I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas......

Today Emily and I went to see Irving Berlin's White Christmas, at the Fox Theater. We went with Genevieve, and her two girls. We dined at the fabulous Johnny Rockets for lunch, then went on to the show.

We LOVED the show. It was beautiful, captivating, funny, and oh so entertaining. I sincerely hope it comes back again next year. The dancing was amazing and energetic, and the storyline easy enough for a child to follow. The costumes were breathtaking too.

I wasn't going to tell what happens at the end, because I wanted it to be a surprise for any of you that may go in the future, but honestly, by looking at their website, (click the link above), I'm not sure if it will come back to Detroit to tour. I feel very lucky that we were able to see it while it was here. At the very end, they are all dressed in Christmas Red. Betty and Bob got together (I later found out that they are married in real life). And the entire cast is singing, "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas". They invite the audience to sing with them and suddenly it is snowing inside the entire Fox Theater. It was AMAZING! Everyone just went nuts! To look around and feel like you are inside a snowglobe is an unbelievable experience. If it comes back to Detroit next winter, we are DEFINITELY going, and hopefully you will too.

Dress Blues...

So, this is the Fireman's Dress Uniform, that people RARELY see. As I have come to find out, it is the uniform worn for funerals. Tonight, Chris (Greg's Godfather and Sterling Heights Fireman) and Dennis are going to a Pass and Review of a Clinton Township Fireman. If you have not ever seen one of these before, it is a very moving and emotional thing to see. Never a dry eye in the place.

The Firemen, Police and EMS professionals line up outside the funeral room, and walk single file into the room from the back. They then come up the side of the room to the front of the casket, turn and pause to pay their respects. It is very quiet, and very emotional. The professionals come from all over the state. Hundreds of them.

A few years ago, a friend of ours, Mark Cooke (Washington Township Fireman/Paramedic) died from pancreatic cancer. As far as emotions go, it was a horrendous funeral. At the Church as the rest of us watched, the chief walked across the room, handing Mark's helmet to his wife.
Need I say more? Those who know me and know me well, need not ask what my reaction was. I can't even watch commercials without crying some times.

Regardless, Chris came tonight to meet up with Dennis. They did not drive together, because after the Fireman's Funeral, Dennis is going to another funeral home to pay respects for his friend Scott's son. Colton was 11 years old and suffered from severe Cerebral Palsy. He had a seizure yesterday and suffocated.

Now I didn't intend to bring ya'll down. I only intended on letting you see my hot tamale in that awesome uniform!


I just thought I should mention why they were both dressed the way they are.

Happy Birthday to You!!!

Happy 7th Birthay, Shelby Birdie!

We love you sweetheart!

Flat Stanley visits Greece!

Emily got this cool project for school. All the students in second grade were given a "Flat Stanley". They were to color him, and cut him out. Then they were to send him to someone in a different location. The further away the better.

Immediately she wanted to send it to Uncle Mike & Aunt Mary Ann in Crete, Greece. I knew that Mike would have a field day with this one, but what came back was incredible. While most people at school are getting their Flat Stanley's back with a letter and a photo, Emily received hers today in this BEAUTIFUL scrapbook that is almost entirely made out of natural materials. Literally, the cover of this book is made out of leaves.

Flat Stanley's photo is in the cover as you can see from the photo (I had to get a shot of her board, thanking Aunt Mary Ann & Uncle Mike, so I didn't zoom in on the book). In side, page for page, Flat Stanley talks about his trip to Greece. He was treated quite well, as he came back in a clean outfit, and with no tears. He watched Uncle Mike play Racquet Ball with his friends, he ate lunch with Aunt Mary Ann in the Galley. He helped count out a TON of money. (I haven't ever seen that much money in my whole life). He picked Olives, he fed the kitties. He also learned quite a bit about Greece, and the local attractions.

This book is amazing. Once it comes back from her school (I plan on having the TEACHER hold on to it and NOT pass it around), it will be proudly displayed in our living room for all to see. The teacher can let people look at it at her desk, lol.

Mike & Mary Ann, I can not thank you enough for this. It was a simple little project that Emily had to do for school, and what you sent back was incredible. It is very touching to think of all the efforts you went through to put this together. I am totally at a loss on how to thank you for this. It is 100 times better than I could have ever imagined.

Valerie

Downtown Rochester

This was such a GREAT thing to see!

We took the kids to Downtown Rochester to see the city in lights!

It was worth the trip, although from the smells coming out of the fabulous restaurants, it was all I could do to not lick the windows!

Christmas Cheer in Chicago...

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

This year has been a wonderful year for us. We are very thankful for our family and friends and for all that we have been given.

On this Christmas Eve, we celebrated with Mark, Pattie & Chase at their home. I love going there. Their home is so warm and inviting. We had an amazing time. The food was out of this world. I tried and finished off a bottle of Proseco, lol. Then started on the wine. It was just a wonderful time, and no... that isn't the beverages talking. They are amazing hosts and again... I love going there. I just wish I could figure out how it is that when I have a party, my ocuntertops get trashed, and when they do it, everything works like a well oiled machine. How is that? She must be Martha's sister... Pattie Stewart. lol.

We wish all of you a wonderful Christmas. Remember... the light in me honors and reflects the light in you. Meaning... don't be quick to pass judgement on each other. Imagine what your life would be like without your loved ones. With that, it's an amazing gift to see people for their positive attributes, instead of dwelling on negative ones.

Namaste & Merry Christmas.
Love Valerie

He is an Arteast!

I married the funniest man on the planet. He makes all of us just roar. Living here is like living on comedy central. The other day, I ran downstairs to get something out of the craft room and found this drawing of Emily... Nice use of photo's I must add...

By the way... the mountain of toys behind her is the "off limits" pile. lol. They haven't been touched.

Happy 9th Anniversary to Mark & Pattie!

Today I would like to wish my Brother Mark and his wife Pattie... my sister in law with whom I get along with incredibly well... (we would be friends even if they weren't married) a VERY Happy 9th Anniversary.

Mark & Pattie follow the traditional gift giving guide for their anniversaries. It is hilarious to hear their delimmas in finding the appropriate gifts. I believe this year was leather. It should be interesting! Pattie, if you read this, please post in the comments what you gave Mark and what he gave you.

For some odd reason, (probably operator error) I do not have a photo of them to post. Although.. the one that I did have, Mark probably would have killed me if I did post it. In the photo, he bears a VERY STRONG resemblence to Spike on Notting Hill. He's looking at her with swim goggles on and she has that "I MARRIED IT!" look on her face. It's priceless.

Happy Anniversary you two. We love you very much.

Got Nuts?

Our Sunday visitor... Nutty Buddy.

 

The Neigbors dog... watching our Squirrel.

Staying Warm...

Pumpkin loosing sleep over the critter...

I'm so honored!

To have shared a PB & J with Buzz LightYear!

17 Hours and So Far So Good...

So rather than waste garbage bags, we decided to try another method. Everything that we had to pick up is piled almost to the ceiling. It is almost impossible for them to get anything out of it. These toys are off limits until January 14th. If even one toy is out of place, they are both grounded.

When they came home from school and saw this, their reaction was what we were looking for... shock and disappointment. We're not trying to be cruel, but moreso trying to get a point across. How would they like it if we told them we were going to do something, then never did it?

They are pretty bent out of shape about this, because while they were playing downstairs yesterday, they wanted certain toys, but knew they would be in big trouble if they touched even one.

This weekend the neice and nephew are coming over. These toys are going to remain off limits. I will be downstairs doing other stuff, so it should be fairly easy to enforce the rules.

Stick A Fork in Me. I'm done!

My children are trying to kill me. I'm sure of it. Sunday... 5 days ago... I asked Emily and Greg to spend 15 minutes in the basement picking up toys. Just 15 minutes. That's all. Not a hard task, and not overwhelming either. That was 5 days ago.

The toys are EVERYWHERE. I can't even get to the "Christmas Closet" because of it. So today is the day... Greg gets on the bus and we're grabbing garbage bags. Everything that is not Mis en plase' is going into a garbage bag... to be hidden away. For a L..............O............N...........G time. Infact, we're not even going to tell them it's done. We're going to wait for them to ask where their things are. Hmmmm Where did you leave them?

Yesterday I asked her to clean up her room. It slowly becoming a Hazmat zone. I told her that we weren't going to her dance class until it was finished. I got wrapped up in getting Christmas cards done and did not check on her. She comes to me and says, "Can you come check my room? I did a lot". My reply (because I'm stupid) "I trust you." HA! Today, she has so much crap on her pretty coat hooks (purchased at the Milford Art Fair w/Melanie) that they are pulling out of the wall! Crap is everywhere.

I'm done. I'm so sick of being walked all over... Please send in your tips. I've reached the end of my rope....

Operators are standing by...

Christmas 1998

My Aunt sent this to us. It was part of an email that had a bunch of funny things in it regarding Christmas.

I love this one. It is a Hallmark Shoebox Greeting Card. We sent it out as our announcement that we were pregnant with Emily. Inside I wrote; Our greatest gift is due this May.

I had to blog on it. As soon as I saw it, I got all nostalgic.

Look at how many decendents she had!

World's Oldest Person Dies at 116
By Associated Press
document.write(getElapsed("20061212T014733Z"));
Mon Dec 11, 8:47 PMUPDATED 12 HOURS 21 MINUTES AGO
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden, recognized as the world's oldest person, died Monday in a nursing home, the home's administrator said. She was 116. Bolden was born Aug. 15, 1890, according to the Gerontology Research Group, a Los Angeles organization that tracks the ages of the world's oldest people.
Guinness World Records recognized Bolden as the oldest person in the world in August after the death of Maria Esther de Capovilla of Ecuador, who also was 116.
Bolden died at the Mid-South Health and Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home where she had been living for several years, said the center's administrator, Charlotte Pierce. Bolden suffered a stroke in 2004, and her family said she spoke little after that and slept much of the time.
Emiliano Mercado del Toro, 115, of Puerto Rico is now expected assume the title of world's oldest person, said Robert Young, a Guinness researcher. The Gerontology Research Group lists Toro's date of birth as Aug. 21, 1891.
Family members said this year that Bolden had 40 grandchildren, 75 great-grandchildren, 150 great-great-grandchildren, 220 great-great-great grandchildren and 75 great-great-great-great grandchildren.

Opposites Attract

Atari was GREAT! They had the coolest games. But we didn't have Atari. We had Intellivision. Instead of playing Frogger or Donkey Kong with our friends, we got to put in the little plastic sheet that went over the joystick and we played Football. Such a fun thing for a young girl to play. :o)

Mike, Kim Teffer called. She wants her 8 track back, hehehehe. (I kill me. I'm so funny)

VHS was the HOT item! We had Betamax. Within a year after getting it, we couldn't find any movies to rent that would fit in it. I always wondered why my parents didn't just "go with the flow". They had their own set of "ideals".

We found these things at the Henry Ford Museum of all places. Think you feel old in the morning? Go visit the museum. You'll find things you probably still use to this day. THEN you'll feel old! It's quite a shocker to see things from my generation there, when I'm still only 29, ;o)

In an effort to keep spending to a minimum, we opted for the Museum over Frankenmuth. We went on Sunday. It was SO much fun. It was a bit overwhelming, but they have so many hands on exhibits. Here are the favorites:

Emily: Walking on the wing of an airplane and the screen in front of you makes you feel like you are actually flying. (Mommy sat this one out because she didn't have Dramamine onboard)

Greg: LOVED (this is putting it mildly) sitting on the Rosa Parks bus. It is in MINT condition. You can climb on, have a seat, and listen to a recording of Rosa telling her story regarding the bus. The lights on the ceiling are lit, but the one above her seat is lit brightly so you can be part of the experience.

Dennis loved the U.S. History section; including Womens Sufferage, Presidents Lincoln and Washingtons artifacts, and slavery. This exhibit needs a day all by itself. There is a lot to see and take in.

My favorite was: (I don't mean this in a morbid way) Viewing the actual chair that Lincoln was shot in. It is in a glass enclosed case with blood stains on the fabric. I just can't get over how an event so prominent in our history is sitting there in front of your very eyes. It is amazing.

It was a fun day. There were hardly any people there, so if you have a day where you want to do something but aren't sure what... Go to the museum. Our next stop... Probably the Holiday Lighting in Greenfield Village, then the Detroit Science Center - Emily's gonna love it!

Happy Holidays!

Cereal Soup!

Ok, this is pretty sick, but pretty cool too. Below you will see a baggie full of "cereal soup". It is "Total" brand Cereal, smashed up, then water added to make the cereal soup.

When a magnet is placed on top of the bag, it collects the iron in the cereal and you can actually see it! This is a science project Emily did at school this week.

It's pretty cool, but again, ick! It's still my favorite cereal! Now I KNOW it's good for me. lol.


 

Too Close for Comfort

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2006/12/08/537864.html&cvqh=itn_chishooting

Katrina and I were instant messaging today and suddenly she "vanished". She does this sometimes and I'm sitting there typing "Hellloooooooooo?" Today she came back promptly. Kraig had written to her and said that he didn't get shot. She was like what?! The above article is on what happened today right around the corner from his office building. At first, they thought the shooter was in his building, but instead was around the corner in another building.

I'm so glad he's ok. After the week they've had, that's all they would need next!

I can tell the secret!

Now I know that a lot of you aren't going to care about this, but to me it's A LOT! I am so excited.

No, Mary Ann isn't pregnant, lol. Jason isn't getting married. I love how you guys went nuts over this. It is so exciting to see!

My news is..... Katrina... my friend of...... forever, and her husband Kraig are moving back to Michigan! I'm so excited I can't hardly stand it!

Sorry Pattie... no one won the lottery!

A Girl Needs her Daddy...

I love my Dad. Especially chats with him in the morning before my mom wakes up. Today I called him. Actually I called her. I needed to ask her a question regarding our Christmas Name Draw list that we do every year. Of course she was still sleeping. Who sleeps past 8:30? So during the course of our conversation, I got a lesson straight out of National Geographic. I got a complete play by play of a hawk attacking a defenseless little birdie (I say defenseless, my dad calls it nature). Poor wittle birdie was sittin there eatin some seed when WHAMMO! Out of no where, he is dive bombed by a huge hawk. The little bird gets caught in the net that their clematis vine grows up. He's stuck.

Now would you:

A. Take a broom out there and beat the shit out of that hawk
or
B. Watch the hawk peck the crap out of that little bird and see if he can get him out so you don't have to do it.

Which do you think my Dad chose to do? If you answered B. You are a lot like my Dad. Personally, I would have ran out there and chased Foghorn Leghorn out of my yard. Of course, then you would have probably seen something out of "The Birds" movie.

Instead I got to hear.... Ohhh! Ooooo! Ah! He got it! Now I don't have to go pick it out of the net. Nice Dad. lol. Then I got the play by play of where the hawk was flying to with his chicken dinner.

The moral to the story....

I am SO glad that my Dad is retired. Because had he been at work, he would have missed this opportunity to just sit and take in nature. Now my retirement would consist of palm trees and babbling brooks, but hey. Whatever works. I love my Dad and am just glad that he is here to enjoy this time that he's worked so hard for. For those of you that may want to ruin this with his "issues" don't even go there. It's Christmas for god sakes. Let me enjoy this moment.

I also got some incredible news today that is killing me to tell, but I'm not going to. I promised the person that told me that I would be like a vault. The secret is good with me. Once they let it out of the bag, you better bet I'm gonna be talking! I just wanted to leave you with a cliff hanger so that I'm not the only one going nuts here. lol.

And a word about the job...

I got a call today from the Medical Director of the Urgent Care. He spoke to the partners regarding my interview. During his schpeel, our doctor (Dr. Kotsonis) spoke up and told him that a second interview was not necessary. He apparently spoke very highly of me. I am so humbled, let me tell you. You know... all those years working in the ER was such a thankless job. Not that I was looking for the pat on the back, but I was so sick of getting my face ripped off left and right by the patients. I understand they are not feeling well, or maybe they are missing an appendage, but what the hell. I wouldn't go into anyone else's job and rip their faces off.... that is unless they are writing nasty things on adoption slips at Petsmart, lol.

So I went to work, day after day, year after year, and besides evaluations, you aren't too sure how impressed anyone is with the job you are doing. For this person... a doctor nonetheless, to say the things he said, makes me feel just so humbled. I am so shocked that after all that time, someone did take notice of the job I was doing and it has paid off. I am so thankful. All I ever wanted to do was take good care of patients and provide a warm and gentle touch while caring for them. Whether they were snapping my face off or not.

So I am very excited to say that I have accepted the position. I was told they were expecting the keys by December 1, but here it is the 6th and I had not heard anything until earlier today. Apparently they still do not have the keys to the facility and are now looking at the second week of January. So at this moment, that is my start date. I am quite relieved that I don't have to work Christmas. For the first time in quite a while, Dennis finally has Christmas Eve off, which is the day my side of the family celebrates it. I was thinking... how bad would that suck that I now have to work on the day that he finally got off... after all this time.

I am quite relieved. Now I just have to do a couple things to the laptop to get it going with the things I want. I'm actually standing in my kitchen with it on the counter, typing this. How cool is it to be wireless?!

V

It's been One Week!

What a funny week this is turning out to be. So last week it took me two attempts at the post office to mail a box to Mike and Mary Ann in Greece. The first attempt had me standing in line out the door. So the next day Beaudreaux and I went as soon as they opened. We mailed it and Mike called today to say they got it. ONE WEEK! Unbelievable. I used to think that the USPS was like the cadillac of shipping mechanisms, but lately with all my ebay stuff going on, I've found that they are the cheapest, most easy to use and very quick. One week to Greece. I'm so floored.

So guess who showed up today... The UPS dude with the Dell computer that I ordered, that they lost, that I told them where to stick it for losing my order. Yep. Two boxes, Printer and Laptop. I kindly explained the situation to the guy, and he said I have every right to refuse the order and I did. Felt so good. It is a sign... I won't be dealing with Dell... ever. The HP should be arriving any day now. I'm tracking it. It's loaded with cool stuff and also had a free printer. Plus it was cheaper than the Dell would have been, since they cancelled my order and wouldn't honor their own deal for Black Friday. I still think this is funny how that all worked out.

I still haven't heard back from the urgent care and am getting anxious. Watch, I'll get the damn job and they will mandatory me to work Christmas. Please start sending good Karma this way. So far, it's all been good.

Gotta run. Tonight we're trying out Passport Pizza. We're desperately trying to find a great pizza joint around here that isn't like eating cardboard, or super zesty sauce!

I survived Chicago 2006!

Wow, what a weekend! It was a complete whirlwind. On Friday, our flight was cancelled, due to an airliner skidding off the runway at O'Hare. So we got our refund and drove to Chicago.

Everyone thought we were NUTS! Fortunately for us, the major winter storm that hit Chi-town, actually hit Northwest of the City. They got a whopping 16". Mary Lynn's (pictured center) Mother-in-Law Margo, and Sister-in-law Melissa came in by train. Prior to arriving in downtown, they thought we were nuts to drive it, yet when they arrived, the quickly realized that the downtown area was practically unscathed. Yet they had just come out of a winter wonderland.

We had the most amazing time. Katrina and Kraig literally wore us out. We had so much fun with them. After 21 years of not seeing each other and having only become reacquainted in the past year or two, we picked up right where we left off.... dancing to "Vacation" by the Gogo's at the Howl at the Moon Piano Bar. I think I drank more in that one night than I have in the past 3 years total. I don't know how those drinks poured themselves down my throat.

Saturday morning, I awoke in a very fragile state. Audrey and Mary Lynn were both peering over my covers at me, and in a very gentle tone asked, "Are you alright?" Uugggghhhhh. I was in a cold sweat. I told them....."Oh god. I feel HORRIBLE.... But it was sooooo much fun, and soooo worth it!". They both laughed. It was the best time. We got our fill of porn (they were dressed), guys hitting on chic's, guys practically fighting over chic's. One guy actually dumped half a bottle of beer into a bag of things Mary Lynn had. He was staggering over to talk to some girl, and accidently had a little spill. Whoopsie! lol If you choose to look at the photo's in the link below, he is the blonde sort of good looking kid that didn't seem to have a brain in his head.

I was completely recovered and vertical by 10 am Saturday morning. I showered, got all prettied up and grabbed my credit card. Off to the shops! We walked down Michigan Avenue and over the river. (see photo above). We met up with Katrina, had bloody mary's (my very first ever), and then went to their apartment for a spell. Their place is unbelievable. It's like they live in a very posh hotel.... with a kitchen & a dog. Cuervo met us at the door. He was such a nice boy. Oops. I tried to put a photo of Mr. Poochini on here, and it wouldn't load. I'm having a ton of pc problems today, so I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that this actually publishes.

So chilling out at their apartment was EXACTLY what the doctor ordered. We had a blast. Our favorite thing was finding a pair of binnoculars on the side table. Nothing like a little voyuerism to top off your night, lol. They live DIRECTLY behind a high rise hotel and some other buildings. I'm sure the view is much better than what's on tv, lol.

We left there, and went shopping on State Street. That was worth the entire trip. We had so much fun, sipping latte's, shopping at cool stores, then when I absolutely HAD to have a photo of this huge tree, we just happened to come across a German Christmas Festival. Katrina and I bought little stocking boots full of mulled wine. YUMMY!

After shopping, we parted for a bit to go freshen up. We were so far from our hotel that we opted for the cab. We got back to our hotel only to find some very "popular" people in our lobby. We had NO idea who they were, but found out later (because I asked one of them who they were), that they were non other than the Minnesota Vikings. They were on the 7th floor, we were on the 17th floor. So, we got to share an elevator ride with one of them. Don't ask who, because even if he told me his name, I wouldn't have remembered.

We topped off our vacation with a short little trip to Sam's Wine & Spirits, where I bought a few things, including a bottle of a white wine that I can't wait to share with some friends. It is supposed to have hints of Honeysuckle and Pear. YUMMMOOO!!!

It was a fantastic weekend. Unfortunately though, I have been busy since arriving back home and still have yet to unpack my bags. Plus the computer is going berzerk. Nice timing since I need to print off some photo's for a project Emily has due... yesterday! CRAP!

SEE ALL THE PHOTOS:

http://photo.walgreens.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=11439265/a=6953810/t_=6953810

Having more fun than legally allowed!

Oh my..... are we tearing up the town in Chicago! I think the locals are ready for us to leave.

On Friday, they cancelled our flight out of Detroit, due to an airliner skidding off the runway in Chicago. So... we obtained our refund, collected our luggage and got in the car. Of course the weather people were very good at over embellishing on the weather. We hit flurries and that was about it.

In a quick nutshell (I will fill in all the details later) we have been having a GREAT time. Friday night we went to Howl at the Moon with Katrina and Kraig. I don't know what happened... the drinks literally jumped down my throat! lol. As you can see from the photo, we all had a great time.... including the girl in the backround on the right.

Shown above are (L to R) Audrey, Mary Lynn, Katrina, Kraig and I. We had the BEST time in this "dueling piano bar".

Currently we are sitting in Katrina's high rise apartment chilling out with her and Cuervo, the dog. We're off to shop, see the window displays on State Street, then a couple of places including "Dicks Last Resort" (where rudeness rules), and the Underground Wonder Bar or "bra" as Katrina puts it, lol.

What a great vacation. We will be home on Sunday. I will post more probably Monday after I "recover".

Headin' to Chicago to see the Country Bumpkin!

Katrina, back in the 80's

I'm so excited. Audrey, Mary Lynn and I are leaving tomorrow morning for Chicago. We're going to see Katrina, see Mary Lynn's In Law's and to do a LOT of shopping for sh** we don't need. I am so excited I can hardly stand it.

Katrina and her husband moved from Pinckney, MI to DOWNTOWN Chicago. I haven't seen her since 7th Grade.

Here is her blog: http://secondcitystories.blogspot.com

I had the best time at her house. Her family made me feel like I was part of it. Always. Sometimes we would spend almost the entire weekend together and never tire of each other. Thank God for Linda and Pam always spending the night at their friends house, or I wouldn't have had a bed to sleep in! lol.

Pizza Rolls and The Go Go's. Plus a rip roaring fire in the wood burning stove after hours and hours of kamikaze sledding down the deck stairs. Those were great times. I'm so excited to see her after all these years.

Will have a full report with photo's when I return!
Love and Kisses!

Funny how that worked out!

So today the laptop I ordered from Dell was to be delivered. I got online, and went to their website to track it. Funny. They had no order on file for me. I have a receipt sitting here that I printed off. How can they not have the order? Before I go any further... I must say... when I asked my friend Katrina (she's in tech support) about them, she went on and on of how she let me say... "dislikes" them. She likes her computers she has from them, but CAN NOT STAND dealing with their techincal support which is conveniently located in another country.... about a 27 hour flight from here. She had a lot to say, and I must admit. It did put a seed of guilt in my mind.

But! To be fair, I had to consult with a couple of other people. They did nothing but rave about Dell. So... the price was right, the two had positive votes, 1 negative... the price was right so I went for it. After days and days of searching for the right one, learning about laptops, the search was finally over. I was very excited.

So today, imagine my reaction when I found out that they had no order on file for me. I gave them all the information I had, and even told them that I was on the fence between the Dell and the HP. I asked if they would honor the Black Friday deal. No deal. They wouldn't do it. The going price was now $504, no free delivery, no free printer. Whammo. I lost out.

As I sat here, instant messaging Katrina, she laughed. Well not a sarcastic laugh, but an (I knew I hated Dell for a reason, Laugh). She said it was a sign. I called Jason... not knowing what Katrina said, he says, "It's a sign". lol. He chuckled too, knowing what I went through for them to do this to me.

So HOORAY for CYBER MONDAY!!! It couldn't have happened on a better day. Jason started rattling off names of computer companies. I wrote them down. HP, Compaq (I now know they are the same company), Gateway (the one with the cow), etc. So I went to HP's website. They had a gazillion laptops on sale.

In a nutshell to wrap this up because I'm getting carpal tunnel, I got the HP. I got it LOADED with everything I could need on it, A free Printer, Upgraded RAM, Upgraded Hard Drive, Software, $330 in rebates......... all for less than Dell wanted for their Black Friday Special.

Now that's what I call GOOD KARMA! You get back what you send out. It's been a relatively good day.

Electric Personality

Emily, testing the laws of physics
(she is standing up right, holding a pillow over her head)

Quote from Greg on the way home from Mike & Mary Ann's wedding in October;

"God made my butt, and gave it to you Mom, and THAT makes me Catholic!"

Good to the last drop!

Gregory savoring every bite of Aunt Pattie's (on left)
Strawberry Pie

 

Ummmm yes, I'd like to file a complaint...

Ok, I'm getting on my soap box.

I'm not one to complain especially when it could get someone into trouble, but here it comes...

Today the kids and I visited Grandma, then went to Petsmart to get Cat food for the boys, Booster & Pumpkin. Petsmart isn't the type of place you take kids when you're in a hurry. We looked at fish, dead fish, sharks, parrots, finches, parakeets, chinchilla's, little mice, cats, horse stuff... plus got the food. Here is my gripe...

We ALWAYS go look at the kitties that are up for adoption. We never adopt any because I value my marriage too much, plus just don't want another cat in my house, but we always visit them, talk to them and play with them for a little bit.

On each cage, there is a sheet telling what kind of cat it is, male or female, neutered or spayed, declawed or not, and a large section telling why that cat is there, or just general characteristics of it, like... needs to be only cat, very loving cat, etc...

Well the past few times that I've been there, I've noticed something else that just got on my nerves. The person that writes up the forms, seems to feel it's necessary to tell what they think of the owners that got rid of those cats...

Like today... one cat was found wandering on a road. So the person writing the form went on to say how the owner wouldn't have "LOST" the kitty if the cat was left inside the house ALL THE TIME. It was more descriptive than I'm being, but you get the gist of it.

Then another one... "Owners brought cat to shelter because they are moving to California. Apparently the state isn't big enough for both of them"

You know.. (here I go) When they post those, they have NO IDEA what the situation is that people either lost their cats, or gave them to a shelter, but regardless it doesn't need the writers judgement put on that paper.

I've seen this every time I've been in that store for the past few times, and it is very disturbing. I just got off the phone with their customer service, who is sending my complaint to Corporate. I told them..."You know, I LOVE my cats dearly and it would absolutely crush me to have to get rid of them. The only way I would do it is if it was 100% necessary. First of all, I would NEVER let them go by letting them outside, but secondly, I would NEVER bring them to a Petsmart Adoption center, because the people that write those forms, would make me feel like crap. How do they know that the person that has to move to California isn't visiting their kitty every now and then until they actually leave the state? How would they feel to see what that writer said about them?" Regardless of how those cats got there, it isn't the place of the employee's to cast judgement on the previous owners.

Now, I'm posting this, because if someone get's canned out of this (and I hope they don't), and they decide to come bust a cap in my ass, y'all are witnesses. (Please make sure that the Prosecuting Attorney is aware of my not wanting anyone to get fired) The Customer Service knows my name, address and phone number along with email address. I just want to know that the next time I go in there, I'm not going to be reading someone's opinion that is shredding someone else apart.

And once again, that is my .02 cents.

Have yourself a merry little......

Mai Tai..... lol. Caught you didn't I? So I did it. For the first time ever, I went out with the crazies on Friday morning. Donna (Emily's godmother), her neighbor Suzy (I worked in the ER with her sister in law for years w/o knowing they were related) met at Target on 26 Mile Road at 6. Actually I was there almost an hour before they were. I woke up at 4:41 with a sudden case of anxiety.

My mind was reeling on how am I going to work part time? Funny how you can work out life's most challenging issues while laying in bed. So I decided to get up. I got up, dressed, hair brushed, teeth brushed, hat on, clothes on and out the door by 5. THANK GOD Starbucks was open. Bleary eyed, I pulled into the drive through for my Venti Gingerbread Latte. Both the gal behind the window and I were both laughing that we were infact vertical at this hour. I was very appreciative of my latte.

So, I should have went to Meijer for the 20" LCD Flat Panel TV for $99. Instead, I went to Target and watched the line of crazies for 45 minutes from my car. There was nothing on my list that was so imperative that I waited in line in 30 degree temperatures for. So, I parked nice and close to the door, listened to 80's music on XM radio, and enjoyed my latte from my roasting hot car.

Donna and Suzy pulled up. By this time, the line that was midway down the side of the building was now around the building, down the length of the parking lot, and out to Van Dyke. INSANE..
Well... there are 2 sets of doors on the building. West side doors and right around the corner are North Side doors. The line was for the west side doors, so we casually walked up to the north side doors and entered immediately while the line was still out to Van Dyke. Now... I don't think I was cheating, because I got there early and the line was very short when I got there. I just decided to wait in my car. Plus, I don't think a lot of people realized the north doors would go in that fast. So we all grab carts. I swear to god, it was like something out of that show "Supermarket Sweep". Buggies ramming into each other, people hightailing it to the back of the store. It was nuts! It was so much fun!!!! It was amazing to see piles of stuff just disappear in seconds. We got everything on our lists. Infact we plotted out next years strategy already too, lol.

Two people are going to take the shopping lists, including the third persons, and go directly in w/out a buggy and go get the goods. The third person is going to score 2 buggies and go wait in a not so crazy part of the store. That way we can expedite things. It will work out perfectly. Now for check out. This was INSANE...

The line started at electronics at the front left of the store, went all the way to the back of the store, through the Christma stuff, back up the main aisle to the other side of Electronics, across the front of the store, to the check-outs.

All in all, it took probably less than 45 minutes to check out. Again, it was so much fun, I will definitely do this again next year. In fact, the Deals are so good on other things, that I think Den and the boys should go out too. Wahooo!!

Thanksgiving was GREAT. The food was wonderful and this year, instead of the turkey taking way too long to cook, it was done in record timing in the roaster pan on the counter. The food was amazing and I sincerely appreciated everyone bringing something.

We're already planning out our food menu for Christmas!

Have a great weekend!

What a day! Recipe included...

Omg, I am so exhausted. Literally. Just wiped out. Greggo had some issues last night. He woke up twice from nightmares. At 6, I finally let him get in our bed. Choose your battles, I say. Then I was up by 7 and in the shower. Comcast dude was coming to install a digital phone system. He was so nice! I was asking him about our wireless router and said that we were looking into getting a laptop. The last Comcast dude that came over, took out the router and was a jerk about it. This guy got it connected, up and running in a matter of moments. I tipped him some cold cash for doing it, as Best Buy would have charged me over $100 to come do it. WAHOOO!!!

I ordered the Dell. I just decided that I would rather know it is on it's way, rather than stand outside of Best Buy waiting for what could be.... nothing. I'm still thinking of going shopping on Friday with Donna and Suzy, but am not really in the market for anything. Maybe I'll finish our Christmas shopping, ;o)

I had my interview today at the Beaumont Building... OH MY, MY...

Granite countertops, stone faced walls, glass doors, plasma TV's in every room... For those of you waiting with baited breath to find out where it's going to be... When you are driving down Hall Road, heading west, and you look over at the building. It is going to be on that south side of the bldg. That WHOLE side. The urgent care is connected to the practice that is going in (our doc is putting a 3rd practice there), via a door. The practice will have 18 beds. When the practice is closed, we will use it for overflow of the urgent care.

They said that they are to have the keys by December 1. I laughed.... Unless they are working 24/7, there is no way. Regardless, it is going to be stunningly beautiful. They are trying to appeal to the neighborhood crowd. Trust me. They'll do it.

The PA I met with is the medical director. He said my credentials are exactly what they are looking for. I have the job, but he needs to go to the partners on it first. But, I pretty much have the job as "Steve" (or doc) says so, lol. I'm so excited but very nervous too. I have to make this work.

So, that's what happened today. And now for the recipe:

Emeril's Red Rooster's

1 1/2 qts cranberry juice cocktail

1 (6-ounce) can frozen Orange Juice Concentrate Thawed

2 Cups Vodka

Combine all ingredients in large plastic container. Freeze for several hours.

It will not freeze solid, but rather a slushy consistancy.

Scoop into punch cups or wine glasses and serve.

We all like this and have made it for the past couple years.

Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!

To Be or Not to be... that is the question...

At Best Buy at the crack of dawn on Friday morning... Since I am going back to school in January, I have decided that it would be very worth my while to pick up a laptop computer. That way I can work on my papers and such without tying up the family computer for hours at a time. So... my mom tells me that Best Buy has a Hewlett Packard laptop computer that they are going to sell for $379 on Friday morning. It's almost $400 off the regular price. I went to Best Buy today and wanted to see if I could "see it". I have never owned a laptop before and have no idea about buying one. They didn't have it there for me to see it. But instead, the dude at the computer counter talked with me for a while and told me what to look for in a laptop. He said..."TRUST ME, It's worth it to get in line early!" So... do I join the nutcases and go get in line like at midnight? $400. $400. hmmm $400. Is it worth it?

More so... what loving soul would go with me to keep me safe? Hey Jason... whatcha doing Thanksgiving night? lol. I'm going to debate on this one for another day or two. I'm queasy with anticipation. They said that they will hand out numbers to those in line. So... if I'm number 1 or 2, will I get #1 or 2?

Hmmmm need to think on this one.

And the Mother of the Year Award goes to....

Valerie!

For donating 2 of Greg's precious toys to charity...

From the bathroom, I could hear him just sobbing and sobbing. I came out and found him staring out the window as the Purple Heart man loaded the toy grocery cart and little boat onto the truck, amongst a ton of other stuff we were getting rid of.

Try and explain charity to a 5 year old. I was just sick of picking up these two toys all the time. The grocery cart would always fall apart, and end up in a heap.

Santa will take care of Beaudreaux. I promise.

I was here...

First off, I would like to apologize for being here but not "being here" this week. The icing on the cake for me was when I found out that Gregory was the only one at school today without money for the book fair. It has been a horrendous and long week. I was here, but I wasn't "here".

For starters... I found Elke. I called her parents and her Dad gave me her number. I called it several times, only to have her husband call me and tell me she does not want to talk to me and that I should stop calling. I fell apart on the phone and told him that I have no idea why and asked if he knew why. Please just tell me why. I will leave her alone. I found that video last weekend and desperately wanted her to have a copy. It was such a funny video. He said I should send the video to her and that her seeing it, may change something and she may call me. After the lengths I went through to find her, for her to say, "Stop calling, I don't want to talk to you", I have decided not to send her the video.

Apparently her friendship meant more to me than mine ever did to her. I was heart broken. Not only that, I found out that her Mom died 4 1/2 years ago. Had I known that, I would have been there to pay my respects, whether Elke liked it or not. I have been very emotional about this, this past week. He told me to send the video to her Dad. Instead, I sent a letter. I told her that I have absolutely no idea what I did to her to make her do this, and that someone would have to go through some pretty drastic measures for me to do it to them. She no longer deserves a copy of the video, so I'm going to save it for myself. I'm just not going to watch it for a long time!

Chris's Mom died on Sunday. Chris is Greg's Godfather, and one of our most dearest friends. This was also a hard blow to take. Jackie had cancer. She fought this cancer harder than think I have ever seen anyone fight. When things looked bleak, she wasn't lying in a hospital bed. Hell no. That woman was taking her entire family to Disney World. When things looked grim, she was in Downtown Detroit, doing the cancer walk. I never dreamed it would end this way for her. I also learned a lot about Deanna through this whole process. Sometimes Deanna and her Mother-in-law didn't always agree. I was there saying, "Deanna, throw in the towel, this woman keeps hurting you, and it's hard to watch it. How much more can you take?".

Deanna didn't throw in the towel. In fact, she used it to help wash Jackie off when Jackie couldn't shower by herself any longer. She sat by her bedside day after day, planning the funeral that Jackie wanted to have. They became close friends. She basically orchestrated the entire thing, because Jackie confided in Deanna and told her what she wanted. Come hell or high water, Deanna made sure it got done, and let me tell you... it did. Today as Deanna read her Eulogy, I sat there with tears streaming down my face, and realized how lucky I am to have such a fantastic friend on my side. Sometimes I feel she has too many irons in the fire, as we all do, I realize that she is everything to everyone, and most importantly, she is a wonderful wife to Chris, and an amazing mother to her beautiful children. I am so lucky to have her on my side.

It was a very eye opening experience today. I suddenly appreciated my friends and family more than ever before. I love each and every one of them for very specific reasons. I can't remember the last time I cried at a funeral this much. Honestly, I spent the entire week just depressed as hell. One thing I did realize though... I have been so worried about Elke contacting me, when I suddenly realized... Why would I want someone like that in my life? Why would I go looking for something when it is right in front of my face? I have friends that I wouldn't trade for ANYTHING. She has proven to me, that she has qualities that I just am not looking for in a friend. It was a very enlightening experience.

As my final send off to Elke, I wrote her a letter. I did ask her to please tell me what happened, but mostly, I assured her that this letter is my very last attempt to contact her again. Although I sincerely want to know what she thinks happened that made her end our friendship, I have closed the door on this portion of my life. It is on a shelf and I'm not going to let it consume any more of me. I have absolutely NO space for rent in my head. Elke, your time is up.

I'm feeling a bit dehydrated today. As the song goes... I'm all cried out. It is nice and warm in the house. Dennis is finally home after working 72 hours straight. The kids are glad that no one is here today. It's a great night to be at home and to be part of a family.

Tomorrow, we will be watching Michigan KILL Ohio State. They are going to do it in honor of Bo, and we will be watching with heavy hearts.

I love this joke. It reminds me of my sister, lol (she's the blonde)

Come for the bull
Two sisters, one blonde and one brunette, inherit the family ranch. Unfortunately, after just a few years, they are in financial trouble. In order to keep the bank from re-possessing the ranch they need to purchase a bull from*a stockyard in a far-away town so that they can breed their own stock. They only have $600 left. Upon leaving, the brunette tells her sister, "When I get there, if I decide to buy the bull, I'll contact you to drive out after me and haul it home." The brunette arrives at the stockyard, inspects the bull, and decides she wants to buy it. The man tells her that he will sell it for $599, no less. After paying him, she drives to the nearest town to send her sister a telegram to tell her the news. She walks into the telegraph office, and says, "I want to send a telegram to my sister telling her that I've bought a bull for our ranch. I need her to hitch the trailer to our pickup truck and drive out here so we can haul it home." The telegraph operator explains that he'll be glad to help her, then adds, "It's just 99 cents a word." Well, after paying for the bull, the brunette only has $1 left. She realizes that she'll only be able to send her sister one word. After a few minutes of thinking, she nods and says, "I want you to send her the word "comfortable." The operator shakes his head. "How is she ever going to know that you want her to hitch the trailer to your pickup truck and drive out here to haul that bull back to your ranch if you send her just the word "comfortable?" The brunette explains, "My sister's blonde. The word's big. She'll read it very slowly... com-for-da-bull."

Reaching for the paper bag once again...

I am almost hyperventilating. I am on the biggest adrenalin rush I have had in YEARS. I just got a phone call.................................... No not from Elke. I'm still waiting and plan on calling her again this evening. I'm not giving up until I verbally speak to her and get the signal that this relationship can't be saved.

I got a call from the Physicians Assistant that is going to be the medical director of the Urgent Care!!!!!! He said that Dr. Kotsonis personally handed him my resume' and told him that I'm pretty much hired, but they have to get the techincalities over with. I am to meet him at the Beaumont Bldg on Tilch at 10 am on the 22nd. I am so excited, I can barely breathe.

They say that ANY kind of stress is bad on your body. It produces a chemical that leaves a residue in your body and doesn't totally go away. With this knowledge, I try very hard to lead a stress free life. So, is this excitement stress or just excitement?

I need a manicure, hair done, and thank god I had my eyebrows done last week! lol.

Good Karma! I'm so excited. WAHOOOOOO!!!!!

My life is about to get insane! My college classes start in January. Emily laughed when she heard I am going back to school. Momma has a big brain in that coconut on her shoulders, and she's going to show it to you little girl!

Piano Teacher Needs Students!

Autumn, our Piano teacher, is looking for students!

On Tuesday's, she has been driving to Lansing to give lessons to 13 students.

They are mostly home schooled students, so she does their lessons during the day.

The drive is getting a bit much for her, so she is looking for students on this side of the state.

She is well educated, and let me tell you...

When we went to Emily's recital in June, and heard what some of these kids are playing, we were blown away. I've never seen a 13 year old play Mozart on the piano before,

not to mention his sister was playing the violin at the same time with him.

It was amazing.

So! Autumn Zook is her name,

Her number is: 586-913-5217

You don't have to have a piano for the lessons. Greg, Emily and I are all taking lessons, and we use a Yamaha keyboard. It has 88 keys like a piano, and also the foot peddle. Costco has a great selection of them. They have one with weighted keys (feels more like a piano key) that I wish they had when we got ours, but still - I'm happy with what we have.

If you, or your children are looking to play piano, call her.

Make sure you tell her that I gave you her number. She has NO idea that I'm blogging this,

I'm just trying to help a gal out!

Peace!

Mission Accomplished!

I got her phone number. I called her parents again and her dad gave it to me. I'm so excited. I'm going to call her in an hour... after my kids go to bed and I can talk uninterrupted. I hope she is excited to hear from me too! Cross your fingers for me. I need good Karma coming this way.

Where is Elke?

I'm losing my mind. I am trying to find Elke. She stood up in our wedding, then a year later, I stood up in her's. For stupid reasons, we stopped talking. Now that I've grown up and realize what a dumb ass I was being, I need to find her.

Laura sent me the www.zabasearch.com thing. I tried it. I called every listed number they gave for her. Nada.

Today I called her parents house and left a message for her. I'm sitting here waiting for the phone to ring like a bonehead.

On Sunday, when we cleaned out the basement, in my box of precious memories, I came across a video tape that we made together in college. Elke and I were painting a mural in the hallway of the art building. The video is absolutely hysterical, and I am going to make a copy for her. I know she would love it. I just don't know how to find her. It's making me nuts!

I have tried every search engine I could. I even tried looking up her husband... Carmine Rinaldi. Called all of those numbers too. Nothing.

If anyone has a killer search engine that they just know would work for me, please, please pass it along to me. I feel like such a dumb ass for letting so much time go by before contacting her, but I'm still going to do it. Before I lose my mind.

That's what's on my plate for today.

Stunning Resemblance!

Gregory 11/12/06

Greg's Papa (Val's Dad) as a child!
We found this photo in stuff we got from my Grandma's house. Dennis was shocked at how much Greg and Papa look alike!

 

Well worth the money!

Have you ever had something done to your house, that you thought was a little pricey, but knew it needed to be done? Of course with anything that HAS to be done, it could be cheap and I would still think it's pricey. That's only because I could easily think of other things that I could have bought with that money. We got bids from 2 other contractors and went with the best price.

Today we had Rusty come to our house. He is an electrician, and the husband of one of Greg's teachers from a couple years ago. In a matter of a few hours, he put in an new electrical panel, ran a new wire from the outside box to the inside box, and installed additional plugs in the garage. He also fixed a little glitch in a plug in Emily's room. He also found that we had water leaking into the closet that the electrical box is in. Those walls inside there aren't drywalled. He fixed that too!

Part of what we originally planned to have done was in the kitchen. If any of you have been here for parties, you may well be aware that in this house... we do not run the microwave and toaster oven at the same time. Turn on the coffee pot and whammo, you're heading for the circut breaker in the basement. It is the suckiest of problems to have in a kitchen. The idea was that we were going to install a new microwave above the stove. After doing a lot of research, we found that it wasn't going to be possible. The cabinets are only 12" deep over the stove, and the microwaves are 16" deep. Not to mention they are 16" in height too. That means that if I make sauce in my BIG stock pot as I usually do, I won't be able to see into it to mix it. So... we nixed that idea. We figured we would just come up with something later.

So while Rusty was installing the new box, he found out that the old box had 4 breakers running to something that wasn't labeled (it was like that when we moved in), so he had no idea what it was to. The 4 breakers were going to 2 items the way they were wired. So, he was thinking it was probably the kitchen. So, when he finished, he said he may have fixed the kitchen problem. Can you imagine that?!

So tonight, while I was making dinner, I had the toaster oven going, the microwave, and I thought about turning on the coffee pot, but didn't because I didn't want coffee. I ran the two things for as long as it took to cook chicken tenders and make steamed green beans. Nothing happened. It didn't trip the breaker. So tomorrow is the true test. Den and I are going to try and see if we can trip the breaker in the kitchen. If not... then problem fixed!

It was SO worth the money to have this done. Rusty works for a private contractor but does other jobs on the side. He said that winter is his slow time and is looking for side jobs. So, if you need an electrician, he comes with our highest recommendation! Let me know and we will forward his number to you.

Where have I been!?

I'm sorry for all the big time spans in between my postings. I have become an eBay junkie in the past week. I had a bunch of stuff that I put on there and it all sold! I'm so excited to get rid of things I'm not using. It's so much easier than doing a garage sale too, because it only takes a few minutes of your time, then eBay handles the rest.

Think of it this way... I had a Pampered Chef baking stone that I put on there. Now had I put it in a garage sale, I may have marked it $5. Then, the customer would have probably tried to talk me down further in price. And of course, since I feel that my door is only a one way door when it comes to garage sales, I would go lower.

Instead, I put it on eBay. I took photo's of it, uploaded them to the eBay site, and started the bidding at $2 with an $8 shipping charge. At the close of the auction in 7 days, the stone sold for a grand total of $21! So it does pay to sell stuff on there. Infact, My palms are itchy to get more stuff on there. I would rather get rid of it that way. I'm so excited about it!

On another note... I'm stepping into my girlfriends shoes tomorrow night (Friday). Deanna (Greg's godmother) sells Tastefully Simple and is actually very successful at it. She's been doing it for a couple years now, and has a whole team of consultants under her. Unfortunately, her Mother-in-law is losing her battle with cancer, and has been admitted to hospice care. She has gone downhill extremely fast, and Deanna, along with her husband and the rest of the family, need to be available on a moments notice to help her out.

With that being said, Deanna has asked me to do a party for her (I used to sell Tastefully Simple products a few years ago). So, of course I said yes. So tomorrow night, I am doing a party in Clawson, at my cousin's house. That's another reason I said yes, but I would have done it anywhere. I am a little nervous, but I know it will be fine.

When Dennis's mom died in January of 2005, Deanna and her husband Chris were at our sides through all of it. We knew Jeannie was going to die, and was in hospice care also, but it was a very fast event. All of this took place within 48 hours from the admittance to hospice until her death. So, while we were at the hospital, Deanna and Chris came to be with us. They took us to the cafeteria for dinner, and just stayed with us for hours on end. It meant so much to us. In my rushing out of my house, I had forgotten to grab money, nor did I have my ATM card. Deanna knowing this, took wads of money and shoved them into my pockets, so that we could get coffee, food or whatever. That's the kind of person she is.

I feel so bad that they are now going through this, but her Mother-in-law seems to be very comfortable in this stage, and I think it is making it a lot easier on them, rather than to hear her moaning in pain, or to see her suffering in any way. I never dreamed it would come to this for Jackie, but after doing chemo for years and years without end, I can understand why she is ready for this to be over. She is a remarkable woman, and she raised a GREAT son (Chris). I just hope that everyone has the opportunity to say the things they want to say to her while they can. Because being able to say goodbye to the ones you love, is an amazing gift in itself.

So in closing... I would like to say that I hope that tomorrow's party that I am doing for Deanna has amazing results. I want to get bookings galore for her to come back to work to. I want her to have orders like you can't imagine. She is one of the greatest friends a person could ever have, and she proves it every day. How can I not do this for her?

So... if you need any Tastefully Simple products, place your order! It can be shipped directly to your house. If you actually and really do need stuff, email me the order so that it goes on this party I'm doing for her. I won't make a dime, and I don't want to make a dime. I'm doing this for my friend. Email the order to me, and I will add it on to the party.

www.tastefullysimple.com

Namaste...

Workin for the weekend?

Remember that song... Workin for the Weekend. It may not be the title, but it is in the song... I look forward to the weekends. It is time to chill, do laundry, clean stuff that has piled up over the week.

This weekend was insane. Friday is a blurr. I can't even remember what we did. Saturday, Greg had a birthday party at Bouncin' kids. That place was a riot. The adults are even allowed to go on the bouncy things. They had mazes, obstacle courses and such. They should open these places up as exercise gyms for adults. I was physically exhausted after playing with him there. We had the BEST time.

Saturday night I went on a road rally. That was just a scream. We had so much fun. By the end of the night I had such a sore throat from all the running, laughing, screaming (we were all panicked and screaming at each other as the big red Clifford Mobile hauled ass down the road). We came in close to last place, but it was so much fun, we're looking forward to next year. There were a couple people in our car that haven't done it before, and a couple of people that had actually won them before, so it was a nice mix. We had a blast. I will be sure to post when next years is. All are invited.

Yesterday, the kids and I went to Mass. I told Greg that if he weren't good, we would sit through the next mass, and the one after that until he got it right. He was so amazing, that before it even started, he told me to shush as I was talking to Emily. lol. He was VERY good. He's looking forward to next Sunday already. I don't know why I don't go to church more. I really enjoy being there. There is something very warm, and welcoming about it to me.

We flew home, changed our clothes, then went to my nephew Chase's birthday party. He is 8 already! I can't believe it. We had a GREAT time bowling. Dennis was bowling the game of his life. I would be willing to believe that he would have EASILY gotten over 200.... had the damn game not shut off in the middle of it! He was SO PISSED, but laughing. It was unbelievable that this happened. They apparently put it in wrong when he paid. Shelby bowled a 137. Amazing for a chic that's only 6! She used bumpers, but regardless. I can't do that on a bumpered lane, even if I don't hit the bumpers. It was a lot of fun and a lot of laughs. Audrey, who bowls on a league, couldn't bowl to save her life yesterday. Probably too hung over from the bowling night before, ;o)

Anyway, here I am, listening to the whirr of my washing machine, and thinking I better go get that white turtle neck out of the dryer before it shrinks. The Man and I are thinking of running to Costco for Milk ($7 for 3 half gallons in cartons), and other stuff. It's a good day. It's beautiful outside.... and the kids are at school! Wahooo!!!

I have a stalker...

I have a stalker.
He has been following me for days.

Sometimes he doesn't even pay attention to me,
but today, he was every where I was.

I am so scared.
I don't know what he wants.

He lives very close and doesn't seem to want
anything to do with the kids.

It's just me.
I am so worried.

What if he attacks me?
Will I be able to fight him off?

I don't know who I should call.
I don't think the police would take it seriously.

I am so worried.
I've tried to ask him what he wants,
but again, he just ignores me.

He has reddish hair and green eyes.

A ha! I figured out what it is!

.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Domo Elegato, Kitty O'Kato wants to

Play in the sheets!!!!!!

Booster Kitty. Circa 2006

News travels fast!

 

Carry the torch...

Just so we are all on the same page... I am not and will never knock our military. Being that my brother is serving our country, there is no way, I will ever be against them. Here is my beef -when the leaders of our country lead our military people into a war that most of the citizens in this country are against, now I have a problem. Our armed forces have NO choice but to comply, until they can discharge if they wish to. If you don't comply with what your boss wants of you, you lose your job. These people do not have that luxury. Again, I will continue to support our military, but the leaders of this country have me questioning more than I ever have before.

John Kerry and the White House...

I ABSOLUTELY AGREE that he should not apologize. When I keep turning on the news and hearing about how many soldiers were killed last night or yesterday, or even today, it pisses me off. While I know the media can be very good at slanting information, it still gets to me. I personally can not think of one thing positive I have heard of going on with our troops in Iraq. When I hear of soldiers that are younger than I am, dying over there, (yes I KNOW... it was their choice to join the services) it makes me sick. Someone just lost their baby. If it were to ever come to it when Greg is of age, and there is a draft... our new address will have Canada on the bottom of it. I can not believe we still have people over there. Are they even making a dent? Are they even able to help people that don't seem to want us there at all?

GMA did a thing yesterday on this. The only thing that school age children are able to do outside of their homes, is go to school. They can not play outside. They can at school, only because it is surrounded by gates, and armed men to protect them. How is it that what we are doing is going to benefit them? There are so many extremists over there, with god knows what going on in their pea sized brains that, how are we ever going to over take them, and why is it our business to do so? 9/11 wouldn't have ever happened if they would have caught them right here on the home front. Is the U.S. going to go after every country that has a wacko in it? How realistic is that.

Now I know that many people wouldn't have read past the first paragraph on here, and that's fine with me. I just happened to read the thing below on John Kerry (I got it off Comcast.net) and it got me fired up.

I would like you to know that I DID not vote for Bush, I can't stand the man, and if he were to come to my door, I would kick his ass off of my property. Somewhere in Texas a village is missing their idiot. I can not wait for him to get out of office. Republican or Democrat. Which ever comes next, it HAS to be better than what we have now.

And that is my .02 cents.
WASHINGTON - The White House accused Sen. John Kerry on Tuesday of troop-bashing, seizing on a comment the Democrat made to California students that those unable to navigate the country's education system "get stuck in Iraq."
"Senator Kerry not only owes an apology to those who are serving, but also to the families of those who've given their lives in this," White House press secretary Tony Snow said. "This is an absolute insult."
Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran and President Bush's 2004 rival, fired back.
He said he had been criticizing Bush, not the "heroes serving in Iraq," and said the president and his administration are the ones who owe U.S. troops an apology because they "misled America into war and have given us a Katrina foreign policy that has betrayed our ideals, killed and maimed our soldiers, and widened the terrorist threat instead of defeating it."
"This is the classic GOP playbook," Kerry said in a harshly worded statement. "I'm sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks that always seem to come from those who never can be found to serve in war, but love to attack those who did. I'm not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium."
One week before the midterm elections, the two parties are searching for any edge amid indications Democrats could take back the House and possibly win control of the Senate.
Snow was asked about the comment which Kerry made during a campaign rally Monday for California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides. The White House spokesman was clearly ready, consulting his notes to read a fuller account of Kerry's statement and unleashing a sharp attack.
Separately, the White House issued President Bush's Veterans' Day proclamation praising those who have served in the armed forces _ a week and a half before the holiday.
The Massachusetts senator, who is considering another presidential run in 2008, had opened his speech at Pasadena City College with several one-liners, joking at one point that Bush had lived in Texas but now "lives in a state of denial."
Then he said: "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."
Snow said the quote "fits a pattern" of negative remarks from Kerry about U.S. soldiers and suggested that whether Democratic candidates _ particularly those running on their military service backgrounds _ agree with their 2004 standard-bearer should be a campaign litmus test.
Unsubstantiated allegations about Kerry's Vietnam War heroism from a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth figured prominently in the 2004 Kerry-Bush race. Even Kerry has blamed his slow and uncertain response to the group's claims for helping doom his White House chances.
Snow said a lot of Americans have joined the military since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"As for the notion that you can say this sort of thing about the troops and say you support them, it's interesting," the press secretary said.
A potential rival to Kerry in 2008 _ Republican Sen. John McCain _ said in a statement that Kerry "owes an apology to the many thousands of Americans serving in Iraq, who answered their country's call because they are patriots and not because of any deficiencies in their education."
Like Kerry, McCain is a decorated Vietnam veteran.
House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, also called on Kerry to apologize, labeling his comments "disrespectful and insulting to the men and women serving in our military."
___
Associated Press Writer Michael Blood in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Did you know....

Ok, if you can't talk about bodily functions without getting all weirded out, then read no further...

Greg had a bit of tummy trouble this month. It started at the beginning of the month. He had diarrhea. Not wanting to be a panicky parent, I didn't haul him off to the doctor. I just chalked it up to him eating something that was unagreeable with him. Sometimes it takes more than a couple days to get it out.

So it goes into a week... we're starting to get ready for Mike & Mary Ann's wedding. He still has it. We go to Tennessee... he still has it and it's getting worse. For the first time in his potty trained life, he's had accident after accident causing us to buy new jockaroo's for the boy. We have now decided to have him seen by the doctor upon returning home.

We gave him Immodium the day of the wedding, and again the day we left. So we get home, and I'm talking to Donna (Emilys Godmother). I tell her what's up and she says, Give him Yogurt. (Here's where all my medical knowledge went out the window). It has live bacteria in it that your GI system needs. She says, give him that, if it doesn't go away, take him in to be seen.

It worked! Apparently when he first got the diarrhea, it flushed out all of the good bacteria in his little tummy, so he couldn't stop "going". Den picked up the yogurt, we gave it to him for a couple days and I am so happy to report the problem is fixed!

WAHOO Auntie Donna!!! What a great tip that was, and we didn't have to run to the doctor.

So, Donna says... whenever you are taking antibiotics, or have diarrhea for a few days, eat yogurt. It will "fix" your tummy!

I wonder if that will work on too much Halloween Candy???

Devils Night...

I recently sent out a "getting to know your friends" survey, and it asked about toilet papering. It reminded me of this night.... Devils Night.

In Milford, we lived on a quiet dirt road. We had one of the smaller pieces of property measuring a quaint 3 acres. Many of our neighbors had so much property, they divided it up when the moved. Regardless, we had about 11 houses in our entire neighborhood. It was a wonderful place to grow up.

On Devils Night, we would stake out a house where we knew the people would leave. Then as soon as they were gone, all of us kids were all over it with toilet paper. We had the best time. One very vivid memory is of us all toilet papering the Denewith's house. They had this HUGE white colonial, perched up on a hill. They had this L...o....n...g paved driveway leading up to it with trees lining it on both sides. Denewith's left and we arrived. We had that place covered. Joe Nutting impressed the hell out of me by throwing a roll of toilet paper (while holding on to the end of it) over the top of this huge ass house. His brother who was conveniently stationed on the other side, caught it, and ran it back around the house. We wrapped every single tree going down the driveway, crossing back and forth so that they would have to either drive through it or get out and remove it upon returning. It was quite impressive if I say so myself.

We waited quietly in the field across the street, and watched them come home. They drove up the driveway through all the ribbons of toilet paper. It was quite a sight to see.

Another favorite recollection is of this... all of us kids were walking up the dirt road heading in the direction of the Denewith's house (go figure). We were walking and suddenly, out from the woods comes a man with a bag over his head, a rope tied around his neck and he's weilding something like a knife over his head. It scared the shit out of all of us kids. Heather practically peed her pants. We were all bawling, and hysterical. Funny how my sister, Audrey, walks out behind the man, who just happens to be my brother. How funny. I do believe that was the very last Devils Night we celebrated.

It took me years to realize that I no longer have to turn on every outdoor light to ward off the little heathens, because it seems like no one really celebrates it any longer. I don't even know if it exists any more. I guess that's what country bumpkins come up with when they are bored. Oh we found out something too... Don't let off fireworks in your neighbors mailbox, unless you don't mind them tearing up your lawn with their car!

I am calm.... I am centered.....

First off, I would like to thank Dennis for getting me hooked on the Tigers. It has been the most stressful week for me, to the point where I couldn't even watch the games. I wanted them to win so bad, I couldn't bear to watch. I don't think I have ever been so hung up on anything like this before. I would have to think that with the Cards needing only 1 more win, they were like a freight train going into last nights game. I watched it from the bedroom while listening to Dennis drop "F" bomb after "F" bomb in the living room. He was cussing out Tiger players left and right. I was scared to go in there, lol.

Thursday night, while watching the game, one of the innings ended, and I sighed. I hadn't even realized that I was holding my breath. This kind of stress isn't good for the human body!

So while you may think I'm going to go on Tiger bashing, I actually want to say that I am so excited that they made it as far as they did. I am so happy that we went to as many games as we did, and the boys did not only their best, but their efforts really paid off. They did extremely well this year, and let me tell you... the first two years that we've had season tickets, it was almost as entertaining as watching grass grow. This year has been an unbelievable ride. I'm sure they learned a lot during this series, so let's see where they take this knowledge for next year.

They still are.... the ACLS Champions. Congratulations Tigers!

By the way... I'm voting Art Van in for Governor, lol. They have as many commercials as Dick DeVos and Aunt Jennie.

Guess What's on TV tonight!

Yep! It's the movie Emily, Greg and I have been watching since last summer!
It's the GREAT Pumpkin Charlie Brown
will be on ABC tonight at 8/7central.

We're WAY ahead of the game. I have my Christmas cards made, and have been listening to Johnny Mathis Christmas, and John Denver Christmas music for a couple weeks now, lol.
Yes, I know... they have groups and medication for people like me.