Thursday, December 31, 2009

39 Candles and Happy Hour New Year's Eve


If you've been hanging around for a while then you know that Otie and I host a Happy Hour every Friday. Otie has the Mr Linky at his site (yeah, I let him have control of it, kinda like the remote, you know the guy has to hold it to feel manly).

Don't freak out on me here, it is only Thursday. However since it's a) the last day of the year and b) my birthday and c) my blog,  I'm taking the liberty of posting early. Otie will have the linky up eventually, so be patient.

I'm really happy that although I haven't been posting or commenting much the last couple weeks it seems as tho most people have stuck with me. Thanks for that, really. Hopefully once the world gets back to normal I will once again have time to leisurely read all your posts and leave witty comments, as well as write my own intriguing and thought provoking posts.  What? I do leave witty comments. I make myself giggle, that's witty, right?

I think I mentioned before that Spud did a post on 39 things to do before she's 40. I think it is a fabulous idea and so I am stealing it. Although I've known for a while that I was going to it, I haven't actually figured out what I want my 39 things to be, so that will have to be another post. Just know that I'm gonna do it damn it. Really.

I'm so happy Julochka started her own 365 in 2010 flickr group. If you want to join contact her and tell her you heard of it thru me. I think it'll be a great way to improve my skills as well as be a motivator for me to actually use my new camera.

It may be hard for you to believe this, but I am one of those people that will just come over unannounced. I know that some people abhor this, but I don't care. I don't care if you're not dressed or if the sink still has breakfast dishes in it. In fact, it's nice to see that people actually *live* in their houses. I know mine usually has dog hair dust dinosaurs in the corners and dirty laundry piles. I figure if you aren't going to like me because I have too much of a life to spend the majority of it cleaning, then that's your problem. However, if I do pop up at your house, I don't expect to be invited inside. Usually I'll only do that if a) I'm stopping by to see if you want to walk the dogs with me or b) dropping off a gifty or c) I am visiting my mother in another city and know where you live but can't remember your phone number and we are on that side of town anyway so we decide to do a drive-by and see if you're home.  Luckily Sara is one of those people let will graciously let you in when you arrive...



I got home from my mom's house and found not one but two wonderful gifts waiting for me. Both were actually goodies from winning stuff from other bloggers. Spud sent me a wonderful snowman ornament as well as one of her fabulous post cards, and Iasa sent me this cool little wicker basket with a necklace inside and some chocolate! Thanks so much ladies! I totally heart you both.



I guess that's enough happiness for me today. Plus I have lots of things to do before the big event tonight. Okay, maybe the not-so-big event, but I still have places to go and people to see. Be sure you go by and see Otie and click his linky so that we will all know who is playing.

Oh and by the way, have a wonderful, safe, and Happy New Year!! xoxoxxo

Friday, December 25, 2009

Happy Hour - Christmas Style



If you've been hanging around for a while then you know that Otie and I host a Happy Hour every Friday. Otie has the Mr Linky at his site (yeah, I let him have control of it, kinda like the remote, you know the guy has to hold it to feel manly).

  •  I am so happy that it is perfectly acceptable to drink alcohol after spending the day with your PIA sister... and I don't mean Barb. This is not gonna be a rant, but I'll have plenty to talk about on wednesday! 
  • Bacchus we thank who gave us wine
    Which warms the blood within our veins;
    That nectar is itself divine.
    The man who drinks not, yet attains
    By godly grace to human rank
    Would be an angel if he drank.
    Pierre Motin
    French drinking song (source)
  • I'm happy my mom seems to be handling the chaos of a full house. Usually it's just her and her kitty, but now it's also the three daughters, the SIL, and four of the grandkids. Loud and crazy would be an understatement.
  • I'm happy Barb is here with me to take some of the slack from the other sister. Seriously. She makes me nuts. But this is not a rant ( I know, I'm repeating myself).
  • I am so excited about the turkey! I used a Nigella Lawson recipe for brining the turkey and it's soaking right now. I just stepped out to check on it and it smells soooo good. Thank you Julochka to turning me onto her. Doesn't it look amazing:


  • I was so happy to get to spend the entire day with my friend Schmecky (the pseudoblogger) yesterday. We had such a good time. I was going to add some pictures from our day, but I think that'll be a whole other post. I chronicled the whole day. You will like it, I promise. 
  • Today Barb and I got out of the house and walked down to one of our favorite coffee shops (shhh!! don't tell Starbucks). It's about a mile or so down the mountain and we always walk there at least once to get dough for scones. Yes, I know I could make my own dough, but we love this stuff. Anyway, we had some great photo ops along the way:
A gaggle of geese


One tough guy got scairt...



Barb discovered some really cool 'eye' trees for Julochka...

and we saw a pretty little Mallard and her hubby out for a swim in the stream...

at last we found our way to the promised land...


  • I'm happy I got to open my present from hubby early. It's a new camera! I was shocked, I wasn't expecting it at all. There's kind of a funny story that goes along with it. The camera I ended up with is not the one I unwrapped. But it's over and I love it. Its a Canon D50 and I'm so so pleased. I still need to read more of my manual (yes Spud, I blame you for this) but so far I'm amazed and in love.  
  • Well I think that's about it for me. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas edition of Happy Hour yourself. Be sure to check in with Otie and play along. 
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Open Letters

Dear Time,

I understand that it is your job to march on. I was hoping, however, that you could please stop marching across my face. You are making creases near the corners of my eyes, and one near my lip. This is very distressing to me. Please find somewhere else to make your mark. You are dismissed.

much thanks,
youthful bambi

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Dear Cellulite,

I don't understand what your fascination is with my gluteus maximus. I workout several times a week, I run, I walk dogs, I do lunges and bridges and squats and dirty dogs until I can barely walk. I appreciate your loyalty, however I think it is time you find someone else's ass to dent. The hail damaged look just does not do it for me. I think you would be happier on a man's tushie. Really. Please cease and desist.

kisses,
skinny me

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Dear Southwest Airlines,

My daughter and I will be traveling soon to spend Christmas with Grandma. It would totally suck if we crashed. Please make sure all planes are in working order, terrorists are held at bay, and pilots are ready for work. I will handle contacting the google weather gods, you take care of everything else. 

hugs and peanuts,
bams

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Dear Google Weather Gods,

My daughter and I will be traveling soon. Please do not cause any of our flights to be canceled due to inclement weather. In addition, I would be much appreciative if the airports are not snowed, iced, or fogged in. Please do not send an ice storm to the area in which we are traveling. If the roads are too bad, I will be forced to stay indoors with my entire family for a full week. I do not think there is enough alcohol in Reno to overcome a situation this dire. 

However, in this same vein, we would love some wonderful, powdery snow at the ski resorts near Lake Tahoe.

Amen,
bambalance

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Dear Wine,

Please be at my mother's house when I get there. I am sure that within minutes of my being near my sister I will need you. A lot of you. I love you so much. Please be there for me. If your friend di saronno amaretto were there as well it would be wonderful. I will sleep with both of you every night.

fermented grapes full of love,
bambina

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Dear Dust Bunnies,

I think it is so sweet that you love to congregate under my bed and in the hall closet, as well as in any corner you can find. I understand that there is a great deal of discarded dog hair in your cult. I think it's wonderful that you will take in anything you find worthy... even my own hair. I would greatly appreciate it tho if you would remain out of sight when neighbors come to visit. Although I personally find you adorable, I feel that some of my less-than-neighborly neighbors will only find fault with me and my lack of housecleaning skills and place no blame at all on your pervasiveness. Please feel free to inhabit the basement storage areas as much as you desire, as well as any bedroom belonging to a child.

soft bunny blessings,
bambi (and thumper)

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Thursday, December 17, 2009

Happy Hour Friday


If you've been hanging around for a while then you know that Otie and I host a Happy Hour every Friday. Otie has the Mr Linky at his site (yeah, I let him have control of it, kinda like the remote, you know the guy has to hold it to feel manly).

  • I am happy that it is only one week til Christmas. This is my favorite week ever. I love the excitement in the air and the good will towards men. People tend to be a little bit nicer. Okay, that's not always true, sometimes they are grumpy and bitchy and whiny and annoying, but FOCUS PEOPLE it's Happy Hour.
  • Actually I love October, November, and December. Best three months of the year if you ask me.
  • It is just 2 weeks until my birthday. What are you gonna get me?
  • At first I was a little annoyed about the plans for my birthday. We share season tickets to the St. Louis Blues with Barb and there is a game on New Year's Eve. Now let me just tell you that I don't entirely feel that the world revolves around me, but I think that since it's my birthday we should do something that I want to do. I like going to Blues games, but seriously. Not on my day, okay? Well, it turns out that we are going to the game. Why is that okay? Because we are going to leave early and head 2 blocks down and see Erin Bode and have dinner. Then we are staying downtown for the night in the Westin which is right next door. If you're not familiar with Erin be sure to check out her website. She has the most amazing voice I've ever heard. In fact I'm listening to her Christmas cd right this very minute.
  • Only 3 days til I get to see my momma. Yep, that outrageous older woman.
  • Hopefully I'll be able to check in with some of the fabulous bloggers I met at Blog Camp Reno in September. I just came across this post and it made me giggle again... go check it out. I'm sad that Ali won't be there this time, but Barb will be there to pick up her slack. Plus I'll for sure get to see my friend Schmecky (aka Zena, pseudoblogger), Sara and I are gonna try to make our schedules mesh so we can play, and I have a friend from college that I haven't seen in several years and we are going to try to play also. If you're in the area let me know and we can play too! Unless you are an ax murderer. That would totally suck to have my family hacked to bits at Christmas time.
  • I haven't worked all week. This is an okay thing, not great as the money would be nice to have, but it's not a horrible thing either because I've been doing stuff this week that I wouldn't have had time to do if I were working. BUT I got TWO calls today for me to work TOMORROW. Unfortunately I haven't figured out how to clone myself so I can only work one of the places. Although in all honesty, if I did figure out how to clone myself I wouldn't have all of my selves working. Several of them would be on vacation. All the time. All over the world. It'd be great.
  • I've gotten several new followers in the last couple weeks. Thank you thank you and welcome to my little corner of cyberspace. I hope I don't bore you to pieces.
  • December 17th is my daughters 17th birthday. Yep, it's her golden one. The one that is supposed to be the best. I always feel sorry for people who have their 'golden' birthday when they are young. How the hell are you gonna know if it was your best year ever? I can truly say that mine was indeed the best year ever, mainly because I fell in love with hubby (gak I know at least one of you just threw up in your mouth a little bit... but it's true).
  • Both Jenny and Juneau got to go to the spa today and they look and smell wonderful. Hey, doggies need spa days too. Don't judge.

  • Okay I think that's plenty of stuff to be happy about.
  • Oh wait, update: I was, in fact, not the drunk spouse at hubby's work Christmas party. I don't think there was one that really stood out this year. However, people were still talking about the drunk spouse from last year. I felt kinda sorry for her... but she was under tight control this year. And, ps, I looked fabulous. Except my ankles. Really. The dang hose I was wearing kept trying to bunch at the ankles. I had to adjust several times until the room got full enough that people weren't looking at my ankles. It kinda pissed me off, but then I just had another glass of wine so I was okay. Besides, I was one of the younger ones in the room last night so I doubt that anyone noticed my ankles.
That's it for me. Go see Otie and see who is playing along with Happy Hour Friday!

Update: this afternoon while I was counting to 333 I was also thinking about my post and realized I made a grievous mistake. Our Christmas trip to Reno will also be down one fabulous blog camper: Shannon. She lives over the mountain and far away and will probably not venture the pass (Donner's pass, you know the early settlers that resorted to cannabalism while stuck in the mountains). Anyway, Shannon, sorry for my oversight. And if you do venture over the pass please come play with us!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Rant and Rave Wednesday

Little Ms Blogger is the awesome chick who came up with this baby for getting out your rants and raves. Go see her, she always has some funny stuff.

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Rant: I got three (yes 3) certified letters today from that ex chiro that I'm not wasting my energy on

Rant: Step-daughter signed for all 3 certified letters while I was at the spa

Rave: I marched my happy ass up to the post office and told the lady that my child signed for these letters and that I did not want anything to do with them. She had me write "Refused" and my name and date on them and took them back. Today, the USPS is freakin awesome.

Rave: I have no idea what was in those letters, but I don't really care either

Rave: pas de touche sucka!!

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Rave: I spent the last two days at the spa

Rave: I got my hair did yesterday and had a mani/pedi today

Rave: I look fabulous! And I feel fabulous as well. And my toes are freakin awesome

***************************************************
Rave: We have hubby's work Christmas party tomorrow

Rave: It's at a fancy schmancy country club, and it's actually a pretty good party

Rave: I've never been the 'drunk spouse'

Rant: I hope I'm not the drunk spouse tomorrow

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Rave: Hubby agreed to take me to go see Up In The Air

Rant: It's not freakin playing in my stupid ass town and that freakin pisses me off

Rave: So we thought we'd watch The Hangover on PPV

Rant: It's not freakin showing on PPV and now I'm pissed

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Rave: Hubby just told me it's time for bed

Rant: Seriously? Ummm, none :D

Sunday, December 13, 2009

So What's the Point?

The following is a text message between my 17 yr old daughter and me. Or is it myself?

Background: I grew up Catholic and therefore have all the guilt associated with it. I'm not so much Catholic anymore because I have a lot of issues with some of the doctrines. My daughters are both baptized Episcopalian (or Catholic-Lite), but we don't consider ourselves Episcopal either. Basically we are nothing. I believe in God. My 17yo believes in Wicca, or is a Wicca, or whatever is most grammatically correct. I've had a lot of issues with this, but in the last 6 or 7 years have come to accept it.

Here is our text conversation a few days ago regarding that ex chiropractor that I'm not talking about anymore:

me: So... what do u know abt hexing?

her: Uhhhhh why?

me: I think someone needs to b hexed. U know who it is.
me: Hubby gave permission.

her: lmao. that's very blacky black

me: yeah and...

her: yeah and ur on your own with that :) I'm a good witch :D

me: Oh come on Glenda. It's just a little payback

her: Karma karma karma

me: Oh fine. What good is it to be a witch then if you can't give someone some warts or something?

her: If your magick comes from a place of darkness, then your mind is in a place of darkness. You have to be self aware and conscious of your actions for magick to work its best. It's hard to be self aware and not realize that hate is a pointless emotion from where no actualization can come. Also, it'll slap you a good one.

me: Ur no fun chickie

her: Ultimately he is hurting himself. Is spending that much energy really worth the few moments of satisfaction? There are better places to direct your efforts :)

me: Oh ok. I agree.

her: Rnt u glad to know I'm not in league with satan?

me: yes, of course I am. But then what's the point of having a witch for a daughter?

her: I'm still a teenager. I could go teepee his house



While I have to admit that I'm proud of her responses, I find it a little hard to believe that this is the same teenager that is upstairs right now pissed off that we aren't going out to dinner tonight for her birthday. The same teenager that speaks to me with scorn every time I ask her to unload the dishwasher. The same teen that will fly off the handle if I ask the wrong question. It amazes me that she can be so mature, yet so immature at the same time. While I'm still not completely comfortable with this whole witch thing, at least I don't have to worry about her hexing me.

I do wonder tho, how come she can't cast a spell to make her room clean??

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Happy Hour Friday



If you've been hanging around for a while then you know that Otie and I host a Happy Hour every Friday. Otie has the Mr Linky at his site (yeah, I let him have control of it, kinda like the remote, you know the guy has to hold it to feel manly).

  • I never thought I'd be a three-a-day poster... but here I am. My first post today was the letter to the asswipe ex chiropractor. My second post today was the one where I said that since it was my hubby's birthday I took down the letter to the asswipe ex chiropractor because he was afraid we'd get sued. And now here is post #3 today. Sorry I'm overloading your Google Reader, it's not like me. 
  • It's my hubby's birthday! I let him choose dinner (pasta con broccoli and garlic bread) and I made my extra-super-duper-ultra-fabulous pumpkin cheesecake. It's his favorite dessert. I meant to take pictures while I was baking it but I didn't. Sorry. 
  • He likes the gifts I got him. 2 books: Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives  and 1000 Places to See Before Before You Die. I also bought him 3 pairs of reader glasses because he always breaks his or puts them in the wash or whatever. 
  • When we were flipping thru the 1000 Places there were several that I had already visited
  • I bought my neighbors' Christmas gifts today. If you were my neighbor I'd buy you one too. Unless you are that shit ex doc I was talking about. Who, fyi, is also my neighbor. Yeah. 4 houses down. Niiiiiiiice.
  • I'm done talking about it. Really. 
  • My birthday is 3 weeks from today. Or yesterday. It depends. Thursday. What are you gonna get me? I like diamonds. And sparkly stuff. Well, sparkly diamonds. 
  • Tommy is doing A.W.E.S.O.M.E. Go check him out at Barb's site.
  • This weekend we are making Christmas cookies. A lot of them. And I plan on eating a lot of them. Actually that's not true. I plan on eating a lot of the dough. Raw. It's what I do. 
  • Okay, I think I'm done here. Besides, Otie hates it when I have too much wine at Happy Hour.
  • Go see him if you haven't already, and be sure to check out the other bloggers that are playing along. 
  • Cheers!!

For My Husband

Since today marks the 52nd anniversary of the birth of my favorite person in the whole wide world (present company excluded of course),

I have taken down the post regarding the ASSHOLE THAT USED TO BE MY DOCTOR

because my wonderful hubby is afraid we will get sued.

Although since the ASSHOLE THAT USED TO BE MY DOCTOR also shares a lawyer with me, I'm kinda curious at who would get to have her as our attorney. Any thoughts? Would it be first-come first served? Or who had the better case? I certainly would never want to be on the opposing side. She is one tough lady, and that's why she is my lawyer.

Oh well. Thanks for all the words of encouragement from those that commented.

ps- he really is a douche.

pps - not my regular MD, he's a great guy. Unfortunately he works for a douche, so now I have to get another MD. Which is fine, cuz I called his friends office today and will become one of their patients.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Rant and Rave Wednesday

Little Ms Blogger started airing her Rants and Raves on Wednesday, be sure to check her out and see who else is getting it all out in the open today.

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Because there is nothing better than starting out your post talking about poo...
Rave: Jenny poo'd twice on our walk this morning.

Rant: Then she came home and did the boot-scoot-&-boogie on my rug. It's cream colored. Now it has brown streaks too. I am not pleased.

Rant: It was butt-cold out there. Actually, it wouldn't have been so bad if the wind wasn't howling through my soul.

Rave: We did it anyway and can now sit in the warm kitchen with a cuppa joe.

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Rave: I am a bingo ROCKSTAR.
Yes, that's right. I had a great time at the ol' nursing home last night. Actually tho, it was the "retirement community" that had the bingo/Christmas party. It's a graduated community and starts with independent living and goes thru assisted, nursing, to alzheimers.
I was the caller and I had a great time with it. I made jokes and did a little "stand-up". I had those old people rolling on the floor. And not just cuz they had those little rollators. Really.

Rant: Whenever I called out I-17 I'd say "I am 17 years old" and those old people all laughed and said 'yeah right' and 'so am I'. No one believed that I am 17. Kinda hurt my feelings. (hahaha)

Rave: I was home by 8:45 feeling good and warm-hearted. Hubby had the fire going and we shared a bottle of wine.

Rant: He thinks I'm a bingo dork. You probably do too. But that's okay, when you are old your kids put you in a home maybe someone will come and make you laugh one day and you'll think of me.

*************************************************
Rave: I am almost done with my Christmas cards.

Rant: I ran out of stamps

Rant: I also ran out of cards

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Rave: My scale isn't stuck anymore :)

Rant: Absolutely none. It even went in the right direction. Of course I've been working my patootie off at the gym so it's about time it went down a bit. Still needs to drop some more tho.

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Rave: If you're an artist, or want to be an artist, or want to pretend to be an artist, take a look at Mr Toast, he's got a great project going on. I know many of you will be interested, it looks cool.

Rant: I have absolutely no talent, but I am going to give it a shot.

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I guess that's it for me. What are you ranting and raving about today?

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Random Tuesday




  • Don't you hate it when you look all hot and sexy and you've been parading around town feeling confident then that evening your daughter comes up to you and says "Your pants pocket is hanging out"?
  • McGillicutty made me LOL - literally - with this post. Did you?
  • My birthday is in 25 days. I'll be 39... at least for the first time. Maybe next year I'll be 39 again. I haven't decided yet. 
  • Spud did a post on 39 things to do before she's 40. I think I should revisit that and perhaps do the same.
  • Why didn't Jenny poo on our walk today? I hope she doesn't do it in the house. 
  • I couldn't do the December Challenge at the gym today. I'll have to try again tomorrow. But that's okay, failure is good for you -- sometimes. It builds character. Right?
  • Does anyone use Jane Iredale make-up? I just started a month or so ago. I'm a bit undecided about it. I usually use CHANEL or Lancome. 
  • How come when teens learn to drive the criticize every move you make? "You're speeding" "Uh, blinker, mom!" "Go! The light's green!"
  • But then the first time you tell them not to run over the pedestrian in the parking lot they get pissy and say they don't want to drive anymore. Sheesh. 
  • I'm having a good hair day. Curly. I should take a picture. If I can get off the couch maybe I will. 
  • Tonight I'm going to a nursing home and having a bingo Christmas party. It's kinda fun, but I wish the kids were coming with me. 
  • "Software is like entropy. It is difficult to grasp, weighs nothing, and obeys the second law of thermodynamics; i.e. it always increases. "Norman Ralph Augustine 
  • The same is true for my kitchen. Seriously. I haven't done anything in here and days, and it's a mess. I think kids add to the increasing entropy of a room. 
  • My favorite equation: delta G = delta H - T delta S. The way to remember it: Goldfish are Hell without Tarter Sauce.
  •  Okay, time to clean my kitchen and finish my Christmas cards.    
  •  Go see Un-Mom for more Random Tuesday Thoughts!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Monoword Manic Monday

Go check out ACE at Dancing with a Full Deck to find out her MMM.

Mine is this:

AGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Friday, December 4, 2009

A very belated Happy Hour Friday


Oh my gosh. I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date. I have no excuse for (almost) missing Happy Hour Friday. I'd tell you, but I don't think you care anyway so let's just get to the good stuff.

  • I'm happy I have friends like Otie that don't get mad even tho I fail to show up to our  own blogger party.
  • I am super happy that although my stinkin' scale is still stuck on the same number, two (yes, 2) people told me today that I looked like I was losing weight. I'm not, but the complements were awesome.
  • I'm happy that I've made it thru the first 2 challenges at the gym where Barb and I work-out. This month the challenge is the 12 Days of Christmas, so on day 1 we had to do 1 challenge, then day 2 we do the first one plus another, and so on so it builds everyday. Every month they have a new challenge. October was doing the plank for 5 minutes... I didn't even try it. I can do it for about a minute. November's challenge was biking 1.5mi, rowing 1000m, and running 1mi in under 20 min. I only tried it once and got 21:12. Grrrr. 72 seconds between glory and shame. I would have tried it again, but I didn't get around to doing it at all until Thanksgiving, so I didn't have time to try again. Hopefully I'll be able to do all 12 challenges this month and get the glory of seeing my name on "The Board!"
  • I'm happy I'm writing my Happy Hour with my hubby by my side, a fire in the fireplace, Christmas Vacation on the tube, and a bottle of Estancia Cab.
  • I'm happy that hubby is happy that I've worked 3 days this week. I'm comfortable with 3 days, that means I'm bringing in some money but still have time to do stuff like laundry, errands like the bank, some light housecleaning, etc.
  • Well I think that's about it. It's not, but Christmas Vacation is one of my all time favorite Christmas movies (next to Scrooged and It's a Wonderful Life) and I want to watch... and catch up on all of your blogs!
  • Hope you all had a wonderful Happy Hour Friday! Go see Otin, click his Linky, and check out the other players too!!!!!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

The Favorites

Do you remember in my last post where I said I was a doer but not a creator? Well, that goes for this post as well. I think McGillicutty started it, then Barb and Open Heart followed suit, so I decided I needed to copy them. Plus I have some pretty good favorites. So here are some of my favorite Christmas ornaments.

These are Mr and Mrs Bambi, they were one of the first ornaments hubby and I got as a married couple.









This is another on that we got that first Christmas. It has the names of all the kiddos. I couldn't find an ornament big enough to have all 8 of our names on it.


 

This snowman is a favorite of mine because my mom made it. I have several others that she made as well; lollipops, presents, Christmas trees, Rudolphs, etc. 

   

This carousel goes in my favorites list because I've had it since I was a wee tot. It has 'Susie' engraved on it. I'm not sure why it doesn't say Bambi. 





I love this ornament because it has a picture of my sweet little girlies in it. Who wouldn't love that?




I love my Scottish Santa. He's in a kilt.

Although these last two aren't ornaments, I love having red bows and candy canes on my tree. I love how the colors pop.



How about you? Do you have favorite ornaments?

Monday, November 30, 2009

She is...

Following in the footsteps of Julochka and Spudballoo, I decided to hop on the "This Girl..." bandwagon. I've gotten a few new followers (thank you thank you!) lately, so I thought this would be a good time.

So if you've ever wanted to know your bloggy buddy Bambi, read on. If not, well, that's okay too...

She is...

...better as 2nd in command

...a doer, but not a creator

...fiction, not so much non-fiction

...ms pac-man

... a mac not a pc...iphone not blackberry

..."lucky in life and in love" thanks fidgeting gidget for the line

...straight hair... or curly hair...dozing under her hair-dryer

...autumn not spring

...vanilla not chocolate

...a starbucks grande skinny caramel latte

...canon not nikon

...satellite, not cable, but waiting for u-verse

...a bit of a flirt

...chardonnay not reisling...cabernet not merlot...red zinfandel never white

...lipgloss

...stacked tennis bracelets

...hubby's t-shirts at bedtime

...jeans and a sweater

...a label whore, but not proud of it

...slipper socks

...sinatra in the kitchen...erin bode by the fire...britney in the gym

...usually laughing

...a salad fork and a dinner fork

...amaretto on the rocks...vodka not gin

...travel

...medicine

...trying to age gracefully while fighting it all the way

...crest toothpaste...secret deodorant... johnson's baby powder...bumble and bumble hair products

...comfortable with who she is

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Sunday Thoughts

I know it's not tuesday, but I'm having random thoughts anyway. Here's what I'm thinking about:
  • Can dead people read our minds? I know at first your gonna laugh, but think about it. If not, how come we talk to them, go to their wakes and grave sights? I've gone to the place where my Dad is buried, as well as other family members just to say "hi" and pay my respects. But why? Do they know? Do they care?
  • If they can read our minds, do they come when summoned? This is important to know because, as I'm sure I've told you before, I tend to think quite a bit in the shower. For some reason I haven't figured out yet, I tend to think about dead people while in the shower. It'd be bad enough if my Dad and Grandparents showed up in my bathroom while I'm butt-naked, but how about my 6th grade boyfriend who killed himself after high-school? I'm not sure I want him seeing me naked. Or what about our buddy that just died a couple weeks ago? I think about him sometimes too. He was a really nice guy, but I don't want him in my shower.
  • Do dead people get mad when I let my dogs run loose in the cemetery? Well, not "loose" per se, I walk/jog along beside them, but I let them off leash to get some exercise. Plus I always always pick up the poo (it's important to be a responsible dog owner). But do they care that the dog may piddle where they are buried? 
  • When I die can I go visit the people that are important to me and say goodbye, kinda like what happened here?
  • Will my husband ever quit yelling at me to stop blogging so we can go see the Rams lose today??
  • Grr. More random thoughts on tuesday!!

Friday, November 27, 2009

Happy Hour Friday

Hooray for Happy Hour Friday! I hope you've already been to Otie's site so you can click his little Linky and be one of the cool kids. If not, go do it. I'll wait.


Okay, well I'm so so sorry this is late. Thanksgiving dinner was fine, we only had 12 people over, so that was very doable. However one child who hadn't been here showed up late, ate someone else's stuff, and unintentionally started a battle. I should have stayed out of it, but I made a comment (bad mommy, bad bad mommy) and the battle escalated to an outright war. Needless to say, I was not in the proper frame of mind for a HHF post.


However, that was last night, the peace treaties have been signed, my blood pressure and heart rate are back to normal, and I'm ready to focus on some happy stuff. Are you ready? Let's hit it, sister.


  • I'm so happy I got 3 new followers! Thank you thank you and welcome. I hope not to bore you to tears.
  • I'm happy that peace reigns supreme (at the moment) in my house. Of course there is a little bit of ignoring going on... but I'll take it. It's better than outright hostility.
  • I ventured out today and I had a great time at the mall. Most of the kids shopping is done, but not all of it, which is fine with me. I like to spread it out a little.
  • I bought a couple things I needed... okay really I didn't need them, but I wanted them, and that's almost the same thing, right? I'll get photos soon, but not now.
  • Yes, I'm lazy. Deal with it. I like it this way.
  • Hubby told the girls what he wanted for Christmas so they are taking care of it. Nice, for them, but now I have to think of a whole other idea. I wonder if he wants to go to Denmark in January...
  • I was planning on putting up the tree today, but I'm pooped now. It can wait.
  • I'm so happy that we have enough left-overs for dinner tonight. And possibly tomorrow night. That'll be it tho... I am not going to drag it out til Christmas like my mom used to do.
  • I just downloaded 3 new tunes to my work-out iPod. This makes me happy. I'd tell you what they are but you'd just laugh at me. But they have good beats and are good to run to.
  • I am thankful that I had a stay of execution at the DMV today. It's closed. The only problem is that now I have to get up at the butt crack of dawn to be there before 8 tomorrow.
  • In case you have forgotten, yesterday was the baby's birthday... we are going to get her learner's permit.
  • We saw Blind Side and it was amazing. Go see it. It's worth it. BUT. I hate seeing movies about Memphis. It brings back a flood of memories. And usually it makes me feel like crying. I didn't tho, so I guess that's good.
  • Okay, I think that's it for me. I know it wasn't very happy sounding BUT remember that my Rant and Rave post on Wednesday was all RAVES! I can't be sunshine and sparkles all the time dang it.
  • Don't forget to go see Otie! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving... or just a wonderful Thursday night if you're not American.
  • Cheers!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Rant and Rave Wednesday

Be sure to stop by and see Little Miss Blogger so you can clink on the Linky and be part of the cool kids. Come on... ya know you want to.

Rave: the older girls are home from college for the rest of the weekend. So far so good. I'm hoping it stays that way.

Rave: youngest daughter "volunteered" to clean the house again. By volunteer I mean that I will pay her. It's still better than doing it myself.

Rave: I'm learning new songs on the piano, even some Christmas ones. Yes, I'm sure everyone in the neighborhood will be sick of Christmas songs flowing tunelessly out of my house, but you know what, I don't care. I want to learn to play them. So far I've (ahem) mastered What Child Is This, Jingle Bells (of course), Joy to the World, Angels We Have Heard On High and Old King Wenceslas (which I only know the tune from Scrooged).

Rave: I'm trying really hard to start getting into the Spirit of the holidays. It's so easy to be grumpy -- well for me it is anyway. The weather is unseasonably warm, finances aren't flowing the way they should, my scale is stuck... but that doesn't matter. I'm gonna be happy if it kills me damn it.

Rave: my roses are confused

I have no idea why they think it's time to bloom. I cut them all waaaaay back -- to practically nubs -- early in the fall. I guess they thought spring came early. Sorry for the crappy picture. I didn't feel like hauling out the big-girl camera.

Rave: I haven't worked much at all the last couple weeks. But that's also kind of a rant. The lazing around the house was great last week, this week it's kind of old. Plus I need a reason to need new shoes. Wait, who am I kidding? I don't really need a reason, but it'd be nice to have the extra money.

Rave: I have a new follower!

Rave: Hubby wants to cook two turkeys this year. He's going to bake one and put one on the grill. I said "whatever," it's his side of the family and he can do it any way he wants. He wants the baked one just in case the grilled one doesn't turn out (we've never done it that way before...). I'm in charge of the rest of the meal so I guess it's fair.

Rave: My baby turns 15 tomorrow. Wait, that should be a rant. How on earth can the baby of the family be 15? That must make me old... doesn't it? We are going Friday morning to get her driving permit. Now that is scary. If I never blog again you'll know why.

Rave: I think I'm done. I need to take the dogs for a w-a-l-k. Shhhh, don't say it out loud, they will both start freaking out.



See? they won't even stand still. Now I have to go or they'll start beating down the door.

Have a great day and a Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 23, 2009

The Rest of My Hats

If you can remember way way back to the beginning of the month, I did a post on My Many Hats, kind of a chronicle of the jobs I've held. In case you're having trouble remembering, it was the post that had those amazing firemen. I think most of you stopped reading there, but that's okay. It was a really good picture.

The other day someone I haven't seen or spoken to in almost 20 years friended me on Facebook (yes, I still have my FB account. Deal with it). Naturally this got me thinking about the past, which led to thinking about how we were friends when I was working at a bar, which in turn reminded me that I haven't shared the rest of my jobs.

When I ended my last post I had moved back home (which wasn't really home anymore because my whole family had moved) and was working for CBT's dad at Ronco. That didn't last too long because I don't think I really wanted a job. All I really wanted to do was go bar hopping. Sure I was only 18, but I had a pretty good fake ID. Besides, the dive bars that we frequented rarely checked IDs.

So anyway, after 6 months or so the semester had ended, the "big breakup" had already occurred (I tried to link a post that talked about it, but I can't find one, and honestly who wants to read about it anyway), I quit working at Ronco and headed back out west to spend the summer with my parents... that's when I met the first of many mistakes (I didn't marry this one tho). He was everything the other boyfriend wasn't -- which was what I thought I needed. He never went to college, he was dark and mysterious, he was a poet and a rebel, he rode a motorcycle (which I bought for him, but that's beside the point). I supported this would-be artist by working as a receptionist for a lawyer. Well, I say working, but again, this didn't last long. I can't remember the guys name, but in the phone book he was listed under AAA Law or something. You know, having the As in front will move you up in the phone book so everyone sees your name first. Needless to say, we had a lot of (ahem) interesting clients. I'll never forget talking to a man on the phone and asking if I could have his number so the lawyer could call him back. He said he was in jail and that he'd need to talk to him now... I was shocked. I really had no idea what to say to this man. "Oh what did you do?" didn't seem quite right. Anyway, I quit working there shortly after. Well, really I got fired. Seriously, the lawyer wanted me there at 8 in the morning! Come on! I was 18 years old and having fun! I didn't want to get up at 8! I usually made it in around 10. Needless to say, I got axed.

Luckily I soon found work as a receptionist at a salon and spa. I loved this job. It was fairly high end, but the people were nice and the owner and I got along well. Neil (the owner) and his wife Cathy kind of took me under their wing and taught me all about fashion and style. I should probably remind you here that I went to private catholic schools when I was growing up (9-12 was all girls). I knew precisely squat about how to dress, how to put on make-up, how badly I needed to wax my eyebrows (and other places). When I started working there I was -- well, not fat per se, but I was kinda chunky, I only wore Express sweaters (that's pretty much all I had at this point), and I had long hair that pretty much had no style. By the time I left I had a short sassy cut, two distinct eyebrows, I was 20lbs lighter, and I was hot. Okay so maybe I'm the only one that thought it, but I thought I was a babe. I'd like to say here that I dumped the parasite and fell in love with a prince, but that didn't happen. I was dumped. Again. Actually repeatedly. He'd call and make up whenever he needed me to buy him something, but other than that, I was dumped. And too stupid to realize it. One day his older brother had pity on me and came over and laid it out straight. He said he loved his brother but couldn't stand to see what he was doing to me.

So what did I do? I quit my job and moved back to the mid-south. So now I have no family and no job (still had a couple friends tho, thank God). And I still had my fake ID. To say I hit the bars would be a bit of an understatement, but we'll go with it for now. There was one little bar by the university that was a popular hangout, and I pretty much moved in. After a few months of drinking there, I realized it would be more cost effective to work there too, so there's my next job. Every once in a while someone would order food, but mainly what I can remember is beer kegs and live music. It was great -- for a while. Then came that damn wild hair of mine, and I ran off with the owner of the bar. Yep. We took off and that was that.

So this is the man that I would eventually marry. I was 20, he was 32. I was young and stupid he was just stupid. He tried his hand at a couple jobs but really all he knew was running a bar, so the minute I turned 21 we opened one. Wait, what? Why did he wait? Could it be because he couldn't get a liquor license in his own name? Argh. That's a whole other post. I did say I was stupid, remember. Anyway, we were in a big city in the south, and we opened up a little bar-n-grill. We had fun for several months, the place was always crowded and we had live music (once the Allman Bros), but then I found out I was pregnant. I was too afraid to tell my parents I was pregnant and coming home, so I told them I was pregnant and getting married. They were thrilled coped as best they could. The thing about working in bars, in case you don't know, is that there are so many drugs. I mean, I don't consider myself naive, but you wouldn't believe the stuff I saw, and I'm not just talking about "mary jane." I was shocked, and I knew that there was no way I was raising a child in that environment. So we did what I do best: we left.

After having my daughter I was pretty much home most of the time. I was in and out of school, but it was hard to focus on that with a baby at home. Then I found out I was pregnant with my second child. Ex-husband did not hold on to jobs well and I knew if we were gonna eat it would be up to me, so I got a job at a children's store (employee discount, duh). It was a family owned place and they really took care of me, but once baby #2 came I was done. Besides, I knew I really needed to get back to school.

That's pretty much it. I went back to school full time and got a BS in biochemistry (and a divorce). I worked in several different labs (p chem lab, med school lab) to make some money, but after I graduated I knew I'd need to find something "real" to do. I wrote about it in this post. I got through pharmacy school and now I'm doing a job that I absolutely love.

So, here I am with my current hats:
  • Mother to teenagers
  • Wife to Bob
  • Pack-leader to Juneau and Jenny
  • Pharmacist Extraordinaire
  • Habitat for Humanity Board Member
  • Junior Service Club Member
  • Hope Rescues volunteer
  • Piano Student
  • Field Hockey Mom
  • Queen of the castle
  • Maid/cook/housekeeper/dog walker
  • Blogger
How many hats do you wear?

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Six Word Saturday

For more Six Word Saturday be sure to go to Show My Face. She's got a huge Mr Linky thing going on, so be sure to stop by.


For Happy Hour Friday this week I posted a picture of my new iPhone case, and as usual I had the phone in front of me so you couldn't see my face. Otie, dear boy that he is, commented that he hates it when people do that. Well, since I'm all about keeping my peeps happy, here is my Six Words:

DEAR OTIE, THIS ONE'S FOR YOU



So Otin there ya go. Wrinkles and all. I didn't even brush my hair. Well, I did this morning, but that was like 6 hours ago. Boom. You owe me now.


Thursday, November 19, 2009

Happy Hour Friday


You should know by now this is my favorite post of the week. Yes, sometimes it's my only post of the week, but I'm working on that! Through emails with my good friend Otie we came up with this weekly gem and hope you like it. Go to Otie's site and join the fun!

Here are some things that are making me happy today:
  • My new iFrogz case came! I think I told you about it at some point. Anyway, isn't it cool? Nope, it's not, it's hot. Hot Pink, that is. (Gotta love teenagers. She wouldn't be in the picture with me, but at least I got her two fingers. )




 In case you can't remember, here's my old case:


  • Ok is Blogger frustrating you?? I don't like this new picture up-load thingie. 
  • Ummm okay back to Happy Thoughts
  • Tonight is another Junior Service night. After the meeting, which hopefully wont last too long, we are going to one of my favorite wine bars, Erato. I love it. In case you forgot (how could you??) last weekend we had Girls Night Out. It was okay, but it was at a bar-bar, not a wine bar, and the wine wasn't that good so I didn't stay too long. But here's a pic of a few of the JSC girlies:


Hahaha I just realized I'm the only one without a drink in my hand!!! Trust me, that doesn't happen often.

  • I'm happy that I have a clean house and haven't had to lift a finger. Okay that's not true, I had to lift a couple fingers to pay my child, but I'd rather pay her than do it myself have a dirty house. She's trying to raise money to go to Mexico with her friend over spring break, so all I have to do is wave cash in front of her and she'll clean. 
  • I'm happy that my other daughter has a job. She works at Dippin Dots and seems really happy with it. That, of course, makes me happy. 
  • I'm happy that I got a fabulous surprise from Ali (from Inner Ramblings of a Mid-Life Mama) in the mail! It's a Union Jack heart shape pin because I love love love the UK. Plus the card was funny which is always a good thing to get.

  • I'm happy that today while I was taking a long, hot bath (and not cleaning or anything else) I decided what I want for Christmas and my birthday (cuz they're only a week apart). I want airline tickets to Denmark so I can go to Blog Camp 3.0 at Julochka's. Hubby's probably gonna say no. And then I'm gonna wine whine a lot. And then maybe he'll come around, but I kinda doubt it. But since I don't know the answer yet, I am still hopeful and therefore still happy.
  • I'm happy that I still had some candy corn left. I ate several large handfuls some for lunch. I'd like to blame it on Bee since she sent me an email to thank me for sending her candy corn, but actually I already opened it before I got the email. It must have been her fault tho, normally I wouldn't eat candy corn for lunch. Besides, now I'm hungry!
  • Oh yeah, speaking of both Julochka and hungry, I bought the new cookbook I wanted. Well, actually it isn't the one I was looking for, but it's by the same author: Nigella Lawson. It's her holiday cookbook and since I'm going to my mom's house it'll be fun to try new stuff on the family. Plus it has lots of drink recipes in there, and if your family is anything like my family, you need lots of drinks to get thru the holidays! 
  • I'm happy that I'm done with this post...and I'm sure you are too. Don't forget to go click on Oties's thingie, and also visit the others that are joining us for Happy Hour Friday!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Rant and Rave Wednesday

It's been a while since I've done a Rant and Rave Wednesday and today seems like a good day to get some stuff off my chest. Be sure to stop by Little Ms Blogger and see what she's Rantin' and Ravin' about today.

Rave: I'm so happy LMB put a Mr Linky on her site so we can all see who's ranting and raving. It's a great way to see new bloggers.

Rant: I joined NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writers Month) and we're supposed to write a book this month. 50,000 words. I have squat and it's past mid-month. I don't wanna be a loser, but I don't see it happening.

Rave: I got an award! Two of them actually, but since it's the same award I'm only gonna count it as one. Both of the fabulous bloggers, Fidgeting Gidget and Esmerelda, have bestowed upon me the I Should Have Been a Stripper Award. However did they know I am used to be once for my husband pretended love this award? Thank you so much ladies!

On a side note, I thought I read somewhere that this is not the proper name for this award and that somehow it got messed up. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, feel free to leave the proper name.

Rant: There are always rules to awards. I'll follow some and some I wont. Here are the rules:
  • Post it (done)
  • List 7 personality traits
    • Bitchy (yep it's true)
    • Winey (no I didn't mean whiny)
    • Friendly (most of the time)
    • Procrastinating (usually)
    • Hungry (what? I'm ready for lunch)
    • Witty (at least I think I am)
    • Lovable (awww, ain't that sweet?)
    • Sexy (yeah that's 8, but I am. So there. You can add rebellious too.)
  • Pass it on to 7 other worthy bloggers. No. I ain't gonna. BUT if you have always wanted to be a stripper and think you'd look good as a pink Peep, this award is yours for the taking! Really, just snap it up and post it on your blog. We won't tell. Say it's from me.
Rant: My damn lovable dog keeps scratching at the door. All stinking morning it's let the dog in let the dog out let the dog in let the dog out let the dog in let the dog out.

Rave: KU beat Memphis last night. Okay really I'm not a huge KU fan, or basketball in general, but I bet CBT again and again I WON! I wonder what sort of foolishness he's gonna try this time.

Rant: Or Rave: I haven't decided yet. Tonight we are going to another basketball game. It's SLU Billikins (hubby is an alum). I like basketball ok, but really, a double header last night and another game tonight. That's a little much for me. At least basketball is inside so I don't have to worry about the weather. On the bright side hubby is taking me out for dinner first, so it's like a real date. And I'll get wine. Okay, let's put it under Rave.

Rave: I have nothing to do today. Of course I could be doing laundry or cleaning or any number of domestic things around the house, but instead I'm going to shower, nap, read, and blog. Ha. Plus I've already walked the dogs AND worked-out, so I am all set to veg out for a while.

Go check out Little Ms Blogger!

Oh SNAP! This is my 100th post! Woohooo!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Gimme an F!

Gimme an R! Gimme an E! Gimme an A! Gimme a K!

Or

HOW TO LOSE A BET WITH STYLE

Okay really I think my good buddy and longtime freak friend Carbuncle Trumpet is just a nut. Well, he's a Cubs fan, so you gotta give him a little bit of credit for sticking with them for, what is it now? 104 years or something? Hell I don't even remember. It's been a long time since the Cubs have seen any post-season action.

Now before you get all up in my grill lemme just say that I am a Cards fan, but really I'm just one who likes to go to games when the weather is nice for the pure enjoyment of getting out and socializing. Do I like when the Cards win? Sure. Do I get all emotional when they lose? No. Do I stay for the whole game if the weather is crappy? Hell no. I don't care enough about it to go freeze my ass off for 9 innings. I am a fair weather fan -- literally. So sue me. And hand me a glass of wine (beer makes me belchy and bloaty).

Anyway, I digress. Waaaaay back at the beginning of baseball season my buddy CBT bet me that the Cubs would beat the Cards. I said You're On! So the deal was every time the Cards/Cubs had a series we'd bet 10 cents a run and $1 a game. At the end the loser would have to pay up. This season, as luck would have it, the Cards triumphed.  I started texting good ol CBT to pay up the $4.50 he owed me. I guess maybe we should have set the ground rules so that I didn't get letters like these popping up in my mailbox:


I'm good with the "Honorable Rx Bambi". And my mailman, although I'm sure he doesn't know me as such, might have gotten a kick out of "that crazy lady who has a glass of wine in her hand and the other on her keyboard".  Although I have to admit that one came with "The Boss of Susan" and that didn't go over very well. 

You may be wondering why there were so many letters mailed out. It was only a measly $4.50. Apparently you and I are not well acquainted with the inner workings of the CBT mind.
 
  On September 24, the first letter arrived with a penny taped to it.
On September 26, a second letter arrived with a Belizean quarter. Apparently the exchange rate is half that of US currency, so it is worth $0.125. Yep. Nice.
On September 27th I hit the big time with a Belizean dollar. $0.50 US. Whoo hoo!
The next payment was in the form of an IOU for one Marlon drink. A Marlon drink is a CBT family member currently working in a bar in San Pedro Town in Belize (see photo). Estimated price $1.25 US. I hope they have wine in Belize.
Finally I hit pay-dirt with a real live check for $3.50 (in actual US dollars this time).

I should have known better than to enter a bet with this man. Just you wait til next season CBT! Oh, no wait, I'm sure the Cards will stomp you again. I'll have to wait to see what you can come up with!

Be sure to check out CBT, maybe he can make your head spin too!


 

Friday, November 13, 2009

Happy Hour Friday

My good friend Otie and I decided to get together every friday and have a Happy Hour. Today is gonna be pushing it because I'm sick, I'm cranky, and I'm working. That is kinda the trifecta of misery. Anyway, I certainly don't want to let Otie down, or you down (cuz you are the only good part of my day), so I'm gonna find the silver lining and let you know all the good things that have happened this week.
  • It is an absolutely beautiful day here. Sunny, a little crisp, good fall weather. Of course I'm stuck inside working, but that sounds negative and we are only positive here at HHF.
  • My tech just went to The Abbey and got me a white chocolate mocha. It's not Starbucks, but it'll do in a pinch. She even paid. I guess being sick and cranky has it's upside.
  • I haven't had to cook all week cuz my family doesn't want my germs.
  • This weekend I'm finally going to go buy that new cookbook I want, and hopefully I'll be cooking next week. Which cookbook, you might ask? I can't remember, but Julochka has talked about it so I'll just go to domestic sensualist and figure it out.
  • Junior Service is having a Girls Night Out tomorrow. I hope I'm feeling better because I'd like to go. On the other hand it's at a bar that doesn't have a very good wine selection so if I'm not feeling better it's not going to be that big of a deal.
  • I just ordered a new iFrogz cover for my iPhone. It's hot pink. That makes me happy. But I don't have it yet so that makes me not so happy. Hopefully it'll be in the mail today or tmro. 
  • I got felt up Wednesday. Insurance even paid for it. How good is that? Well, it wasn't that exciting and only lasted a minute, so maybe it wasn't all the great after all.  
  • My dog woke me up at 4am puking. Whats so good about that? She did it on the hardwood and not the rug. See. Silver lining. That's what I'm all about.
  • Ummm. Huh. Well I guess that's it. What are you happy about today? Go see Otie, clink on his thingie, and let us know.
  • Have a great weekend!!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Things I've Learned

Some background:
A few years ago at Christmas the kids were talking about everything they wanted; computers, ipods, phones, clothes, etc. It was out of control. Hubby and I decided that the girls needed a good dose of reality and they needed to see how fortunate they are and hopefully learn to have some compassion for others. Then hubby and I looked at each other and realized we were just as bad as the kids. When we wanted something we went out and bought it, and we were doing nothing to give back to the community.

We talked about different charities we could get involved with but there was really nothing that spoke to both of us. Shortly after that I noticed that our community was starting a new chapter of Habitat for Humanity. That was one that spoke to us both.

This weekend I attended a Habitat for Humanity International conference in Champaign, Illinois. It was so great to see so many people focused on a common goal: helping the deserving poor find adequate housing. It was motivating, energizing, and yes, even fun. I thought I'd share a few things with you that you might not know about HFH.

DID YOU KNOW:
  • that adequate housing is a basic human right? In 1948 the United Nations defined housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living.
  • that HFH doesn't "give houses to the homeless?" HFH families pay a mortgage, taxes, insurance, etc. 
  • that having a Habitat house in your neighborhood does NOT decrease the value of your home? In fact studies show it is the opposite. 
  • that there is no county in the US that a person can work 40 hours a week at a minimum wage job and afford even a one-bedroom apartment at the local fair-market rent?
  • that an average HFH family makes too much money to qualify for government housing, but not enough money to purchase a house on their own?
  • that joining your local HFH affiliate is a fun way to meet new people while feeling good about giving back to the community?
  • that not all HFH volunteers have to know how to use power tools? There is about a bazillion things you can do: help with fundraisers, chair committees, pound the pavement, get a group of friends together and have a build day, make lunch for the construction people, etc
  • that you can get a pink hardhat and a raspberry tool belt?
  • that you can make life-long friends, have fun, do something worthwhile?
  • that you can change the lives of others?