A Whole Lota Nothin'!

Homecoming 2008

2008-10-05T20:47:00.003-06:00

Wow! It's been along time....but I just wanted to post a few pics of my "baby"....her 1st Homecoming Dance. (Man....I'm getting old....but not as old as some people I know...not going to mention any names...LOL!)

Latest work

2008-02-21T17:34:00.004-06:00

I recently had a chance to do another "project" and thought I'd share it with you all. :o) Didn't turn out quite as I had hoped. I did this as a present for my sister and my new brother-in-law. I had originally started doing a different picture in charcoal, but it just wasn't turning out to my liking...so I picked a different picture and decided to attempt it in color. Didn't work with color a whole lot in my art classes way back when. Anyway, I was running out of time and a 3rd attempt just wasn't possible....so I just stuck with this one.

I already have another project in mind and I'm pretty excited about the challenge of it. Hopefully it will turn out!! If it does....hopefully the lucky recipeint will like it too! :o)

Happy HEART Day to me....

2008-02-14T06:24:00.004-06:00

Well, not only is today Valentine’s Day….it also happens to mark 6 months since my “Quit Day”. Yep, that’s right…August 14th was my first day of no smoking! However, I can not actually say that I have been “Smoke-free” since then….I had my few “moments” where I thought I had to have a cigarette (yes, those were all when I was drinking….). The good news is, however, that was only about 10 cigarettes in the past 6 months. (Wow….that’s still great though considering I used to smoke 10 cigarettes in just a ½ of a day..) And the sad thing is that, each time it tasted like crap….but that for whatever reason didn’t stop me the next time (guess I just keep thinking that it will get better, who knows….or may I just want to remind myself every now and then that it does taste bad….).
Anyway, so with having quit smoking 6 months ago…..I’ve got to say that my heart probably is physically the healthiest it has been in about the last 20 years. Not only with quitting, I’ve been within a “healthy – weight” range for almost a year now (an managed to not to gain a ton back after quitting smoking), and I have been exercising regularly for over a year ( I’ve walked on my treadmill 167 times since I bought it on January 16, 2007…yes, I record it in a notebook each time…). I do feel so much better about myself and feel that physically I can do more without getting tired, breathless, etc.
I’m pretty proud of my accomplishments over the last year….so with that said…..
HAPPY HEART DAY TO ME!!!!

Happy Valentines Day to everyone!

My Special Gift.....

2007-12-28T23:07:00.000-06:00

Like everyone else, I received some nice gifts this holiday season. However, I have to say that my favorite is a very special gift that I received from my In-Laws. This is a gift that I will cherish and treasure for the rest of my living years. Fourteen years ago when Amanda was born, my in-laws went out and purchased a video camera to record the life of their new baby granddaughter. This camera however, was one that took the 8mm tapes (or whatever they were). To view the video, you had to hook the camera up to the TV or get a special VCR tape adapter thingy.... Anyway, years ago I mentioned that I really would like to have them transferred to VHS so I could have my own copies (before DVDs were the thing). They never got around to making copies back then, however this Christmas I received my very own copies of the "Amanda Movies" on DVDs. I couldn't believe it! I cried when I opened the box....I can now watch and hear my "baby" whenever I want. Together we can enjoy her younger years and she can also pass them on to her children as well. :o) I was just soooo excited!!!

In viewing my DVDs, we ran across something funny.....back then Mike and I were able to borrow the camera from time to time. Apparently, right after they got the camera Mike & I took it to the New Year's Eve Party we went to Dec. 31, 1993! The party was at Rob's house and it was my first night away from Amanda and the first night of drinking after having Amanda as well. Anyway, nothing really funny happened on video, but there were people that we haven't seen since then or at least for years. Rob had hair (A LOT of hair) and was thinner, Damon looked like he was 12 and I had too much hair and big bushy eyebrows. Rob, Karen, Chris & Bill will be the only others to recognize any of the people in the video, but it was just weird that we had our New Year's Eve on video from 14 years ago. LOL!

Anyone interested in watching "Amanda Movies" just let me know....I'd be happy to share then with you. :o)

17 years ago......

2007-10-02T05:58:00.001-06:00

(Holy crap! I blogged again......)

Fall is here! And with that also brings "Homecoming Season" for the high schools. Over the weekend Mike & I celebrated our 12th Wedding Anniversary, which got me thinking about the Homecoming dance that we attended my senior year. We attended the dance with Heather and her date, then afterwards went to eat at Olive Garden (which is the same as it is today...)

October 20, 1990......

My mother made the dress for me my sophomore year for homecoming and I just wore it again my senior year instead of spending more money. Anyway....yes, I still have the dress! So, for shits n' grins, I decided that I'd try it on.....

Yes, it fits! Not many people can probably say that they can fit into a dress they wore in high school. :o) So, that gives you an idea of the size I was in high school...and yes, Mike is the same size then as he is now...LOL!

So while I was on a roll, I decided to put on my Wedding dress....it's a bit big. :o) We'll it was fun to remeber the "old days". While trying to look for our homecoming picture, I had to dig through a lot of otherkeepsakes and picutres of Mike & I also. I showed Amanda my box that I had saved all of the letters/notes Mike wrote me (didn't let her read them), my high school year books, and some other keepsakes. It was fun to share part of my "history" with her. :o)

Just for fun...

2007-05-21T19:40:00.000-06:00

So...who's the first person that comes to mind when you look at the picutre below.... (ha! ha! ha!)

Stealing...again

2007-05-16T17:06:00.000-06:00

Stole this Quiz from Paula....

RULES
• Use the the first letter of your name to answer each of the following.
• Answers must be REAL places, persons, things. . .NOTHING MADE UP!
• If you can't think of anything, skip it.
• Try to use different answers if the person before you had the same initial.
• DO NOT use your name for the boy/girl name question.
• DO NOT use a search engine to look up answers!
• GO!

1. Your Name: Diana
2. Famous singer/band: Def Leopard
3. 4 letter word: Dump
4. Street name: Duschene (? not sure of spelling)
5. Color: Dark Blue
6. Gift/present: Diamond
7. Vehicle: Durango
8. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Drinking glasses
9. Boy's Name: Dale
10. Girl's Name: Donna
11. Movie Title: Dr. Dolittle
12. Drink: Diet Coke
13. An Occupation: Doctor
14. Flower: Daisy
15. Celebrity: Demi Moore
16. Magazine:
17. U.S, City: Dallas
18. Pro Sports Team: Dolphins
19. Fruit: Date
20. Reason for Being Late to Work: Down pour (raining)
21. Something You Throw Away: Diapers
22. Things You Shout: Dammit!
23. Cartoon Character: Dora the Explorer

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Honey!

2007-05-09T06:14:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday,

Honey!

Love You!

Stuff...

2007-05-07T15:50:00.000-06:00

Stole this from Jen & Chris....

My 9 Names

1. YOUR REAL Name:
Diana

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle.)
Diaizzle

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (fav color and fav animal)
Green Monkey

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (your middle name and street u live on)
Lynn Summergate

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name.)
Cordi

6. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME: (Your 2nd favorite color, and favorite drink)
Pink Diet Coke

7. YOUR FOREIGN NAME: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, 1st letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of you dads middle name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, and last letter of your moms middle name)
Irlaegn (ha!.....)

8. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (parents middle names)
Helen Lee

9. YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Whiskers (or Black Buster)

****
Been keeping busy.... had a great time at the Cinco de Mayo party on Saturday, did a bunch of stuff around the house and some yardwork on Sunday....

Our summer calendar is filling up very, very fast! And we are not even into summer yet! I think as of right now, we have only have about 5 weekends (between now and September) that don't have something planned for at least one of the days on each weekend! Ack!.....

I will be spending my summer packing and unpacking the 3 of us.....and doing laundry in between...
1. Mid June- pack our stuff for Mexico and pack up Amanda to head to grandma's while we are gone

2. Within 3 days of returning from Mexico...do laundry for the 3 of us, re-pack Amanda who will be leaving on July 1st to visit a friend in Texas

3. Amanda returns from Texas sometime July 10th or 11th....unpack and do laundry...repack her to leave for camp on the 15th for 2 weeks

4. While she's gone...pack up all our camping stuff for Drunkfest (July 19th-22nd)...come home.. do laundry

5. Amanda returns July 27th....unpack her...do laundry

6. The following week....pack up all the camping stuff again for the Family Camping trip (Aug. 3rd - 5th).....come home, do laundry...

Then Amanda starts school on Aug. 14th....so I think we'll stay put for a while.....Although she really wants to go to the lake sometime to stay with her other grandma, but we're just not sure where we can fit that in yet.... :o)

Pictures from Chicago....

2007-04-30T21:14:00.000-06:00

View of the Chicago from Shedd Aquarium

Dolphin at Shedd Aquarium

Pretty fish

View from the Hancock Building

View of Navy Pier

View of Chicago River (from Hotel)

Still in Chicago

2007-04-20T06:04:00.000-06:00

We've been here since Sunday and having a good time. We've been able to do a few things, but not as much as we would have liked.

Sunday:
Drove up here, went to Shedd Aquarium and then to dinner at Houlihans after checking into the hotel. It was a long day and we were both tired, so we didn't get out to do anything after dinner. Hung out at the hotel bar for a couple beers (at $6.00 each) and then went to bed.

Monday:
Mike and a friend that lives in the area, went to Wrigley Field and then to a few local bars during the afternoon. Of course Mike didn't take the camera, so we have no pictures from Wrigley Field. Then in the evening we went to a little Italian resaurant called Coco Pazzo. This restaurant was not exactly our style...we thought it would be something like Olive Garden or something. Felt a little underdressed, couldn't tell what most of the things were on the menu, and just felt uncomfortable. Once we ate, we got out of there and walked to the John Hancock building. Went to the observation deck...the view was beautiful! Since it was night time, the whole city was lit up. Got some great pictures (will post when we get back). Then we went to the little cocktail lounge that was above the observation floor. Beer....$7.50 and we're talking just a regular bottle. So we decided that since we were going to have to pay too much for a beer we might as well pay too much for a mixed drink and enjoy it. They actually had both UV and Red Bull, so we each got a drink at $15.00 a piece. :o) Walked back to the hotel had a few drinks and turned in for the night.

Tuesday Night:
Hung out at the hotel bar for a drink. Walked to Rock Bottom Brewery, ate, had a few drinks and then walked back to the hotel. Hung out at the bar for a little bit and then went to bed. By this time the bartenders know us and know what we drink. They are great and very nice. The one is from Mexico, so it reminded me of being there (except for the fact we had to pay for each beer....)

Wednesday:
Moved on to Schaumburg....checked into the hotel while Mike was at class, drove around the city a bit to see where things were, took a nap. We met Mike's friend and his wife for dinner at Stonewood Ale House. Then after dinner we located a liquor store and picked up some UV and headed back to the hotel.

Thursday:
Took Mike to class, then met Jennifer & Landon for lunch at Chevy's. After lunch the 3 of us headed to the Ikea store. I had never heard of it before; the store was great! I can see why she loves that store so much. Found some stuff to buy (of course). Then we went on to a few other places in a strip mall close by. Had a great time with them, it was nice to have some one-on-one time with Jen. Landon is so cute and he was sooooo good through out our shopping trip. Jen & Landon head back home and I go pick up Mike from class. We met his classmates for dinner at Smokey Bones. Then moved on to TGI Friday's for a quick drink and head back to the hotel.

Today:
I'll head to the mall..... :o) Not sure what we'll do this evening, but then we'll head back home in the morning. See you all then!

Chicago, here we come!

2007-04-14T12:09:00.000-06:00

Well, tomorrow we'll be leaving for Chicago for a week. Both Mike and I are going for business purposes. We're hoping to get up there early enough tomorrow to do some sight seeing during the day since we won't have a chance to do much during the day together the rest of the week. I really want to visit Shedd Aquarium, so that's 1st on our list. And for the hell of it, I am going to wear my St. Louis Cardinals shirt.... :o) (We were actually offered tickets to next Sunday's Cardinals game in Chicago, but we're coming back on Saturday....have other plans, plus need to save that spending money for MEXICO!!) Anyway, we'll check out some restaurants & bars at night. Later in the week when I am done with my business and Mike will still be busy, I am going to do some shopping! Can't wait.... Anyway, catch you all next week!!

(Happy 75th post, to me! I know it doesn't sound like much to people that blog regularly, but hey...we're talking about me here.) :o)

Family.....

2007-04-13T16:47:00.000-06:00

First, I would like to thank you all for your kind words and sympathy.

Recently, Jen posted an entry about missing her family & living so far away, etc. Got me to thinking about my family. Anyway, it's actually the opposite relationships that I have with my aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. In our family, my dad was an only child, but my grandpa had two brothers and my grandma had one sister. (Their siblings did not live in town, so we saw them rarely.) So, I had no cousins, aunts or uncles with the exception of great-aunts and uncles. Large family gatherings for that side of the family just didn't happen when I was growing up. Our family gathering was just us (mom, dad, sister & me) and my grandparents, which was fine; we were close and were able to spend a lot of time together. But, this week I saw my great-aunts & great-uncles, and some of their children (which are the same age as my parents) and realized I probably haven't seen most of them since my grandma passed away (Christmas Day 1995). Now that's sad.....

As for my mom's side, she is the youngest of 4. Each sibling had multiple children so I had lots of cousins, but we are not close at all. Because my mom was the youngest, many of my cousins were 10-20 years older than me. When that side of the family gets together, there's lots of us, but I don't feel that I know them. We all talk and try to catch up with each other's lives, but nothing too personal. I was close with a couple of them when I was younger, but everyone went their separate ways once out of school and married. That side of the family gets together 2 times a year with the exception of a special anniversary, wedding, baby shower, funeral, etc. We gather for Thanksgiving and Easter (which we celebrate on Palm Sunday and ended up not having a gathering anyway this year), however not everyone can always make it at the same time. We do not talk on the phone or email each other either. Many of my cousins, aunts & uncles came to the visitation (Grandpa was on my dad's side) and I realized that I had not seen most of them since Thanksgiving, some since the Easter before and some even since the previous Thanksgiving! The really sad part is that we all do live with-in 45 minutes of each other!! Our children are not really "growing up" together and don't know each other either. I would LOVE to have the really close relationships that the Johnson/Kirkpatrick clan has, no matter how crazy they may drive each other. That's why I LOVE being a part of their "extended family". I know them better than my own family (not counting my mom, dad, and sister). They may not seem "normal" all the time, but to me they are the PERFECT family. :o)

Guilt....

2007-04-09T07:51:00.000-06:00

Awhile back Dr. Mike blogged about "facing your fears". One of my fears is nursing homes. I don't know what it is about them, but I am scared to death of them. I am not talking about that fact of me possibly being in one someday, I am talking about having to visit them. The old people in there just frighten me, I don't know why...it's just one of those things I couldn't come to terms with. My grandfather was in a nursing home and I didn't visit him very often and when I did, I couldn't go alone- I always went when my parents did. My grandfather was also to the point he didn't recognize anyone and he was in poor health, which was not the grandpa I knew...to me that scared me. On Saturday he passed away and I feel terribly guilty that I could never overcome my "fear" in order to visit with him regularly, knowing that this day would come. I just liked to think that he would live forever (which he almost did- he was 99). Why couldn't I just deal with it??

One of my earlier memories- they lived in house that was located just behind the church we attended. I would go to preschool in the morning at the church and then run down the hill to Grandma & Grandpa's house. Some days I didn't "feel well" and Grandma would put me up in bed and fix me chicken noodle soup. Within the hour, Grandpa would come home for lunch and I would be "all better" as soon as he walked through the door. He just made me that happy. :o)

What a coincidence.....

2007-04-02T17:32:00.000-06:00

Well, Mikey, Dave & Nichole should feel right at home the next time they come over to our house! Went to Mikey's last night and saw that we bought the EXACT same couch & chair that he has (color & all). And then come to find out Dave owned the same set as well before "the fire". We really didn't mean to buy the same thing. I wanted one the same style as Mikey's couch but, I could have sworn that his was a different color! Oh well. However, it's good to know that the "firmness" will wear out over time. I was worried about that. The one in the store was much more comfy, I guess because it had been sat on plenty of times. Anyway....I promise not to paint the exact same colors that he's getting ready to paint his living room. ;o) Another funny thing is that we actually looked at the same kitchen table too, but decided to go with another one. :o) (Still no pics...sorry, however most of you now know what the living room furniture looks like...LOL!)

I've been tagged....(I'm a little overdue)

2007-03-29T19:18:00.000-06:00

I've been tagged by Violet, however I'm a little late in responding. :o) I am supposed to name 7 songs that I am currently liking, but couldn't really think of anything. I do not listen to music regularly, nor do I keep up with the latest, or who sings what, etc.. Why? I have no idea. I do however recognize alot of songs and enjoy them when I do hear them. Anyway, so what I am going to list is 7 songs that I found playing on random stations this evening while I was sitting in the car waiting for Amanda to get out of tennis lessons. (My radio shows the song & artist, so that helped...)

1. Family Tradition- Hank, Jr.
2. Don't ya wish...- Pussycat Dolls
3. Better Life- Keith Urban
4. Don't tell me- Madonna
5. Hotel California- The Eagles
6. Back in the Saddle- Aerosmith
7. Watching You- Rodney Atkins

*************

New furniture arrived yesterday! I like all of it, however the funny thing is....the chair and couch look a LOT bigger in my living room than they did in the showroom. LOL! I'm just not used to having anything but a couch and a small rocking chair. I'll get used to it. Already made my spot in the big chair last night for Idol !! (a.k.a. chair & 1/2 or "fat-girl chair"...LOL!) I was going to buy colored pillows for the new sofa & chair to add color, but after seeing it I don't think I will. I think that I'll just pick a complementing color to paint the room. (I think someone owes us some painting time...LOL!) Anyway...we'll see.
We ate at the new kitchen table last night....have to get used to sitting farther off the ground. :o) I would have posted some pictures, but I didn't feel like messing with that now, plus the living room is not quite "arranged" yet.

While we're talking about new stuff....we also got a new patio table & 4 chairs tonight. We had to replace the table when the gazebo collapsed in the ice storm. The chairs didn't need to be replace, but I couldn't find a table to match them. But the old chairs be half way decent looking with the new table as "extra chairs".

Anyway, I think I'm done spending money for a while(until tomorrow when I go to Kohl's to buy some shorts & shirts that fit....LOL!).

St. Patty's Day (Better late, than never....)

2007-03-22T20:50:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday we have a great time down in Dogtown for the St. Patrick's Day festivities. It's the 1st time we've made it to the parade and actually been able to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. (Looks like we'll be taking off work to celebrate if we plan to go again, at least until 2012 rolls around.) Anyway....here's a few pictures I wanted to share.

Me & my beverages (the Sparks was gross, but I just wanted the glass)

Mikey & Steve

Chris, Mikey, & Mike

Chris & Diana

Jenny

Clint

"Brad Pitt" & Mikey

Me & Lee (with the hat Lee gave me and I ended up selling it so some guy for $20, who then turned around later and gave it to Lee....)

Some of the guys

The port-a-potty parked in front of Steve & Jenny's at the end of the day......

2007-03-15T13:14:00.000-06:00

We all have our bad habits and one of mine (you really don't have to agree, honey) is that when I do laundry, I do not always (ok, rarely) put the clothes away right after they are done. I hang them up in the laundry room or fold them and put them in piles in a basket or on the ironing board (c'mon, isn't that what the thing is for?). So whenever we need to find something to wear, we go to retrieve it from the laundry room if it's not in the closet or in a drawer. The piles and the baskets make it upstairs more often than the hanging clothes, so today I decided that I am going to bring up ALL the clothes (we were running out of room to hang things in the laundry room). Anyway, I get the majority of the hanging clothes upstairs to our closet and now the closet is stuffed. Stuffed with what???? Mostly with clothes that we (and I do mean we) do not wear anymore. I realize that most of it is mine, but why do I hang on to it? I just went through the closet about a month ago and go rid of quite a bit (I also purchased a bit too, had to get a few things a smaller size), so what's with the other stuff I can't depart with? Why am I saving a couple of dresses that I haven't worn in years since we dress business casual now at work for the last 5 years? Why? Because I have this stupid thought that I may actually need to wear a dress someday and that would prevent me from going out and buying something new....yeah right! Or that I may gain weight and need clothes. What I really need is for someone (other than my hubby) to go through my closet and tell me that I will never wear it again because it's ugly, out of style, it's not me, etc. and just start tossing. (Kinda like they do on What Not to Wear or How Do I Look.) Does anyone else have this problem of hanging on to waaayyyy too many clothes? I just can't seem to bring myself to the realization that I just don't need them anymore. Someday....

I'm Still Here.....

2007-03-07T22:22:00.000-06:00

Hi all! I'm still here! Sorry for the lack of my blogging. However, look at it this way....I saved you all valuable time by you not having to read my boring posts. Anyway....I really just wanted to jump in and say hi and I will try to get back to posting in the very near future. :o)

Happy Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T06:01:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! Love you all! Since my hubby seems to like to post George Carlin material on his blog, I thought I'd share this one that was recently emailed to me. :o)

GEORGE CARLIN (recently after his wife died...)

(Isn' t it amazing that George Carlin - gross and mouthy comedian of the 70s and 80s - could write something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate. )

A wonderful Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We 've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We 've added years to life not life to years. We' ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We 've done larger things, but not better things.

We 've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We 've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We 've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn' t cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

If you don't send this on...Who cares?

~George Carlin

An Award Winning Moment....

2007-02-05T00:13:00.000-06:00

I am proud to say that I finally won an award for something.... At the Super Bowl Party at Chris & Bill's, I won the award for the best soup made with chicken!! Besides the fact that my soup (not counting Mikey's can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup) was the only soup made with chicken, I won!! Yeah me! Anyway, when I got home and actually looked at the award certificate....it has the wrong date on it! Go figure...I finally win an award and the certificate isn't even accurate! Way to go Chris.... slow down on the Captain next time will ya?! (Luv ya!) ;o)

So...What's up?

2007-02-02T07:08:00.000-06:00

Haven't had much time to post a blog lately, besides the fact that I really didn't have much to blog about, but here I am again. Anyway... just a few random things....

You'll probably think this is as silly as my hubby and daughter probably thought this was, but Sunday night I called a "Family Meeting". I laid down the law (LOL!) & I made a list of chores and things that each person would be responsible for on a weekly & daily basis. I was just tired of the house not always being in some order on a regular basis. It's just too much for one person to always have to do, but if we worked together then it wouldn't be as much and won't feel like such a chore. It shouldn't have to be that one person feels responsible for the cleaning, laundry, shopping and etc, and then doesn't have their own free time. And when they do make time for something, they feel guilty about neglecting the household duties....Blah, blah, blah....(I'm sure that's what it sounded like to them). So, we'll see how it goes...

*********

A couple weeks ago (MLK Day), Amanda and I went shopping. While in VS, besides getting a great deal (bought 9 pair of panties and a bra for $40- total retail price of all was $142.50!), I saw something that disturbed me. Standing in the line next to me was a girl, that had to be no more than 16-17 years old, and her boyfriend and she was purchasing a pair of panties. It bothered me that they were shopping for something like that together. I couldn't hear what they were whispering about, but she kept getting out of line and would go get a new pair and then you could tell that she was getting his opinion on which pair. Anyway, it just bothered me to think that Amanda will be at that age before we know it! She will NOT go panty shopping with any boys and they will not see them on her either!!

*********

The other night Amanda was on the computer and she noticed that the boy she has a crush on has signed on. She gets all excited, sends him a message and she starts talking with him. That was probably the goofiest conversation I've seen in a long time (yes, I had to read it!). It brings back those memories of the junior high years. They didn't really talk about much other than the fact they didn't know what to talk about. So they spent most of their conversation trying to find something to talk about. They finally resorted to asking questions like- favorite soda, color, pizza, etc. She learned that he likes Dr. Pepper, Pepperoni pizza and his favorite color is red. She was all giggly every time he answered, because she thinks they are "perfect" for each other- he likes red and she likes pink (almost the same color), they both like Dr. Pepper, and there is cheese on Pepperoni pizza (cheese is her favorite) and they will go to the same high school! (LOL!) A while back she told me that she likes this kid and that he really reminds her of her father. THAT right there....bothers me! (LOL! Luv you honey!)

*********

So I guess that's about it for now! Have a great weekend & an awesome Super Bowl Sunday! GO BEARS!

My weekend

2007-01-14T19:33:00.000-06:00

Well, our smoke alarms work after all.....unless there is a fire. Saturday about 6:00 a.m. we were woken up by the sound of all 3 smoke alarms- jumped out of bed, didn't smell anything, fumbled around to turn on the lights, but no power. Apparently the alarms went off when the power went out. Just plain bizarre that they don't work when there's actually a fire (as you recall I had a small kitchen fire right before Christmas, and they didn't go off), but go off when the power goes out. So anyway, we fumbled around to find a candle or flashlight so Mike could get a chair to stand on to reach up and disconnect each one. (At 6:00 a.m. it was still pitch dark.) After all that we went back to bed and got up a few hours later to see that we still didn't have power. We were going to make the best of it. Mike got the Coleman stove and coffee maker out of the attic and made coffee on the back porch. Then, for Christmas his father had given him a power inverter, so he hooked that up to the truck and ran an extension cord in the house and plugged in the TV and satellite. So, he sat and watched TV while having his morning coffee. :o) I had already planned to do some cleaning that day, so I cleaned up the kitchen a bit and then cleaned the bathroom by flashlight. Then about 1:00 or soo, we decided to get ready to venture out and go find some lunch. After taking a tour of St. Charles to find a place to eat that was open (besides fast food), we ended up at TGI Friday's. As we ate, we "mapped" out our options of "survival" for the rest of the weekend. We were expecting to be without power for a couple of days. We talked about taking laundry over to the in-laws so he'd have clean work clothes on Monday (yes, I was a little behind on laundry), getting some food that we could cook on the grill, staying Saturday night at Mike & Paula's, and so on. After we finished lunch, we headed home and.....we had power! We were shocked that it was restored that fast. We felt very fortunate to have only been without power for 1/2 the day, unlike Karen, my sister and the thousands and thousands of people that are still without.

So, on to the evening....Mike's work had their Christmas party. It was a casual gathering at the owner's home. Very nice, they had a caterer come in and cook and also hired a bartender to tend their bar, everyone enjoyed playing pool, darts, air hockey and the new Nintendo Wii system. (That new system is great....I think Bill's Bar needs one. I didn't play, but it looked like a blast!) They also hired an artist to come in and do characiture drawings for everyone. So, Mike and I had ours done. (The weird part is that we were just talking over and Mike & Paula's Friday night that we wished we knew some one that does that....now we do. The artist is a friend of someone that works with Mike...so we have connections now.) Anyway, here's our picture- looks nothing like me (at least I don't think), but the guys at his work were saying that he looked like Yanni (or however you spell it) in the drawing.
Later in the evening, one of the guys decided to get a group to play a dice game (the one that goes 4 to the left, 5 right and 6 middle...) and we all played with $3 a piece. I won the first round! Then the second round, no one won and every one had to re-ante which was doubling the pot, then the third round... no one one again, so we all re anted and the tripled the pot. Guess who finally won...Mike. He won $63! I thought it was rather exciting. Anyway, we had a great time at the party and enjoyed talking to everyone.

Decorations, Sex, Men & Movies

2007-01-11T21:28:00.000-06:00

FINALLY!..... I have finally taken down the Christmas tree & decorations tonight! (Except for the outside lights- that's the hubby's department and the table cloth on the kitchen table- because it's buried right now.) I think that's the longest I've ever had my Christmas stuff up. These last two weeks I've just had no energy. Last week I was just worn out from work and this week a cold & work kept me worn out. So, tonight I finally did it. Now my house looks boring and plain. I really like Christmas time, it's the only time of the year when my house looks festive and warm. Well, only 317 days until I get to start dragging the stuff out again! :o)

In my recent issue of Redbook, it has some statistics on sex:

Of 2,500 women surveyed-

35% said that they only have sex once or twice a week. (So no matter what my honey

tells you, we are average, he's not deprived!)

5% said at least once a day (see honey how LOW that percentage is!)

25% said three to six times a week (we're still in the largest percentage!)

19% said two or three times a month

10% said once a month or less

6% said that they don't have a sex partner right now

Also in this same issue, there was a section on "What men really want but won't tell you". This is coming straight from the men they surveyed/interviewed. I thought a few of them were worth sharing (and funny).

"You waking us up in the middle of the night....completely naked."

Apparently, my hubby is not the only male out there with that wish. (lol!)

"To be told how manly we are when we fix something in the house."

"You NOT saying how fat you think you are when you get dressed in the morning."

"A free pass to skip some boring family get-together"

"More nagging- That may sound like a pile of what your neighbor's poodle left on your lawn, but honestly, there is such a thing as good nagging. If it weren't for you staying on top of how we eat, drink, and dress, most dudes would subsist in pizza and beer and live in sweatpants. We may bitch and moan about your pestering, but at the end of the day, we know that you're just looking out for us, and though we'll never admit it, that makes us feel pretty great."

Any guys agree with any of that? They had some other interesting ones too, but I didn't feel like typing them all.

I just read about a new movie that will be coming out February 14th- Music & Lyrics. Looks like it will be pretty good. I'm always big on romantic comedies. So, if anyone wants to make a date with me and go see it sometime after it comes out, let me know. Maybe this would be a good "Girls night"- dinner & a movie!

Dreams....

2007-01-09T20:53:00.000-06:00

From time to time, I have some bizarre dreams and it drives me absolutely nuts wondering why in the world I dreamt what I did. So, for Christmas, my hubby bought me a book that I had on my wish list- The Encyclopedia of Dreams ~ Symbols & Interpretations. The book tells you all about the science of dreams- different theories, studies, etc, nightmares, working with dreams and so forth. It also then gives you the interpretations and meanings of different symbols that many dream about. I haven't gotten through all of the reading part, but so far it's fairly interesting. I've also looked at many of the different symbols. However, ever since I got the book, I can't remember much of my dreams or any "symbols" that may stand out in my dreams to be able to read about the possible interpretation! (Didn't get this book to stop dreaming! LOL!) Anyway...here are a few examples of different symbols in dreams-

Dreaming about a:

Drawer- Containment, confinement, or repression. Putting something away or keeping it in abeyance. Unwillingness to acknowledge something, wanting to forget something. Drawers often are similar in meaning to prisons or confining rooms. Other meanings: 1) A safe place. 2) Organization if neat. 3) Lack of organization if messy.

Newspaper- Public disclosure or exposure. Information, truths and secrets reveled to the world.

Storm- As a destructive force of nature, and thus linked to the earth, storms are a shadow symbol of the emotions and instincts. They may point to a repression of emotions which builds to a point where they become released in the fury of a thunderstorm, tornado, hurricane and so on. Storms are accompanied by downpours of water (the unconscious, the reservoir of emotions, instincts and intuitions). One seeks shelter from a storm by going within (reconnecting to one's emotional/instinctual nature), such as to a house, cave, building or the underground. storms also may mirror horrendous or violent events that have happened in life; they symbolize feelings of being out of control or overwhelmed as a result.

And of course here’s a common one- Dreaming about falling:

Falling- Feeling out of control, or being emotionally overwhelmed. Falling is a common nightmare motif that occurs during times of great upheaval and stress in life. Falling also is common during the last trimester of pregnancy, and anticipates the birthing process.Falling into water indicates a need to immerse one’s self in a healing in the unconscious. Falling through space or air, or falling to the ground, indicates a need to be grounded, to come back to earth. Other meaning: Lack of support.

Anyway, there's just a few...if you ever need to know the meaning of something you dreamt about, just let me know and I'll gladly look it up!

2007-01-08T21:14:00.000-06:00

So, for those of you that didn't see me on Saturday....yes, I did get my hair cut. Since I said I would post a pic here it is. I didn't do anything drastic, just got it cut a bit shorter with more layers to style differently. (Picture was taken this evening, one side was getting flat and I don't photograph well.) Anyway....

As I mentioned in my previous post, Saturday was our annual Garage Christmas. It was a a lot of fun. I will have to say that I think that night was the 1st time that I have ever passed out in Bill's Garage. (after all these years!) The "Power Nap" was great....couldn't fall asleep when I got home. :o) I also danced on the pole for the 1st time and that was probably the 1st time I have ever had anyone to talk to on the drive home too! Thanks Nichole for the company and great conversation. (Hey, there were a lot of "firsts" for me!) Anyway...I would like to thank Violet for the really great present!! The art supplies are awesome and very thoughtful. Just what I need to get me going again. Can't wait to get started on another picture!

Last week at work was very, very busy for me. Not just because I had been on vacation for a week, but because of some other things that started going on last week as well. I was completely worn out by the end of the week. As some people or, I should say, a certain person (not to mention his name....) seems to think that because you work in a financial institution you don't have a tough job. Well, it's not labor intense, but very stressful and challenging a lot of the time. Over the next week or two, I'll begin bringing some work home again, which will take away from my free time in the evenings. That sucks. Anyway, I was not glad to be back at work last week, but I will have to say that the only thing that I did look forward to when I went back was my chocolate coffee (fill 1/2 Styrofoam cup with hot water, mix in a whole packet of Swiss-miss sugar-free hot chocolate, fill the rest with regular coffee, then add an ice cube...yum). It's my "pick-me-up" in the mornings at work. Just doesn't taste the same at home; must be the cheap coffee at work that makes it taste good...LOL! So, enough of my non-sense..... (for now...LOL!)

This & That....

2007-01-04T19:49:00.000-06:00

First, thank you to everyone for your compliments and comments about my picture (drawing). It really gives me a vote of confidence. Anyway, if you have a picture that you want me to practice on, then just email it to me. Black & white works best, but if you send it in color I can change it. (Warning- I'm not very good at people, but I'll try.)

Second, with the new year, I have a desire to change something about me. So, I am starting with my hair. I have an appointment Saturday afternoon. If I don't chicken out, most of you will see it Saturday night. And for those that won't, I'll post a pic on Sunday. :o) (Wish me luck!)

Third, the holiday season is almost over. We are having our annual "Garage Christmas" on Saturday. Every year we also get together to decorate the Garage Christmas tree to prepare for our Christmas celebration. This year's tree-trimming party was a blast! (You all are a hoot! Thanks for the fun time!) Here's a few pics.

First, Dave has the honor of placing the star on the tree. (The tree is just soooo tall, he needs a ladder. LOL!)

We all took turns putting ornaments on the tree....

Then somehow we went from tree trimming to whip-cream.....

Then on to pole dancing......

Then from pole dancing to swinging...

Then, finally to sledding (@ 2:30 in the morning).....

Happy New Year!!

2007-01-01T13:58:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year to all! I had a blast celebrating the New Year with a great group of friends!!

Besides lack of sleep (because of the never ending poker game that I couldn't get myself out of and finally gave up at 5:00 something in the morning and took 2nd place), I had a great time guys! Thanks for getting 2007 off to a good start!! Love you all!

So, here's something funny (or at least I thought it was) -my first conversation with my daughter for 2007....Amanda calls about 12:30 p.m. today from her Memaw's and says- "Hi Mom, Can Lindsay come over today so we can mate our gerbils?" Oh, sure...bring them on over...what kind of question is that? Absolutely not!!!

I enjoyed my time off work last week, not looking forward to going back tomorrow. I was glad to be able to take some time for myself and do things that I don't get to do on a regular basis (other than housework, laundry, etc.) I did complete 16 pages in my scrapbook last week and finished with 2002 and started on 2003. (For me that is very good!) I watched 2 movies, slept in until about 8:00 or 9:00 most days, took a nap one day, took Amanda shopping, etc. No schedules, just did whatever.....it was nice.

Anyway, hope 2007 brings happiness, joy, success, good-times, etc, etc, to everyone! Happy New Year!

Something most probably didn't know about me...

2006-12-29T17:08:00.000-06:00

Over the holiday season, I got a wild hair up my ass and decided that I was going to do something that I had not done since college. Back in the school days, I had a very strong interest in art. I took a quite a few different types of art classes in high school and then again my first year of college. So anyway, about a week & 1/2 before Christmas, I decided that I was going to do a charcoal drawing for my in-laws of their dog. I was actually quite pleased, for the most part, of my accomplishment. I realized that I really did enjoy working on the drawing and that I missed doing things like that (I just didn't enjoy the limited time I gave myself). So, 2007 will be my year to re-venture back into the art world (hopefully). I just wanted to share my recent accomplishment with you all. (I had to take a picture of it before I gave it away.) :o)

2006-12-27T12:15:00.000-06:00

Had a great Christmas again this year, however very glad that the stressful/busy part is over. I do this to myself every year and just can't always seem to find time to actually enjoy the season as much as I want to. I get too involved in the shopping , wrapping, baking, cleaning and making presents.

I do really enjoy spending time with my friends and family during the holidays, though. Saturday night we hosted our 2nd Annual Christmas Party / White Elephant Exchange and it was a blast! (or at least I had a good time until I finally gave in about 5:30 a.m. and decided I needed to go to bed!)

Christmas Eve we were completely worn out. Somehow, Amanda and I convinced Mike to come to church with us. Then when we got home, Mike suggested that we order Chinese. (For those of you that know Mike....this is a shocker!) He went to church AND ate Chinese!! (I think he must have still been drunk from the night before! LOL!)

Christmas morning we opened gifts.....

Amanda got her DS Lite that she wanted.

Mike got a new toy too...... :o)

Then later we packed up and went to my parents house for breakfast. Then back home for about an hour & 1/2 and then on to Mike's Dad's for Christmas dinner.

I took vacation for the week. I do not have any actual plans at this point other than relaxing and doing whatever I feel like accomplishing. Yesterday, I cleaned off my computer desk. So what am I going to do the rest of my vacation? I've started organizing my pictures on my PC getting ready to upload them to the Drunkfest Gallery or to Snapfish to share. I plan on getting in some scrapbook time, now that my desk/workspace is clean. (Already got 2 pages done!) Amanda left this morning and will be back tomorrow night. Mike is working, so I pretty much have all kinds of time to myself today & tomorrow!!!!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-24T15:59:00.000-06:00

Don't worry...the fire is out!

2006-12-21T20:13:00.000-06:00

Had a small mishap tonight......

(Phone conversation with hubby)

Me: Honey, I don't think our smoke detectors work, but don't worry I put the fire out.

Hubby: What?!?!?

Me: I put the fire out. We had a small fire in the kitchen, but the fire is out. :o)

Hubby: We had a fire in the kitchen??? How did that happen?

Me: Chris stopped by to drop her roaster off and set it on the stove. After she left I repositioned it on the stove. I guess when I did that, I hit the knob and the burner got turned on. I went in to the bathroom and came out and the kitchen was filling up with smoke. I ran over and grabbed the roster and put it on the sink. The stove burner was flaming (we have an electric stove), I panicked, turned on the water and aimed the sprayer to put the fire out.

Hubby: So...did the cabinets or anything else get damaged?

Me: No, that's all okay, we'll just have to buy Chris a new roaster. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that when you got home, that's why the house smells like there was a fire. :o)

Hubby: Why didn't you use the fire extinguisher? Or do we ever have one?

Me: The whole house would have burned down by the time I found one.

Hubby: That's true. I'll see you when I get home.

So, anyway...it was scary at the time, but now I think it's rather funny! I would have taken a picture of the aftermath, but hubby has the camera. Guess now that we need to take a look at our smoke alarms and buy or find a fire extinguisher. :o)

Christmas Elf Dance

2006-12-16T14:29:00.000-06:00

He check out my Elf Friend. He's funny!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=e190e30c6b779f56d8cad41G06121612

Got this fun link from Karen.

Just for laughs...

2006-12-14T21:51:00.000-06:00

Why women don't take their husbands shopping.....

Did you ever wonder what a husband does while he is in a store waiting on his wife to shop?

Dear Mrs. Fenton,

Our store is considering banning your family from ever shopping with us again, unless your husband stops his antics. Below is a list of offenses over the past few months... all verified by our surveillance cameras.

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

3. July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the restrooms.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone, "Code 3' in Housewares!"..... and watched what happened.

5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and asked to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.

6. September 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

7. September 15: Set up a camping tent in the sporting goods department, and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they'll bring pillows from the Bedding department.

8. September 23: When a clerk asks if they can help him, he begins to cry and asks "Why can't you people just leave me alone?"

9. October 4: Looked right into the security camera; used it as a mirror, and picked his nose.

10. November 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, asked the clerk if he knows where the antidepressants are.

11. December 3: Darted around the store suspiciously loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.

12. December 6: In the auto department, practiced his "Madonna look" using different size funnels.

13. December 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled "PICK ME!, PICK ME!"

14. December 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumes the fetal position and screams "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!!"

....and; last, but not least

15. December 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door and waited a while; then, yelled, very loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here!"

Problems commenting.....

2006-12-13T17:51:00.000-06:00

For 2 days now, I can not post a comment on anyone's blog except for Mindy and Dave! I can sign on to blogger, but if I comment on someone's and I am asked for my ID and password, it tells me it is incorrect. Makes no sense! Anyway.....

Jen- Sorry to hear of your loss. :o(
New puppy is adorable.

Violet- Your poinsettia is beautiful! (I just bought 2 today from Garden Ridge for $2.50 a piece and they will never die.)

Snowflake

2006-12-04T07:21:00.000-06:00

Here's the Snowflake that I created. (See Dave's Blog- still not sure how to do the links.) Anyway....

And today I am officially the mother of a teenager! :o)

Oops....

2006-11-30T22:33:00.000-06:00

Well, we sorta forgot to take down the new gazebo that we got this summer, but Mother Nature decided to help us.......

We were just talking about it at dinner tonight and wouldn't ya know it, it ended up to be too late by the time we got home. The weight of all of the ice, etc crashed down on the glass patio table. So, I'll be shopping for a new patio set and gazebo after Christmas. (Can't wait too long though, by Memorial Day they are out of season. LOL!)

By the way, here's a picture of my (bright!) newly painted bathroom. Still need some art work or something, but haven't found anything yet.

And for those of you that haven't seen the kitchen, here's some before and after pictures.

Before:

After:

Praying for all things good..

2006-11-26T22:49:00.000-06:00

So tonight as Amanda is getting ready for bed, I decided that I needed to fill her in on the current events happening in our "little world". I figured that she'll find out sooner or later what everyone else knows and didn't want her to be completely shocked. I told her about the situation of Mindy and Doug and the situation with Jack. We talked about it for a little bit and then when I tucked her in she said her nightly prayers (Yes, she still wants me to tuck her in and yes, we still say our nightly prayers). So anyway she proceeds with her regular "Now I lay me down to sleep....." and ended it with something extra (as she does sometimes). Tonight she prayed to God that He help Doug, Mindy and Lily through their difficult time, to help Uncle Damon and Aunt Tina get back together, and to keep Jack safe no matter what happened. During that prayer time I cried....

2006-11-22T06:56:00.000-06:00

Last night I composed a blog entry ("My Bitch Session") letting all my emotions and feelings about the stress at work and home (would have been my longest post ever). However, after a nights sleep and remembering the last line on Violet's latest blog entry (still don't get how to do the links) I decided not to publish it and just keep my thoughts and feelings to myself once again. So, I'll just smile and go on about my life.

Anyway....since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, now it's my turn for a "sappy" post (well, okay it won't be too sappy, just short & sweet), I want to take a moment and thank all of the special people in my life. I am thankful for my husband. Honey, as much as I might gripe or complain about the things you do, did or didn't do, I really do love you and I am grateful that you are in my life. I also am thankful for my wonderful daughter. I can't imagine what life would be like without her. Even on the days that she really makes me mad or disappoints me, she still always has a way of making me smile. Next, I am thankful for the family that I have. Not sure where I would be today without their love, support and understanding throughout my life. I am also thankful for all of my friends, whom I like to consider my family too. I know that they are there for me when I need them. There's just that "something special" about each and everyone of them. I really enjoy company of my friends (quirks and all, lol) and lately that's what gets me through each week. Anyway....this is short and to the point, Thank you to all of you that are a part of my life, you are very special to me. THANKS!!

Got Money to burn???

2006-11-21T07:17:00.000-06:00

Last night I was browsing eBay and decided to look for some weird, unusual high priced items just for fun. It blows my mind that some people think that some one in their right mind might actually bid on these things. I guess you might if you had a lot of money to burn. Here's just a few that I found "over priced" or unusual....

For the starting bid of $900,000.00, you can bid on the new Madden 2007 game for the new Wii system. I don't think anyone really needs the game that bad!

For the starting bid of $144,000.00, you can bid on this rock with Jesus' face in it. (I think I'll put that on the top of my Christmas list....)

For the starting bid of $15,000.00, you can name some couple's baby girl. The baby is due in December. (Paula & Mike...you should have had someone name Ella!)

Also for $15,000.00, you can bid on a Knife, Fork, and Spoon. There isn't anything special about the set; the seller just needs to buy a new car.

For the "Buy it Now" price of $5,000.00, you can buy some chic a boob job! AND she'll send you videos and pictures of her and her new Double D's.

For the starting bid of $8,666.00, you can have your name tattooed on some chic's ass.

For the starting bid of $3,500.00, you can bid on your very own King size bed that swings and rotates!

They also have these "Mystery Box" auctions. You never know what's in them. I'm thinking that it would be a hoot if we all put some items together for a "Mystery Box" Auction just to see how much we could get someone to bid on it. Maybe some day we'll try it.

Update..

2006-11-10T08:26:00.000-06:00

Well, she didn't make the team. She's not as disappointed as I thought she would be. I think she expected not to make it more than the believed she would make it, because she said there were a lot of other girls that were really good. (She hadn't played since the 5th grade and at that time she was still trying to learn.) Anyway....so on to the next plan. Originally before this volleyball thing came about, she wanted to get into Tennis. But we couldn't do two sports at once, so I was waiting to see what would happen with volleyball. So anyway, I did some searching to find out where she could go and if anyone was offering classes or lessons. Found a place, and I am going to try to get her in the class that starts at the end of this month. We'll see how that goes.....

Volleyball....

2006-11-06T20:00:00.000-06:00

So, last week Amanda decides that she wants to try-out for a volleyball team and brought home the flyer from school. Tonight is tryouts...first we get there and realize that there are a bizillion girls there (okay, not quite that many, but at least 60-70 for 7th & 8th grade). Next we get her registered....I thought this was going to be a "for fun" team sponsored by the high school....no, it's a select team/volleyball league. What on earth are we getting into??? So we get her number, send her on her way into the gym with the other girls and then I go and listen to the informational session for the parents. They should have sent the information with the flyer for tryouts so you'd know what to expect. Anyway.....if she is one of the 20 girls from each grade (2 teams of 10 per grade)- it will cost $350.00, they will practice two nights a week, have 7-8 weekend tournaments before the end of April, yada yada ya....This kinda thing is all new to me...she played soccer for a church league that cost $30.00 and volleyball for school 1 year, which was also about $30. Nothing hard core....just playing for fun. I was not expecting to be getting into this....however, after I contemplated on pulling her out and marching home, I decided that she needed to follow through. I thought...if she makes it- Great! She needs to be involved in a sport and we'll just go for it. And if she doesn't make it....it will be a good experience for her to have tried out for something, knowing that she gave it her all, and to experience the disappointment. So anyway....now we wait....they will be calling the girls by Friday for those that have been selected. By the end of the week, we'll have either one very disappointed girl or one very excited girl with parents about to go broke..LOL! I'll keep you posted.

Think PINK!

2006-10-05T18:12:00.000-06:00

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Breast cancer touches millions of lives. It is expected that 211,200 women and 1,720 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and more than 41,000 people will die from breast cancer in 2006 alone. One by one, we can make a difference!

The Susan G. Breast Cancer Foundation is kicking of the month with a new program- Passionately Pink for the Cure! They are encouraging everyone to show their support and wear pink every day in October.
~Passionately Pink for the Cure™ is an easy, creative program we hope will have everyone seeing pink everywhere you look, every day in October, encouraging millions of people nationwide to get involved in the promise for the cure. ~

I personally am encouraging all my friends to wear something PINK every day this month. (Whether it's a shirt, ribbon, pin, nail polish, necklace, etc.) Someday this could be one of us, our children, friends or family. Let's get involved and show our support!

Just a little humor...

2006-10-04T16:41:00.000-06:00

(No harm meant for those that are a doctor, related to a doctor, married to a doctor, friends with a doctor, etc. I just thought it was kinda funny.) ;o)

Humor /Fact or Maybe Both!

Doctors and Guns
================
Doctors:
(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000.
(B) Accidental deaths caused by physicians per year are 120,000.
(C) Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171.
Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services.

Guns:
(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000. Yes, that is 80 million.
(B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year all age groups is 1,500.
(C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is 0.000188

Statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.

Remember, "Guns don't kill people, doctors do."

FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR.

Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand! Out of concern for the public at large, I have withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention.

~Author Unknown~

Hmmm!

Updates.....

2006-10-03T18:10:00.000-06:00

Just a few updates (since I have nothing really to blog about).....

First- the fridge was FIXED on Saturday!!! Yeah!!! So now you all don't have to hear me wine about it anymore.

Second- Cookie (the baby gerbil) is getting so big! She's almost the same size as her mama! She's so cute.

Third- here's a sneak peak at some of the changes in the kitchen.

Now here's something a little funny. I got out one of the bi-fold doors last night and painted it. Then drug in the second one to paint it and realized........

We bought 2 different doors...SNAPS! At least I had painted the correct one and not the one that will need to go back to the store.

Last, I would like to say that Mike and I had a great anniversary Saturday. Thanks for all of those that were able to share it with us!!! We had a good time!

One year ago today.....

2006-09-29T06:11:00.000-06:00

This week last year, 8 of us were in Mexico! These pictures were taken one year ago today and was the beginning of a VERY, VERY wild afternoon! (I will refrain from posting the "wild" pictures. Those of you that know what I am talking about......you are welcome.)

Wish we were there right now!!!

February is just not going to get here fast enough! 10 more paychecks until Mexico!! ;o)

2006-09-27T20:59:00.000-06:00

UGH!!! The frickin' fridge is STILL NOT FIXED!!!! All parts are now here, but the repair people can't come until Satruday!!! (Which will be day 15!!!) Anyway, enough of that....

Painting trim sucks! However, I am in no such way, shape or form, complaining about it because I know that it will be so nice when this project is complete! :o) Anyway...On Saturday, we got to get rid of the old trim around 3 doors. I was very excited!! (Chris laughed at me for taking this picture.)

-------

Thought I'd share this bit of humor:

What My Mother Taught Me

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE. -"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside.I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION . -"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL. -"If you don't straighten up,I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC. -" Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC. -"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck,you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT. -"Make sure you wear clean underwear,in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY. -"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS. -"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONIST. -"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA. -"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER. -"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12.. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. -"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE. -"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. -"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY. -"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world whodon't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION. -"Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING . -"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE. -"If you don't stop crossing your eyes,they are going to get stuck that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP. -"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR. -"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes,don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT . -"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS. -"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS. -"Shut that door behind you.Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM . -"When you get to be my age, you'll understand." And my favorite:

25. My mother taught me about JUSTICE." -One day you'll have kids,and I hope they turn out just like you"

~Author Unknown~

Day 10...

2006-09-25T17:38:00.000-06:00

Yes, we're on day 10 of not having a working fridge and I am getting really frustrated. I have just finished re-icing the cooler yet again. And those of you that know me well, I don't like soggy/watery food, so I make "ice packs" and it's a pain in the ass. So anyway, only 3 of the 4 parts arrived on Friday, so we couldn't get the fridge fixed on Saturday. Hopefully, the 4th part will arrive before Wednesday. In the last week, I have been going to the store almost daily to get a few things here and there for dinner and lunches because that's less I have to keep cold at one time. And again, those who know me well, I HATE grocery shopping! Needless to say, this last week has been a real pain. Okay, enough of my bitching.....I guess I should be grateful that it's just the fridge and not my electricity.....

Bargain of the day...

2006-09-22T17:23:00.000-06:00

Anyone remember the conversation we had on Sunday about getting our big screen for $75.00? I had told my husband it would be nice if he ever came home with a big screen that didn't have such a large "back" on it. Then he threw in the part about a plasma would be nice.... Well, Mike came home with a FREE (yes, FREE) 42" flat screen plasma today! WHOO HOO! So far it works, however the customer mentioned something about the picture fading sometimes. So we'll have to see what it does for us. If we hang it in the living room, I've already decided that we'll need new furniture! LOL! (I am so excited! Hope it lasts!)

This & That...

2006-09-21T20:51:00.000-06:00

First of all, to give you an update on Cookie. She's opened her eyes earlier this week and her ears have started to "pop out". She's a cute little thing! I tried to take a picture of her tonight, but she's quick and I could not get one.

Second, for those of you that didn't know, our fridge & freezer went out last Friday (again!). We just spent $200.00 to have it fixed a few weeks ago! So, we were living out of the coolers again. The repair man was able to come yesterday. Good news...this time it was the compressor, which is still under warranty. Bad news.....parts had to be ordered. So, as long as the necessary parts arrive on time, the fridge will be fixed on Saturday. So, hopefully tonight I have re-iced the cooler for the last time. (Thank goodness we still have the "jell-o shot" cooler.)

A couple weekends ago we finish painting the kitchen. Last weekend, new lighting was installed and we purchase the new doors and the trim! I am so excited! Mike started painting the trim and one door yesterday. He got the casing around one door and I love it already. Just can't wait until it's completely done. I've set the goal that we need to be done by Thanksgiving. I'll post pics (before & after) when we get further along.

Work is very busy. My boss had her surgery in mid-August and started her Chemo last week. It's very rough on her, but she's in pretty good spirits when I have talked to her. She came in for a few hours the two days before her first treatment, so it was good to see her. Anyway....

So, today at lunch I went to the Schnucks nearby work to get a salad and pick up a few things for dinner. I'm standing in the self checkout line with basket in hand waiting for the person in front of me to finish and some lady asks me if I am in line. "No, I am just really fascinated by watching the person in front of me, I thought I'd stand here and watch!" Duh lady! It's not like I was off to the side or anything, I was directly behind the person in front of me. Just aggravated me. Anyway..."here's your sign."

So, enough of the boring talk....off to bed...

Update on Baby Cookie

2006-09-16T08:12:00.000-06:00

Here's a quick update on Baby Cookie. It still hasn't opened it's eyes yet, but according to what we read that should come by the end of this coming week. It has a lot more hair and has gotten bigger. Quick little thing- runs around all over the cage. Anyway...here's a picture.

New Addition to the Family....

2006-09-09T16:37:00.000-06:00

No, I am not pregnant. A few weeks ago Amanda got two gerbils (both girls). Last weekend while we were gone out at Chris & Bill's, one of them gave birth! Apparently she bought one that was already pregnant (buy 1, get 1 free I guess)! I was a little shocked. There was just one, so we are not sure if there were others that didn't make it. We're not messing with the cage until it gets old enough. Anyway...the little critter is doing just fine. It's eyes haven't opened yet, but it's starting to get hair now. It's a cute little thing. Amanda was sooooo excited when she found the baby gerbil. It's neat that she's getting to watch it grow. Here are a few pictures that I took Saturday morning.

Baby "Cookie"

Mama "Spice" & Baby

Summer's gone.....

2006-09-09T00:13:00.000-06:00

Well, summer is over (where the hell did it go?) and there are several things on my "Summer-to-do List" that were not accomplished....
1. Attend a Cardinal baseball game at the new stadium
2. Go to the Drive-in movie theater (NO, I've never ever been and that's been on my list for years now!!!! and "people" have promised me every year that we will go!)
3. Spend a Saturday at Fast Eddies (again, never been there either)
4. Go to the winery
5. Have pool party
6. Lose 20 pounds (okay, that's on my list at all times, no matter what season....)
7. Win Lottery (LOL!)

(Okay, by not getting to do 1-5, it saved us about $500.00-$600.00!LOL!)

However, There are also several things that I did get to do....
1. Had a KICK ASS time on Drunkfest 2006!!!
2. Had a KICK ASS time at Chris & Bill's bonfire parties (both of them)!!
3. Went to se Phantom of the Opera at the Fox
4. Went to Florida with hubby and daughter and had a great time! (well, it was in May but close enough to summer)
5. Went to a Ram's pre-season game
6. Share the joy of Ella's arrival (I wasn't there, but you know what I mean..)
7. Had a GREAT time on the Family Camping trip! (Yes, I even got to stay awake ALL night long "bonding" with Bill on Friday night.)
8. Had a KICK ASS time at our Memorial Day party and at our July Party!
List goes on...

(Notice that 5 of the 8 had to do with drinking?)

Now on to the Fall/Winter list.... things I would like to do before next spring....
1. Go tailgating and actually attend the Rams game
2. Help host a KICK ASS Halloween party
3. Go to Winery
4. Finish household projects (painting, door replacement, tile bathrooms)
5. Go to MEXICO!!!
6. Attend the Mardi Gras festivities (if I am not in Mexico)
7. Get all caught up on my scrapbook albums (yeah right....)
8. Lose 20 pounds (here I go again...)
9. Go to a Blues Hockey game (haven't been in 3 or 4 years!)
10. Win Lottery (LOL!)
There is lots more, but that's just a few off the top of my head...

Anyway....goodnight!

Go RAMS!

2006-08-11T13:57:00.000-06:00

Last night we attended the first pre-season game for the Rams! It was a lot of fun, but not as exciting as a regular season game. They played the Colts and won (19-17)! Anyway....can't wait until the season starts (wings, fried turkey, nachos, etc.- no wonder I have a hard time dieting)! So, we were walking back to the truck and this woman in front of us had a pair of grey knit shorts (kinda like gym shorts) with COLTS on the butt. She was not large or anything, but she had a round bubble butt and the "L" was wedged the crack of her ass. So the shorts actually read as COTS. Mike and I thought it was rather funny and if it wouldn't have been obvious, I would have taken a picture of her butt. (Wish I would have had a camera phone, that would have been less obvious.) We just couldn't stop looking at her butt!

So, last night I had my Visa check card and cash in my pants pocket. This morning I was getting ready and went to grab my card (cash was all spent on beer) from my pocket and it wasn't there. It wasn't in my purse either. Shit, I must of lost it some where. So I ran out the door to get to work and looked up my account as soon as I got there. Well, the lucky person who found my card had already started shopping this morning, $550.00 worth of shopping! So, I canceled the card and then had to go to the city where the purchases were made to complete a police report. What a mess! I will get my funds back, so I am not worried too much. After my card was canceled they told me that there was several more attempts to use the card, but they were denied since the card was canceled. Whoever has it, was just going to spend as much money as they could get a way with. Unfortunately, there are a lot of dishonest people in this world. Anyway.....so that was my excitement for the day! Think I need some Captain!!! ;o)

To bleach or not to bleach....

2006-07-31T21:21:00.000-06:00

They say you learn something new everyday. Well, today I learned what happens when you bleach something you are not supposed to (Honey, washing your maroon underwear with the whites was an accident a long time ago! They snuck in with the whites!) Anyway....tonight I am doing laundry and occasionally I don't follow the actual washing instructions on the tag of the clothing because I know it will still be okay. I decided to wash my white sweater with the other whites that I will be adding some bleach with. I really didn't pay much attention to what the tag said....until I got it out of the dryer. I now have a lovely creamy, yellowish sweater! Aw...SNAPS!! LOL!!

Poll...

2006-07-26T16:02:00.000-06:00

Taking a poll.....
It has finally been decided that we are going to attend Mike's 20 Year Class reunion this weekend (so Paula, don't have Ella on Saturday....just kidding!). Anyway, the dinner attire is business casual. My perception of business casual is what I wear to work....Docker style pants and a knit top, polo top, etc. However, that's not really what I would wear to the dinner right? What type of thing should I wear to dinner? (anyone that went to POTO with me- would I wear something like that?)

2006-07-26T15:26:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week....I received some news from a co-worker. After all testing was complete it has been confirmed that she has Breast Cancer and will be out of the office for an undetermined amount of time. Yes, this will put a lot on my plate at work, but that I am not worried about (I made it through work 4 years ago when she was diagnosed with cancer and had to have a hysterectomy to remove all of it and then again 2 years ago when she was out for almost 2 months with an illness). What I am worried about, is her and her family. This is a very emotional time for all of them. She's a very strong woman and I know she will make it through one way or the other. She's had her share already, why do things like this keep happening to her? (I know God has his reasons, but I still have to question it.)

So over the last few days, I have been thinking a lot about her and her family and the emotions that they must be feeling (again). It makes me stop and think what if.....it were my mom, my sister, one of my best friends, my aunt, etc. I just don't know how'd I'd be able to handle it.

Anyway....please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Everything's Coming up Tomatoes!

2006-07-22T09:21:00.000-06:00

It's almost time! We'll soon have way more tomatoes than we can possibly eat! (Soon would probably be a good time to figure out how to make the salsa like they have at our produce stand...) Anyway, Mike's tomato plants are doing great and are HUGE! They've got lots of tomatoes and one has already started turning red! The pepper plants are doing well too! I'm so proud of your "garden" honey!!!!

2006-07-12T19:55:00.000-06:00

Several interesting things happened on......

This Date in History

July 12

1862 - The Medal of Honor was authorized on this day by the U.S. Congress.

1931 - A major-league baseball record for doubles was set as the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs combined for a total of 23 twin-sackers in St. Louis.

1960 - The first Etch-A-Sketch went on sale. Over 50 million units were sold during the next 25 years. It was the favorite toy of many moms because it was self-contained and so-o-o quiet.

1979 - This was Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois. Two Chicago radio DJs came up with the idea of having people bring unwanted disco records to the stadium. The spurned records would be burned between doubleheader games with the White Sox and the Detroit Tigers. Lead by the chant, “Disco Sucks!”, most of the records weren’t burned, but sailed through the stands during the game -- nearly inciting a riot. Some fans started their own fires and mini-riots. There was so much commotion that the ballplayers couldn’t even finish the last game of the doubleheader; the White Sox forfeited.

1982 - E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial broke all box-office records by surpassing the $100-million mark of ticket sales in the first 31 days of its opening.

1982 - The last of the distinctive-looking Checker taxicabs rolled off the assembly line in Kalamazoo, MI. The company had produced those cabs since 1922.

2006-07-08T21:27:00.000-06:00

So today, we finally went out into the Garage to finish boxing up all the stuff left over from our garage sale. We took a full truck load up to Goodwill. I was very excited to get rid of all the stuff once and for all! I love that feeling of accomplishing something! Besides taking stuff to Goodwill, we were able to throw some stuff away too. Since the stuff had been sitting in the garage for quite sometime, we had no room to hardly move in ther before; now we have plenty of room! And most important, we were able to get to our camping stuff for next weekend!!! (I am so excited about the float trip!!!) The basement storage room will be next!!!

After we messed around in the garage, Mike left to go out to Bill's for the remainder of the day and evening. They were going to do "guy" things, which consisted of using chainsaws, pulling trees with his truck, drinking beer, etc. So....since Mike was out of the house, Amanda and I had a "girls" afternoon/evening with Cathy & Laura (the neighbors). We swam, had a few beers (Amanda had soda), and Cathy grilled for us. It was very relaxing and nice to just hang out at home. (If anyone has had our chicken kabobs before; we marinated shrimp using the same recipe....it was great!)

New things.....seems like everyone is getting new things! Chris and Bill got a new house, Mike and Paula will soon have a new baby (which I can not wait until Ella is born!), Mikey and Nichole got new windows, etc. Well, guess what? I am getting something new!!! Tomorrow, we are going to buy all new interior doors for our house!!!! (FINALLY! and then the new base boards/trim will becoming shortly after.) I am so excited! Anyway.....at least we will have room now in our garage to store the doors until we are ready to install them. ;o)

EDIT: (7/9/06) - Will not be getting new doors.

Stuff....

2006-07-06T19:13:00.000-06:00

Well, here I am again! I just haven't had a whole lot to say over the last month. Anyway....We got through the 4th of July Weekend and had what I thought was a great party. (Thanks everyone for coming!) We did the water slide again, the guys played football with a HUGE football and we had a awesome firework show! What a great time!! Going down the water slide at 1:00 in the morning was a blast!

As most of you know, I am always the designated driver when Mike and I are together. Well, since Chris and Bill now live about another 25 minutes away, Mike gets to sleep even longer on the way home. Which means that he is more "out" of it when we get home and he's hard to get out of the truck. (I am probably going to get in trouble for this...) Anyway, when we got home from their house on Tuesday night, Mike said a very funny thing (and if you don't think it's funny...then you had to be there). I tried to wake him up and after few minutes he finally acknowleges that we're home. He fumbles around with the side of the door to get out then, sits back and makes himself comfortable again. I holler at him again..."Aren't you going to get out?!?" He says, "No, there's no out button." I thought it was hilarious! Of course there's no "out button or in button" dummy! Anyway....you had to be there! He really does say some silly things when he's been drinking.

2006-05-22T20:50:00.000-06:00

So...tonight I was cleaning out the fridge to make plenty of room for food this weekend. Right now, it's pretty much empty unless you are thirsty! Since we've had quite a few gatherings here over the last month or two, I noticed that my fridge is starting to look like Bill's Garage fridge. We keep "inheriting" beverages. (I thought it was kinda funny) Anyway...

Current inventory:
3 Bud Lights
5 Dos Equis
2 Smirnoff Triple Blacks
1 Smirnoff Twisted Green Apple
1 Bacardi O3
1/2 Bottle of Smirnoff Cape Coder (which should probably be thrown out?)
3 Mickeys
2 Corona Lights
1 Odoul's
Plenty of Miller Lite & Budweiser!

Rainbow

2006-05-19T06:14:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to share a few pictures I took of the rainbow this morning. If you look close enough you can tell it is a double rainbow.

Sad Story in the News

2006-05-19T06:06:00.000-06:00

It made me very sad to see the following story in the news about the premature baby found in the trash dumpster. I just don't understand how people can do things like that. There is just no excuse for it. People capable of that just need to be locked up or have their own life disposed of!

Story from Fox 2 News (www.fox2ktvi.com) :
A premature baby was discovered Thursday in a restaurant dumpster clinging to life. Paramedics who found her say she could not have survived another 30 minutes. The baby is now in critical condition at Cardinal Glennon Hospital. Her 22-year-old mother is in St. Anthony's medical center where she told a nurse earlier in the day where they could find the infant. Police believe the woman delivered the baby in the bathroom of a second-floor St. Charles apartment. A witness says he saw a woman carrying a plastic trash bag up some concrete steps to the parking lot of the nearby El Maguey Mexican restaurant. The child was found in a dumpster on the restaurant's property. Since the child remains in critical condition, the investigation is being handled by homicide detectives. So far, no charges have been filed against the mother.

Our Florida Vacation

2006-05-15T14:36:00.000-06:00

Well, we're back! (Did ya miss us?) Anyway...to sum up our trip....

We arrived in Tampa Friday about 11:30 am. Headed to the hotel hotel was on St. Pete Beach) to check in and lucked out that they had a room ready for us (check in wasn't until 4:00)!

The hotel was a very nice place and we were pleased with our selection. We had a nice room with a mini kitchen (microwave, sink and mini fridge). Only downside, was that buying anything to drink or eat there was pricey, about the same as you'd spend at the ball park. The first after noon we bought drinks at the hotel, but the next day we bought a small cooler, beer and soda.

We grabbed a bite to eat and hit the beach. Amanda really enjoyed the beach. Beach was nice, but not as pretty as it is in Mexico. Mike and I really enjoyed sitting there and doing nothing but relaxing (and people watching). After some time at the beach, we went and sat at poolside. Very nice pool area. The portion of the hotel/resort that we were on, had 3 pools- 1 kiddie pool, regular pool and adult only pool.

That evening we went to The Pier, looked around and had dinner. Apparently, the big local event for St. Petersburg is the Festival of States and was being held that weekend. So we were in the middle of that trying to get down to the Pier. As we were walking, we realized that they were getting to have a huge parade of some sort since everyone was lined along the main street in lawnchairs etc. But we didn't stick around, we headed to The Pier. It had several shops and restaurants and a great view. We ate dinner, looked around and headed back to our car. By the time we got half way back to where the parade route was, we saw the tail end of it from a distance: it was a night time parade and all the floats were lit up. Looked very cool. Then the firework show started and we stood and watched a little bit. The parade gave out tons of beads, cause there were people all over covered in beads. Looked like a well-behaved, family Mardi Gras event.

So, Saturday morning we went to Busch Gardens in Tampa. It was fun and they had a lot of cool roller coaters, but Amanda was too scared to ride them. SO Mike and I got to ride one (Amanda stood in line with us then stepped aside when it was time to get on). I really, really wanted to ride the SheiKra, but the line was LONG. The SheiKra is America's only dive coaster the takes you up 200 feet, then hurtles you 90 degrees straight down. It had lots of twists and loops to! Mike and I rode the Kumba- it had 100 foot plummets and lots of loops and 360 degree spirals. It was a blast!

SheiKra- Looking up at the 90 degree plummet

Amanda did ride two coasters- the Scorpion and the Cheetah Chase. She didn't want to ride any others because they went upside down more than once. Anyway, the animals were great. We saw the Clydesdales and got to have two free samples (about 8-10 oz size) of beer (Mike liked that part). All in all it was fun day, we were all very worn out from all the walking.

(Mike wants one of these for our front or back yard, LOL!)

So, onto the next day- Sunday (Mother's Day). This was our hang out on the beach- drink beer- do nothing-let Amanda have some fun swimming, etc.- day. One of the highlights of the hotel/resort was this HUGE, HUGE inflatable water slide! (Makes the Red-neck slide look like nothing!) However, of cousre, the slide was not included in the hotel price. You could pay $3.00 to go down once (which Amanda did on Friday) or $30.00 for unlimited times for the entire day. So, Amanda paid $15.00 and we paid $15.00 for her to have the unlimited pass. She had a blast! She must have gone down it at least 40 times (would have been more if there hadn't been other people in line). Tried to get Mike to do it, but he didn't want to. Anyway......

The big blue thing is the water slide.

So now all we need to do is get Donny to buy one to rent out! LOL!

We played around in the pool too. By the end of the day, we were somewhat pinkish/red. I burnt the top of my feet and knees. Mike got a little pink, but has turned his normal brown (he's WAY ahead of us all on our summer tans). That night we went to Carrabba's for dinner, then went back to the hotel. We were worn out from a long day in the sun.

We had a great time, but I wish we could have stayed longer.

Here's a few more pictures (of many):

Mike taking a little cat nap.

Cute little homes on the water, entering the St. Pete Beach area

"Crabby Bill's" down the street from our hotel

Tropicana Field

Mike and Amanda at The Pier

My Talented Friend- Bill

2006-05-04T22:25:00.000-06:00

Don't ask..... (sorry, you'll have to look at the video sideways)

Garage Sale.....

2006-05-03T16:32:00.000-06:00

Garage Sales SUCK! Okay, today we had our first official Garage Sale here at the house. It was a pain in the ASS. Why are people so cheap? They pull up in their Cadillac, big SUVs, etc and want to haggle you over a $1.00 item. What, is that 50 cents going to break you? "Hey lady! If I was giving this stuff away, I would have done it along time ago!" I was glad that there were actually a lot of people that didn't haggle and just paid what it was marked, because they knew it was a decent (cheap) price. Needles to say, I probably won't do the Garage Sale thing again. If I am going to sort and price things, I might as well just make an itemized listing of what I give to Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc so I can take a higher tax deduction than $500. I'd be able to get it out of the house sooner, right? Ebay will work for some of the stuff too. I was surprised that we sold a lot more "junk", toys and books than girl clothes. I figured that people would really go for the clothing items for little girls. Anyway, all in all we made a little bit of money (just in time for our Florida Vacation), but I don't know how worth-it it was. Right now, our garage is CRAM packed full right now because we just had to shove tables and stuff in there when it started to storm. So, we've got a bit of work to do still. Anyway....that sums up our first and (most likely) last garage sale experience.

Our "Not-as-fat-anymore" Fat Cat

2006-04-20T16:17:00.000-06:00

As most of you know, Buster has been on a diet. Back in December he weighed 25 pounds and the vet set his goal to loose about a 1/4 pound a month. Well, Buster is pretty much on track. This morning I weighed him (give or take a few ounces) and he's lost approximately 2 pounds! (It was hard to weigh him. I weighed myself first then held him and weighed. I did it 3 times and each time was a bit different, so I took the middle number.)

What's In Bill's Fridge?

2006-04-12T15:02:00.000-06:00

Saturday night, we were having our typical evening in Bill's Garage. A few of us decided to be different and not drink our normal "drink". For example- I drank Dos Equis (was in the mood for a taste of Mexico), Dr. Mike was drinking Schlitz and Mike was drinking some Mickeys (yes, he also had some Bud too). Well, that brought on the fact of all the different beverages that were in Bill's fridge or in our coolers (no counting soda). It was amazing, there were 19 different things! The fridge has just "acquired" some of these items over time. (Imagine if we had emptied the liquor cabinet too!)

Apple-Pie Schnapps, Budweiser, Budlight, Miller Lite, Natural Light, Schlitz, Dirt Cheap Beer, Mike's Hard Cranberry Lemonade, Resling, Miller Genuine Draft, Bacardi O, Dos Equis, Smirnoff Twisted Blackcherry, Smirnoff Twisted Green Apple, Captain Morgan, Bloody Mary From Hell (mix), MICKEYs, Beringer White zinfandel, Sutter Home Fre' White zinfandel

SOLD!

2006-04-06T16:03:00.000-06:00

Well, as of this past Tuesday....the neighbors have sold the house (in less than a week). From what they tell us, the house has been sold to a younger, single female. Not sure what "younger" means-whether she's younger than us, younger than 50, etc.? But, we'll find out eventually and see if she'll be able to handle us or not. ;o) So....next time you all come over.....be on your best behavior! (Yeah, right.....LOL)

Setting the record straight...

2006-04-02T02:10:00.000-06:00

For those of you that were there......This is NOT the father of my child!

(For those of you that weren't there.....you had to be there!)

For Sale....

2006-03-29T18:09:00.000-06:00

Well, this morning as I pulled out of my driveway to go to work, I noticed the neighbors (Joe & Nealy) have a "For Sale" sign in their yard. Wow, they are moving on. It's just weird. I don't want to have to get used to new neighbors and I have no say in who moves in!!! Are the new neighbors going to be able to tolerate our annual summer gatherings and the karaoke singing? What in the world are they going to think when we drag out the Red Neck Waterslide? I just hope they are warned as to what they are getting themselves into when they put a contract down. (LOL!)

We've had 3 different sets of neighbors occupy the residence there. So, far we've been fairly lucky- the first couple was a young newlywed couple, next was an older man and then Joe & Nealy. Hopefully we'll get lucky again. So.....I am asking everyone to keep their fingers crossed, pray, whatever, that we end up with cool neighbors. If you know anyone who is in the market for a 2 bedroom, 2 full-baths, finished basement, 1 car garage.....send them over!

The Crazy Neighbors!

2006-03-27T07:13:00.000-06:00

As most of you know, we have the BEST neighbors anyone could ever ask for. We never have to worry about keeping quiet when singing karaoke, we can count on them when we need to borrow butter, sugar, Italian dressing, etc., they are always there when you need a drinking buddy and the list goes on. However, they do some slightly crazy things too.

Last weekend, Laura was in the music store and was looking at some drum sets while she was there. She decides that drums are her calling. (She's always been determined to learn to play a musical instrument other than the guitar. Her past attempts were the keyboard and the harmonica.) So, she decides that she is going to learn to play the drums. She leaves the store (without the drum set) and tells Cathy about her "dream". Cathy tells her that if she's going to spend money on a drum set then, they ARE going to go to Mexico with us in February of 2007. It's only fair. Needless to say....... there is now a shiny, new drum set sitting in their living room and they are already looking forward to their vacation in Mexico! They crack me up!

At The Movies...

2006-03-25T18:56:00.000-06:00

This afternoon, Amanda and I went to see She's The Man. It was a cute movie and we both really enjoyed it. I am sure Amanda will own it as soon as it comes out on DVD.

As we were sitting there waiting for the movie to start, I started thinking about the very first time I took Amanda to the movies. She was probably pre-school age and AMC was still in the Regency Square (over by Wal-mart off of Zuhmbel). The Little Mermaid had just been re-released back into the theaters for a short time. Neither one of us had seen the movie yet so it was a first for both of us (when Little Mermaid came out the first time, I was in high school and at the time didn't think about buying movies for possible future children). She was so excited to be able to go to the theater to watch a movie and to this day she still loves it. When we took her, she couldn't sit in the seat with out it folding-up on her, so we had to load the chair up with our jackets and purses to keep the seat from folding up. It was actually quite funny and we had to continue to do that for the next year or two. My little baby is growing up. :o(

Chicken Your Way

2006-03-25T10:56:00.000-06:00

While puttering on the internet, I came across this website (created by Burger King). The guy in the chicken outfit does whatever you type in the text box. He does your way- get it? (Some of you may have seen this before, but I hadn't.) Check it out.

http://www.subservientchicken.com/

Take This Marriage and Shove It!

2006-03-23T07:31:00.000-06:00

Just kidding! The last few nights I have had some bizarre dreams. Some parts were just plain weird and others were actually quite realistic. Well, last night I dreamt that I found out that Mike was having an affair. I don’t recall all the details of it, but there was a lot of fighting going on when I found out. And the disturbing thing was, that in my dream he really acted like he didn’t care or that it was really any big deal!! (How dare he!!!) The next thing I remember in the dream was that I blogged about it and put the title as –“Take This Marriage and Shove It!” and the subject just said- “Enough said……” So then at some point I wake up and then got back to sleep.

This morning when my alarm woke me, I was dreaming about our group. Some of us had been doing something together during the day (can’t remember what, but I remember that Chris kept saying “Tonight I get to turn on my electric blanket at 6:30.” She was just so excited about it too! ) and then everyone else was showing up later. Well, during that day together, we planned what we were going to have for dinner. We were going to have an awesome steak dinner. We’d then discuss it when everyone else arrived. The first 2 people to arrive “later” were Paula and Bill. The two of them had also apparently discussed dinner and decided we were going to heat up pizzas. So this then starts an argument over whether or not we were having pizza or steak! Then I woke up….have no idea if we had pizza or steak.

Tuesday night, I don’t remember what my dream was really about, but I remember that it was weird and some parts were scary. The one thing that I do remember was that Mikey and Josh were over helping us clean out our basement (it wasn’t the same basement as we have now, so we must have moved). When Josh picked up a box, a snake’s tail was sticking out! I screamed and ran for “higher ground” (a ladder). Well, when the snake submerged completely from the box, it had four legs and a horn, kinda like a unicorn. (What do you think Napoleon would call that creature?) Then I woke up. I just can’t get that image out of my head!

Dreams are just weird sometimes and you wonder what in the world makes you dream about some of the things. Hopefully tonight’s dream will be a little more pleasant. :o)

What Bothers Me?

2006-03-22T21:11:00.000-06:00

Over the last week or so, I have really thought about the many things that really bother me. Some of which I experience on a regular basis. And it drives me crazy that I can’t do much about it! Here are a few:

1. It bothers me when people do not leave feedback for me on E-Bay. I have the courtesy to make sure I ALWAYS leave feedback, especially when it’s positive. It’s only natural that I expect people to do the same. Right??

2. It bothers me that I can style both sides of my hair the SAME, but yet they do not end up looking the same! WHY?!?

3. It bothers me when a certain 2 individuals in our household KNOW that the dishes in the dishwasher (that’s dishwasher, not dishwaRsher- LOL!) are dirty and still fail to put their dirty dishes in there. If they are not sure, how hard is it to look and see????

4. It bothers me when beer cans are left in my kitchen sink; top down, to “drain”. Just dump the last swallow out and be done- don’t set it in the sink!

5. It bothers me that I am a HUGE procrastinator. Not with everything but a lot of things. Why do I do that? (For example- As of Monday, I knew that a certain shirt needed to be washed by Thursday. Well, here it is…Wednesday night- 9:09 and I still haven’t put the dang thing in the washer!)

Well, that’s just a few of the many things. I better go get some laundry done! TTFN!

Wined & Dined

2006-03-21T17:40:00.000-06:00

Last night, a company that Mike's work sells product for, hosted an evening out for all their STL area companies that they do business with. (They paid for everything and employees were able to bring their spouses too!) The evening consisted of 3 stops. First was the American Place Restaurant in the Renaissance Hotel downtown STL, from 5:30-7:00, for drinks and appetizers. We did not make it to the first stop, but heard it was great! By the time Mike got home and changed, we arrived downtown right about 7:00. So we just joined in at the 2nd place- Copia Urban Winery (just a few blocks from the Renaissance Hotel).

They held the private party on the patio, which was covered and heated. Very nice place! We had an open bar and were served a prime rib dinner. Dinner was good, however I would have loved to have been able to order something off the menu as I will probably never get to eat there again. ;o) When we first got there, I was trying to decide what I wanted to drink, since I was going to take advantage of the open bar and not just order a beer. I ask the waiter if he recommends any wines (since we are in a winery), however since it's a private party and the "open bar" only had a choice of 5 or 6. He rattle the choices off- chardonnay, Merlot, blah-blah-blah-blah......he lost me after the first two. Anyway, I am not a big wine drinker, therefore I do not know wines very well, so I tell him to bring me whatever is the sweetest (I do know that I do not like dry wine). He comes back with a white wine of some sort...he either misunderstood "whatever is the sweetest" or all the wines were very dry. So, I suffer through about half of the glass...that's enough...bring on the Captain! However, much to my disappointment, they failed to tell me they did not have Captain in the "open bar" and made my drink with regular rum (yes, you can really tell the difference). Okay finished that one and stuck with beer for the next two drinks....and of course they did not have Miller Lite either, so I had 2 Mich Ultras.

On to the next stop at 9:30- Lucas Park Grille (just a block down). Another very nice place! Here we just drank, talked, and listened to the guitar player. At this bar I was able to have my Captain and 2 Miller Lites at last! By the time we went to this bar everyone from Mike's company had left, so we were left to "mingle" with others from different companies. Anyway, this one particular individual that kept talking with us was hilarious. Not by anything he was saying or talking about, just plain hilarious because he was frickin' D-R-U-N-K! It was funny. He bragged all night long about how much he made, his certification (which my hubby has too!), blah-blah, blah and repeated himself over and over. Every now and then he'd leave and converse with others and as soon as he walked away....you couldn't help but bust out laughing! Anyway...music was good, enjoyed talking with some of the other people and just had a good time. So then about 11:15ish we decide that we better start heading home, and yes at this point it had already been sleeting and snowing. Mike was very good about how slow he drank and how much he drank cause I had already warned him earlier in the day that I was NOT driving in the snow (YES, I am a freak about driving in the snow!) So we trudge back to the truck in the snow. It was coming down real good at that point and reminded me of movies that show it snowing in New York or something. So we are driving home and even though I am not driving, I am still freaking out. My heart pounded about 200 beats a minute the entire way home! Mike got us home safe and sound. We had a great evening. I was excited to be able to go to a couple of places that we wouldn't normally go to and best of all...it was paid for by someone else. ;o)

Pork Chops & Applesauce

2006-03-20T06:59:00.000-06:00

Taking a survey.....Saturday night we had pork chops for dinner. (we don't have them very often, as I am not a big fan of pork chops.) During dinner, Mike gets up to look through the pantry and fridge for applesauce- we don't have any. So this starts a debate over whether or not applesauce is the "normal" thing to serve with pork. Then last night the subject came up again and the debate continued (we didn't have pork last night, the topic just came up and of course Amanda was not any help to me, she sided with her father). I always forget to buy applesauce when I buy pork. Why? Because I don't think it's a "must have" with pork (probably because I wasn't raised on applesauce and pork). Is it just me?

Good Times....Great Friends....

2006-03-02T21:19:00.000-06:00

Something made me want to sit down and look at ALL of the picutres I have loaded on my computer tonight. There are quite a variety of them and at least 85% of them involve drinking.....imagine that. Anyway, I had a great time looking at all the pitures and videos! I'd laugh out loud at many of them and then think about the GREAT time we were having. I love reminiscing! We can have a great time doing just about anything and we are always looking for an excuse to have a party! Whether it's just a few of us or 30 of us!

While looking at the pitures I also think about each person. I find it absolutely amazing that we have this great group of people in our lives that get along so well and have such unique and different personalities! (I know, we've talked about this before, but still...) It seems that no matter who you are, everyone pretty much likes everyone and accepts everyone for who they are (flaws and all). Even when "newbies" come into our circle of friends, they are accepted from the start. (just don't piss anyone off...and when you are at Bill's- DON'T smoke in his house or punch him in the nuts! Otherwise you're history!) Anyway....point is....I really am greatful for all the friends that I have around me and in my life! Love ya all!!!

Time...

2006-02-28T07:40:00.000-06:00

Okay, so here we are at the end of February (a sixth of the way through the year) already! Where did January and February go? Why is it that when you don’t have much going on or much planned and you think you have plenty of time to do stuff, that the time just passes you by? At the beginning of 2006 I thought of all the things I would want to accomplish around the house since the holidays were over and before our weekends were packed with BBQs, camping, parties, etc, however I’ve accomplished only a few things. I did manage to clean out and rearrange the kitchen cabinets and paint our bathroom. Not sure what I did the rest of the time. (I’ll blame it on American Idol for taking up all my spare time.) By now I should have also lost 10-15 pounds, if I would have started back on my diet and exercising like I was supposed too! (I’d diet about 2 days then go off for about 2-3 weeks! And back on again…)
On the flip side…why is it that when you are really looking forward to something (weekends, float trip, next vacation in Mexico, Tator’s arrival, etc.), time seems to go too frickin’ slow? Slowly but surely, time will pass and the things we were waiting for will finally be here, but then it will all come and go way too fast! I just don’t get it….

Only In America....

2006-02-27T21:59:00.000-06:00

1. Only in America......can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.
2. Only in America......are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.
3. Only in America......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
4. Only in America......do people order double cheese burgers, large fries, and a diet Coke.
5. Only in America......do banks leave both doors to the vault open and then chain the pens to the counters.
6. Only in America......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.
7. Only in America......do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place.
8. Only in America......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.
9. Only in America......do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.
10. Only in America......do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

I thought this was kinda funny...and very true! We are somewhat a weird country sometimes.

Mardi Gras

2006-02-24T06:52:00.000-06:00

Mardi Gras

(mÃ¤r'dē grÃ¤) - last day before the fasting season of Lent. It is the French name for Shrove Tuesday. Literally translated, the term means Âfat TuesdayÂ and was so called because it represented the last opportunity for merrymaking and excessive indulgence in food and drink before the solemn season of fasting. In the cities of some Roman Catholic countries the custom of holding carnivals for Mardi Gras has continued since the Middle Ages. The carnivals, with spectacular parades, masked balls, mock ceremonials, and street dancing, usually last for a week or more before Mardi Gras itself. Some of the most celebrated are held in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, Nice, and Cologne.

Translation- Trudging around the streets of Soulad, sometimesines snow-slush filled streets, in the cold and/or pouring down rain, flashing for beads, consuming large quantities of beer and hurricanes, "borrowing" decorations from fences along the way back to the car, knocking on doors of total strangers (injuring oneself while running away), saving lives of very young drinkers that don't know when enough is enough, walking miles to the car AND (most important) having a frickin' BLAST!!!

This is the second year that we will not venture downtown for the festivities. We're going next year, PEOPLE! Unless of course we're in Mexico! (I think Mardi Gras 2007 is Feb. 17th)

Mardi Gras 2001

Mardi Gras 2004

This Date In History

2006-02-22T13:56:00.000-06:00

February 22

1630 - OK, movie-goers, this one’s for you! Popcorn was introduced to English colonists when Quadequine, brother of Massasoit, brought a bag of the stuff over to dinner this day.

1860 - Organized baseball’s first game was played in San Francisco, CA.

1879 - We won’t try to nickel and dime you with this nugget, but it is a fact that Frank W. Woolworth opened his first 5 and 10-cent store. Woolworth’s opened in Utica, New York. Sales at the first store were disappointing ... until Mr. Woolworth moved his operation to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and later, to the entire U.S.A. Remember the lunch counter at F. W. Woolworth’s? You could get a burger and a real vanilla soda or a lime rickey there for about a buck. Those were the days.

1918--How tall is the tallest man? Most information collected before the 1900s can not be proven. In fact, exaggeration and dishonesty prevailed. Even medical papers were unreliable. Depending on the measurements of the time and the translation of such, even Goliath stood a mere 6 feet, 10 inches. However, there is irrefutable evidence that Robert Pershing Wadlow, born on this day in 1918 in Alton, Illinois, still holds the record for being the tallest recorded man. Oh yes, Robert was quite normal at birth, weighing in at 8.5 lbs. At the age of two, he had a double hernia operation and something changed. He started to grow, and grow and grow. By age 5 he was 5’4" tall and weighed 105 lbs. On his 8th birthday, Robert weighed in at 169 lbs. and topped the ruler at six feet. He grew another foot by the time he was thirteen and still another by his seventeenth year. On June 27, 1940, Mr. Wadlow was measured by Dr. Cyril MacBryde and Dr. C. M. Charles, Associate Professor of Anatomy at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. They recorded Wadlow’s height at 8’ 11.1". A week later, Wadlow was fitted with a brace on his right leg. The brace fit poorly and inflamed his ankle, causing cellulitis. Robert Wadlow died from the infection on July 15, 1940. A coffin was made especially for him: 10’9" long, 32" wide, 30" deep. Had he not died, he would have continued to grow, according to the doctors. Wadlow, who faced constant public attention and often, ridicule, was always kind, patient and friendly, a demeanor that earned him the nickname ‘the gentle giant’. Fortunately he was a gentle giant. If he wasn’t, his harassers would have faced a 439 lb. man who wore shoes, size 37AA, a size-25 ring on hands that measured 12 3/4" from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger. His arm span was nine feet, five and three-quarter inches. (One of his shoes is on display at Fast Eddie's Bonair in Alton).

1949 - Gorgeous George and Ernie Dusek ushered in a brand new era in professional wrestling, with the debut of “flying leaps, sequins and schmaltz,” according to the sports scribes covering the event.

1956 - Elvis Presley entered the music charts for the first time. Heartbreak Hotel began its climb to the number one spot on the pop listing, reaching the top on April 11, 1956. It stayed at the top for eight weeks.

1975- Drew Barrymore is born.

1980 - A pivotal moment for ice hockey in the United States came on this day. The 1980 ‘Miracle on Ice’ U.S. victory over Russia was a dramatic, come-from-behind, 4-3, victory. The U.S. went on to defeat Finland, 4-2, two days later to win the gold medal.

1992- Christina Cox and William Johnson,III are united in marriage.

2002-Chris & Bill Johnson, Mike & Paula Williams, and Mike & Diana Cornett board plane to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!

Super Nanny!

2006-02-18T14:46:00.000-06:00

Amanda, Super Nanny, neighbors-Sophie, Thomas & Donna
Me, Amanda, Super Nanny, Sophie and Thomas

It's not very often that I have the opportunity to meet famous people. However, earlier this week I met Super Nanny! (This is a show that airs on ABC-http://abc.go.com/primetime/supernanny/ ) They are filming at the house across the street from my in-laws. Yep, right here in St. Charles, MO. So Tuesday, I arrived after work to pick Amanda up from the in-laws and they (& the neighbors too!) were all out in the yard getting their pictures taken with her. They coaxed me into jumping in for a picture. (It's of course not a very good picture, plus my father-in-law is not the best photographer either.) She seems to be a very nice person and I loved her accent! I think they are wrapping up the filming this weekend. My mother-in-law said that yesterday afternoon they were filming her "arrival", however she had already been here a week. Weird how they put the shows together. Anyway...that was my weekly excitement!

Officially Joining the "Blogging" Community

2006-02-16T20:31:00.000-06:00

Well, as promised....I am officially blogging! I will warn you that I am NOT a creative writer and won't always have anything interesting to blog about. But....I am going to give it my best shot and see if I like it. So...stay tuned...'cause I've got a whole lota nothin' to say!