Desperate Housewives (still behind) and Brothers and Sisters (still behind). Don't get me started on how behind I am on Lost. Not that it matters, because I don't understand it even when I'm caught up.

* I had a really great time in St. Kitts (Racie - you were sooo close if you were in Nevis) as soon as I can get DH to find the cords to download the still pics he took on the video camera, I will be happy to share. But in summary - sun, rum, fun.

Enjoy the day!

FiNallY, ThE ChiC BuD GiVeAwAY!

Okay, FINALLY, the giveaway. Since my lovely assistant was asleep last night, we got up at 6 AM to make this video. Please give us a break, we're new at this, so the quality is not great.

Thanks to all of you for entering. Those of you who are new, or lurkers, don't be strangers, come back again.




So, the winner (watch the video for the name, duh) has 48 hours to contact me with your name and address. Or else we do this again!

Enjoy the day!

PS, That is SO not my voice.
Is it?

A SeLfLeSs SaCriFiCe

Yes, for your amusement and to make sure that you can rest assured and KNOW that you are not as inept, forgetful, fashion backwards or unlucky as I am...

I will tell you about a few unfortunate incidents that have occured to me this week.

Exhibit #1

• I hid my work keys somewhere safe and I thought, handy; since I had no need for 3 dozen heavy keys from 3 different churches on my week-long jaunt about a Carribbean island
• I also cleaned out my car, so I wouldn't be *quite as embarrassed at leaving my 6 year old MomVan at the dealer's for a week
• I came home from vacation on Monday. As of 5 PM today, Thursday, I could not find them
• How well could I Freakin have hid them and WHATHAPPENEDTOMYMEMORY that I can't remember where I put them after only one week!!!??
• I'm beginning to panic here, people, this is not good for my blood pressure.
• I looked in a box in the laundry room
• I looked under my bed
• I looked in the shoe rack
• I looked in the garage
• I looked under the couch

Tonight at dinner, I found them.

In a box (aha! I KNEW it) that I had hidden under the skirt of the dining room chair I was sitting in. Yes, it was the first night this week that I actually sat at my dining room table. It's been a busy week back.

Whew.

Exhibit #2

• I went to get my hair cut today
• [on the plus side, my stylist (is that what you call the hair-cutter?) complimented me on the boxed hair color (medium brown) that I used on Monday in my desperation to hide my gray hair]
• on my way out, the receptionist asked me if I would like to have my eyebrows waxed for free.
• Hey! Wow! It's my birthday! Woot! Oh wait no, that was last week.
• Oh, shit. I must be bushy. No, wait, I don't have thick brows and while I'm pretty lax about tweezing, I don't have a lot of hair there and my brows have a pretty normal shape on their own.
• So, okay, why not? I explain to her that the last time I was waxed, I can still see some redness on my brow bone. A year later, people.
• I do realize that she is in fact, offering free waxing, not because I'm hairy or it's my birthday; but because she's trying to recuit new clients. Okay, cool.
• While in the chair (OUCHITHURTS!) she offers to do my upper lip area.
• F&*%, maybe I am hairy!?
• No, she says, even she (in all of her 24 years of glory) waxes there too. "Everybody does"
• Oh, hell, it's free too, so why not?
• HOLY MOTHER OF ALL THAT IS GOOD! WHATTHE H-- DID I JUST DO???!!!!
• That HHHHUUUURRRRRTTTSSS!
• I left sporting a lovely angry red puffy mustach and nuclear red eyebrows.
• And I had an errand to run at Wegman's. Such a lovely sight.
• Yeah, it was that pretty.
• Ummm, NO, there are no pictures.
  

About the GiVeAwaY

Okay, so I just came home to have my lovely assistant, Emma, pick a name for the contest and found her fast asleep on my bed.

:-(

With the TV on.

Despite the fact that her room wasn't cleaned.

From the tell-tale snores on the couch downstairs, I surmise that she wasn't well supervised in my absence.

Anyway, if I went ahead and picked a name without her, I would face an extremely disappointed genie tomorrow. (Oh, yes, she has assembled props for this event)

So, if I can rouse her early, I told her we'd shoot the video tomorrow before school.

Stay tuned, folks.

Testing

Okay, I got this cool signature from a link the ETW posted (thank you!)

But I'm an idiot and I can't figure out how to get it to be a part of my post template.

When I add the url, I get this:

http://www.mylivesignature.com/signatures/54487/90/0A3C0348987BD765FBF549B6D543A902.png

This is what I want, but I don't want to have to upload the picture file with every d&*% post.

Any ideas?

Please help me not be embarrassed!

Please go click here so I stay on the front page for more than 1 day.

I love you all and thankyouverymuch.


Okay, I *know it's silly, play along won't you? If you submit your blog, I'll click for you. ;-) Promise.

MWAH!

Oh...this pic is the one that I used for my blog image:
So, click on THAT one when you open up the Top Momma page. :-D

Back in the saddle again...

Or at least back in the US, home from sunny, tropical St. Kitt's.

I am hopelessly behind on all things blog related.

But I wanted to remind you that you can STILL enter the ChicBuds giveaway. (See previous post).

Yes, in another demonstration of the fine art of procrastination, I am swamped with back-to-work, back-to-school, catch-up-on-laundry stuff, so I don't think I will be able to have my lovely assistant, Emma, choose the winner until Thursday.

So, tell a friend, (or don't and keep your chances of winning at better odds). But really, tell your friends because ChicBuds are pretty cool and people should know about them. I read a Twitter that they're on RadioShack.com now. Go check them at at chicbuds.com and tell me if you don;t think they're the cutest. Really, I think you'll agree.

Oh, have I whined yet about how I left my camera charger AT HOME and thus my battery was EXHAUSTED by Monday and so, I have no pics, unless my husband can figure out how to get them off his video camera and onto a computer. DOn't hold your breath. Yes, indeed, after much handwringing and searching before I left, I found the camera computer cords, but FORGOT THE STOOPID CHARGER. Can you say "IDIOT". Yup, that was me.

Finally.... The GiveAway

Okay, so I've been MIA. I'm in St. Kitts, in the British West Indies and internet access costs $14.95 for 24 hours. Well, I've been offline for almost 3 days and I broke down tonight. DH is watching 24 and tomorrow AM he's golfing, so I can take my laptop to the pool deck and indulge without ridicule!

Sooo..... about the giveaway. I have one pair of black ChicBuds with blue swarovski crystals, courtesy of Kandi, from ChicBuds (You can follow her on Twitter... she's ChicBudsJr) Anyway, when I first heard about theses headphones, I thought they were just bling for your ears and Ipods. The first thing you notice are the cool colors and the crystals.

But that's not the best part.

They are RETRACTABLE!

Yes, they extend and retract so you can adjust them, depending on whether you're using them on your computer, Ipod, have them in your pocket, on your arm, whatever.

And NO MORE TANGLED HEADPHONES in your purse! (or where-ever!) That, to me, is the BEST part.

Really.

But the designs, colors and bling are cool too. Go on over to the ChicBuds website. Look at the designs to match your Ipod, designs for guys and all the colors of crystals.

So, leave me a comment, tell me about your current headphone woes, which design you like best (but remember the giveaway is for the black ones) My lovely assistant, Emma, will appear on video and choose a winner when I return.

Here I am wearing my ChicBuds on my way to my fabulous lunch with Heather and Andi. Yeah, I know, I never blogged about it. It was fabulous, they were witty and wonderful, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I sure hope they would too.

We interrupt ....

....this string of sad excuses posts for a little dish on RHOC.

Who watched?

For some good dish, go here or here.

My random thoughts:


Did you catch the cougar cousins line about the mouse tattoo? "Oh, you can't see it? Maybe the pussy ate it" Ick. Barf. Gag.

I couldn't believe the shit Vicki's son was giving her. She PAID for his cruise and he wouldn't go to her seminars? AYFKM?

Though there weren't many attendees, were there?

I wonder how much Gretchen keeps up with her college friends? Off-camera, I mean. GMAB, another girl's weekend? because she has such a rough life.

Kara was turning into a total bitch.. 2 floor apt, indeed.

Can't wait to hear about Jeana's date. Besides kids who treat her like crap, she seems so normal. And sad.

More excuses

Just so you know....

I would totally update my blog, but I can't seem to find the cord for my camera and so I can't download any pics. :-(

Weep with me for a moment.

Excuses, excuses

This...

...Is why I haven't been blogging.


My daughter gave me Twilight for Christmas and I finished it in a few days.

A friend from church found out that I liked it and has been feeding me the other books as quickly as I can devour them.

Last week I read New Moon.

He gave me Eclipse on Sunday.

I finished it this morning at 7:06 AM.

It's a miracle that my kids didn't miss their buses at 7:30 AM.

I need to go to work, but I REALLY want to read just a FEW pages of Breaking Dawn.

Is that so wrong?


Anyway.....

The ChicBuds are great. They're waay cool, but I have to arm wrestle my daughter for control of them.

Did you know that they also make RockBuds in cool patterns that are perfect for guys. Or for girls who aren't into bling.

Check 'em out here: www.chicbuds.com

I promise to do the giveaway this week BEFORE I go to St. Kitt's.

That is, I'm planning to go to St. Kitt's if DH and I are still speaking to each other.

We need to go to St. Kitt's to remind each other that we started out as best friends. Ever have those weeks?

I'm going to need another one of those girlfriend lunches soon. Andi? Heather? Karen? Lea? Anyone in driving distance? Lorrie?

Speaking of driving.....

The fam is going to NYC and CT for Greek Easter. (that's the week after American Easter and the start of April vacation here.) We plan on going to the NeW YanKeE STaDiuM in the city that never sleeps on Saturday (Lorrie? Yoohoo?), then on Monday after Greek Easter we are driving to Washington, DC to do the rite-of-passage family trip to the all of our national monuments.

We're dropping DH off at the airport Wednesday morning for a business trip to Dallas, then we are road-tripping back to Rochester. I imagine we'll be passing through Philly... or maybe Pittsburgh... or the Poconos..... Maybe a detour through Baltimore before that...anyone in a path of intersection between DC and Rochester that wants to meet for coffee or an ice cream cone or something... let me know.

I'll be back. A vampire is calling my name. And a werewolf.

Dammit, I have to work today.

Talk Amongst Yourselves

I have a few posts to catch up on:

• my fabulous lunch with Andi and Heather
• my ChicBuds review
• my ChicBuds Giveaway
• random observations

But in the meantime.... I leave you with this:

What did Bloggers do before they blogged?

Were you a journal writer? A diary-keeper?

Were you more or less socially connected in real life?

Do you consider yourself out-going or shy?

What have you given up to make more time for blogging?


P.S. If you know where the Traveling Bloggy Box of Goodness is, please raise your hand! (Then, email me)

LuNcH DaTe! or WooHoo, It's FriDaY!

I am taking a break from my ho-hum routine, playing hooky from errands, cleaning and work and going out to lunch with 2 Blogger Buddies.

One, I met in the fall for the first time and one I have only cyber-stalked.

Both of them live in the same metropolitan ( I take creative license with that term) area that I do.

Perhaps it's more accurate to say that we live in 3 suburbs of the same small Upstate NY city.

But no matter, the fact is that we are geographically close enough to meet for lunch.

Close enough to put gestures and faces and inflection to the banter that we are familiar with through blogs.

Close enough to expose gray roots and Mom jeans (NO! I kid!) and new hair cuts (sadly not mine).

Close enough to share a few laughs and maybe make new friends. Or at least close enough to eat together.

But far apart enough that we won't have to play hide and seek in Wegman's in case we don't want to do it again. ;-)

I think it's great to go out on a limb and meet someone new. I flew to Chicago in September to meet 4 women that I only knew from message boards. I even shared a room with one. Except for the fact that I probably snored, I think it went well. I had a great time and did something outside of my routine. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I'm meeting Heather and Andi.

Go check out their blogs. They're both humorous and observant and I'm really looking forward to lunch.

I'll fill you in later. :-)

Enjoy the day.

PS. I'll be wearing my ChicBuds out and about today! Don't forget the Give Away coming soon!

RaNtS and RaVeS - mini version!

RaNtS:

• DH. ... 'nuff said.
  
• laundry
• mean people who suck (someone stole DS's ipod out of his locker during wrestling practice)
  
• deadlines

RaVes:

• sunshine (THANK YOU, GOD!)
• communities - even virtual ones
• New opportunities
• Give-Aways
• ChicBuds!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, ChicBuds.

To the delight of my DD, I was given a pair of ChicBuds earphones to test drive this week.

She wants me to keep the white ones with pink crystals (her obvious choice) and I'm leaning towards the black ones with blue crystals.

After I do exhaustive test research on these, I will be giving away a pair.

Right here.

On this very blog.

I know. I'm shocked, too. I feel like I've been launched into the big leagues.

So, a HUGE shout out to ChicBuds and Kandi Brown who have made me hip and cool in my daughter's eyes and have made us both very excited to flaunt these, try them out, and review them.

And GIVE AWAY A PAIR TO ONE OF YOU!

Stay tuned for more details as I sashay my way around town with these babies.

They even make a Men's Designer series. This would be waay cool for Valentine's Day!

Go check'em out here: www.chicbuds.com

See you soon!

The SupahMommy giveway

Okay, here are the details of of the contest over at Supah D's blog:



Show this company some love. Ek- spesh-i - lee chosen for you: for

VALENTINE'S DAY

A collection of hand painted earthenware for you: the best mommy friends in alllllll the land ( echo voice). Valentine's theme. Why not treat yourself?Offered by my insanely funny and witty bloggy land friend Lorrie of

Our Name is Mud...is a Cinderella ceramics story. Owner Lorrie Veasey started the company by selling her unique pottery designs at small venues and street fairs held in New York CitY What began as a card table on a city sidewalk evolved over the course of ten years to a multi million dollar company, and has made a leader in the ceramic giftware industry.

Seriously. You. Will. Die. Lauging. At. Her. Creative. Genius.

Starbucks mugs: be gone with you. Pfaltzgraft? What's that?

Check this stuff out.

Everything Supah-D said is true. I ♥ Lorrie and Our Name is Mud.

The ONLY mugs I use for my morning coffee are my Domestic Goddess mug from Lorrie and my Opinions of a Broad "Bite Me" mug from Sheree. I ♥heart Sheree too!

So, quick! run over here to check out SupahMommy's giveaway. The rules are all posted clearly and the contest ends on February 7th.

I'm a SlaCkeR

I owe a shout out to Supah-D's giveaway

and

I have info about my

Very

First

Give

Away.

(With apologies to Lorrie and Sheree who both made me wonderful offers in December [which was not a good time for me to be creative since DH was in the hospital] and I dropped the ball...... but this one fell into my lap and they actually shipped the product to me after I just Tweeted a "hey, I'm interested".)

So, here I am.

Here's a hint:

They're chic.

And cool.

And girly.

And techie.

And you're sure to be the envy of your friends. Or at least your teenage daughter.

:-)

I'll be back.

And I will post about Supah-Ds giveaway. (It's from Our Name is Mud - you KNOW you don't want to miss out on that!)


.... Oh and did I mention that I went to see TWO movies last weekend? The kids and I saw Mall Cop on Saturday when DH was in FLORIDA; and DD and I went to see Hotel for Dogs during the you-know-what. Both were amusing. I don't know *when the last time I saw a movie before it went to the dollar theater or came out on DVD. I really want to see New in Town and a few others that are probably already GONE from the theaters.

HeY! NoN-SuPeRBoWL FaNS!

Anyone out there NOT doing a SuperBowl party or gathering?

Anyone boycotting?

I am SO not a fan of televised sports, but especially not hockey or football.

I used to watch the SuperBowl for the commercials, but now I can see them online, so what's the point?

I think I might go to the movies with DD.

Any suggestions?

Now, mind you, if any of you invited me to a kick-ass SuperBowl party, I would be there with fan gear on and everything and with all my festive whooping and hollering, you probably would never know that I despise it.


I'm just sayin'.... you know, in case your invite is in the mail.

PS. I would probably wear a football jersey, in case you were worried.

25 RaNdoM ThiNGs aBoUt mE

This is going around Facebook, and I know some of you are over there, so you guys can skip this.

But for those of you who are the Facebook holdouts and haven't drunk the Kool-Aid yet, I bring this randomness to you here. (as if you haven't been bored enough by randomness about me!)

If you are tagged in this you are supposed to do it for yourself and tag me and some other friends in your note. I've been tagged by a bunch of you, so I guess it's my turn. I fyou want to do this on your own blog, consider yourself tagged.

1. My Dad was a pastor, and I spent a few years not wanting to go to church and thinking it was boring. Then I got a job at a camp and led devotional services, then I joined a church as an adult, now I worship regularly and work (part-time) for 3 churches. I couldn't imagine life without a church family. I guess I've come full-circle.
2. I love sunflowers, they always make me smile.
3. My BEST childhood memories involve summer camp (yay, Ma-He-Tu!) and my family's cabin in the Adirondack's.
4. I love vacationing in warm climates, but I really don't mind the snow and cold of winter and couldn't imagine living somewhere without 4 seasons.
5. I love garage sales, estate sales, auctions and consignment shops. There's always the possibility that someone else's junk could be a real treasure.
6. I drink more than my husband. I know that sounds bad, but he really doesn't drink much at all, and I love a good microbrewed beer or nice Chardonnay. For the taste. Really.
7. I love Facebook. It's like a virtual reunion and you don't have to suffer through awkward small talk, bad banquet food or change out of your jammies. I wish it was around when I went off to college. I'm sure I would have been better at keeping in touch.
8 I'm a procrastinator. That might explain why I'm not so good at keeping in touch. One year I *meant to send out Christmas cards, but they turned into St. Patty's Day cards. Usually they're New Year's cards. This year I didn't send any.
9. I'm an optimist. And I usually think the best about people.
10. I love reading and could happily spend a week snowbound with no cable as long as I had good food and drink and a stack of books.
11. I love food, but don't have the energy or creativity to be a good cook.
12. But I love collecting recipes.
13. I may not talk to them often or see them often, but I treasure friends from the past. They are always in my heart.
14. I lived in England for 9 months and dated a nice guy from Lebanon.
15. I think fondly of all the guys I've dated. I don't think there are any that I wouldn't be happy to meet for a drink and catch up on our loves and families.
16. I've been fortunate enough work in careers/ agencies that feel like a calling, not a job - the YMCA, Head Start, Lutheran Churches.
17. My favorite foods are Indian, Thai, Middle Eastern, and Chinese. Unfortunately, my family doesn't share this passion.
18. I swam competitively in high school
19. I had major, elective surgery last year and I don't regret it. No, it wasn't a face lift.
20. I love cats and dogs. I think a house without pets is empty.
21. I met my husband while working at the Y, So was he.
22. I really dislike seafood. All kinds
23. I could happily exist on chicken, cheese and potatoes. And steak. And bacon. And maybe a salad. :-)
24. I would love to stick with running enough to run in a half-marathon. (I don't really run now, my excuse is that it's too cold)
25. I got ice skates for Christmas 2 years ago and I love them and wish I used them more.
and just because:
26. I want to take a belly dancing class and a rowing (crew) class this year.

HaPPy AuStRaLiA DaY!

Hope you enjoyed it.


Cheers, Mate!

I'll be back.

Excuse me while I kick into warp speed and have a panic attack.


32 hours and counting until 80 people come to my house to judge my housekeeping skillz party and enjoy themselves.

My house is still on the biohazard condemned list, but at least I organized my tupperware and cleaned out my fridge.

I'm sorry I didn't take pics. Of the former food substances that were residing in the back of the fridge - the part that doesn't see the light of day. Salsa and apple butter that I bet were from Bush's first term. Feta cheese that got moldy. I never feta cheese *could get moldy.

You think I'm kidding? There was a kid yogurt from 2006!

I'll be back - after the party.

Have a great weekend!

Hmmmm, where to BeGiN?

First: a DiScLaiMeR. If you've come by thinking you'll find some witty, pithy commentary; I'm sorry, you won't find it here this week.

I've been a slacker both here and at home and work. I'm suffering from both eNnUi and PaNiC. I'm creating my own crunch and I'll be paying for it very soon.

We have about 80 people coming over on Saturday to our humble and modest abode (it's a basic suburban split-level colonial - certainly no more than 2000 sf) for the corporate Christmas party that was postponed from December when DH was in the hospital.

My children's rooms have been condemned by the local health department, my kitchen is buried under a mountain of school notes, coupons and unread newspapers, I have stinky hockey equipment in my guest bathroom, and 2 litter boxes that I don't know what to do with during the party. Oh, and since it's post-Christmas, no homey, warm decorations to distract the eye away from cabinets that need refinishing and baseboards that have seen better days.

We rent a tent and a heater and set it up on the deck to put the bar. That's where most of the people hang out anyway. But said deck is currently buried underneath snow and ice.

My brother came to visit last weekend and provided the perfect opportunity to drink beer (Magic Hat winter ale mix) and procrastinate instead of cleaning and decluttering. By the way, he argued about all the Scrabble words that are accepted by the online dictionaries. Classics like ZA and QI. How can I play Scrabble without those words!?

I had a follow-up visit to a doctor that I was referred to after my kidney infection from December. (If you know me in real life or know my address, PLEASE STOP READING HERE!)

Last week I had a catheter put in as part of the dr visit. That was BaD enough, use your imagination, but at least the doctor was a very pregnant woman named Kristin. :-) This past Friday, I had the pleasure discomfort of having a teeny tiny camera inserted to take pictures of my bladder . (okay, the pictures were way cool - I could see them on a tv screen, but THAT'S NOT THE POINT) The doctor was a cute kid young man named TIM. Color me shocked, but what was I supposed to do? Run out ScReaMinG? I had to suck it up and deal. Talk about a wee bit embarrassing. Anyway.

Okay, if you know me, you can open your eyes and start reading again.

I went sledding with a youth group on Monday. It was fun, but I used a little purple disc that was meant for someone about 70 lbs lighter than me, and was told that all I had to do was put my feet out and I could brake. As a result, I slid (sledded?) all the way down, pretty much on my coat, not the disc.

So, I started out the work week a day late, then I pretty much frittered away the work day on Tuesday by watching inaugural coverage on the computer. My newsletter NEEDS to be mailed out this week. And did I mention that 80 people that my husband works with are coming to my house on Saturday?! Yeah, I have a bit of a time crunch on my hands. And what am I doing? Blogging. Yeah, I know. I need an intervention.

I missed LOST last night. I was too tired. I'll catch it soon, I hope since it's been DVR'd. I did see Top Chef. I fell asleep several times, so I watched it this morning. None of them were on their game last night. Well, maybe Stefan and Fabio. But the rest? Blah.

ps, yes, I totally copied Lorrie's mixed up letters. I LoVe them. And they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. :-)

Sorry

I had company this weekend. My little brother and his exhuberant dog came to visit.

We did cold, outdoor activities, made him watch two of Number One Son's hockey games, commiserated about the Eagles, played Scrabble (not the computer version!), ate lots of food and drank a case of awesome winter ales.

I have a lot to catch up on.

More later.

After the Inauguration.

After Real Housewives of Orange County - "Naked Wasted, Part 2".

I'll be back.

Random Ramblings

And some RaNtS.

Top Chef: Chicken?! I do love chicken, but chicken (!) won the challenge?!

RHOC: Shots at a "classy" dinner party? More like an episode of "Girls Behaving Badly". As much as I love this show, it seems they are really stretching for material this season and perhaps we've had enough the OC gals. Etiquette class? Horse racing? Plotting to get Gretchen Naked Wasted? Aren't these women embarrassed in their neighborhoods, grocery stores, and doctor's offices when these epiosodes air?

the COLD: I'm in my office. It's heated and has indoor plumbing. I'm wearing my warm, cozy snow boots. And my toes are FROZEN. That's just not right. 80° in CA? KMA.

Big Love: It's back, bay-bee! :-)

Bush's Farewell Speech: It's tonight! I have the champagne chilling!

Borders vs Barnes and Noble: Barnes and Noble - you're not doing ME any favors with your chintzy 10% off email coupons. What good are they? BORDERS always sends me 40% or at least 25%. You do the math.

Teenagers: Well, one teenager. My son. He has activities and events that go past my bedtime. Hockey practice across town that goes from 9:10 - 10:10. PM. ANd a wrestling event that he wanted to go as a spectator that involved picking him up at 9:15. PM.
Let me just say that
1) that intereferes with the only TV I like to watch which is usually on at 9 PM
2) I like to get in my jammies at around 9 PM,
3) I love my after-dinner chardonnay and I would rather not have to drive and
4) let me just remind you that evening temps here have been around 0° (ZERO)

And I saw this in a Tweet from abdpbt: http://tinyurl.com/a492uh "Whatthefupdate" It's just perfect.

It'S jUsT nOt FaiR.

So, I figure I'll give myself a little boost with some online window shopping. I mean what else can I do when it's 2 degrees outside?

So, I open up an email I got from Piperlime - you know, the site with all the great shoes and handbags.

So, the handbag pictured on the front page is cute.

It's a "Rachel Zoe pick". Cute, right?

Hip, fashionable and big (the better to camouflage my junk), and infinitely an improvement over the sad, worn bag I got 2 years ago from Marshall's.

But then I clicked over to the site and saw the price tag.


$548!!!!!!


Yeah, right. Not tHaT cute.

I wonder what the selection is over at Target?

I have a bigger dilemma...

The Season 3 premier of Big Love is at 9 PM on Sunday.

The SAME DAY and TIME as Desperate Housewives!

What's a girl to do?

Thank goodness for the DVR.

:::Sob::: I got an "F"

No, not that kind of "F", actually this one isn't bad. It's better than X or Q or even K.

I got it from Lorrie and it's not a grade, it's a meme (or MeMe, or whatevertheheckyoucallit - just play along if you want)

Here's the Alphabet Super Game. You have to list Ten Favorite Things that start with certain letter-assigned to you by the blogger (Lorrie).

So, here goes:
1. F.X. MAtt - that's the brewery in Utica, NY that makes Saranac beers - I like all beers, really. As long as they are flavorful and dark. You can add Flying Dog, Foster's, Fullers, etc to the list as well. You can leave off Miller, Michelob, Budweiser and crap like that.
2. Friends - what's not to love? Neighbors, childhood friends, Facebook friends, camp friends, blogging friends - you can never have too many. Life is Good.
3. Facebook - aaaah, yes, Facebook. I love it for a way to reconnect with folks from my past, play with new friends, generally waste time and of course, play Scrabble. The only thing I don't like are those stupid sheep that get tossed around and gardens and Pack rat. BUt I love getting an itty-bitty peak at what's going on in people's lives. And I love the old photos that are surfacing. It's like a virtual reunion but I don't have to get a babysitter or wear scratchy pantyhose. And the drinks at my house are strong and free.
4. Faith - As they say, "You've come a long way, baby". I went from reluctant daughter of a pastor to active church member to employed by the church. I actually lead public prayer and tell little mini-sermons to the kids. My daughter's cool with it, but my son's not impressed. Not that he should be impressed, but he's more reluctant than I ever was. I can only hope that he'll settle in to his own groove as he get's older. Really, though, beneath the snark, faith is very important to me, and as I've gotten older, the faith community is just as important. We're not on this journey alone and I so appreciate the fellowship and prayers of others.
5. Family - of COURSE, I'd list family. As aggravating as they are (and I to them), I wouldn't trade them for the world. That includes my Type-A husband (works hard, plays hard), my darling daughter, and my Number One Son.
6. Football - not one of my favorite things. really, sorry, I don't care all that much.
7. Fight - while fighting is not one of my favorite things, I do appreciate a good debate.
8. Frugal - I'm ridiculously frugal and wasteful at the same time. I love a good garage sale and think if you don't use coupons you're just throwing money away. I used to religiously read the Target Bargains board that used to be on AOL message boards and thought a great day was finding something that was 90% off on the clearance endcaps. Free is even better, but after a brief foray into the FreeCycle community, I decided to do without. I don't have time for half that crap now, but I do still love a good bargain.
9. Fickle - I'm notoriously fickle. That's my prerogative. And your's too.
10. Fergie, Peter Frampton, Arthur Fiedler, Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Faith Hill - I like music - lots of different styles. But unless I'm at a concert or outdoor venue, I don't like loud music.

So, if you haven't already played - with Lorrie, or ETW, or some other blog, let me know and I'll give you a letter.

I have a dilemma

I have waaayy too many blogs in my blog reader. I really don't have a close connection to them all and don't even comment on them all. There are even more bookmarked, but not subscribed to.

I could spends days, no weeks, absorbed in reading and peeking in to other people's lives.

Instead of living my own.

I think I need to declutter.

Pare down.

Clean out.

Sounds like a New Year's Resolution.

This could be tough.

Not to worry, some of you are stuck with me, no matter how you might wish otherwise. You who make me laugh. Or think. Or make me feel like we could be friends and/or bar buddies in real life.

I hope you know who you are. The others will never miss me.

Despite any evidence to the contrary

I'm really an easy-going, forgiving person. Not much bothers me, except well, my own children's annoying behaviors.

But that's because they do it on purpose.

You know they do.

But really, OPK (Other People's Kids)? They don't bother me.

I know babies will coo, or get cranky; and toddlers are needy and don't have refined manners. They're just doing what they're programmed to do. I understand that.

And I'm VERY sympathetic towards harried mothers who might be at their wit's end.

But what DOES annoy me is people who bring children to places and events where it is not appropriate - either due to the time of day, or the content, or the atmosphere.

You know what I mean. The people who affect the mood of your romantic dinner when you are at a fancy restaurant late in the evening. The couple who insist on bringing their kids when you invite them over, even though you've suggested that they get a babysitter so you can enjoy adult conversation.

And the group behind me at Bride Wars yesterday who had not one, but two alternately crying and cooing babies. And a passel of children of other assorted young ages. Clearly not a group of children who had any remote understanding of the situations and comedy of the movie.

I'm not annoyed at the kids. In fact their behaviors wouldn't have attracted any attention at say, Bolt, or Wall-E. But Bride Wars? It was very annoying. And the stoopid twit mothers just kept bouncing their little bundles of joy despite the fact that their sounds were annoying to others.

And to top it all off? I swear one of the babies needed a diaper change. Pee-uuuu.

I was on a roll yesterday, because DD and I went to out to eat last night since the guys were in NYC licking their wounds in the long car ride home from Giants Stadium.

The downstairs was fairly empty and yet they sat an extended family 7 next to us. In a corner. A crowded corner.

The elderly parents had smelly unwashed hair and the woman had more facial hair than her husband. They had a weird unwashed, old person/homeless aroma about them. The rest of the family (adult siblings and their families) were oblivious and in fact, didn't really talk much to the elderly grandparents at all. I think the elderly mother spoke 2 words the entire time. I'm not even sure she ordered her own food. But the teen boy knocked over his water glass and ice cubes not once, but about 3 times and then started drumming a beat on the table and then proceeded to cluck his tongue.

Argggghhhh. I can get that crap from my own Rude Teenage Son. I don't need it from someone else's.

I'm sorry. Some of that was mean -spirited. Truth be told, had it not been for the Teen-age son, I wouldn't have noticed the rest.

I know, I sound like a curmudgeon.

Sorry. Rant over.

The question of the hat

I think I just need some cool shades.


That's all, right?


Right?!


;-)

My daughter is a great Spitter

The card game, that is.
She got me up at 6 AM to play before school. She started out playing 2 handed yesterday, but she's gotten so good that I made her switch to one-handed.

I won. :-)

The rest of my post got eaten by blogger and I'm too lazy to re-type it all.

Enjoy the day!

Random thoughts on cats. and dogs, too.

First of all, even though I'm familiar with the book, Marley and Me, I was totally blindsided by the movie.

First of all, every single preview makes you think it's just a funny, kinda dumb movie about an adorable, incorrigible dog. Cute. A light fluff holiday movie, right?

Oh, nooooo. All 4 of us were bawling at the end. On our happy-go-lucky vacation. Granted, the title character reminded us (looks wise, anyway) of our lab mix that we put to sleep in October. But really. A little warning next time. Please? At least a reminder about the ending.

Second, I loooove cats for their independence. For their you-can't-make-me-run-to-you aloofness. For their I'm-so-cool I-wouldn't-be-caught-dead-playing-fetch attitude. For their "I-meant-to-do-that coolness.

So, why do I have the goofy cat that is more Marley-like in his antics and total lack of grace? I have the cat who missed me so much while we were gone, that I can't even go to the bathroom alone since I've been home.
(Doesn't he look devious?)

I have the cat who thinks that 4 AM is the purr-fect time to wake me up for a snuggle and some belly-scratching. Can you read the time on the clock? 3:59. That's AM, people!


And when I try to ignore him, he nips me on the cheek. Yes, he BITES me.

:::sigh:::

I do think he's adorable, though.

Ain't love grand?