Feel Good Friday

Last Feel Good Friday of 2010...
Thank goodness...
1. Hey, it's the last Feel Good Friday of 2010...HA!
2. Hanging with the husband all day. Nice.
3. Good phone conversations.
4. Having today off.
5. Sleeping in.
6. Looking forward to a routine.
7. Looking forward to starting the zombie book.
8. Good dinners.
9. 2011 - Hey, and as it turns out 2011 is much easier to type than 2010. Maybe that's a sign. ?
10. Two more days until Monday rolls around, though I have to say...I really miss new Supernatural!!
And there you have it...I do have to say, I'm missing hanging out with the family and friends tonight.
Happy 2011 to you and yours. I hope this new decade is everything you want it to be and more...
Behave!

Dear 2010,

Heck yeah! You are so out of here and I could not be happier about that! You've been a huge pain in my butt and this time tomorrow I will be getting ready to kick you out the door and cheering. So there! Thanks for all of your problems, disappointments, and woe. You suck. Hardcore (in the words of K2). I will be glad to see you gone.
To be fair, though, I do have to seriously thank you for a few things.
My high school graduate. What a proud moment! My sweet granddaughter. She is so precious and she loves her Nanners as much as her Nanners loves her. (Yes, that's my name. *sigh* I resisted it. A lot. But it's stuck now and...whatever...it's fine.) The continued happiness of my family, despite the woes 2010 brought. Also, the love and support of my family. They always bring it, no matter what, especially B. My friends, because they rock - awesomely rock. And, the job you managed to squeeze in right under the wire. I'm only a week into it, but so far so good.
We're starting a new decade and I'm excited to see some changes.
So...
Goodbye 2010 and Hello 2011.
Let's do this thing...
Behave!

Answer!

Here we go with the answers!
1. My transmission finally crapped out in my 'burban. Not yet, but it's coming very very soon. Very soon.
2. The neighbor's dog chewed a hole in three of my trash cans. Nope.
3. I hit a cat right in front of my house. He didn't make it and I'm still crying over it. Also no.
4. The cat pooped in K4's bedroom after accidentally getting trapped inside. Yes. Talk about trauma and drama.
5. I went to leave Christmas Eve only to find I had a flat tire and my spare was also flat. Yes. Except I thought the transmission had gone out. Long story.
6. The Christmas tree was nothing more than some dried needles and sticks by Christmas day. True. And it's still up. I'm not sure when I'm going to have time to take it down. It is forbidden for the lights to be on because with our luck the danged thing would catch fire.
7. The dog ate the ninja/zombie gingerbread cookie mess before I could get a decent picture. Also true. And she ate the cookies Bob was given as a gift.
8. ...and then she puked into the furnace grate. No, but she knew she'd done very bad things and she kept her back to us all morning.
So there you go!
Behave!

Tall Tale Tuesday

Okay...So which of these things actually happened over the past week:
1. My transmission finally crapped out in my 'burban.
2. The neighbor's dog chewed a hole in three of my trash cans.
3. I hit a cat right in front of my house. He didn't make it and I'm still crying over it.
4. The cat pooped in K4's bedroom after accidentally getting trapped inside.
5. I went to leave Christmas Eve only to find I had a flat tire and my spare was also flat.
6. The Christmas tree was nothing more than some dried needles and sticks by Christmas day.
7. The dog ate the ninja/zombie gingerbread cookie mess before I could get a decent picture.
8. ...and then she puked into the furnace grate.
I'm discombobulated so I'll stop now. True or False. There are some of each.
Behave!

Manic Monday...

I can't believe I missed posting yesterday. I'm trying to remember why I didn't...and I'm not coming up with much. I was waiting for the snow that didn't come. Fighting the toilet paper-milk-bread-and-eggs crowd at the grocery store. Doing laundry, raking leaves, goofing off...
Anyway...
Today was my first day at the new job. I'm feeling a little lost and completely brain overloaded. I'm going back tomorrow, if that's any indication. I'm giving myself a couple of weeks to adjust and then I'll start the zombie book. I'm not stupid enough to think I can manage everything right now when I haven't worked full time in too many years to count. So...I'll adjust and then get back into it.
I'll be using the 'schedule post' feature in blogger to help me transition. And doing my best to get myself even more organized...not that I'm delusional enough to believe that's all it's going to take to adjust.
I guess that's it for today...
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Christmas Edition...

It just occurred to me that yesterday was Friday and I totally missed Feel Good Friday...
So...Now Feel Good Friday includes Saturday and Christmas and here we go...
1. My baby girl and her birthday. Though I don't know how she can be 11 when I'm still the same age I was when I had her 21 year old brother.
2. A fun Christmas Eve with good friends and family. Yay for surprise visits and backporch rapping Christmas songs. Oh wait...what happens on the backporch stays on the backporch. Ha!
3. Breakfast for dinner for the birthday and chocolate cake.
4. The kids being happy with their Christmas booty. (until the Great Cat Poop incident of 2010 - more on that later)
5. Getting to see my granddaughter this morning and having her reach for me.
6. The complete and utter mess that is my house right now because it means everyone had a good day.
7. K2 having her bff over for the night and their laughter.
8. Dr. Who Christmas Special.
9. Snow in the forecast.
10. The job I start on Monday.
More tomorrow...where we'll discuss cat poop, my flat tire, and the potential for snow...
Behave!

Enjoy!

Here's to a Merry Christmas to you and yours!
May your home be warm, your coffee be hot and possibly spiked with some type of adult beverage.
May there be no rodents living in your tree and may the needles stay on.
May your troubles be few and your blessings be many.
May your holiday meal fill you to contentment.
May you be able to brush off the stress of daily life for at least this one day. May you be able to leave your troubles outside your door and concentrate on the people you love.
May no ghosts visit you this evening with the message that you need to change your life or carry chains forever.
May your heart and home be filled with laughter, love, joy, and peace.
Behave!

The Eve of The Eve...

.... Hopefully this isn't the Santa that comes to see you...
Behave!

Answer!

Answer the following:


1. In "Nuttin' for Christmas", what insect was the sugar bowl full of? Ants.

2. Peter Billingsley played Ralph in what Christmas Story? The Christmas Story.

3. In the movie Home Alone 2, what southern state did Kevin's family go to on vacation? Florida.

4. Who serenaded George and Mary on their wedding night in It's a Wonderful Life? Bert and Ernie.

5. How many times is the name Santa Claus used in "The Night Before Christmas"? None.
6. What did George Bailey's father die of: an accident or stroke? A stroke.

7. To Rudolph, what was Baby New Year's name? Happy.

8. What is Santa's favorite Christmas carol? He loves all of them.

9. In the movie, Babe, what gets stolen from Farmer Hoggett on Christmas Day? Sheep.

10. In It's A Wonderful Life, what was Clarence's profession before he died? A Clockmaker.

So there you have it. Holiday Spirit Meter is at 67.998%. It would be higher, but I just remembered a few things I forgot and I thought I was done running around!
Behave!

Tall Tale Tuesday

In the hopes of getting my Holiday Spirit Meter to rise a bit, we're doing Tall Tale Tuesday Christmas style. (No upward motion since yesterday, in fact, it's slipped a bit)
Here we go...
Answer the following:
1. In "Nuttin' for Christmas", what insect was the sugar bowl full of?
2. Peter Billingsley played Ralph in what Christmas Story?
3. In the movie Home Alone 2, what southern state did Kevin's family go to on vacation?
4. Who serenaded George and Mary on their wedding night in It's a Wonderful Life?
5. How many times is the name Santa Claus used in "The Night Before Christmas"?
6. What did George Bailey's father die of: an accident or stroke?
7. To Rudolph, what was Baby New Year's name?
8. What is Santa's favorite Christmas carol?
9. In the movie, Babe, what gets stolen from Farmer Hoggett on Christmas Day?
10. In It's A Wonderful Life, what was Clarence's profession before he died?
(All questions come from 'Tis the Season Trivia Game)
Okay...answer away.
Behave!

Holiday Spirit Meter

Is at 52.001% as of this moment.
This helps...
...... Behave!

Shopping Saturday

...... We'll be putting our tree up (finally) later today. K2 insisted we wait until she came home for Christmas break. Given my lack of holiday spirit, it wasn't hard to wait. And, yeah, the Holiday Spirit Meter has risen enough that I'm almost looking forward to getting the green thing up. (Holiday Spirit Meter is at 20.879% now)
I even did some shopping today. I didn't finish. In fact, this was my first foray into the retail world and I still need to consider K4's birthday gift. The store wasn't as bad as I expected...until I got to the checkout. I managed to find some cool things though. I even found a parking space near the front of the lot, which is also pretty amazing.
Plans for Christmas Eve and day are coming together and there will be egg nog drinking and A Charlie Brown Christmas playing in my home this evening. I guess that means I'm getting there.
I do expect the Holiday Spirit Meter to rise later on today.
Behave!

Feel Good Friday

...... Here's the list:
1. K2 arriving home safe and sound.
2. The hope that my holiday happiness meter will rise over the weekend.
3. Random kindnesses from near strangers.
4. New vision plans. Yeah, it's weird to be excited over eyeglasses.
5. Pictures of my granddaughter seeing Santa for the first time ever.
6. Getting to hang out with the bff's.
7. Awesome holiday concerts featuring K4 and her solo.
8. Having coffee with my mother-in-law.
9. Snow!
10. This year ending soon.
So there you have it!




Behave!

Randomness....

*Last night the dishwasher was making a weird rattle, so B stuck a spatula under the door to make it stop. When I came downstairs this morning, there were four spatula's stuck under the door. The dishwasher was finished before we went to bed, so...
*There was a note on the couch when I got up this morning (by the same person most likely responsible for the spatual breeding). It said: You can only wake me up one time today. If you wake me up more than once you will die.
*Out of all the cars on my street, mine was the only one with heavy frost and snow on it this morning. I was parked after the others and it wasn't snowing anymore when I parked. Weirdness...
*Four-way stops make me crazy. It is amazing how many people don't pay attention or don't even stop at all. This week I've had three near accidents. All of them were at a four-way stop.
Here's a little holiday humor for you...This could very well be my house...
....

Behave!

Christmas Lists...

So, yeah, I'm trying to get organized for this Christmas thing that's going down next week. My holiday spirit meter is at 0.003.56% now. That's something. I guess. Right?
I still haven't shopped, but I have collected lists from 3 of the K's. They know it's a tight year, so they were very easy on me with their wants - for the most part.
But I also got things like this:
K2 wants a pony. Her reasoning is that she never asked for one when she was little. And she promises to wash him and feed him and pick up his poop. She also wants Wellies.
K3's list has about sixty video games on it. His system is older, so the games are cheaper, but sixty? He also made me a sensible column with things like socks and undies and an xbox 360. ?
K4 would like Elvis, the Beatles, and a dolphin. In her serious column, she asked for a hermit crab, but not one purchased from a hobo. (Exact words: don't get it from a hobo)
It makes me shake my head. And laugh. And feel a little bit better about that Christmas thing that's going down next week. It's the reason my spirit meter climbed a little. Now if I could only get it all done in time.
On a side note: B has to take cookies to work tomorrow for their Holiday lunch. Of course we had none made, so we're still working on it tonight, but we found the absolute best Oatmeal Raisin recipe on Pioneer Woman's website. I hate raisins and I love these cookies. They're fantastic and I will be making them again very soon.
That is all.
Behave!

Year in Review...

A little early, but in my mind 2010 is officially over...
January: Lots of random stuff, beach retreat with the bff's. Snow. Blogger awards. Motivated and hopeful for the coming year.
February: More snow. Another blog award. B's parents being hospitalized. Random.
March: Ugly spider pictures, the passing of B's dad, family gatherings, kid tattoo's, another blog award, school projects. Roadtripping to see Jason Mann's.
April: The grandmother announcement, retreat shopping, booksigning, the beginning of the stink bug invasion, doctor visits for K3's nosebleeds. Random.
May: Retreat! Camping. Birthdays. Gnomes.
June: Graduation. Knee surgery. K5's birth. Epic bridal shower and birthday party. Summer Survival. Heat exhaustion. Graduation party. Surprise birthday party for my sis. Street Fairs. Baby showers.
July: Camping. My sister's spider bite. New baby cuddles. Ambulance calling. Gnomes. Movie week. Jason Manns roadtrip. Summer Survival. Trying to stay positive.
August: Summer Survival. The end of my job. The end of summer vacation. Off to college. Lots of random. Booksignings. Summer recap.
September: Camping. Stink bugs. Birthday season. New games. Summer Survival. Random nonsense.
October: Stink bug violation. Surprise kid visits. Awesome weddings. Family visits. Busted stuff. Ghost stories. Halloween. Birthdays.
November: More busted stuff. More random. Birthdays. The death of my very dear friend. Complaining about 2010. More stink bugs. Thanksgiving. Hanging with friends. Lack of focus. Gnomes. Birthday partying.
December: Hating on 2010. The flu. Random videos. No holiday spirit. Brain vacations. What if.

And that's it. Of course there's an obscene amount of random silly nonsense throughout, and Supernatural posts, too. No, I didn't post about every craptastic event that happened around here this year, but trust me when I say good riddance to 2010! And of course, I will update accordingly if anything significant happens in these last two weeks.

Behave!

Tall Tale Tuesday Fail

I got nothing, so I'll leave you with this:
..... Enjoy!...and...
Behave!

Manic Monday

The house is a wreck and needs cleaned before I can even think about decorating.
I don't have a single thing purchased for Christmas.
This week is crazy and there will be no shopping time either.
I feel like this:
x Even Santa is upset. Yes, this is what I feel like. Only I'm not in a holiday dress. I am in my sweatpants and I haven't combed my hair. The holiday happiness meter is in the negative right now, despite showing an upward climb even yesterday.
Behave!

I Would Cry...

...... I don't know why this kid isn't...
Behave!

Dear Supernatural People,

First off, I am crying that we have to wait until the end of January for a new episode. That stinks big time!
This episode was awesome! Way to keep me on the edge of my seat for the entire time. I loved the whole thing.
I'm so glad Sam's soul is back, because really, there was no where else to go after this episode. What was he supposed to do, hug Bobby and apologize for wanting to kill him? That was never going to go away and it was never going to be okay. Sam would have eventually killed him to ensure his soul wasn't returned. And then there's the irreparably broken relationship with Dean. You can't fix that. No matter what. Sam without a soul was a monster and was becoming more of one every episode. I will admit that I loved his hardness and his persona, but I'm ready to have emo Sam back.
I loved the characterization of Death. I loved that Dean talked to him with his sarcasm, despite Death's ability to kill him on the spot. I loved that Death wanted Dean to learn how they screw with the order of things. And I loved that despite how much Dean wanted Sam's soul back, he did the right thing in saving the husband of the dead nurse.
So, Thank You, Supernatural People, for another great episode.
Behave!

Feel Good Friday

Well...there's got to be some good in this week...
1. K2's silliness. Her Christmas list is a hoot and includes a pony and coffee.
2. The snow!
3. Having warmth in my house.
4. The washer and dryer working.
5. Middle school chorus and band concerts.
6. Blankets.
7. Sleep - though I'm not sure sleeping in is on the agenda this weekend.
That's it for now. I will tell you I'm about tired of the constant flow of bad news and crappy developments though. 'Tis the season, I guess. *sigh*
Behave!

What If...

I'm doing research on my next book and my head is filled with "What If's" today. The book is going to be about zombies, but that's all I know right now. I had to take a break from my research because it's creeping me out a little. I need to filter the information I've already learned and figure out how to put my own twist on zombie lore. So I'm thinking...
And since my brain is in that mode, I will share them with you...
Things to ponder...
1. What if you were given a significant amount of money? Money that would solve all of your financial problems and ensure you would live a comfortable, easy life. But what if that gift came with stipulations that meant pain for your family and friends? Pain they would never know was a result of your gain. Would you still take the money even though your friends would never know their problems were related to your good fortune? Could you live with yourself?
2. What if you woke up one morning and were the only person around? Anywhere? Everyone is just gone. What would you do? Would you cry? Jump up and down with glee over the freedom?
3. What if there was a disaster in your hometown and your home was the only safe place left? What if you only had enough provisions for your family, but now people are knocking on your door seeking shelter and food? Would you let them in or turn them away? What if you knew that by helping them, everyone was sure to die? And then, what if you made the decision to not help and have to watch your neighbors and friends die from your safe windows?
4. What if you had to make a choice between saving your children or your parents? Your children or your spouse? What if you knew you could help so many more people if you didn't save your family? What would you do?
5. What if you knew exactly when the people around you would die? Would you tell them? Talk them out of the decisions that could lead to their death? Would you want anyone to know you knew?
6. What if you found out something huge that would have global impact on the world? I don't know how you found out, by accident for sure, maybe your toddler hit some weird kids on the computer and you ended up with a document that spelled out some sinister plan. What would you do? Who would believe you? And could you be silenced either by threat or pay off?
So there you have it. No, I don't expect you to answer the questions. I'm not sure anyone could answer them without facing the situations. These are the kind of questions that get my brain in gear for writing, even if they don't directly relate to the story I'm thinking about.
And I think I've overcome my momentary blank spot...
Feel Good Friday soon...after I get some of this stuff in my head written down.
Behave!

Thursday Nonsense

Dear Mother Nature,
Thank you for the snow this morning. It was a little, but I liked it. Please send much more!

Dear Neighbors,
Please. Stop. The. Blessed. Honking. You are driving me insane, especially at 2am. Ridiculous.

Dear Christmas,
I am still not ready for you. My holiday happiness meter remains at .001%. Sometimes it goes up a little, but it always plummets. I would like some holiday happiness though.

Dear 2010,
I am done with you now. Go away.

Dear Work in Progress,
Oh how you frustrate me. I don't know whether to let you rest or soldier on. Do you even want to be finished? I still love your concept and your characters, but you are not coming together the way you should. Is it because I have no focus, or do I lack focus because of you? Would beginning something else put you in the right perspective for me? Or would I sabotage myself by doing so?

Dear Pantry and Refrigerator,
Why are you always empty? I fill you constantly, but you never stay that way. Why are you so hellbent on emptying my wallet and draining my sanity? I cannot keep up with demand.

Dear Children,
Please see above. You eat like soon to be hibernating bears with tapeworms. No, there is no food in the pantry because you ate it all and I have not had time to go to the store again. I just went. Really.

That is all.
Behave!

Answers!

1. My brother-in-law sprayed no stick spray into his mouth just to see what it would taste like. (maybe waffles?) True. And it didn't taste like waffles.
2. Our hot water heater choked while doing dishes after the Thanksgiving meal. It was a quick fix, but seriously? Nope. Though that did happen during our very first Thanksgiving. It wasn't an easy fix.
3. The new/old washer had a leak. We discovered this after it dumped gallons of soapy water onto the basement floor. Partially true. It had/has a leak, but it only leaks teaspoons, not gallons.
4. Minutes after having a discussion about how terminal my 'burban is, the exhaust completely fell of B's car. True. We laughed, because what else could we do?
5. In a twenty-four hour period, K4 lost two teeth. Also true.
6. At one point over the holiday, we had seven dogs inside our house. I felt like "A Christmas Story" come to life. Nah. It was only three, but they were big dogs.
7. Someone stole a bin of deer meat off our backporch. One of the guy's at B's work gave it to him and we stored it outside in the sub-zero temps until we could get it divided up into freezer bags. When I went out this morning, it was gone. Nah. It was gone, but B had put the meat in the fridge.
8. I found a pie pan and fork in the bathroom. Hidden in the laundry hamper. Partially true. I found a paper plate and fork, but they weren't hidden. Someone was eating pie in the bathroom.
9. The last two mornings, I have found very small stink bugs in my bedroom...watching me... True. Creepy little buggers...
10. I made an appointment with the cable guy while I was sick and had no memory of it. True. He wanted me to change to the old company (that I hated). I told him to come back just to get rid of him because I wasn't coherent enough to remember how bad they sucked. I didn't remember until about fifteen minutes before he was supposed to show. He never came.
So there you have it.
Behave!

Tall Tale Tuesday

A random list of truths and lies from the past few weeks. Which are lies? There are several.
1. My brother-in-law sprayed no stick spray into his mouth just to see what it would taste like. (maybe waffles?)
2. Our hot water heater choked while doing dishes after the Thanksgiving meal. It was a quick fix, but seriously?
3. The new/old washer had a leak. We discovered this after it dumped gallons of soapy water onto the basement floor.
4. Minutes after having a discussion about how terminal my 'burban is, the exhaust completely fell of B's car.
5. In a twenty-four hour period, K4 lost two teeth.
6. At one point over the holiday, we had seven dogs inside our house. I felt like "A Christmas Story" come to life.
7. Someone stole a bin of deer meat off our backporch. One of the guy's at B's work gave it to him and we stored it outside in the sub-zero temps until we could get it divided up into freezer bags. When I went out this morning, it was gone.
8. I found a pie pan and fork in the bathroom. Hidden in the laundry hamper.
9. The last two mornings, I have found very small stink bugs in my bedroom...watching me...
10. I made an appointment with the cable guy while I was sick and had no memory of it.
Okay. So which are true and which are false?
Behave!

Random Sunday

It's been a long weekend around here.
*Friday I said goodbye to my dear friend. The services were long and packed and it was about as horrible as you can get. I will miss her forever.
*Saturday was the holiday party for my writing group. That was a blast. Laughing, talking, and eating. Though, the eating part is kind of lost on me right now since I can't taste or smell yet.
*I came home from that to find my new/old dryer hooked up. Yay! The furnace finally with fire. Also Yay! And the house nearly clean. Also Yay!
*Dinner with very good friends Saturday night. We had a blast and it was so good just to sit and talk with them. The kids also had a blast, though they deconstructed the kitchen. And again with the smell/taste thing, but hey, it keeps me from overeating.
*The flu has struck again. Now K3 has it. Fever, aches...he's a mess.
*It's cold out! Holy chilling wind, Batman! I'm very glad I finished my running for today.
*Homemade chicken rice soup for dinner. And warm crusty french bread. Like I can taste it, but occasionally I get a little whiff of smell and I like it.
The laundry's nearly caught up. The house is warm. And even though it's kind of been a rough weekend, it's been kind of good, too.
And I'll take it.
Behave!

Funny Stuff...

..... More later!
Behave!

Feel Good Friday

Well, it definitely hasn't been a great week around here. But maybe I can find some good...
1. My kids being understanding when I was too weak to drive them to school.
2. A new/old dryer in the very near future so I don't have to dry socks over the furnace anymore.
3. Only letting a few things slip through the cracks this week.
4. Tissues with lotion.
5. B taking care of me and not even being too mad when I accidentally sneezed on him right after he got out of the shower.
6. Tomorrow's shindig with my writing buddies.
7. Feeling better though my head is still full of snot.
And...umm...I think that's about it for now....
The holiday spirit meter is still at a big fat zero. I'll let you know if that changes.
That is all...
Behave!

The Flu...

I have it and I'm not happy about it.
I'm out of tissues. I hate the way the medicine makes me feel. I'm tired of snot and aches. I'm digusted that I've lost two (going on three) days to these stupid germs.
I must go lay on the couch and moan now...
Behave!