Fa La La La La La La La La

Was that enough "La's"?

If you've been around for anything more than a year, it will come as no surprise that I am always behind in the Christmas spiriting. It's downright hard most years. But every year is a little better. Every year I try to get a little less Grinchy. Sometimes I do alright. Others not so much. Last year I apparently lived in Blogging Christmas denial because there is not a single Christmasy post in December 2009. How did that happen? Check out any post for any late December in any other year past and you'll get an idea of the whole progression. But I SWEAR I'm trying.

But here we are again. On December 20th. And I am NOwhere near ready for the joyous holiday. Shopping? um...no. not done. Decorations? um.... nada. Haven't even bought a tree or a wreath. Which last year worked just fine as it was the every other year that we are in CR for Christmas. This year we are hosting. And the tinsel is still in the boxes in the basement. Not so sure that will fly with the Big kids when they all come over on Saturday.

So here is the fa la la plans for the next few days.

Tuesday - well. I have to work until 7:30 tomorrow night so probably the best we can hope for is cleaning the living room. We'll be doing Toys for Tots distribution in the afternoon, so that'll have to qualify as my holiday attempt for tomorrow.

Wednesday - Go buy a tree? Do you think anybody will have any left?

Thursday -- Panic sets in. Don't have to work. Will probably go finish the shopping. probably should balance the checkbook first. A Santa visit will have to happen too. Assuming the Babe will behave long enough to go to the mall and return some Lands End stuff to Sears and then go see the Holly Jolly guy.

Friday - grocery shopping. Trader Joe's. Cheap wine for having around while everyone is over. and I need to change the litter box. not sure what that has to do with Holidaying but the cat just walked by and I lost my train of thought.

After that it's anybody's guess. I'm thinking hot rolls maybe. And maybe a pie. I finally found a pie crust that is easy to make and turns out well. So yes. probably a pie. Sweet potato maybe?

Somebody call me tomorrow and check in on the holiday progress. I'm going to need someone to hold me to it.

Introducing Josh James

aka Being a Grandma Rocks!

Born 12/16/10 10:40 PM
7 lbs 5 oz 19.5 inches

Mommy and Baby are doing very well.
And Grandma is grinning from ear to ear. :)

Waiting For My Real Life to Begin

Today is the day that I will slay the dragons. Or maybe tomorrow. There is not much of today left.

PITA

I think I may have broken my ischium. Yes. I did just say it. I think I broke my butt.

{Yes Mom. I did just use the word butt on my blog. Sorry. It just sounded like it would get the point across better than "I broke my hiney." or "I broke I broke my bum."}

Remember back in July when I was complaining about falling apart? And I told you about how being an idiot and wearing Crocs in the rain maybe wasn't such a good idea? Well it wasn't.

It's been more than 5 months since it happened. And it still hurts to sit almost every possible way. And leaning to my left when sitting down is IMPOSSIBLE to do without wanting to cry. And I can't sit up straight on the just about anything including the big couch because I always seem to find the supporting board that goes through the middle of it. Did you know the couch had a support board through the center of it? Well it does. My ischium can tell you exactly where it is. And it hurts.

And because I seem to always tell you more than you want to know, I'll tell you that I realized this weekend that the only time that my rear doesn't hurt sitting down is when I am sitting on the toilet. I even went so far as to sit on the toilet at work on Saturday with my clothes on. Just so I could take the pressure off of my ischium for a few minutes. And yes. I was at work on Saturday. I know it sucks. Feel sorry for me. But only because my tail hurts and not because I was at work on Saturday.

And yes. I did just write 291 words about my broken tail. I'm sure you expected no less.

Bing Crosby - White Christmas

Bing's most popular Christmas tune.

I swear this is the last one. If you go to the VEVO channel on YouTube there is one more. Silent Night.

Bing Crosby - Away In A Manger

The real reason right? Couldn't pass it up. I think this was the first Christmas song I ever learned. At least it is the first that I remember.

Bing Crosby - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

Yes. I know. Obsessed. That's why you love me. :D

The Little Drummer Boy Part IV

Bing apparently has his own VEVO channel. This video shouldn't go anywhere.

Yes. I know. I'm persistent. Or obsessed. Hard to tell the difference.

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. I'd like to think I am going to make a couple of these for decorations. Want to bet when and if I get it done? Really it seems like a lot of paper cutting. And I need new scissors. I do have a TON of scrapbook paper that would work for the project though. hmmm.
   
2. Christmas is 15 days away. I'm not sure what to say about that.
   
3. My friend Sheila taught me the difference between "huh?" and "huh." I like the 2nd the best.
4. There is almost always a song playing in my head. Does anybody else have that problem? It can be really annoying when you are trying to focus on something else very intently.
5. I don't like red food coloring. Or Black. Not only does it make a huge mess I can taste it in whatever it is in. For this reason I will probably never eat a Red Velvet Cake.
6. I'm not much on ruffles. The Babe isn't either. She does love pretty dresses though. And tutus. We are REALLY in to tutus right now. She wants every dress on Classy Sassy Girls Boutique. I do think that the Minnie Mouse one is adorable.
7. We are having sushi this afternoon at Sakura Bana. And yes, I am still broke. This would be because I already paid for it via a Living Social deal. Between them and Groupon I don't think I've paid full price to eat out in over 6 months. Except for Beijing Tokyo sushi. That said, we don't go out to eat much. Except for sushi/chinese. :)
8. I haven't seen the top of my desk in a couple of months. It is driving me crazy if I think about it. If I don't think about it, I just make another pile.
9. Still mourning the loss of the Dyson that I didn't buy the day after Thanksgiving.
10. Great Pregnant One Update: Mom is now 36 weeks along. They stopped the meds yesterday that were keeping the contractions at bay. C-Section is scheduled for 12/29. Assuming of course that he doesn't try and come before then. All on his own. Which has been an issue for 3 months now.
    

Happy December 10th. excuse me. I need to go buy more cute baby clothes. ;)

David Bowie and Bing Crosby

Just a reminder that this is my FAVORITE Christmas song. Watch it soon before it gets taken down. Bing doesn't seem to last long on YouTube.

My grandpa Jack used to have the same sweater that Bing is wearing in this video. He had it in yellow too. Bing Crosby's Christmas album was played often in their house. I see a Bing Crosby download in my future.

Update - 12/10/10
SEE. I told you it wouldn't last long. You'll have to go to YouTube and see if you can find another upload. It's worth the search.

A Story From the Babe

Once upon a time there was a big small castle. In the castle there was a princess. The Princess was looking in the mirror. The Princess was bad. She wanted to ruin Christmas. Before she ruined Christmas, the first night she was gone. She went to the Kingdom of Goblin City to save her baby brother. And then when she walked away her baby brother was gone. She said, "the goblins!" "The baby was taken by the goblins." There was a frog. She leaned down and she kissed that little frog. Then she turned into a frog. And one night that day they saw the Princess is the Frog. And they called the police. The police taked the Princess to jail because she was doing all of the bad things when night came. Whenever she didn't want to go, they took her back home. She was doing something. Then she go-ed to bed.

The End.

I think our Labyrinth marathon yesterday may have warped the kid's brain. She said she dreamed of Goblins and talking frogs.

Study: Fast Food Takes Weeks To Spoil

Study: Fast Food Takes Weeks To Spoil - Omaha News Story - KETV Omaha

I know this has been discussed before in so many different venues, but this really just freaks me out. Food that doesn't mold? And we feed it to our kids. :(

10 Random Things for a Friday

Happy December. How the heck did that happen anyway? I mean, December? Already?

1. I DO NOT like "The Office". I think it is one of the dumbest sitcoms. How did it stay on the air as long as it did? It's on every night after the news. I like Steve Carell in movies. But definitely not on this show.
2. We do not have a set of matching flatware. Our forks and spoons are a haphazard combination of some from here and some from there. I would like to tell you how this has happened, but I have no clue.
   
3. I have a favorite spoon. And a favorite fork. and a favorite hot beverage mug. I will bypass a drawer full of clean mismatched silverware and find the favorite one.
4. My dad gave me a drawer full of matching flatware. There is even a pickle fork. I need to switch them all out. But I haven't yet. I will however keep the favorite fork and favorite spoon.
5. Andy Warhol was commissioned in 1986 to paint a portrait of Barbie. The doll. An Andy Warhol painting of a doll. Here is a picture of him with his picture.
6. The real name of Bakelite is polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride. I have nothing in the house that was made with polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride. I do however have a thing for this aqua polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride bracelet. I don't wear bracelets though so I won't be buying it. Besides, it's $65. I don't have $65 for such things. And who spends $65 on a piece of plastic?
7. My favorite scent from Bath and Body Works is Plumeria. You can only buy it online. You can buy me some for Christmas. {insert big cheesy grin here} It's even on sale.
8. Sally got hit by a skunk again this week. I had Selsun Blue in the house so it was OK. Well as much as you can be OK with a skunky dog. This is REALLY getting old. I hate skunks.
9. I found a good sized stash of Partylite "Island Oasis" and "Happy Moments" candles last week. It was like Christmas! Happy Moments smells like plumeria by the way. :)
10. We have mice in the basement. Jack the orange cat, has been hunting them. And leaving them places for us to find in the morning. I love that cat. The mice though, they got into the cardboard boxes in the storage area under the stairs. I had to clean out said boxes. Which was a stinky mess. But I did find the cord to the printer that I haven't been able to find for 3 years. So that was a plus! Glad that I didn't get rid of the printer.
    

Loving you is easy because you're beautiful. Yes. I did just plant an earworm for you. You're welcome. Enjoy the rest of your day. :)

Music Professor!

The Christmas Playlist is up and moving. Forcing myself into the holiday spirit. I'll let you know how it goes. :)

Hope you enjoy the music.

Sesame Street: Cookie Monster Auditions for Saturday Night Live

I am absolutely laughing so hard I hurt.

The Babe Picked the Songs

The Day After The Day They Stuffed Themselves Volume 4

1. I am so tired I can barely focus and I have no idea why I am still posting. So if I say anything stupid we'll blame it on the sleep deprivation.
2. I plotted my Black Friday shopping via www.bfads.net
   
3. I went to bed last night at 11:00. I got up this morning at 3:15. Because I am a fool and the Pusher and I wanted to be at Target at 4:00 am.
4. 4:00 am is way too freaking early to be anywhere let alone at Target.
5. The Pusher and I were walking in the door at Target at 4:06 am. Seriously? Have I lost my mind?
6. For 2 weeks I've been completely psyched about the Dyson DC 17 that was on the doorbuster sale at Target at 4:00 am today. Last night hubby vetoed the purchase of said vacuum. We have a thing where any purchase over $100 has to be approved by both of us. I listened. I didn't buy the vacuum. I cried every time I walked past it though.
7. I got everything on my list at Target this morning. Except the vacuum.
8. I returned two of the things on my list today at about noon. Buyer's remorse I think. I then promptly spent more money on other stuff. but it was at a different Target so I think that that should count for something.
9. JC Penney, Old Navy, and Children's Place also received good portions of my last paycheck this morning.
10. I bought myself a new pair of walking shoes at JC Penney's. Same as the current pair. These just look newer.
11. I bought a REALLY cute pair of fingerless gloves that convert to mittens at Old Navy. They are funky colors and something that I normally wouldn't buy but they were cool. And I've been up since 3:15 am.
12. We had an incredible cinnamon roll for breakfast at 7:00 am at Wheatfields. I also had quiche and Pusher had an omelet. But we were still talking about the cinnamon roll later on today.
13. I have had a 20 oz of coffee, a 24 oz SugarFree Monster drink, and about a dozen Diet Cokes today.
14. The really cool funky colored Old Navy mittens were coming unknitted at the seam by noon.
15. My bedroom is in the basement. Under the kitchen. I tried to take a nap at 1:45. But the phone rang at 2:05 and there were elephants in the kitchen that had a parade from 2:20 to about 2:45 so I finally just gave up got out of bed and had another Diet Coke.
16. I have to go back to Old Navy and Target tomorrow. I have 2 things I need to exchange.
17. It is 9:27 pm. I have no idea how I am still seeing let alone typing. I think I should go to bed.
    

Mulled Spiked Cider

The Caramel Apple Orchard Martini
1 1/2 oz. Vodka (I used Oval vodka)
1 oz. Butterscotch Schnapps (I used Hiram Walker)
2 1/2 oz. Fresh Apple
Cider (I used the fresh stuff from my local orchard)

Hot Spiked Cider

1 gallon apple cider
8 cinnamon sticks
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon whole allspice
the peel off ¼ of a lemon

Put all ingredients into a large pot. Bring almost to a boil, then turn heat down to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain. Serve in a mug with one ounce of rum or whiskey.

10 Random Things for a Friday

So rather than do the usual 10 random things... today we are going to review the top ten reasons why coming to help out the friend that had surgery this week was more than you bargained for.

1. Dog with chronic diarrhea that you don't find until you are ready to go to bed. Three nights in a row.
2. The great homework scandal of November 12, 2010.
3. Silly friends that say silly things when you give them a full dose of codeine medication.
4. Empty bags of snack size Doritos that you keep finding in REALLY odd places.
5. Emergency trip to Kohl's because doped up friend decided I needed cute socks. See number 1 from last week.
6. Food poisoning from that really nice place that you went for lunch.
7. Googling "Pepto Bismol overdose" as a direct result of #5.
8. Forgetting to take someone to dance class.
9. Un-returned RedBox movies. Grown Ups was pretty darn funny by the way.
10. Staying up until 11:00 and discussing sociopath vs psychopath with a 15 year old.
11. Small child tracking poop (see number 1) across the ENTIRE upstairs carpet.
12. Broken central vac systems.
13. Columbus invading America.
14. Giving employment law explanations.
15. Animaniacs 50 states 50 capitals song 50 times.
16. Trips to the emergency room with child. Friend that just had surgery, passing out at the emergency room.
17. Unplanned move of adult child from apartment to new mobile home.
18. Calls to 4 doctors for 4 different people.

I know this was more than 10. But it has been a long 3 days. Holy cow. It has only been 3 days.

I need a sake bomb.

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. I need new clothes. badly. I have 2 pairs of jeans, one pair of slacks, and one skirt that fit well and are decent enough to wear in public. That and 70% of my socks have holes in them.
2. My mom's favorite pie is Pecan Pie. I've tried several times to make it. I suck at it. I can make pretty good candied pecans as a result though.
3. This was not the week for solid sleep. And why is it that whenever any one else is up in my house they feel that they must wake me up to tell me about it? They can't lay back down quietly, why?
4. Today is Gunpowder Day. I swear there is a holiday for everything.
   
5. There are carnations on my desk. I love carnations. And the fall colored ones are the best.
   
6. I didn't buy Halloween clearance candy. Decided we were all better off if we didn't have it in the house. And then last night I was at Target. With the kids. And somehow a bag of mixed Mars stuff ended up in the cart. No clue how that might have happened.
   
7. There is way too much Christmas stuff in Target. I'm not ready for this.
   
8. November was called "Blood Month" by the ancient Saxons because that was the month they sacrificed animals to their gods. Bet you didn't know that now, did ya?
   
9. We need another bonfire. Maybe this weekend. This time with a little less spiked cider I think. You busy?
   
10. Great Pregnant One update: Baby is growing nicely. GPO is doing well as long as she remembers to stay hydrated. The Dr. said yesterday that the goal is to keep him in there as long as possible (obviously) but at least 3 more weeks. The meds are still playing havoc on her systems but she seems to be tolerating them better. Keep praying for her.

And there you have it folks. The 10 Random Things for Friday November 5, 2010. Happy weekend. I have no major plans which means the world will fall in at some point. I'll let you know how it goes.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Thoughts for Thursday

• If most bread is square, why are most meats and that round?
• Why are those Styrofoam packing things called peanuts? whose idea was it to make them that shape? Don't they look more like cheeto puffs?
• What happened to the Emergency Broadcast System? Is it pathetic that I can still say it word for word?
• Do you think there were woodpeckers on the ark?
• Why is it that you only realize you are out of toilet paper when it is you that is sitting on the pot?
  
• Why was Donkey Kong named Donkey Kong? He isn't a donkey.
• When they invented the touch tone phone, why didn't they make the number pad the same as on a 10-key calculator?

Let me know if you come up with any answers.

One Of Those Kind of Dreams

I had one of those kind of dreams last night. One of those dreams. The kind that you wake up from and then can't go to sleep after. Because you might go to sleep and dream the same dream. Pick up where the last one left off. Which would be really bad because the dream really sucked. Was pretty d#$% awful actually. It was one of those kind of dreams.

Now it is the next night and I don't want to go to sleep. Because I am afraid that it will start all over again.

This sucks big green boogers.

Vote. Otherwise You Have To Shut Up.

Public Service Announcement. At least my own spin on one.

Did you vote yet? You did? Good for you. Isn't it wonderful to live in a country where we get to vote without fear of persecution and violence?

You didn't? Go vote. Go now. You vote DOES count. How many votes did Gore lose by in the 2004 election? 537 if I remember right. If those 537+ people hadn't gone to vote. Imagine how different things might be. It may not be a presidential election. But it is for many states a gubernatorial election. It is an election for many senators and congressmen.

www.maps.google.com/vote - If you don't know where to go. No matter which party you align yourself with, just make sure you make time today to vote.

End Public Service Announcement.

15 Things and 15 days later

Here is the list and how it progressed. There is an hour and a half left of today but I'm beat so I won't be accomplishing much more.

1. Get a Route Beer Float pedicure. --Did this myself a couple of days ago.
   
2. sweep up all of the spider webs around the front door --did this yesterday. The front door to the porch looks pretty good. pumpkins and crushed leaves included.
   
3. roll in a pile of leaves -- done. it was kind of itchy
   
4. make butternut squash soup -- I can barely talk about this one without breaking out in tears again. How can soup cause tears? Short version. I remember now why I don't try and peel butternut squash very often. It's a lot of work. but regardless, I made AWESOME soup. It was one of the best fall soups. perfectly spiced after a lot of tasting and trying. I ate it for supper and had enough left over that I was going to take it to work for all of us to enjoy for lunch. So I went to package it up. ended up with about 2 cups of it all over the stove. So then I went to do the rest over the sink. Dumping it into a gallon bag in a bowl in the sink. Got it all filled up. closed it up. lifted it out of the bowl. went to wash the soup off of the outside. dropped the bag. seal opened up. 6 cups of soup in the sink. tears.
   
5. make applesauce --bought the apples today at the orchard. we'll have stewed apples tomorrow night for supper
   
6. make spiced pears --can't find enough pears. my usual supply was blighted. : (
   
7. drink apple wine from Kimmel Orchards -- drank apple wine today AT Kimmel Orchard. bonus points!
   
8. have a bonfire - did this last night. stayed out there until it was so cold i couldn't feel my knees and the Babe fell asleep in my lap. It was pretty awesome.
   
9. spike the apple cider --Captain Morgan and a coffee pot full of hot cider. pretty darn good.
   
10. give the Babe and her big sissy a lesson in making caramel apples - Big sissy didn't really want to learn and then she and Son2 at the whole bag of caramels that were the quick way to make the caramel apples. so this one is a flop. i have all of the stuff to make caramel dip so we'll probably do that later this week. I have a peck of apples that need eating.
    
11. take pictures at the pumpkin patch -- didn't make it to the patch
    
12. make another Mr. Potato Head pumpkin -- Target was out of the pieces. We drew on the pumpkins with Sharpies instead
    
13. drink hot chocolate made from scratch -- kind of cheated and used Nesquick. We'll go for better this month.
    
14. bake pumpkin bread -- Made INCREDIBLE pumpkin cupcakes instead. Recipe is here. you could easily 1/2 the frosting recipe if you aren't going to make the roses on top. the cupcakes are the bomb. don't skip the frosting. it was too good to skip.
    
15. buy Halloween candy on clearance -tomorrow!

October has been pretty good to us. Perfect to enter the month of thankfulness for our blessings. Fall is still with us! enjoy it!

There Was A Parade Today

A parade and a party at Preschool. Truly. Can there be a better way to spend the Friday before Halloween?

You can click on the picture to make it bigger. :)

10 Random Things for a Friday

Happy Friday!

1. Last Sunday I cooked all day in preparation for a friend's upcoming surgery. Over the course of 9 hours we shopped and prepped and cooked and packaged. When I was done we had put up 14 meals for her family. She has a family of 10. So for a normal family it would be a month's worth of meals. Most of the meals will just go in the crockpot. Easily done by the 14 year old. It was awesome.
   
2. The whole dead chicken thing has caused a kind of somber thing around the house.
3. I took today off. Hubby had the day off and I haven't spent the day with him in more than 2 weeks. So I took the day off too. So far we've buried chickens, done two loads of laundry, cleaned up the yard a little, attended a preschool costume parade and cookie making party, eaten lunch at the cafe that doesn't serve breakfast after 11:00 (what kind of a cafe does that?), and Hubby has taken a nap while I worked on some real work stuff, and watched 2 episodes of "That 70's Show".
   
4. I have an insane knot in my right shoulder. still.
5. We broke down at work yesterday and scraped up enough change and 1 dollar bills and we bought sushi for lunch. It was medicinal sushi so it's OK.
6. We have zero Halloween candy in our house. I have mixed feelings about that.
7. There are 3 magazines sitting on the table that I haven't even opened.
   
8. How does all of that garbage end up under the deck?
9. We are having stroganoff for dinner. Hubby has been asking for it for a while. This is the first night we've all been in one place for dinner in I don't know how long.
10. Great Pregnant One Update: Baby is weighing in at 4 1/2 lbs. She is 30 weeks but measuring at 32. All organs are good. Kidneys are working. He is breathing in the amnio fluid. It's looking good. She's still on bed rest but she's got a few less restrictions. A few more weeks and she's in the clear.

Big fall weekend plans on this end. I have a ton of things to finish on the "before the end of October" list. How 'bout you? What do you have planned?

No More Chickens - The Not So Short Version

2 months ago we had 16 chickens. We've lost a couple to hawks. We lost 3 to a coyote. Then we started losing chickens for we didn't know what.

I think it was last week that we lost 3 in one night. I was letting the dogs out the next night a little after dusk. I heard an incredibly awful chicken scream. Have you ever heard a chicken scream? It was awful. It was one of the worst noises I've ever heard. It was loud. It was high pitched. And it was loud. And yes, I do know I just wrote that twice. It was that loud.

So being the really smart person that I am, I ran to the chicken coop where the chicken screaming was coming from. I ran there without a flashlight. Without a weapon of any kind. Without thought, obviously. I did take Sally the Skunk dog with me though. Realizing that I had no weapon and that was an idiot for going to the screaming chicken coop without a weapon I did the best I could think of and started kicking and banging on the door. And then the chicken screamed again. And something ran out of the side of the coop. At least I think it did. I heard it run into the wall on the side of the coop. Sally heard it too. She ran towards the house. It took WAY less than a second for me to run too. Wouldn't you run too? The big ol' 1/2 lab dog that isn't afraid to take on a skunk R A N away. I ran too.

Hubby had stopped at a friends house on the way home. I called him about as fast as I ran back to the house. I'm not sure exactly what I said but he got the point and was home fast enough that I'm pretty sure he broke a couple of speeding kind of rules. While he was on his way I found a flashlight and something that could be used for a weapon. Neither of which I needed. He drove the truck to the backyard and pointed the headlights at the coop. Way better idea than my $3.49 flashlight.

The headlights revealed a raccoon trying to get into the coop. Jim yelled and screamed at it. Threw something at it. Coon ran. Jim went around to the front and replayed my pounding on the door thing, minus the running to the house part. Nothing else ran out. He took the truck back to the driveway. I tried to tell him what had happened. I don't think he heard me. He went out the garage. And then to the basement. And the whole time he was yelling about chickens and #$%& raccoons. I tried to tell him about the chicken screaming. He told me he had a plan and went back outside. He was out there for a while before I went out to see what the plan was.

Hubby was on the porch. Sitting on one of the porch chairs. Flood light flashlight on the table. .22 Pellet gun in his right hand. Left hand holding a Budweiser. Does this make us rednecks again?

We never did get any of the raccoons. We reinforced the chicken coop. The next night they got another chicken. We reinforced the chicken coop again. Then they got 2 more chickens. More reinforcing. More chicken slaughtering. Do you see where this is going?

Last night we had 3 chickens left. This morning we had none. I cried. There are no more chickens.

**big sigh**

Places I Want To Go. Soon.

1. On a vacation. Any vacation.
   
2. Somewhere where you "have to take a ferry from the mainland."
3. a happy hour serving REALLY good and super cheap sushi and sake bombs
   
4. Kauai.
5. Veggie Fest in Chicago.
   
6. to bed to sleep soundly and with happy dreams and wake up whenever I want to
7. My friend Elvis' couch. it's my calm place.
   
8. Greece. I have a friend I'd like to sit and sip libations with.
9. an apple orchard. i need some things to finish my things i want to get done before October ends.
   
10. Ben and Jerry's factory. i hear the ice cream there has no calories.
    
11. a truly hilarious movie. in a theater. with popcorn.
    
12. to a porch with a porch swing that looks like those ones you see in the movies.
    
13. Disneyland with my BFFF. She needs me there.
    
14. On a Napa Valley winery tour. self explanatory
    
15. I was going to say Heaven. But I know I am going there and I don't want to go soon. I just want to sit and talk to a few people I know that I can't talk to any more.
16. an Iowa Hawkeye football home game. where they win and the crowd goes wild.
    
17. To that alternate reality where I weigh a buck o' five.
18. Somewhere where no one notices when you've gone crazy.
19. A really good music concert. like the Grateful Dead ones used to be. or Maybe a David Bowie concert. Does he still tour?
20. the moment in time when they discover a cure for cancer.
    
21. the master bedroom we keep saying we need to build off the back of the house.
22. outside but without the wind.
23. on a 14 day Caribbean cruise. unless of course we find out I get sea sick. then only a 14 hour tour
24. Back in time. I need to say something I didn't say in a certain life changing phone call.
25. a happy place.

Where do you want to go?

From The Mouth of the Babe

"Mom?"
"Yes Babe?"
"I love you."
"Thanks Babe. I love you too."
"I love you three"

And thus melts my heart.

Glee Obsession

I am in LOVE with Mark Salling. What's that? What's that you Say? How dare you remind me that he is the same age as my kids. OK. Reality is that I am in love with his voice. You probably know him as Puck on Glee. What? You've never heard of Glee? Freak. Where have you been? Regardless, I am in love with the voice of Mark Salling. And now he's got a solo album coming out. (do you still call them albums if they are on a CD?) I'm buying it no matter what you call it. And no. I can't remember the last CD I bought that didn't say Disney somewhere on the packaging. What of it?

Do You Know This One?

This is what it is like in my head when I try to go to sleep at night. I'm so glad someone made a song for it.

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. Suzy over at itwalkedonmypillow wrote the truth about the weekend today. It about sums it up.
2. My friend Matt is going to Buzzfest XXV in Houston. I am WAYY past jealous. Not so much as to the bands that are going to be there but more because of the atmosphere that I know these all day concert extravaganzas bring with them. Have you ever been to one? An all day concert thing? I am now so missing Lalapalooza.
3. People that have an opportunity to do something, don't do it, and then whine later about not having/doing something that they JUST turned down the opportunity for, really tick me off. Did that sentence make sense to anyone but me?
4. I need sushi and sake bombs. Don't want. Need.
5. I need rich and generous friends that also like sushi and sake bombs and want to take me out for a lunch/happy hour/dinner.
6. We have had a chicken massacre this week. There are feathers everywhere. We are down to 3 hens, a wounded hen, and a baby that we now think is a rooster. Not sure if it can ALL be attributed to raccoons, but that's all we've caught so far and we are quickly reinforcing the chicken coop. It's sad.
7. I used up all of my minutes on Pandora again. I love Pandora.
8. Bored Panda made me laugh several times this week. Made me in awe of great minds and severe talent that people possess. I'm glad a friend sent me the link. Check out the Lego sculpture one!
9. The sheer quantity of candy that is available this time of the year is mindblowing. Insane. And yes. I have had a few baby size snickers. And a candy corn Kiss or two. :) Not too many though. Sugar is not at the top of my list lately.
10. I wrote a post it note and put it on my wallet that says "Take $5". I have no idea what it was supposed to remind me to do and when or where I am supposed to take the $5. huh.

Here is wishing you a weekend of peace and quiet and fall colors and pumpkins and hay rack rides. I love this time of year. Enjoy a piece of it yourself. :)

That Feeling of Helplessness

you know how you have those helpless moments? The kind where you feel like you have to do something but there is nothing that you can do? I'm having one of those. A friend was diagnosed today with breast cancer. I know that a lot of you have dealt with this yourself or with someone that you care about. What would you say is the best thing that as a friend I can do? I know things I can do down the road. During treatment. and with recovery. But what can I do right now? Or is praying for her really all that I can do for now? I'm not the "best friend" that she will cry on the shoulder of. But she is a good friend. And I see her most every day.

Helpless. I hate this feeling. I am "do-er". I have to have something to do. dang it. Ideas?

15 Things I Want to Do Before October Ends

1. Get a Route Beer Float pedicure.
2. sweep up all of the spider webs around the front door
3. roll in a pile of leaves
   
4. make butternut squash soup
5. make applesauce
6. make spiced pears
7. drink apple wine from Kimmel Orchards
8. have a bonfire
9. spike the apple cider
   
10. give the Babe and her big sissy a lesson in making caramel apples
    
11. take pictures at the pumpkin patch
12. make another Mr. Potato Head pumpkin
13. drink hot chocolate made from scratch
    
14. bake pumpkin bread
15. buy Halloween candy on clearance
    

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. Did I tell you that Toddler BAM is going to be a big brother? Mommy is due January 3rd. But the Baby thinks it wants to come early so she's on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy. Bed rest for 3 months? Probably not, but she and the Dr. are doing all that they can to keep the baby cooking a little longer.
2. I am going to get a passport and go see Foivi in Greece. Hopefully she'll cook me sea bass while I am there.
3. I want my MTV. Do they EVER play music videos anymore?
   
4. I also seriously considered starting a Twitter account just to see if I could get a couple of questions answered by the President. I didn't though. Did you watch the town hall meeting? It was interesting to say the least.
5. There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. She had so many children she didn't know what to do. How many children do you think she had? I have 2 friends that have 10 kids each. And they seem to have it together. I suppose if I lived in a shoe I'd go crazy too.
6. I finished 2 bottles of wine on Tuesday night. Which isn't as bad as it sounds because they only had a glass each still in them.
7. Son2 has decided to major in Aviation. Direct result of the flight on Sunday. How absolutely awesome is that?
8. Blue pens that have black ink in them piss me off. I don't care that your company has blue colors and logos. Put it on a blue pen NOT a black pen.
9. I used to have a really cool wine opener. It was a Cork Lifter. I bought it at the dreaded W store about 3 years ago. On clearance. for 2 bucks. I know because I still have the box and it says $2.00 right on the sticker. I said "used to have" earlier because I do not have it anymore. It ran out of air. I can't find replacement cartridges. When you call the 800 number on the thing, you get a "this number doesn't work, but we'll send you a free text message to tell you what to do next and that will cost you 9.99 a month" recording. I really liked that opener. Sad.
10. My husband does not like curry. I know this now because he finally told me this week. I make some kind of curry thing like once a month. And now he tells me and now I'm not going to make it any more but what am I supposed to do with a darn near full bottle of curry powder?

Gotta fly. Cupcakes for everyone!

Irritating things that really mean nothing

1. Sending a business type email in Comic Sans type. Bradley Hand ITC is just about as bad. I mean if it isn't something cut and dry like Times Roman or Courier or Arial, etc. is really professional?
2. People that use something that I wrote and then claim it as their own.
3. Using my missing daughter's face/story/poster to promote a fundraiser without my permission.
4. When someone answers the phone and then gets mad because it they can't talk on the phone right now. Then WHY THE H&** did you answer the phone? (yes. I know. I complained about this not too long ago. Someone did it to me again today.)
5. Having to sit for more than 15-20 minutes after our scheduled appointment time and I'm still sitting in the lobby. If you can't get to someone, why don't you reschedule the appointment? Or let me know when I got there that you are running behind by 30 minutes or more and then give me the option to reschedule.
6. Driving 30 minutes away to a Dr Appt for the Babe to get her school immunizations and waiting more than an hour after our appointment being in there for 5 minutes and having them tell the Babe she doesn't need another shot until 7th grade even though she will need a flu shot in a month or so and then going home and then having them call 2 days later to tell you that they missed a shot and I have to go back. Now who is going to tell the Babe that she has to go get another shot? And then another one in a month? Not me. I did though. She cried all the way to the clinic.
7. Someone that points that my little world is not just about me. I mean, why burst my bubble. Even though it did need burst.
8. Having a song that I really like used by a commercial. Great. Now I'll always associate it with that product. Oh well.
9. Single ply toilet paper.
10. People that don't understand the concept of a budget.
11. Not being able to afford everything I want on Etsy.
12. Cool cars driven by cocky drivers/owners that don't deserve such a cool car.
13. The fact that I can't safely go to Jamaica and live like the locals do.
14. Not owning the bar on the beach. We'll talk about that later.
15. What do you call goat in Jamaican? Goat.
16. Running out of fresh spinach.
17. People on the food channel that describe food and it really just sounds gross. Take Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives for example.
18. Head Cheese. Need I say more?
19. Tripe. um... yeah. "once you get over the idea?"? yeah, right.
20. That Alejandro song from Lady Gaga.
21. Knowing that I can't pull something off in a reasonable amount of time.
22. Procrastination. I am the Queen.
23. Trying to decide whether or not to let a bottle of wine age vs. drinking it today.
24. Do ChiChi's restaurants still exist?
25. That Teleportation hasn't been invented yet.
26. I owe more on my house than I could probably sell it for.
27. Ditto that but substitute "car" for "house."
28. the idea that fun size Mars candy bars have shrunk. Do they really still qualify as Fun Size?
29. 
    
30. 
    
31. 
    
32. 
    
33. 
    
34. Blogger won't quit numbering these. I'll just sign off now and say that I'll pick up later. I found this in the saved drafts anyway. I should have posted it in August. But I didn't. So now you get it today. And now it just seems like I've complained back to back. But you get the idea.

Trader Joe's Part III

"Trader Joe's is taking applications for 60 positions. The grocery store opens in November and is expected to be a big draw." Is it really dumb that I am looking forward to November JUST for this reason?

I need to point out that this whole Trader Joe's coming to Omaha thing was my idea. Just in case you were wondering.

It's A Huge World

I used to be really aggravated with the people who "lived in their own little world". I couldn't believe that someone could not see outside of their immediate circle. Couldn't understand how someone could NOT realize that their actions went outside of that circle. Affected and effected others. Not just the ones that they saw every day. It ripples. It impacts. Each choice. Each action. Everyone. Every one.

When I was little I used to lay awake and try and wrap my head around infinity. Something with no beginning and no end. I'd cry. Because it wasn't something that I could even remotely comprehend. I know it is something tied into faith and that we aren't supposed to understand. But I wanted to. I needed to understand I thought.

The other day I realized that I had become "one of them." One of those who didn't see beyond my own little world. Me. and those I come in contact with each day. I found myself living in that little circle. A circle of one really. My problems and those of the people around me seemed so big. So large that I couldn't see past them. Couldn't see the bigger picture.

Still can't really. But I'm trying. But it's incomprehensible. I can't wrap my head around it. And I have to remind myself every day to look beyond our ripples and waves. To the choices. To the no beginning and no end.

My brain hurts. But I'm trying.

What We Did Today Part 3 - The Most Important Part

Husband has told me for years that he wants to learn to fly. Every time we go somewhere, he laments as to how much faster it would be if we could just fly there. Or teleport there. And while teleporting sounds like a good option, it's hard to really imagine having all of my molecules taken apart and reassembled. But that obviously won't be happening in this decade. So back to the flying.

Husband wants to be a pilot. But it is a darn expensive hobby. Which is really the only reason that we haven't done it. So back this spring, there was a Groupon deal for a discovery flight. I told my mom about it and it then became a rockin' birthday present for Husband. And it was a hit I tell you. By all accounts.

The flight allowed for up to 3 people and a weight limit of 400 pounds. I've flown in a small plane before. It was my first flight actually. LOVED it. I think I was about 9. So here we were at the airport, Husband and Son2 waiting to fly. And it occurs to Husband that they have more than 40 pounds to spare. So a certain 40 pound 4 year old was asked if she wanted to go up in the plane. The Babe started jumping up and down and did this John Travolta on Saturday Night Fever arm spread move. Add in the "yeah! I can fly!" and we translated this as a "yes please. I'd love to go up in the plane."

So up they went.

You have NEVER seen 3 bigger grins on these 3. It was a joy to watch. And it will be a birthday present that will be near impossible to top.

Now where do I come up with the $4000 to get the pilot's license?

What We Did Today Part 2

The not so perfect but actually kind of cute pumpkin was decorated by Husband and the Babe tonight. If you get a chance to get a Mr. Potato Head decorating kit, it is $6 well spent. Took a little more work than we thought. You still have to use a knife to start the pieces to go into the pumpkin. But I'm seriously considering going to Target and buying a few of the other kits. It's WAY cute. ; )

What We Did Today Part 1

We bypassed the "pumpkin patch on steroids" this year. I thought we'd support the little local patch instead. Considering that the kids had most of their fun at the playground that was way sadder than the local park's playground, it wasn't money well spent. But it was fun. And small. Which is what we needed today I guess. It was a busy day after all.

And after, two very tired little ones refused to take naps. What fun.

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. The bush/tree outside of my porch that turns my favorite shade of red in the fall is turning red now. Which means that it is officially fall. Never mind the calendar. It's all about the trees baby. All about the red trees.
2. I gave up on giving up Diet Coke. It's too much pressure.
3. Prince "The Hits 1" is in the CD player right now. I wish Prince would make more of his own new music. "If you didn't come to party, don't bother knocking on my door."
   
4. I got new contacts last week. That would be because I lost my glasses. Looked for them for more than a week. Gave up and got contacts last week. I had to drive to CR and I can't drive at night without glasses. Not very well at least. So I got the contacts on Wednesday. On Thursday morning I found my glasses. Um. Yeah.
5. I have the coolest mother ever. She sent me a Groupon today for hubby's favorite restaurant. Not for any reason. Just because she's cool like that. I see lasagna in our future.
   
6. We almost took in another dog this week. How do these things keep finding us? Good thing the city we live in has a 3 animal limit. It gives me a good excuse to say, "No. We can't."
   
7. Pumpkin patching is in our weekend plans. Just haven't decided how adventurous we are going to get. Carnival style with pumpkins as a side note, or the traditional patch. I'll let you know what we decide.
   
8. My closest friends have lamented this week that we really all need a vacation. I think they are right.
   
9. I see a 5:00 wine tasting in my future. My NEAR future.
10. I ordered new business cards this week. Personal cards really. I'll let you know how they come out. I love Vista Print by the way.

I know those were lame. But I had a whole bunch of other things to tell you. But I decided they needed more explanation or deserved a post all of their own. Let's see what I can get to tonight and I'll share the love. But I have to get a move on if I'm going to go wine tastying at 5:00.

37 Things That Make Me Smack Myself in the Forehead and Say "Duh."

1. Running out of wine and I really need just ONE more glass.
2. When people do nothing and then get mad because no one did anything.
3. It is someone else's turn to do the dishes. And I end up doing it anyway because they have a theory that they will be easier to clean if they "just soak a little longer."
4. Piles on top of things that shouldn't have piles on top of them. The pie safe for instance.
5. Planning a really nice party for people that RSVP that they are coming and then they don't show up.
6. When you give and give and give for someone and then you need something little and they are nowhere to be found.
7. Buying something on Tuesday and then it goes on sale on Wednesday.
8. The fact that we were going to remove the ugly strawberry wallpaper in the kitchen shortly after we moved in and the stupid stuff is still on the wall more than 3 years later.
9. Not packing a coat on a road trip and then you are freezing to death when it is 35 degrees on a day that was supposed to be clear and 55.
10. Not realizing I drank the last Diet Coke until I go to grab a new one.
11. My back closet is full of probably $1000 of scrapbooking stuff and I haven't scrapped a single page in over 2 years.
12. Not remembering if I took my meds or not and then standing there weighing the side effects of not taking them vs. taking a double dose. and no. I didn't do that tonight.
    
13. People that ask for your opinion and then argue and tell you you are wrong. HELLO! It is my opinion. By definition it belongs to me and is therefore right.
    
14. People that always think they are right regardless of the subject. And then get mad at YOU when they realize they are wrong.
    
15. Whoever put the milk carton back in the fridge with an ounce left in it. What? You didn't need the last ounce?
16. When someone finishes the milk. Then doesn't tell me that we are out of milk. but then gets mad that I didn't get milk at the store.
17. Same thing. Just substitute "bread" for "milk".
    
18. My brain doesn't want to do (at 12:24 AM) anymore work that REALLY has to be done by tomorrow but is perfectly capable of writing a pointless blog.
19. not remembering why you got up and walked to the other side of the office building now that you are there.
20. forgetting what you are going to say in the middle of a
21. People that don't use spell check on business type emails.
22. Carp. I forgot what this one was going to be.
    
23. Having a really good point and then the person you are making it to drifts off and has obviously lost interest in the conversation.
24. Said person saying "you never listen to me."
25. People that don't say "thank you." It takes less than a second people.
26. Being "unfriended" on Facebook and not knowing why.
    
27. Running out of wine and I really need just ONE more glass. I mean. HELLO. This is me. How the heck did I run out of wine?
    
28. When Pandora plays absolutely NO SONG that you know for more than 20 minutes.
29. People with conspiracy theory mentality. Really. Is the ENTIRE world out to get you?
    
30. Knowing that there are supposedly "blackmail" pictures but having absolutely NO clue what they could be of.
31. Having an '"inside joke" with someone and then they suddenly forget what the joke was. And they leave you standing there looking like a fool.
32. Looking like a fool for anything that is out of my control.
33. Having the anticipation that builds up before something be REALLY HUGE and then the something happens and it was TOTALLY not worth all of the hype.
34. When people don't catch on quite as fast as I do and then I am standing there waiting for them to figure it out because I can't figure out how to explain it any differently.
    
35. When I don't catch on quite as fast as someone else and then they get mad because I don't and they don't explain it well enough.
36. Being 10 minutes late and it isn't my fault.

(this one gets it's own renumbering because it is the entire reason that I started writing this post that has now grown out of control)

1. When someone does something EXTREMELY and monumentally carppy, hurts you tremendously, knows that what they did was monumentally carrpy, never apologizes, and then pretends that it never happened and expects you to do the same.
   

I hate that.

Music Professor!

New Music! Found a playlist on Playlist.com that is titled, get this...

Shower Anthems

Appropriately described as "songs you'll sing along to". Rockin' baby, rockin'. Hope you have sing-along with me. I however will be sitting at my desk and trying to get some work done, so there might not be a lot of singing out loud. : )

Happy weekend!

10 Random Things for a Friday

1. I decided to bleach all of our bath towels. We have colored towels. I figured out how to do it pretty effectively. Except for the one bright green one. It isn't so green anymore.
   
2. Budweiser was inspired by a trip taken by Adolph Busch and his friend Carl Conrad to Budweis, Czech Republic. I can't stand Budweiser. You know how some people say that after you've had a few really good beers that you don't care what kind the next one is? They lie. Even after 2 good beers, I still don't like Budweiser.
   
3. A friend was diagnosed with breast cancer this week. I feel awful because I asked her a question about something that I didn't connect as anything and she started crying. Then I was fighting back tears. It was all downhill from there. Pray for her, will you?
   
4. I still haven't gotten that oil change for my car. Or hung the pictures that are sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. Or cleaned the carpets.
   
5. The dachshund that was driving me crazy has been living temporarily at the same house that Son2 is staying. It's been nice to have the canine dynamics in my house back to normal. But I do kind of miss the little guy. And then I find something else that he chewed up and I don't miss him so much any more. Is that awful?
6. The 30 Second Smile infomercial gives me the yeebie jeebies. i have no idea why. I think it is something to do with watching someone brush their teeth on TV. The thing looks absolutely freaky. Has anyone bought one? Aye yay yay.
7. This is the blog I got when I pushed "Next Blog" just now. I love the butterfly dress.
8. There is a Beer Pong World Series. Can you believe it? Beer Pong. A World Series. Frat boys who didn't grow up I'm guessing. Anybody want to put together a team?
9. Bill Clinton has gone veggie. I think that is AWESOME.
10. I had a cat that I named after Charlie Sexton. His name was Charlie Sexton. I wonder what Charlie Sexton would say if he knew I named my cat after him?

I've got to fly my dears. I have to get the Babe to the sitters and myself to a meeting. Catch you on the flipside. Ok? Ok. See ya then.

500 posts of Random Things

Dear Friends,

This is my 500th post. I apparently have a lot of carp to say. Or in reality I just ramble about nothing quite often.

So, I've been thinking all week about what my 500th post was going to be about. I was going to wait until tomorrow and make it a "10 Random things for a Friday" post. Those have become my favorite posts. Not much thought involved. But usually sums up the week and the nothing that is going through my head really fast. But when it was all said and done, I thought it best to pay homage to my favorite posts. The ones that when I think about this here blog, stand out as the most therapeutic things. The ones that made me smile. The ones that made me cry. The ones where I was crying while I wrote them. The ones that are the real reasons why I write. The ones that help me "get it out".

So here we go. 10 Random Things That Aren't So Random. And they are in no particular order. I tried to order them. They wouldn't listen. And I couldn't decide on my own. So I called the Pusher. She didn't have an idea for an order either. So I gave up. The order makes no sense. Don't count it for anything. But enjoy the walk down memory lane. Which is good. Because God knows what I'll remember down the road.

1. The Sally vs the Skunk post. Selsun Blue and the Smelly dog are the most common reason people end up here. And it was the perfect way to deflate after I was REALLY pissed off at dealing for hours with the smelly dog and bad Brady Bunch advice.
2. The Pusher and Sushi. Two of my most favorite things about Omaha. God love her. :)
   
3. The first 10 Random Things for a Friday post. They really are my favorite.
4. My NOT conversation with the Pusher. It pretty much sums up talking to myself all of the time. LOL
   
5. The day I announced that we were adopting the Babe. One of THE best days of my life.
6. January 31, 2008. The day I became a grandma. I love being a grandma.
7. April 24, 2008. The day that I became a grandma for the 2nd time. These babies have changed our lives in ways I never knew possible.
8. The first post I migrated over from my MySpace blog. I wrote it there and later moved it here. My mom wanted my rambling somewhere where she could read them without having to sign up for the chaos that is MySpace. I wrote it the day my grandma Rachel died. Right up there as one of the most whirlwind of emotions days of my life. Amber's graduation party. My eldest niece's first birthday. A beautiful day of celebration. And evening of extreme sadness.
9. The day after my grandpa died. At first I had no words. Then I couldn't get them all out.
10. The reason I started this blog in the first place. I was losing my mind. I didn't think I could take any more. But it's Erin. I had to get it out. I needed to find some semblance of sanity. Still haven't found it but I keep on trying. This is probably THE most honest post I've ever written. I've thought about taking it down a few times. But it's still here.
11. Hope. They found Shawn Hornbeck. We can find Erin too, right.
    

OK. well that was 11. It's Pusher's fault. She can't count.

Love you all. And thanks for sticking around. Unless of course you have bailed. And then you won't be reading this anyway.

Post a comment. I still have lots of crap on my porch to get rid of. We'll do a drawing at the end of the weekend. And I'll send you some.

Love you all! You are my sanity. Thanks for putting up with me. **big slobbery kisses**

--- Carolyn

There is a Cry in There Somewhere

I have a cry that is stuck. It's right there. Right under the surface. You can almost see it.

It's directly impacted by all of those things that build up. All of the things that I try to avoid. All of the stress. All of the anger. All of the desperate sadness. The grief. All of the minutes, hours, days, and even years of stuffing. Do you do that? Do you stuff? Do you try to make it all go away? Assume that if you just leave the pile of garbage, of stress, of emotional turmoil, of little things, and big things, that they'll all go away if you just ignore them long enough? It might fix itself. It might quit eating at you. It might go away.

The cry below the surface is the exact reason that I have zero success at bringing myself down. Zero success at true relaxation. Massages, meditation, thoughtful reflection. Can't do it. I've tried. But that flight of fight thing? Kicks in every time.

It's going to come out. A death. A birth. or something little. A song at the right time. Or wrong time. Some stupid movie. A TV show. When I need it. Is that even a concept? Is it a "need"? In the meantime it just sits there.

It's right there. Right below the surface. Can you see it?

_________________________

OK. So here we are the next morning. I should NOT blog at 11:00 at night. Can I hear an amen?

Things aren't worse than they ever are. Just seemed more so last night. Had to do some things yesterday that just brought carppy stuff up to the service. And Hubby wasn't home from work until really late and fell asleep soon after. So I couldn't talk to him. So I was left with marginal TV and too many internet searches and way too much time to get stuck in my own head. Which of course happens more often than it should.

But I am as OK as I ever am. Thanks for your concern. : )

Big Blue Frog

Iowa Hawkeyes - Fight Song

Nice Hotels and Naked Men

Tuesday evening post from Facebook --

We are in a hotel for a conference today. Walking down the hall we go past the guest laundry room. I thought, "cool, a laundry room". and then noticed the naked guy standing by the dryer. he had a very hairy back. that is as much as I care to know. We laughed so hard going down the hallway that I couldn't breathe. it was the best laugh I've had in forever. sorry you weren't here to share it.

The 10 Random Things That Didn't Get Written on Friday

Happy Saturday!

1. Yesterday's post did not happen because I was too busy trying to keep my eyes open and make my head see straight. You see, Thursday was my birthday. And I had the brilliant idea to celebrate with a few friends, dueling pianos, a couple of dirty martinis and a Blue Moon or two. Or maybe it was three, or four, I have no clue how many to be honest with you. But I remembered the "liquor before beer you're in the clear" thing. I know we had fun because apparently there are blackmail pictures to prove it. Let's just state for the record though that I am no longer 21 and I can no longer party like I am.
2. My birthday was Thursday. : )
   
3. As was explained in another post.... I was at a conference Tuesday - Thursday afternoon. Got way more out of the conversations with colleagues than I learned at the conference. But the refresher courses are always good.
4. Being gone for 48 hours seems a lot longer when you include 2 overnights in there. I was so looking forward to a couple of days away from home. And then all I really wanted was to be at home. See how I am?
5. Remember the post about the fridge last weekend? Well my friend was nice enough to call and tell me that the problem is that I have a Whirlpool. ok. maybe that's not the way he put it. What he said was, "your fridge is a Whirlpool, right?" "It's the thermostat." So then he told me how to fix it. And it seems pretty easy. Except for the part where I have to clean out the thing and let it thaw out so that the lines all drain. So now we are trying to use everything in the fridge without buying anything new. Which is cool because I don't have to go to the grocery store. But not so cool because egg, avocado, sauerkraut and ketchup sandwiches weren't well received.
6. The Babe is stuck on Scooby Doo at the moment. It was cool at first. Now it is going in the same direction as WonderPets, Dora, SpongeBob, and Care Bears.
7. I miss Calvin and Hobbes comics. If there were new ones, I'd subscribe to the paper again. Ok, maybe not. But I'd look them up on the internet every day.
8. I am craving sushi. Can you imagine that? Me? I think a Kirin Sake Bomb might help with the fog still lingering from Thursday night. Anybody?
9. I don't drink anywhere as much as my posts would suggest. For those of you who are concerned. And to you who are concerned... thank you. I love you too.
10. I am wearing a sweatshirt and shorts today. Which means that weatherwise, this is an awesome day.
11. 
    
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13. 
    
14. 
    
15. 
    
16. No matter how many times I hit 'Enter' Blogger won't stop with the numbers. And I'm too lazy to go figure it out at the moment. It's some easy code thing I'm sure but I'm not much of a coder figureouter today. Happy Happy to all of you! May the rest of the weekend rock.
    

That Hurt :( -- Warning: Cryptic Post

So earlier tonight I had a 20 minute cry. Maybe longer. It's not like I timed it or anything. My feelings are hurt. Hurt bad. Someone (two someones actually) said something about me that I can't believe they could say. Flat out said that they thought I was doing something that I am not. I can't believe they even THOUGHT that I was capable of doing such a thing. The person that told me about it I think knew it would hurt my feelings. But thought I needed to know none the less.

For the record. I'm glad I know what they said and what they thought I am capable of. Hurt. Crying. But it's good to know. I'll never tell them that I know. But it sure will shape how I deal with them going forward for a while. I really thought they knew me enough to know I couldn't even POSSIBLY do that.

hurt. crying. and I really need to go to bed. Maybe this will all look better in the morning. I doubt it though. I should be done crying by then though.

Cleaning Out the Fridge Adventures

I have to admit. I'm not the best at cleaning out the refrigerator. Nor am I good at spelling refrigerator, which just took me 3 times to figure it out. Spelling is obviously not one of my strong points. But anyhow... I realized night before last that it was time to clean out the fridge.

Very often I open the fridge and think to myself, "Self" because that is what I call myself, Self. "Self" I say. "You really should clean out the refrigerator. It's looking pretty full and there is no way that everything in there is within it's expiration date." But then I argue with the self that wants to clean out the fridge and point out that it is only Sunday (or Friday or Thursday or whatever day it is that isn't Wednesday) and the garbage truck doesn't come until Thursday morning. And all of that food stuffs that I am going to clean out will just stink to high heaven if I throw it out on Sunday (or Friday or Thursday or whatever day it is that isn't Wednesday). Because, you see, the garbage truck doesn't come until Thursday morning. And it will stink by then.

But on Friday night (or maybe it was Thursday night) Son2 was over for dinner. Have I mentioned that I like having him around? So he was over for dinner and we were having strawberry shortcake for dessert. He wanted whipped cream on his. There was a can in the fridge on the top shelf in the front and all the way to the left. Apparently he got lost in my directions and instead of getting out that cool can of whipped cream that squirts when you push the nozzle, he instead found a tub of fat free cool whip type stuff that I bought at Aldi a while back. which I had apparently forgotten about. He opened it up while standing at the kitchen counter.

It smelled like a meth lab. Or more to the point it smelled like what I would think a meth lab would smell like. It was awful. He shut it up quickly. I got up from my perch nearest the computer and went into the kitchen to get him the whipped cream in a can stuff. And then I looked at the expiration date on the cool whip type stuff. It only expired 10 days ago. So I read the ingredients on the tub. It had more chemicals than I could count. And this fat free stuff is good for us how?

So anyway, I obviously needed to clean out the fridge. And yesterday I did. And I realize now that

1. I need to clean it out more often.
2. The fridge is freezing everything on the top shelf. (i knew this already)
3. It is leaking water pretty badly.
4. the leaking water and freezing top shelf means that the jar of roasted red peppers in the back of the top shelf in the center will be frozen to the shelf.
5. Sauerkraut seems to never go bad.
6. I don't know when I last bought applesauce but there are 2 jars of it on the frozen top shelf.
7. We do not need to buy provolone for a while. We have 3 separate open things of it.
8. Worchestier (sp?) sauce has an expiration date. So does mustard. but both seem to keep indefinitely.
9. We have 4 kinds of jelly.
10. water accumulating in the bottom of the veggie drawers make veggies age too fast.
11. The dogs love leftovers. I probably should have just given it to them originally.
    
12. There are some leftover type things that come out of the fridge that you can't even feed to the dogs.

Yes. It is Sunday. And yes. I did just write about cleaning out the fridge. Have you come to expect anything less?

10 Random Things for a Friday

Happy Friday. Yes. It is Friday. We made it through another week. Mostly in one piece. Some bruises though. But we'll try and not focus on them.

1. My "not quite son" has come to live nearby. I'm pretty happy about it. And yes. I won't be happy until they all are nearby. : )
   
2. I downloaded the pictures from my camera last night. There were 127.
   
3. My car still needs an oil change. Which means I have to go get the stuff from the parts store. You'd think that with having a mechanic for a husband, I shouldn't have to do these things by myself. But I do. It's a shoemaker's children thing.
4. The new seasons of CSI and Bones and House better start soon. I need some good TV to record to watch at 11:00 at night when I can't get to sleep.
5. The word internet is not in blogger's spell check. Neither is "Blogger's" How weird is that? Weird is though. Because I just spelled it wrong twice. Because I type faster than my brain works sometimes.
6. We had to take a "family" picture of Hubby and the Babe and I last night. I think it is the first and only one that we have of just the 3 of us. Is that pathetic or what?
7. I never had 4 year old pictures taken of the Babe. Do you think that 2 months later would be stupid? I mean, we are going to take Christmas pictures in about 2 months. I should probably just wait, right?
8. There are 6 pictures framed and leaning against the wall that need to be hung on the wall. I don't even that I can remember when I put them there. I should probably fix that this weekend.
9. I am spending part of the weekend with baby BAM. Who is really not a baby anymore. He's a toddler now. But he is still a baby. I like it that way.
10. If you had the choice between cleaning house all day or getting things done at work, which would you choose?

So what are you doing this weekend? Please post and tell me. I'd like to live vicariously through y'all. Because, me? I'll be cleaning the house or working all day. See how exciting of a life I lead?

First Day of Pre-School

First day of pre-school. Isn't she cute? Why yes she is. Thank you for noticing. Not that I'm a proud mama or anything.

I Love This Picture

127 Photos. This is one of my favorites. : ) I love it when they laugh.

No One Can No Longer Live at my House

You know the water I mentioned having in my room? Well you see the sprinkler broke. And it was pointed at the house at the time. And the sprinkler was left on. No idea how or why. But it ran. Apparently for a long time. And the water came in through either the basement wall which is covered with drywall or it came up through the floor which is covered by carpet. Do you see where this is going? And somewhere along the way the carpet was nice enough to soak up the water. We pulled all of the water up that I could. Ran a fan. and it mostly dried. but now it just stinks. and gets worse every day. The internet peoples say that I should use white vinegar. Or Borax. But you know that those home remedies will probably prove to be about as effective as the tomato juice and vinegar and baking soda was at getting the skunk smell off of the dog. Speaking of which. "Skunk smell off of a dog" and "does Selsun Blue work" are still the highest searches that brings people to this here blog.

But anyway... back to the nasty water smell

So tomorrow I am renting a carpet cleaner. And a dehumidifier. Which I should have done on Tuesday. And some serious kind of chemical to kill the nasties in the carpet. Which probably won't help at all. Isn't Nature's Miracle an enzyme cleaner? I wonder if that will work. But I am sure by now that I should probably just cut my losses and pull the stupid carpet up. All of this for a stupid broken $12 sprinkler. And the fact that someone forgot to shut if off. And of course NO one did it.

I think I'm going to kick no one out.

9 Reasons Why I Didn't Post 10 Random Things for a Friday

1. I was helping to organize a Ride for Their Live event that was in Lincoln. I got to see wonderful friends and meet some new ones.
2. I took a kind of mini vacation and didn't get on a computer.
3. I have children who had forgotten who I was.
4. I have a grandson who didn't remember my name.
5. My "not quite my son" needed attention.
6. The house was a wreck.
7. There was water in my bedroom. I don't want to talk about it.
8. My car needed an oil change. Never did get it though.
   
9. My office mates wouldn't let me on a computer when I went there for a few minutes.

I promise to do better this Friday. : )

Postcard

Hello.
How are you?
I am fine.
We are playing lots of games. I learned to tie knots.
The songs around the fire at night are my favorite thing.
I don't like the mosquitoes and I think the repellent is killing me slowly.

I miss you.

Love, Me

Camp Hitaga was my favorite summer place. And I hear through the grapevine that it is in trouble financially and might be no more. This makes me sad.

And why I am thinking about this at 3:45 on a Tuesday that is really a Monday, I have no idea.

I Love A Good Meme

Why do they call these things meme s anyway?

Thanks for the tag, Harmony!

1. Why did you start blogging? I started in December of 2006. Started on MySpace but then migrated here to blogger so my non-myspace mom could read my ramblings.

2. If you could travel any where in the world with no restriction of costs, where would it be and why? I'd hit as may countries as I could. but I'd have to have unlimited vacation time too.

3. Did you have a teacher in school that had a great influ­ence on your life? If so, what? I had a few. Mr. Halstead I had for two different years in elementary. He helped me figure out how to have confidence in the work that I completed. Mr. Constance taught me about writing and how to write what you love. Unless of course there is an assignment. Mr. Fitzpatrick gave me amazing experiences in the fine arts.

4. If you could spend the day with a famous person, who would it be, and what would you do? Dead - Thomas Jefferson. And I'd invite my mom to come with. I'd spend the whole day in conversation and learning everything he'd choose to tell me. Alive - Nelson Mandela. He's led an amazing life. I'd love 24 hours of his wisdom.

5. Toilet paper — over or under? Over. And if somebody does it differently, I switch it.

6. Name one thing in your life that you would do over if possible. All of the things in my life have brought me to where I am today. But regardless of the changes it would make, I'd go back and come home and give Erin the ride to her friend's that night.

7. Tell about your pets — if any. We have a big ol' orange cat named Jack. He runs the house. Sally is a lab mix that has a problem with attracting skunks. Roxanne is a shih tzu. She fits well most of the time. And at the moment we have a dachshund named Copper. He belongs to Son2 but Copper is staying here until Son2 has an apartment of his own.

8. Do you live in a small town or a large town. (You don’t have to name the town.) I live in a small town attached to the big city. I like it that way.

I am not one to tag others. But if you feel so inclined, please feel free to grab it and let me know that you did. I'd love to read your answers!

Sushi Day!

We love Blue. And when you sit upsairs it is loud enough that you don't have to care that you are eating with a 4 year old who doesn't sit still and sometimes doesn't understand the concept of an "inside" voice. That and everything looks a little red. Because in Blue's Sake Bomber Lounge, they have happy hour for all day on Sunday and the lights are all red. So you look red. Reference said picture. But even red, we had fun.

The Babe loves shrimp. Especially Tempura shrimp that are bigger than her head and come with a killer broth for dipping them in. She likes anything that can be dipped. And for the record, she ate all four.

This is the Babe with a new use for chopsticks. She of course is a walrus. And our new friend who is taking the pictures thought it was cute. And encouraged it. Much to my dismay and horror. OK. not so much on the horror part.

Did I mention that we had a lot of fun this afternoon?

Lots of Wine Later

This is 5 people who have incredibly enjoyed the wine festival.

This one of my best friends and the new significant other. First time I'd met her. I even like her. Which is saying a lot. Because there are not many people that I would say that about. Wait. That came out wrong. What I meant was, there aren't many people that I think are good enough to date said friend. In 20 years, I've gotten to be pretty protective. But that's a story for another time.

The Pusher and hubby. Check out the big wine glasses. They are Awesome. And this year I got to take mine home because the Pusher didn't steal it.