Monday, December 31, 2007

Last day....

I did all of my hobbies Sunday! I think that is just too cool. In the morning I did some scrapping, I laid out 2 pages. I used my sewing machine for the first time. I made a custom "table" cloth for a built in that I have. Each of the sides has a different stitch because I was playing with the machine learning how to use it but no one will notice. Then in the late afternoon I made guacamole (becuase I had a couple of avocados laying around) which I will serve for at the New Year's Eve Party at my house tonight.

The bad part of the day was finding out that a friends mom fell and fractured her hip and requires surgery and she spent the day in the hospital and that sucks.

I am working today, I have between 70-80 people coming to my house tonight and I am working. Everything is really done, I mean hubby is just cleaning the plastic chairs and setting up tables outside. Everything else is done. The cleaning lady is there today and she will clean the bathrooms and give the kitchen a final once over and I will come home to a freshly cleaned smelling home. Too bad we are going to undo all that a few hours later. Oh well! C'est la vie!
I sincerely wish everyone a new year of good health and happiness!

Friday, December 28, 2007

I got...

I never told you what I got for Christmas...
My boys did real good this year, they covered ALL of my hobbies. 18 got me the Readers Digest Complete Step-by-Step Book of Sewing. It's awesome. 15 got me a clear drawer storage center for all of my scrapping goodies. It has wheels so I can take it from room to room wherever I set up to scrap. Can't wait to fill it. Hubby got me a pocket pedometer. yes, I wanted one. The idea is to exercise more in 08 by adding more steps to my day. He also got me a subscription to Cooks Illustrated magazine. Oh, yeah and 18 also got me the book March, which was on my list of books I wanted. My dad got me a bunch of sewing notions: a cute pin cushion, pretty pins, a bobbin case, small scissors, a seam ripper gadget, extra needles for the sewing machine, a tape measure etc. My SIL gave me a beautiful scrapbook the cover is a gorgeous red silk. I will make that book themed of Christmas through the years. My MIL gave me a gift card which I promptly spent on new bed linens. A friend gave us a new board game which I hope to break out and play on the 1st and start the new year playing games with friends eating leftovers from the party the night before and of course watching the Bowl games. That sounds good to me.

Bucket List

Have you seen the movie? I haven't. I am told that the premise is a life list. Things to do before you kick the bucket. The list is an old idea but it prompted a conversation on Christmas Day where my 10 year old nephew declared that it's important to have goals. We should all write down our bucket lists! I told him mine was very long that I have trouble getting through the things I want to do this week much less before I die. He looked at me like I was sprouting another head and shook his head. He only has 2 things on his bucket list. Go to LegoLand and parachute out of an airplane. I commented that those were 2 very doable things. He replied, everything is doable, you just have to go do it. This of course took the conversation full circle as I explained to him that was why my list was so long. I want to do so many things because they are all doable. He pondered this and I thought the conversation was over. He came back to me almost an hour later and told me he'd been thinking, I needed to just want a few things at a time so that I can do those first then I can add more once they are done. Next problem, which few do I choose. He told me that was my problem. Gee, thanks.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Time together

As you probably imagine 18 doesn't stay home many evenings on weekends or vacation. He's usually out hanging with friends. Well, last night I still had lots of scrapping to do for his football album but he stayed home and wanted to watch a bunch of TIVOd programs. He had gone shopping during the day to spend all his gift cards at the sales. He was tired. So, did you scrap? I didn't. He showed me all the clothes he bought and I oohed and ahhhed then I sat on the sofa to spend time with 18. Cookies and milk and Tivo with 18. It was a lovely evening. I fell I must take advantage of this when he wants to do it because there won't be much more as graduation gets nearer and nearer. Ironically, 15 who spends many more evenings home spent the night at a friends house so we were still down one child. It's rare to have them both all night so I take what I can get.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Here I am!

I guess I fell off the blogshpere for a while. I was busy being busy with the holidays. I hadn't even read another blog until today. I have quite a bit of catching up to do. Not that I'm not busy anymore, I mean. New Year's Eve is at my house and well, it's not ready at all!

I had a lovely Christmas...Eve was spend with the family at my in-laws... good food...good company...good fun! and Christmas day we spent a lazy morning at home and then headed to my SILs and visited my dad too as he lives near her. The nephews got a Wii, so we spent hours playing guitar hero and boxing and tennis and and I knocked out my 18 playing the boxing. It really is quite a workout! Lots of fun.

18 and SIL both bought my hubby the SAME pullover shirt. We thought that was a hoot because with ALL the stores in S.FLA. and all the pullovers how did the 2 of them pick the same one. But then SIL and I both bought her boys the same book, her 6 year old was very confused that Santa would duplicate like that but we told him that he's really old and sometimes old people forget stuff and make mistakes. He said it was ok, that he forgave him because he brought lots of other cool things.

I did lots of baking all season, lots of shopping, lots of wrapping, lots of visiting, lots of cooking, some scrapping and other things too. I can't write about it all now.

Oh, another fun thing happened. When we got home from MILs on Xmas eve, there was a white envelope sticking out of out mailbox. I asked 18 to get it since it had been raining off and on so that it wouldn't get wet. He pulled it out and I see that its a big 8x10 envelope.
ME: Where's it from?
18: Loyola
Me: Congratulations!
18: How do you know I got in? It could be a rejection letter.
Me: Rejections are short and sweet; acceptances are think with information.
He goes inside and opens it. He was accepted to Loyola in New Orleans.
Hubby: So Santa came by and you don't even believe!

I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays with their families. I will get back into the swing of things and post regularly. Many stories to tell...

Friday, December 07, 2007

We ALL have to share this world...

Today at a famous brand coffee shop where they ask your name as they take your convoluted order I didn't actually give mine as the girl knows it. I go there often. I work in the building. So, I'm chatting with another regular as we wait for our coffee creations and they call out my name and order. Another woman starts to take it. I politely say, Excuse me I believe you are taking my coffee and I smiled at her. Armed with an attitude that no one should have at 7am, said WELL, She said MY name, so I took it! as she glared at me daring to take it from her. Mind you I heard her give her order as she was right behind me. She ordered a half-caf, non-fat latte. I ordered an Egg nog latte with an extra shot. I took a deep breath, smiled and said that's ok you can have mine. I'll wait. I turned to the barista and asked her if she could duplicate the drink for me. She laughed and said sure thing. The woman didn't try her drink, she proceeded to add 2 sugars at the condiments bar as it looked like she was talking to herself but it was really on the phone she had one of the bluetooth thingys in her ear and was relating the story to a person on the phone that some woman tried to steal her coffee. When she left the store EVERYone at the pick-up area laughed and we all just wished we could see her face when she takes that first sip!
'Tis the season...

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Getting there...

I'm almost done with my shopping. But I have been steadily working on this since mid-November. I have shopped online and on Black Friday. 15 happily gave me a list which is fabulous. Since his list is quite substantial, I asked him yesterday what his top 5 items would be; I happen to have all 5! Yeah, I'm so happy with myself! Plus, I thought of something that he didn't put on his list that he's going to flip for when he opens it. 18 didn't give me a list. I know he wants clothes so I asked him can you please just sit and write down what sizes please. Did he tell you? Cuz I'm still waiting. He has told me a few things and I did buy some clothes but I'm just not as excited about what I got him. I guess because I don't know if it's going to fit right, if he'll like it etc... I do have a couple of things that I KNOW he's going to flip for. Then there's the hardest person of all my hubby. Ask him what he wants, he tells you nothing. So very helpful. I did get him something but it's not enough. I have to get him something else. Everyone else is pretty much done. I am going to get my dad's gift today. I know what it is, I just have to go to the specialty store and get it. Then I have one more pre-teen boy to buy for, a cousin. He's tough because I do think he has everything and I refuse to give a gift certificate. We'll see what I do. But I am almost done! Yeah me. Now, this weekend I start my baking gifts. I have more Crema de vie to make and cookies and I will make some cakes, one for the school office and one for my eye Dr. (he's also family) for their offices to share. Also, on the Xmas horizon this weekend is Christmas cards and of course, to start wrapping gifts.

I won't go into that my house is not decorated yet because that's a hot spot with me and hubby right now and I am taking the high road and choosing not to fight or kvetch about it. Aren't you proud of me? If you knew me, you would be.

Monday, December 03, 2007

Fuzzy math

I know math is not my stong suite but I think I can do basic math. So either the math is fuzzy or my memory is. You figure it out.
I heard over the weekend that the Thriller turned 25. I think there's a mistake because that means it came out in 1982 (2007-25=1982). I wasn't in Miami in '82 and I was in Miami when it came out. I saw the premier of the video on my first date when my now hubby that was in December 1983, I was 18. I know I was 18 when I moved to Miami so 1965+18=1983. Both hubby and I remember that we saw the premier at the club that we went to adn it makes sense, if it was a year old they would replay it around Halloween not Christmas. So, you figure it out...fuzzy math or faulty memory.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Crafts & Gifts

I like crafts. I can crochet. I can embroider. I can do various paper crafts. I can do VERY basic painting. I have made candles. I have painted candles. I have painted glass. I now scrapbook. I have made dried flower arrangements. I can decoupage. I like crafts.

There are a few things I don't know how to do that I have always wanted to learn. I don't sew. I don't know calligraphy. I don't knit.

So yesterday, I got home and announced that I bought myself my Christmas present from the family. 16 thought that was great. 18 was all like so we don't have to get you anything? and hubby just laughed because many years I have bought myself a little something and wrapped it myself and opened it on the 25th. So, he figured par for the course. So, I told them to guess. They tried. We played 20 questions and they couldn't figure it out. So I finally said. A Sewing machine. They almost choked on their dinner. 16 just laughed and said oh, yeah that was on the top of our list? When did you learn to sew? Hubby was shocked and had some basic questions like, Where are we going to put it. I haven't really figured that out yet. What are you going to make? Do you know how to sew? When I answered no, that I would learn all 3 laughed and said well I guess we'll get you "Sewing for Dummies".
So, there you have it. I've been wanting to learn how to sew, I saw a deal, I went for it. I have visions of curtains, tablecloths, pillows, tops for me, being able to do alterations to my clothes. It will be lovely!
I ordered it online and so it will be delivered in a few days. I will probably not open it and not look at it or play with it. I will tell them to wrap it and put it under the tree and I will "see" it for the first time on the 25th when I open it. I'm really looking forward to it.
I'm thinking 2008 will be my year of Crafts. It used to give me a lot of pleasure and I let it go when me-time was scarce. It's been coming back slowly in the past few years but I think 2008 crafting is coming back full force. That's the plan anyway.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Socks

Socks are a problem at my house. There never seems to be enough of them clean and with out holes. Throughout the year I buy WAY too many socks for the 3 males in my house. I on the other hand don't seem to loose socks. They last me years.

To exacerbate this sock problem, the males can now pretty much all wear the same size. So, now we have this -you are wearing my socks!- thing going on. We even went so far as to buy different brands one for each of them. Even that didn't work as I still see the wrong person wearing the wrong socks.

So, I have a plan. Santa is going to bring each of them at least a dozen socks, different brands and we will try to start over. I have taken 3 boxes from work from the cases of paper and I am going to put the socks in there so no one will know what they are and have them open them at the same time. I think it will be a hoot! I need to head over to Kmart or Walmart this weekend to do this.
I wonder are we the only family with sock issues?

Monday, November 26, 2007

Something had to blow...

We lost the playoff game Friday night. I saw we because after the game, I was as drained as if I had played. It was so exciting to be playing at that level, in that round, against that team, in that stadium. We got there at 3:30 for 7:30 kick-off. Tailgating was a blast and then it started pouring at halftime. The defense despite the 40-14 score played awesome. The offense just couldn't move the ball. It was so emotional at the end of the game because the coach lines up the seniors across the end zone and the rest of the team forms a line and goes down and says good-bye to each player because its his last game. Well, good thing it was raining so you couldn't tell they were my tears running down my face. We all went out after the game to a local tavern for drinks and wings and celebrating a great season.

Saturday was recuperate from Friday. We didn't go any further than the mailbox all day. WE didn't do much either. I think we may have loaded and started the dishwasher but maybe not. We did muster enough energy to shower and go to a friends house to watch yet more football Sat. night. It was nice to hang with friends and I actually didn't get home until 1am.

Sunday was recoup from Friday. I think I said that already. Can you tell we were all kind of drained. No one got up until noon! That's unheard of at my house but I think we all needed it. We did laundry because well apparently is inappropriate in my neck of the woods to go out in your birthday suit and we were down to that. My dad stopped by to give 18 his birthday present. I did prepare the yearbook page for 18 and have that ready to turn in at school. Other than that hubby and I bickered all day about nothing.

So something had to give, with all the no energy and all and what blew was NaBloPoMo. I didn't blog all weekend. So there you have it. I'm out. Oh, well. Life goes on. 18 is adjusting to being 18 and realizing that nothing has changed. He still lives in my house and has to follow my rules. Being 18 doesn't make him free to do what he wants, when he wants, how he wants. He still trying to wrap his head around the fact that "as long as you have to come to me to ask me for $5 for lunch, then you have to abide by my rules." He'll figure it out, he's a smart boy.

Friday, November 23, 2007

happy shopping

I was at the store at 4am. I walked the entire mall. I'm almost done with the Christmas shopping. I am at work now. I will leave early because today's the second round of the playoffs. I am tired. I am blessed but I also must be crazy!
Somebody, save me from myown self!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

happy thanksgiving

Just a note to say that I know I am blessed and I am thankful.

Hope you all had a lovely thanksgiving!
Gobble Gobble!!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

The day after...

Maybe you noticed but I was in quite a mood yesterday. It was evident here at the office too. When someone handed me the ginormous stapler that we have asking if I could fix it it had some staples stuck) I proceeded to forcefully bang on the arm (3 times) only causing 3 more staples to jam while I was on the phone. They very quietly took it away from me, got a pair of pliers and removed all the jammed staples themselves. I even told my boss that I didn't want to answer the phone anymore because the info I was giving was apparently all wrong. He had taken a call from someone I had already spoken to 3 times and gave the exact opposite info that I was giving. He came back later to try to tell me that I hadn't done anything wrong, I just hadn't been told where to get the info. But I wasn't having any of that I told him I didn't care and I was working on another client. So, when 5 o'clock finally rolled around and I called out a Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Since I didn't call out the name of the par-time file clerk that we have, the bosses thought it was directed at them. One ran to the other's office and said she's coming tomorrow right?! while the other was yelling out Aren't you coming tomorrow? But I was already out the door and didn't hear a thing. They looked at each other, asked each other what day it was and agreed that they had really pushed me over the edge.

Naturally, I found this out this morning. When one boss told me "I thought you were off today. " "and why would you think that?" "Well, you wished us a Happy Thanksgiving and we thought either she thinks it's Wed or she's taking the day off." "No, silly, that was for -temp-, not you. We won't see her today and so I wished her a Happy Thanksgiving. " "We thought the day had gone so bad that you gave up on us." and I laughed a good laugh from my toes laugh because I couldn't have planned that if I tried. I get all bothered, tell them I don't care and then take off letting them think I'm taking off! LOVE IT! We all enjoyed that one.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Enough!

Today is the kind of day that if I could quit my job I would! My planets must not be aligned or whatever. I have a horrible headache and want to run away! Well, not run, that would be exerting too much energy. How about everyone just leave me alone for a while and I don't HAVE to do anything or talk to anyone or go anywhere.
...and this too shall pass...
Gimme Patience!

Monday, November 19, 2007

To shop Black Friday or not to Shop Black Friday

For years I have been getting up at the crack of dawn after studying the sales ads fro days and strategically planning my attack on the stores to get great deals on Black Friday. My planning always served me well. I saved loads of money and got great stuff. The past few years I have been going with 17. We have a blast. We split up in the store to go get great deals and meet in line. We take turn standing in the checkout line while the other one cruises the store looking for additional deals. We save lots of time calling each other on the cell phone (yes, we are in the same store) and many times 17 has brought sale items to others in line so they don't loose their spot. Much fun us had. A typical Black Friday sees us up at 3:30. We drive to the first store and I stand in line while 17 keeps sleeping in the car. I call him to wake him up and join me @20 minutes before the store opens (5am) and we are typically one of the first 100 people in the store, assuring we will get what we want and the available door buster sales.

This year, I don't know if its me or the stores but the sales don't seem to be so hot. Most of the ads can already be found online. As I get email notices every time one is added I have perusing them for a few days now. The things I want to get just aren't that fantabulously on sale this year. What a bummer! I don't know what I am going to do. On top of that I will be on my own this year since 17 has the next playoff game that evening, he will not be crack of dawn bargain shopping with mom. I guess I will keep looking, I have a few more days to decide. I can't imagine NOT going. I usually am 95% done Xmas shopping after that weekend. Actually I would say I am about 40% done now. I'll let you know what I do.

Do you shop Black Friday?

Sunday, November 18, 2007

What a weekend.

As you know this was a pretty busy weekend. It was Football Friday and we went to the school early, helped with the team meal. There was a lot of leftovers because they were nervous and didn't each much. After that we went to the field early to tailgate and hangout with the other parents. The game was so much fun! We won and next week play in the Orange Bowl! After the game we celebrated at a local Tavern with other parents and the coaches. Everyone was so wired, no one could go home to sleep. We didn't get to bed until 2am.
I was up at 6:30 to go to the HarvestFest. Even though I forgot my Christmas gift list, I remembered some and was able to do some shopping. We were home by 11:30 and then I continued Christmas shopping at Pewter & Pearls. At that point I was exhausted by we had to keep going because there is no rest for the weary. So, after taking a short break fro lunch and the read the paper's coverage of our high school game. I pulled out my Thanksgiving recipes and made a grocery list. We do our grocery shopping in to parts. One at the local warehouse store and the other at the regular grocery store. Hubby went to the warehouse store list in hand while I started the laundry and took a shower to see if I could get a second wind going. I took my shower extra quick so that I could have a few minutes to lay down before he got back. It worked! I was able to take a 30 minute nap before he got home. After the boys unloaded we went to Publix for the remainder of the groceries. After that it was fix dinner and keep washing and organize the gifts that I bought, removing prices and setting aside for wrapping hopefully next weekend. While hubby took 15 to a party I made 2 bottles of crema de vie and then we just laid around and watched Cane and other Tivod shows.
Sunday we were up by 8, waffles for breakfast and keep the laundry going. I got a flan in the oven and then sat and cut out all the articles I need to copy for the scrapbook. I made the dough for 3 pies and refrigerated them. Went to Office Depot and made all my color copies. After lunch I was ready to start sorting through digital pictures for the scrapbook. I picked out the pictures for the cheerleader's page and set that to print 30 copies. I laid out 2 other pages and made lunches for Monday. 17 isn't going to start using the gym until after football season is over so I have a few weeks to get him signed up for that. I made Sunday Chicken for dinner and put away all my clothes and got to the computer to answer emails and blog. I'm exhausted. I got a lot done even though I didn't make it to the scrap store. I still have to layout the Senior page for the yearbook but at least hubby and I talked about it and decided on a size and that we want on it.
I'm off to bed now. Good night!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

They did it!

They won the first round of the playoffs! It was soooooo exciting! Next week round two against the defending State Champs. They are ranked top in the country. We are playing them in the Orange Bowl. We have nothing to loose. The pressure is ALL on them!
Toooo Exciting!

Friday, November 16, 2007

All about 17

So, tonight is 17s big game. It's the first round of the playoffs. This is very exciting. His team has already made school history by going 11-0, they are the second team in school history to go undefeated, they expect to win, they really do. We are up against a tough team that has only had 2 losses and one of those losses was to last year's State Champions and on of the country's top ranked teams.

17 is an outside linebacker and usually lines up on the weak side, if you know what that means good for you. This week, as he did last week, he will also have to punt because the regular punter sprained his ankle VERY badly. So, we are hoping and praying for lots of first downs. Last week he actually punted decently, better than at the beginning of the season before they found a punter but he doesn't like it at all.

I am leaving work early, I help out at the team meal and then we go tailgate. It's lots of fun! So tonight it's all about 17 and football. I truly hope they win and make it to the next round. That would be a nice bday present for him.

Since this post is all about 17, I should update the college front. He scored abominably on the SAT and is taking it for a 3rd time in December. His ACT wasn't that hot either. He's a horrible test taker. We have been having this problem since 1st grade. He gets soooo worked up he can't even think. He's taken a prep class, a review class and now he asked for a private tutor to just go over a few things before he takes it again. Hopefully that will give him the confidence to sit and take the test better. He has the rest of the resume to get into any school of his choice, the GPA, the class rank, the extracurricular but the scores- argh! So far he has applied to 10 schools and in the past 2 days coaches from 2 schools have called to talk to him. He talked to a coach from Washington Univ. in St. Louis and one called from Colorado College and left him a message. Loyola has also called him a couple of times but they keep playing phone tag. Football is not a priority for him in college. If he's able to play, that's fine but he's not working that angle as hard as some of his friends are. Whatever he wants is fine with me.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

So many things...

So much is going on this weekend that I'm already starting to get ancy about planning it. I know what I have/want to do but I don't know when I'm going to get it all done.

Friday:
17s football playoff game
Talk to photographer about the collages he owes me
Sat:
go to Harvest Fest
go to Pewter & Pearls
go to scrap store for more supplies
Sun.
Figure out with family how to celebrate 17s bday which is Monday!
Go to LA Fitness and get him a membership for his bday- that's what he asked for

Somewhere in there:
Plan cooking for Thanksgiving
Do groceries for Thanksgiving
Make photo collage for 2 football games
download pictures from camera and order prints as needed
call ALf and ck on GM
get baby picture of 17 for football scrapbook
find Senior pictures for scrapbook and yearbook
layout and complete forms for yearbook page for 17 (deadline is the end of the month)
Review Xmas list vs. what I bought on Sat to get ready for Black Friday shopping
Make Crema de vie for Thanksgiving so that it has time to properly blend
Make copies of newspaper articles for football scrapping
Layout at least 3 pages for football scrapping on Tuesday

And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head. I am sure there's more like I didn't put laundry and silly things like that. Gimme Patience, puleeze!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Oh no!

My son who will 18 on the 19th of this month got his Selective Service Registration. I held the envelope in my hand and sent up a prayer that he never have to put his life on the line. Is that bad? Don't get me wrong. I am proud of all the men and women who serve and have served. I'm proud to be in this country. But my baby having to go out and do all that- OMG! I pray, honestly that he never be called to do so. If that makes me unpatriotic and bad well, so be it.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Tonight and ...

Tonight is football scrapnight. A group of women gather at my house and we scrap 30 identical pages for the boys. Much cutting, gluing, wine drinking and fun are had by all. Of course, I have spent 3 nights laying out the pages that we will work on today and tomorrow so for me every night is football scrapnight. It has pretty much consumed me and all my white space right now.

I did manage to see the movie Pan's Labyrinth over the weekend. I will venture to say that you have to be in the mood for this movie and I don't think I was in the right frame of mind. I started it and was a little EWWWwed by it, stopped it made myself some popcorn, snuggled on the sofa under a blanket and started it again. It was good. Visually- wow! How creative! The creatures, the tasks. I loved the way he positions the two opposites the fantasy world and the harsh reality of Franco's Spain and the rebels. Really well done. Balance was key in this movie and I think he got it. I don't think that it was overdone either way. The fantasy was as fantastical (I think I made that up) as his reality was real. Not for little kids but good movie for everyone else.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Preparate Villa!

Today I went to a funeral mass at an Orthodox Church for a good friend of the family. She has known hubby and his family for at least 40 years and I've known her for +20!

She was one of the most vibrant, loving, positive, full of life people I have ever met. She lot her 17 month battle with cancer last Thursday and was valiant through it all. She decided to stop treatments because she wanted to spend the end of her life with people not in a hospital and not sick in bed. Whenever you told her a story or a problem she would invariably in the advice tell you, "Preparate chica". She was a wise woman and many turned to her for advice. Less than a month ago she was still out and about for small periods of time. She turned 75 last month and her family hired Mariachis and as tired and sickly as she felt that day still came down and sang Las Mañanitas and toasted everyone there. She was one special lady. I have been sending her cards, some funny some inspirational throughout her illness. The last package I sent her was a child's princess Halloween card and a package of lollipops. Her daughter told me today that she had one every day because it made her laugh. It will be tough to think that she's not here with us anymore. She loved so many things, singing, music, dancing, Whiskey, Cuba, her family, her friends. We love you, Villa! Preparate! Adios.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Scrap weekend

I have been scrapbooking ALL weekend. I have only stopped to go to the store for supplies, take my family to the game and dinner with my girlfriends on Saturday night while the boys were at the game. My dinning room is not a dinning room right now. It's the scrap room. Why so much scrapping you ask? Because we are making 30 identical books. One for each graduating senior on the football team. I have a group of 6 women who come over every Tuesday and we make the pages that I design. This week another group is coming on Wednesday. So, I am making enough pages for us to work on 2 nights. It's crunch time because the season is almost over and then we will have a banquet where they are given their scrapbooks of the season and well obviously they must be done by then. So, meanwhile we scrap- lots! It's coming out wonderful!

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Very late

I'm late posting because: 1) I forgot and my girlfriend reminded me at dinner and 2) after dinner before I could get home to post I had to pick up the rest of my family. They were at the Miami Hurricanes last football game in the Orange Bowl. I bought them the tickets at the beginning of the season.
Better blogging tomorrow. I promise.

Friday, November 09, 2007

WaWaWhat am I supposed to write???

I'm freaking out over here. I was invited to be a contributor on another blog. What the heck am I supposed to write on another blog when I don't even have anything pithy to say on mine? I ask you? I mean really now. Gimme Patience! What was she thinking?




Thursday, November 08, 2007

MEMEtime!

I stole this from The Mind Wobbles...if you want to participate, please let me know in my Comments area.
Name a CD you own that none of your friends do - I'll pick....Josh Tesh's Christmas CD.
Name a book you own that none of your friends do - "Pudd'nhead Wilson" by Mark Twain Hopefully, Hilda doesn't have that. This one made me think.
Name a movie you own on DVD/VHS/whatever that none of your friends do - Again Hilda has tons of movies and most of my friends have all the Disney ones that I have. I'll go with "Dirty Dancing"
Name a tourist attraction in the US that you have visited that none of your friends have - Hmmm... a big group of my friends are big travelers so I have to pick something kinda remote...how about the Civil War reenactment in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.

Fine. Yeah. I blogged today. Now it's your turn!

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Take 2 asprin...

I woke up at 1:13am with a horrible headache. I didn't want to open my eyes or move or breathe too hard. I struggled out of bed and with my eyes closed and my hand sliding along the wall guided myself to the kitchen to take some meds guided myself back and tried to get comfy and go back to sleep. There was a lot of whimpering along the way. I woke up again at 5:42 and repeated this procedure. At 6:15 hubby was shaking my feet yelling "c'mon c'mon get up!" I shhhed him and told him to turn off the lights. He grumbled but acquiesced. I slowly got ready for work. Put my sunglasses on while still in the house and took my meds with me as I couldn't take them again until after 9. At the office I sat in the dark with my sunglasses on drinking 2 cups of coffee before cranking up the computer. The pain was finally subsiding. I have now eaten lunch, the sunglasses are off, the lights are still not on but I am working with only a dull constant pressure from my right temple through to the back of my head and top of my neck. Not that this is interesting at all but it NABLo yadda yadda month and I had to post something. Can't wait for this day to be over....

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Year of Magical Thinking

WOW! When I finished reading it I simply took a deep breath and though "yeah, wow".


She writes so beautifully you just glide along her story. Such a heart wrenching thing to write about. She so put herself out there for all of us to read about. Illness, death, loss, grief, bearing it all. I haven't lost a spouse as she has nor a child which I don't even want to imagine. But grief, I know. There were so many parts that I totally understood and related to. How after someone close to you passes you live on relating everything to that last one. Last month today we were...., last year today we were... How one minute you are in the present and the next minute you are flashing back to you last days/hours and then back further to some arbitrary memory. You go back and forth with her and yet are never lost in time but feel suspended in her reality as she deals with her grief and then you remember how it happened to you like that too.


You get up and do what you are supposed to do and then for a snippet forget the person isn't here anymore because any day you would have done this on your own and then you get to the part where you would have called/seen/spoken to that person and realize now what? They aren't here. There's no one to tell, no one to show, no one to care. Eventually, you find that others do care but not the same way because well, they are someone else aren't they. Special in their own right but not the same. Then you flash back and forth and keep going again and again and again.

Do you ever stop grieving? I don't know. My mother's been gone forever and I still have moments when I realize that I can't pick up the phone and just tell her something. I still cry when my kids do something that she would have loved to see and she's missed it. I still talk about her and refer to things that she would have liked or comments that she would have made. Yet, at the same time I realize that she's not here and when I look up to the heavens and talk to "whoever is driving my bus" I direct my thoughts to her as if she were riding shotgun and has some say as to which direction the bus will go.

But back to the book. I already passed it on to someone else and would recommend it for reading. It was comforting to read that Didion went thru some of the same things that I have and we still keep on keepin' on.

Monday, November 05, 2007

What time is it?

I hate the changing of time from Standard to Daylight Savings and back to Standard. Alright, my momma taught me not to hate that's a strong word. So, I strongly dislike those few days (or weeks) that it takes to get adjusted to the new time. I vehemently begrudge having to get up earlier and be hungrier before noon for lunch etc. etc. etc.


Apparently, almost the whole world does this at some point of the year or another. I did not know this. I thought the US just thought they were better then everyone else and could decide for the world what time it was. I was wrong. Not a first. For enquiring minds, here's a link that explains it: http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/g.html

After perusing the link, I see that I either have to move to Hawaii, Arizona or a country on the equator. It seems those are the industrialized places that don't change their time. Hawaii; I am told is beautiful but uber expensive. Equatorial country; I think I'm close enough thank you. I miss the 4 seasons as it is here in Miami where I at least have a day of cold. Arizona; has strong possibilities. I have heard that Scottsdale is very nice. Of course, that would mean leaving hubby behind because I don't think he will live anywhere that's not here. ever! Some days that wouldn't hold me back. Today, I guess I'll stick the time change out here in Miami but at least I've done the research and know that there are viable options out there. Meanwhile, is it lunch yet?! ARGHHH, gimme patience.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Bloggin' n' learnin'

Did you know, you probably did because y'all are such proficient bloggers and such technical people but I didn't know, that when you write a draft and then post it later after putting on your finishing touches that it publishes with the original date and time stamp of the first draft?

That happened to me yesterday. See it was after 11pm when I realized that I hadn't posted for the day and well NaBloPoMo just started how could I die out this early! So, dash to the computer and pick up a draft that I had started the day before (Friday). I added the last paragraph, did the spell check and quickly published the post. I made it! It's not midnight. Whew! I went to bed, after a few more hours of scrapping and watching Tivo, with no worries.

This morning my girlfriend calls me and tell me to change the time. I know it's daylight savings but that's not what she was talking about. She was talking about the time stamp on my post. She knows that it was late when I published it (how? I didn't ask. She just knows important things like that) but the time stamp is wrong. We conclude that it was because I picked up a draft and didn't do the post from scratch. Who knew? Not me. I do now. So, I fixed it now. Don't think I am cheating, it the time that I actually went in a posted on Saturday. Gimme patience!

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Good News Saturday!

A woman was sitting at a bar enjoying an after-work cocktail with her girlfriends when an exceptionally tall, handsome, extremely sexy, middle-aged man entered. He was so striking that the woman could not take her eyes off him.

The young-at-heart man noticed her overly attentive stare and walked directly toward her. (As men will.) Before she could offer her apologies for staring so rudely, he leaned over and whispered to her, "I'll do anything, absolutely anything, that you want me to do, no matter how kinky, for $20.00...on one condition." Flabbergasted, the woman asked what the condition was. The man replied, "You have to tell me what you want me to do in just three words."

The woman considered his proposition for a moment, and then slowly removed a $20 bill from her purse, which she pressed into the man's hand along with her address. She looked deeply into his eyes, and slowly and meaningfully said:

"Clean my house."

(YOU GO, GIRL!)

Money well spent!!!!

Well, I didn't find mine in a bar and it's costing me more than 20 bucks but I hired the cleaning lady that came by today! Yeah for me! She's from Nicaragua and was referred by a friend. She cleans her house on Thursdays. I am so excited. She is going to come EVERY Monday! We'll see how long we can afford this but at least weekly for a few months until we can get a handle on things around here then I may change it to every other week. But she's coming MONDAY!!! YEAH!!!YIPPEE!!!

Friday, November 02, 2007

Help is coming....

I am all excited about this weekend. There's lots on my list to do. When isn't there? I ask!? But among the gajillion things is that I am meeting (I don't want to think interviewing) a cleaning lady tomorrow. She's coming to the house for us to go over what I want her to do and quote me a price. Gosh, I hope I can afford this! I need help. Maybe if someone helps me clean then we can start picking up and organizing my life and finding things and not buying thing because we don't know where the one that we own is and have the house look all put together and smell nice and fresh and look clean and crisp when I walk in and have there be a cozy retreat where I can sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and a book with out feeling guilty that I should be cleaning and be able to invite people over without offering excuses for the place and and I think maybe I want too much. Anyways, I'm a little excited that help may be on the way.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Let them eat cake

I went to a friend's house for Halloween and there were lots of goodies to eat. Among the varied desserts was a lemon cake that everyone was raving about but I didn't try it. Don't think I was being so good or anything. I had already had brownies and Reese's peanut butter cups and more appetizers than I can write about. Back to the cake, as we were leaving and she was handing out leftover pizza as party favors to other guests, I served myself a piece of lemon cake and wrapped it up for breakfast. I could just imagine it would be perfect with my cup of coffee. MmMMm! I retrieved my children and headed out to the car carefully balancing my piece of cake on the box of crackers that was also left over. Although I was sleepy, in the car I held on to it. Getting out of the car I gingerly step out and whoosh, there goes the cake plate sliding off the cracker box onto the lawn. I yelp (yes, I yelped) and look! the cake actually came off of the plate, out of the wrapper and is sitting in a bald spot of the lawn in the dirt. Great! I pick it all up and just laugh looking up at the sky. I guess the driver of this bus called my life was sending a message: Let them eat cake - not! ;) Oh, well. I will survive. It's not the end of the world. I'm sure my mom was having a good laugh up there from her seat in the clouds. Heck, she probably pushed the cake off the box ;)

Monday, October 29, 2007

Are you ready for NaBloPoMO?

It's coming! I did it last year. I still don't know how since I had just started blogging and didn't have a clue what I was doing. No that I have become skilled at this blogging stuff since then. But I eventually realized there is no right or wrong, it's my blog, I can write what I want- so there.

Anyway, last week I tried to sign-up and for whatever reason I couldn't. I don't even remember know what I couldn't get to work. But this weekend my friend and blog mentor over from The Mind Wobbles came over and helped me register and get the button that you see on the side there. She also taught me a couple of other tricks that I will use in the very near future. Plus she showed me how to Bold and Italicize something at the same time. So bring on those memes with those complicated instructions. I can handle it now. See? Cool! I actually remembered and it worked! Yeah for me! and THANKS Hilda!

Tune in daily starting on Thursday!

Friday, October 26, 2007

Is Mercury in retrograde???

It must be or some other planet necessary for my cosmic alignment is out of sync. Things have been a little nutty lately. Nothing major just lots of little things.
Wednesday nuttiness:
I drop off my prescription in the evening, they tell me it will be ready in the morning. Fine. I go back in the morning to find out that its' something special and they have to get it from .... come back in the afternoon. Bottom line, it took 2 days for me to get the friggin eye drops! I forgot my lunch, forgot the angel pin that I wear to my sons' football games, computers have not been very nice to me either. I try to do something simple at the office like make a lousy copy and the copier says OVERHEAT. Gimme a break!

Thursday nuttiness:
We hurry to the bank after work because we also have to grab some groceries before getting home. I had forgotten my checkbook so they have to look up the account so I can make my deposit which HAS to get in because it was my paycheck from last week that I hadn't been able to deposit and NEED to deposit. Fine. Get to the grocery store, they don't have the frozen garlic bread we normally buy, they don't have lean ground beef we buy substitutes. Fine. I get home and 17 is working on college applications and frustrated because he just got his SAT scores and wasn't happy with the results. The few groceries are on unloaded on the counter as he calls me over to help him with a couple of questions and talk. Now if you have kids, especially boys, or maybe its just my boy but you don't blow off a request to talk. I sat there for 40 minutes answering his questions and giving SOLICITED advice to get eye rolling, shoulder shrugging and be told that I didn't know what I was saying. So, why did he ask? (%*&(#%^&* Whatever. Fine. I try to get to my room to change my clothes and use the restroom when I get stopped at 15's door. Ma I have a cross country meet tomorrow, its all day, its at --- park, you have to get me there at 8am but I don't run until 10. The logistics of this are killer! and I won't be able to go because I can't take the entire day off of work right now if its really not an emergency, we are swamped. UGH! Fine. We'll figure it out. I finally make it to the bathroom. Ah the relief... and then MOOOOOMMMM, do you know where the recommendation letter is from Father D? Now, I ask you, is it MY letter, was it given to me? No and no. and then MOM, I need this washed for the race tomorrow. I loving yell back, Can you let me finish peeing! PULEEZE! I quickly finish up and change, tell 15 to load up the washing machine, tell 17 look on your desk it has to be there as I make my way to the kitchen to put away the groceries that have been on the counter for over an hour and get dinner started while hubby is on the phone with the insurance company because he bumped a Mercedes on the expressway on the way home that I'm sure will cost us a fortune. MOOOMMMmmm the printers not working! I stick my head in the door and say add paper. Voila! it works, imagine the ingenuity! Did you find the letter? No, you have it mom, I gave it to you. Fine. I head to his room. Scan all the surfaces including the largest one, the floor, I spot an beige envelope on the floor on top of an Economics book, pick it up and hand it to him. Gee thanks, I told you you had it. It was on the floor in your room. Oh, ah, thanks. Can you please make a copy before you send it out so we have some here. I head back to the kitchen. I see hubby walking all over the house and discover he has lost his keys as we hear MOOOOmmmm the copy is coming out red. I walk over and open the printer/copier and shake the black ink cartridge and put it back as we hear a crash, hubby opened the door to the utility closet to put a screwdriver away and well, think: Fred Flintstone's closet. I head back to the kitchen laughing because my pasta is boiling over. I don't want to say out loud, What else can happen? because my brain knows that quite a bit could actually happen and I'm not really up for it. Eventually we do sit down to dinner, figure out the logistics for the next day yadda yadda yadda.
Such a happy peaceful place, my home. I am blessed but gimme just a little more patience, please. :)

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Halloween Horror

I realize you haven't been getting much from me lately. I've been really busy and I need to organize myself a little better.

So, here's just a quickie to tie you over. I went to Universal's Halloween Horror this past weekend. I had never been. My boys had both gone last year. It was a hoot. I didn't trail my boys in fact, I saw them only periodically over the entire weekend but that's another story.

I'll tell you about the Horror event itself. It's really something. They go all out. The decorations (that doesn't sound right because when I think decorations I think pretty and this was gory) were well done. They have themed haunted houses that you walk through and are decorated to represent the theme and also very well done. I went through 2. One was Vampire themed and the other Texas Chain Saw.

The vampire had assorted vampires feeding or preparing to feed on their victims. So there were people (think: villagers) in cages (think: large bird cage) and some chained to whatever, some alive, others "dead" with the vampire looming over them dripping blood. Then as you turn different corners vampires would jump out and scare the bejeebuz out of you. In the "kitchen" there were headless bodies hanging from the ceiling that you actually had to move to walk through. It was gross because the rubbery bodies felt cold an slightly slimy- GROSS!

I thought the Chain Saw one was better mainly because I don't like vampires. We walked through a house that looked like it had been destroyed by people trying to escape the Chain Saw guy. So, you can imagine. There were doors that someone (Think: granny and teenage Susy) would open and scream as they were trying to escape the path of their assailant. Then when you think its over because you are outside behind the house, there are clothes lines with white bed sheets hanging to dry that are sprayed with "blood". As you nonchalantly walk through this behind some of those sheets is the Chain Saw man who jumps at you starting up the chain saw. Not for the faint of heart. I think my scream could be heard all the way back to Miami.

As you walk around the park there are various scary characters walking amongst the crowd that walk next to you and scare you. Again the costumes and makeup are excellent.

Now, mind you none of these people can touch you. Once I knew this all was good. The only way to be scared is the surprise of people popping out of places and the yuckiness of something that looks gross or gory but obviously its all fake and you know this so its more of an Ewwww thing for me.

Overall I had a blast. There were lots of people, endless lines etc. but I'm glad i went. It is now crossed off my list to things to do before I die (I wrote it in when we decided to go so that I could cross it off since it really wasn't on THE list). Next year we will probably go back to make sure that the boys arrive alive but I think I'll spend the cash at a nice dinner at City Walk and treat myself to the Spa at the hotel which looked awesome!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Long Movie Meme

I took this from from The Mind Wobbles. You're supposed to simply count the number of these films that you've actually seen; if you score more than 85 then you are declared "lacking in life."

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show - Innumerable times. I used to be able to sing along and talk back to the screen etc.
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story - Yes, many moons ago and I don't remember much.
() Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
( ) The Princess Bride
(x) AnchorMan
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
() Labyrinth
() Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
( ) The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
() Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
() Scary Movie
() Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4 -OMG, there are 4 of these!
() American Pie
( ) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
(x) Harry Potter 1

( ) Harry Potter 2
( ) Harry Potter 3
( ) Harry Potter 4
() Resident Evil 1
() Resident Evil 2
( ) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
( ) Lilo & Stitch
(x) Finding Nemo
() Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
( ) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
( ) Robots
(X ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
( ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(X) Along Came Polly
( ) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
( ) Never Been Kissed
(X) Meet The Parents
(X) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(X) King Kong - I saw the original
( ) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
( ) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
() Halloween
() The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
(X) Flubber
( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
(X) Chicago

() Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
( ) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
( ) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
() Nightmare on Elm Street

(x) Sixteen Candles - My childhood, but so UNLIKE my childhood.
(X) Remember the Titans
(X) Coach Carter
() The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(X) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
(X) Bad Boys
(X) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean's Eleven - Both the original and the remake
(X) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremacy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
() Predator I
( ) Predator II
() The Fog
( ) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
(x) Independence Day
() Cujo
(X) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
() Christine
(x) ET

() Children of the Corn
( ) My Boss's Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(X) Rush Hour
(X) Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
(X) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( ) She's All That
(X) Calendar Girls

(X) Sideways
() Mars Attacks
() Event Horizon
( ) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump

() Big Trouble in Little China -
(x) The Terminator -
( ) The Terminator 2
( ) The Terminator 3
(x) X-Men
(x) X-2

( ) X-3

(x) Spider-Man -

(X) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(X) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday -
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
( ) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek -
(X) Shrek 2
( ) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street - Both the original and the remake

( ) Old School
( ) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x The 40-year-old Virgin
(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
() Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
() Lord of the Rings Return Of the King

(X) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

(X) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(X) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
( ) Basketball
( ) Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(X) Elf
( ) Highlander
(X) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History X
( ) Three
( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Nightwatch
(X ) Monsters Inc.
(X ) Titanic
() Monty Python and the Holy Grail
() Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
(x) Dawn Of the Dead -

(X) Hook
() Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
() 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
() Phantasm
( ) Waterworld
(X) Kill Bill vol 1
( ) Kill Bill vol 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
() The Hills Have Eyes

() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
(X) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
() Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
() Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
() Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope

(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
(x) The Matrix
(X) The Matrix Reloaded
( ) The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
() Team America: World Police
(x) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal
GRAND TOTAL = 95 or maybe 97, if you count the ones I've seen the original and the remake. So, I guess I have no life by definition of this meme. But I loves my movies!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Meme

I stole this meme from The Mind Wobbles who got it from.....(you know the rest)

1. Who is your man?
Hubby (not putting his name out on the blog)
2. How long have you been together?
I have known him since I was 9 years old.
3. How long did you date?
We dated for 3 years, enganged for 1, married for 20 years as of yesterday!
4. How old is your man?
44
5. Who eats more?
I do but he eats more junk.
6. Who said "I love you" first?
I don't remember.
7. Who is taller?
He is.
8. Who sings better?
I don't think either of us sings well but he thinks he does.
9. Who is smarter?
When it comes to facts and figures, he is. When it comes to street smart and everyday useful things, me.
10. Whose temper is worse?
Define worse: Mine makes more appearances but his is more full blown. I'm like daily rain showers, he's a flood that rearely happens but when it does, run for cover.
11. Who does the laundry?
We do. But mostly I wash/dry and he folds while watching TV.
12. Who takes out the garbage?
He does
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
Laying on the bed, he does
14. Who pays the bills?
We each pay different bills.
15. Who is better with the computer?
Moi.
16. Who mows the lawn?
Mike, the lawn guy.
17. Who cooks dinner?
I do. He mostly reheats, drives thru or orders.
18. Who drives when you are together?
He does and I mostly close my eyes or read because I don't like the way he drives.
19. Who pays when you go out?
I read the bill because he can't see it and then he pays.
20. Who is most stubborn?
I insist that I am not stubborn but he would insist otherwise. Honestly, I would say it's a toss up but I obviously give in more.
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong?
Moi! A pet peeve of mine...he rarely apologizes.
22. Whose parents do you see the most?
His
23. Who kissed who first?
I tried to kiss him and he turned me down. Later, months later he kissed me.
24. Who asked who out?
He asked me.
25. Who proposed?
He did but I had given him an ultimatum and a deadline.
26. Who is more sensitive?
MOI! for sure!
27. Who has more friends?
I guess I do, though after 20 years we share most friends
28. Who has more siblings?
Even. He has one sister, I have one brother.
29. Who wears the pants in the family?
I wear pants almost everyday. LOL! I wish it were more 50/50 but I would say me, although sometimes I go through the motions of letting him think it's him. But most of the time I don't think he's interested.

Let me know in my comments if you decide to do this one too so I can learn about YOUR man!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Book Meme

I got this from The Mind Wobbles of course she got it from other blogs and so on. Here are the directions:
These are the top 106 books most often marked as “unread” by Library Thing's users, as of some day, we aren't sure.
Here are the instructions that I got with the meme: Bold- what you have read, italicise-what you started but couldn’t finish, strike through what you couldn't stand, Add an asterisk* - to those you’ve read more than once, Underline those on your to-read list.
Since I don't know how to underline in the blog world and since I can't seem to strike through and bold, here's what I'm going to do:

Bold- What I've read
Italicise- what I couldn't finish
*- what I read more than once
Write TBR- for those I have on my To Be Read List
Write comments for those I hated or whatever


Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Anna Karenina - TBR

Crime and Punishment

Catch-22

One Hundred Years of Solitude -TBR

Wuthering Heights

The Silmarillion

Life of Pi: A Novel

The Name of the Rose

Don Quixote - TBR

Moby Dick

Ulysses

Madame Bovary

The Odyssey

Pride and Prejudice* - My favorite book of all time. I have also seem many different screen version and read different incarnations and sequels to it. LOVE IT and everything about it.

Jane Eyre

A Tale of Two Cities - Don't remember it much. We did the play in 8th grade. I don't even remember what part I had just that I was in it.

The Brothers Karamazov - I can see how in it's time period this was probably very controversial and ultra topical but when I read it, it was just downright boring. I would say pass on this unless you are studying the time period or Russian lit.


Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

War and Peace

Vanity Fair - TBR

The Time Traveler’s Wife - TBR


The Iliad

Emma

The Blind Assassin

The Kite Runner - LOVED IT.

Mrs. Dalloway - TBR

Great Expectations - TBR

American Gods

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

Atlas Shrugged - I am thinking I should probably read this as it appears on every book list I have ever looked at but I've looked at it and it's not doing it for me.

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books

Memoirs of a Geisha - I saw the movie, not sure I can read the book now.

Middlesex - TBR

Quicksilver

Wicked : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

The Canterbury Tales

The Historian : A Novel

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Love in the Time of Cholera - TBR

Brave New World

The Fountainhead

Foucault’s Pendulum - TBR

Middlemarch - TBR

Frankenstein -I was pleasantly surprised that I like this. I thought it was going to be all sci-fi and yucky. It wasn't. I thought the writing was excellent. It's told as a story of a story of a story. I don't remember how many levels, 3 or 4 maybe. Very well done. I didn't loose the thread even once.

The Count of Monte Cristo - This is supposed to be really good reading and I may even own it because I think 17 may have had to read it. I need to look around for it and maybe add it to my piles if we own it.

Dracula

A Clockwork Orange

The Once and Future King

The Grapes of Wrath

The Poisonwood Bible : A Novel

1984

Angels & Demons

The Inferno

The Satanic Verses - TBR

Sense and Sensibility

The Picture of Dorian Gray - TBR

Mansfield Park

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

To the Lighthouse - This was hard to read. Some of the scenes where she writes as if she in everyone's head at the same time- amazing but oh so hard to read.

Tess of the D’Urbervilles - TBR

Oliver Twist

Gulliver’s Travels

Les Misérables - TBR

The Corrections

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Dune

The Prince

The Sound and the Fury

Angela’s Ashes : A Memoir

The God of Small Things

A People’s History of the United States : 1492-present

Cryptonomicon

Neverwhere

A Confederacy of Dunces

A Short History of Nearly Everything

Dubliners

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Beloved -TBR

Slaughterhouse-Five

The Scarlet Letter - TBR

Eats, Shoots & Leaves

The Mists of Avalon

Oryx and Crake : A Novel

Collapse : How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

Cloud Atlas

The Confusion

Lolita

Persuasion

Northanger Abbey

Catcher in the Rye

On the Road - TBR

The Hunchback of Notre Dame - TBR

Freakonomics : a Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values

The Aeneid

Watership Down - TBR

Gravity’s Rainbow

The Hobbit - I HATED THIS BOOK. I read it in 7th grade. I gave it another chance as an adult because it's so acclaimed. Still hated it. I can objectively appreciate the writing style but it's not my cup of tea.

In Cold Blood : A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences - I also saw the movie. One of the few movies that did justice to the book. Both were eerie.

White Teeth - I've never even heard of this.

Treasure Island

David Copperfield

The Three Musketeers

If you participate, please let me know in my comments.



I've read 26 out of 106, that's like 25%. I'm not very impressed with that. I've marked 9 as TBR. I wonder if I can get one or 2 of those in before the end of the year.








Friday, October 12, 2007

Looking back and ahead

So what else happened this week? Hmmmm, here ya go:

* Status on reducing the double-wide.I stopped buying breakfast at Starbucks. I haven't had any ice cream. I am drinking way more water. I made Jello to have as dessert on the nights when I just need a little something else. I have had salad as a side at every single dinner. I didn't eat any french fries the 2 nights I made them this week. Yeah, me!

* I got my hair but last weekend. I forgot to tell you. It was just a trim. I have it on the short side now so that it gets curly. They are big curls. It's better that just hanging straight down.

* The manager of my GM's ALF called that they were shutting down and were trying to find her a new place but that she was refusing to go. Mind you I was updated that she had moved twice since June and not told me. Granted they were houses owned by the same owner as he was downsizing trying to hold on to a house or 2 but now they are shutting down. When I told her that I had no idea because I hadn't been able to speak to her since the beginning of the summer, she was shocked because GM had told her that we speak every week. She lied. Big surprise there.

* You know those little strips they advertise to put on your nose to stop snoring. They look like butterfly band-aids. Well, THEY WORK! If you have a snorer that wakes you up, RUN don't walk to the nearest store and buy some. You need to understand I have lots of sleep issues. I don't sleep well as it is and hubby's snoring doesn't help. He snores so loud that it jolts me awake. I try to get him to roll over but he doesn't then it takes me forever to fall asleep again and repeat cycle. I think I may have to buy stock in the company because we will be buying it in bulk. He has been wearing the strips for 3 nights and OMG if he's snoring, I don't hear him. It's a godsend! Who woulda thunk it!

* I ordered more online stuff. Some scrapbook papers and a necklace. Actually I ordered a couple because I think it would make a great Xmas gift and it was on sale. I need to start thinking about Christmas cards. I was thinking about making them this year since I'm scrapping now, I should be able to make the cards. We'll see.


Weekend plans: (in no particular order)
Visit GM, now that I know where she is and take her some of her favs: chocolate covered cherries, shortbread cookies etc.
Mail some packages to a few people.
Make some color copies of newspaper articles for the football scrapbooks.
Get my mammos grammed on Saturday.
Go to son's football game Saturday night.
Clean kid's bathroom.
Go to dinner with my culinary girlfriends on Sunday!

Have a good one everyone! TGIF!

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Breakfast of champions - NOT!

Monday I had an upper GI done. I don't wish this on anyone. Here's my story.

I'm the first appt. so this should go fast and easy. That was the only good part of the adventure. After donning the lovely hospital gown in the season's new fashion colors of white with blue dots, I follow Nurse Lovely to a room and remind her like I have told the other 72 people I spoke to before that I am allergic to Sulfur. Is this going to be ok? I don't know how I react, I have been told I am allergic to it since I was a kid. Neither she nor her boss who was eavesdropping have EVER heard of anyone having a reaction to this and well, if anything happens, I am in the hospital. On that note, I am served an Alka-Selter type liquid and told to down it like a shot. It will make me gassy but I am not to burp. Right. Fine. I chug it and momentarily proceed to expel gas from the other end. She said not to burp. I didn't. What's a girl gonna do? Run out of the room?

I had to stand on a platform I barely fit on holding a Styrofoam cup of a lovely vintage of chalky barium sulfate ready to drink some when she says go so that they can photograph it going down. Oh, yeah and I had to take off my glasses and so went the sense of balance with them over to the counter with the remainder of my breakfast of champions.

As the platform I was standing on started to move to the right I let out a scream. It was more like a yelp, and grabbed on to the contraption in front of me with my free hand - that was moving too. Although I can't see Nurse Lovely, I hear her explain that she needed to line me up for the x-ray. I raise my glass and tell her no problem go ahead. She then yells DRINK. I take a swig and have to hold it in my mouth until she yells swallow. Half an eternity later she yells SWALLOW. I gladly do to get that out of my mouth. I honestly feel like a an drinking liquid chalk. After a few more shots and turn this way and that. She comes over to take the cup from me (YEAH, I'm done) and tells me the table (that's what I was standing in front of) is going to go down. She hands me a pillow and instructs me to hold it so I don't hit my head. Don't hit my head? How am I going to hit my he-plunk! oh, that's where you wanted the pillow, so I wouldn't hit my head. I get it now. Now I am laying on the table and she tells me to roll over on my stomach. I do and proceed to pass more gas-logical if you ask me. I stuff my face into the pillow. she then hand me another cup of watered down chalk with a straw and tell me that when she yells DRINK I am to start drinking this stuff continuously so that can film it's progress. And now, roll a bit to the side, and repeat, and the other side, repeat.

Sit and wait for them to review the film. I just take some deep breaths and ask for water but I can't have any yet. Fine. I'll just sit here and breathe and pray thankful that I survived and that it really be over. Nurse Lovely comes out all bubbly and says the pictures are great (don't think they'll make my scrapbook) and I can go now. I have to drink plenty of water today because otherwise this stuff will harden in my intestines and block things up. More good news. YEAH. I ask her for my glasses, tell her I'm lightheaded and may I have some juice. She comes back with a bottle of water. I touch my face to make sure the glasses are on as I stare at the bottle and repeat, May I please have some juice, I really feel lightheaded. She doesn't have any. I audibly groan and think, We are in a friggin hospital! There are no little juices?! Fine. I will just sit here and breathe. She needs me to leave to bring in the next patient. Ahh...hello...need a little help here, I don't think I can make it back to my clothes on my own. Studly Aide to the rescue. When we get to the locker room he asks if I'm ok. Ahhh, someone cares. I a bit woozy. He disappears and comes back with a Coke. I smile at him as I start chugging it. Now, I haven't had a Coke in about a year and this tastes like liquid heaven. My eyes water as Studly tells me he will be back to help me downstairs after I change. He comes back and I'm still sitting where he left me. How long was he gone? I need more time? Lady, do you need help? I look around. It's just me I guess I'm the lady. I sure don't feel like one. He opens the locker and puts my clothes on the bench and disappears again. I pick up my pants and stick one foot in. Nurse Petite comes in. She has the coldest hands on the planet and puts one on each cheek and stares into my eyes and flashes something in them. How'd she do that if she was holding my face- WOW! They are talking to me now but too fast for me to understand and there are 2 of them and only one of me. They give me a shot and lay me down. OMG! What's are they going to do now? I don't care. I fall asleep. I wake up and see my clothes on the bench so I get dressed. I feel a little lightheaded and thirsty. Studly comes in all happy to see me awake. I've never seen anyone react like that to a GI! Like what? It's like you were high or something. We gave you a shot of blah blah blah and blah blah. When he stopped blahing I told him to please tell Nurse Lovely and her boss since apparently this never happens to anyone. He laughs (he really has a pretty face too) and as we walk to the elevator he tells me, you know you asked me to marry you, then said never mind you had a husband then you told me that you'd name you firstborn after me and then said never mind you already had kids. Then apparently I suggested that he name his firstborn after me. He said all this laughing so I did too. For goodness sake I could be his mother! Well, at least I have good taste I tell him as we make our way to a coffee shop. He tells me this is one that he'll be talking about for years. GREAT. He leaves me there, feeling embarrassed but ok. I have some coffee and juice. Sit quietly and drink it all up, call my office to have someone come pick me up and spend the rest of the day a little foggy but ok.
I survived and now I know what my allergy to Sulfur is like. Gimme patience.

Monday, October 08, 2007

What Ice Cream are you?




You Are Rocky Road Ice Cream



Unpredictable and wild, you know how to have fun.

You're also a trendsetter who takes risks with new things.

You know about the latest and greatest - and may have invented it!



You are most compatible with vanilla ice cream.

Does it beat all that Rocky Road is my all time favorite ice cream flavor. When I was a kid they actually made it with mini marshmallows. Now, I only find it with marshmallow cream which is tooo sweet!

Friday, October 05, 2007

Week in review

Here's a look back and things that happened that I haven't mentioned...

* One of the things I decided after the trip was to seriously trim down this double wide body of mine. I'm no radical here. I didn't run out and join a gym or buy any exercise equipment. Why, you may ask. Quite frankly because I've done those things before and failed miserably each time. Now you need to understand I have done every diet there is. I have the knowledge, I know how to loose weight. It's quite simple: take in less calories than you burn. The problem here is will power. So, I decided. I'm gonna do it. I'll start slow, making simple lifestyle changes. First, let's start drinking the water I'm supposed to be drinking. Sounds easy enough. I can do that. Second, stop going to Starbucks and getting a latte and a donut for breakfast. Just have coffee in the office. Again, easy. Bonus here is I'll save $ too. I can do this. SO, Tuesday when hubby goes to the grocery store to buy Milk and cold cuts for the kids. I tell him bring home a surprise, something good. I do this all the time and he usually brings me back whatever veggie or fruit is on sale. A few weeks ago he brought back a beautiful eggplant and more recently a pack of zucchini- delish! So, he came home all excited. Look, I brought home something yummy and he pulls out a quart of Hagen Das Butter Pecan ice cream. We can eat it while we watch TV later! - I guess we're keeping the double wide this week!

* 15 got a brochure from Northwestern University. He got himself on their mailing list because he fell in love with the school 2 years ago when we visited Chicago and he wants to study Journalism and Broadcasting and found out they were famous for it. The kicker here isn't that he GOT the brochure, 17 gets tons of them. The kicker is he read it from cover to cover, he came out of his room explaining to us out of touch parents that he could double major, that they have work internships with out local newspapers, that they have mentor programs etc. I just sat there dumbfounded at the table while he told me all about it. I have a child who is researching, interested in and motivated all by himself to going to college. WOW! I just took in the moment and sent up a little prayer to raise his grades so that he actually have a shot at getting into the school.

* The vacuum cleaner died. It just stopped in mid-vacuum. There is only carpeting in one room but I have, I mean had one of those floor/carpet vacuums and instead of sweeping and having to pick up the dust, I vacuum the floor. I had to sweep this week- oh the agony!

* I have been ordering things online and all the boxes have been coming in. I've ordered scrapbook supplies and clothes. There was a reason I didn't order clothes online before, now I have to return half of it. It didn't fit right or I didn't like the color- it didn't look that bright on the computer. Returning the stuff is a pain in the butt!

*We have a football game tonight and we supposed to beat the pants off of this team. With any luck 17 should play well and make some fabulous plays and have something for the highlight film he has to make for Furman U. My in-laws are coming to my house so that we can drive them to the game. It should be fun.

*I balanced my checkbook. This may be normal and customary for your checkbook but for mine it was a treat. I have never spent so much time with it. I actually discovered that I had too much money. Can that be for real? But then I realized that I owed someone some $ that I hadn't paid them and poof! there it went. Ahhh, there's the low balance I know and love. The world is right again.

*I have been trying to post on blogs that I read and not be a lurker. I'm not good at that and want to do better. I will keep working on this.

So that was my week. The weekend is pretty packed but if I tell you about that now, then what will I blog about on Monday? So, I will keep you in suspense. HINT: There is a pile on the floor in front of a machine.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Things I learned...

Things I learned on my weekend trip...

* I LOVE to travel. Ok, I didn't learn that cuz I already knew that. I love everything about travelling. The packing, the plane, the car rental, the hotel, driving around looking for places to eat, seeing what your gonna see. ALL OF IT! I need to travel more!

* I need to loose weight. Ok, I didn't learn that either, I knew that. I mean I know I'm heavy. Fine. I'll say it. I'm fat- very fat. But OMG! the bathroom in my hotel had a mirror on the back of the door. Not a good place because you see yourself sitting on the toilet- not very flattering. And OMG! I'm enormous! Again, I know I'm fat, I realize what size clothes I'm buying. But that mirror made me realize we need to put a stop to this. Enough already.

* I wish I was the one going to college and not my son. Ok, I didn't learn that either. I knew that. That thought comes up every time a brochure comes to the house which is daily. Ahh, youth is wasted on the young!

* I miss the 4 Seasons. Ok, I didn't learn that either. I've been saying it for years. I'm a transplant here in Miami and I miss the weather changes, the changing of leaves, the snow, the fireplaces, sweaters, hot cocoa, Indian summers. Even though I have now been in Miami more than half my life, it still feels like something is missing. It feels like one looong a$$ summer!

* My son needs a scholarship or he's going to a state school. Ok, technically, I didn't learn that either. We've been looking at colleges for a while and DANG if they aren't expensive. Honestly, 40k a year! and you are supposed to go for 4 years! Thank goodness for the Florida Prepaid plan that fixed the tuition for the state universities.

* It's nice having one on one time with 17. Fine, so I knew that too. We all had a good time. We had some good laughs and some good talks. I think we made some nice memories for him of just the 3 of together enjoying ourselves. We met up with another family and had a nice time with them too. We all exchanged funny travel stories. I bothered her son, she bothered mine- all good-natured fun. Many Kodak moments. A lot of togetherness, fun and silliness before he goes away. The irony is not lost on me.

OK, already! I didn't really learn much this weekend. But all of that came to a head in less than a 24 hour period. So, it was little brain overload there with all those different emotions coming together. This whole college thing is exciting and nerve racking and I'm not the one going. Well, what will be will be....

Monday, October 01, 2007

Was it a long weekend?

It sure felt like it. Friday was 17's homecoming dance, we packed, we washed, we were up at 5am to catch an 8:30 flight to Charlotte, NC, to rent a car, to drive 2 hours to Greenville, SC, to get to Furman University, to watch a video of the school, listen to the coaches, get a quick walking tour, eat dinner there, to go to the football warm-ups before the game, watch the game, go down field after the game, talk with players, talk with coaches, then go to a local sports bar to munch and watch the Gators game, to head back to the hotel for a few winks to get up at 8am for the hotel buffet breakfast and 2 hour drive back to Charlotte and flight back to Miami, to wash clothes and have dinner and crash onto my pillow.
Lots more to come about all of this. It was a great weekend jam packed but I'm tired.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Still no light...

I'm ready to trade in the car. Fine. I won't. Really, it's only a light but it has caused a lot of unrest.

Originally, I went and bought the light bulb to change it. Then bulbs because we thought it might be all three that are in the unit. Then I was told it wasn't the bulbs but the unit that we are plugging it into. (Enter dad, with $50 part) 17 and I took it all apart and undid and redid and undid again and swapped out bulbs and redid, still no turn signal! We had break lights but no turn signal. Apparently, the break light part was the bulb!

Now, we (son & I) aren't geniuses but we are relatively intelligent people so we take it all apart again and start fiddling here and there. Studying this and that. Compare our to the junk yard one. AHA! The actual connector piece that plugs this thing into the car looks faulty. It has a number of little plugs in it and two of them look -dirty/rusty/blown out- (insert what you think may be appropriate there according to your level of expertise). Clearly, this is beyond us and this connector is actually wired into the car. We have resigned ourselves to the fact that we are going to have to take it to a dealer.

So, today's mission, find a dealer with hours that we can handle and get an appt. to fix the car turn signal.

Evidently, there is proof that 17 is my child, I can't deny him. As we closed the trunk of the car he said, "Of course, it would always be easier to buy a new car!" LOL! Gimme Patience.