So I Got This Blog Thing Here

FREE CONCERT!!!!!!

2010-02-26T04:27:00.001-08:00

Come join us Sunday evening for a benefit concert for Haitian Relief. Choir Sing for Haiti will feature several choirs from the Tampa Bay area. The event is FREE!!! but donations are welcome, with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross. The event will be at 6pm on Sunday the 28th at First Baptist Church, Tampa, on Kennedy Blvd (across from UT). Hope to see you there!

Singers Wanted

2010-02-03T04:35:00.000-08:00

Come join us! We will be having information sessions Thursday Feb. 4th and Monday Feb. 8th at First Baptist Church in Tampa. See the website for details.

http://singliveusa.com/

I'm still here...

2010-01-27T04:22:00.001-08:00

Two weeks of antibiotics and I still am not over the hump. But I'm here and alive and just trying to keep my head above water. I'll post more as time permits. I'm doing some "soul-searching" and prioritizing right now. Keep the faith!

Prayers for Sarah

2010-01-19T04:23:00.001-08:00

http://www.miamiherald.com/582/story/1429898.html

Doing some updating

2010-01-07T04:47:00.001-08:00

as you can see, for the new year. I've just about got it down, except for the header picture. Not sure if I like it or not. Once I decide on that I'll be all set. What do you think so far? Stand by for new developments...

The Bestest Friends a Girl Could Have:

2009-12-16T16:41:00.001-08:00

Some ramblings

2009-11-04T07:37:00.001-08:00

So, the weekend went way too fast, of course. Had a fun time with the kiddoes as always. It seems like a lot of people either weren’t trick or treating, or weren’t home to give out trick or treats. One co-worker just noted that it might be because of the swine flu. I didn’t think about that, I was thinking more of the economy and people not having extra money to spend on costumes and candy and the like. But that’s okay, the kids still ended up with a buttload. I had to negotiate for my share, of course.

Let’s see...hard to believe it was a month ago yesterday that I came back from England. Time flies. Had some good memories. Wish I had more of them, but sometimes things happen. Oh, well! I love big cities and exploring them. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I’ve already got some must sees planned out. One thing I did find is that the food is very bland. We ate a few pubs, and it seems like they just don’t use a lot of seasoning in things. And they sure do like their peas. Even mushy peas! Y’all know how I feel about peas. I tried fish and chips, and a steak sandwich (two different places) and they were okay, but blah. I guess blah was a good thing considering, but I really wanted some flavor going on.

I really, really, REALLY wanted to find a good Indian place, but I knew my stomach couldn’t tolerate it. I will say that we found a nice Italian place that I really liked on the last night. It was a little upscale, but the food was very good. I had the spaghetti and meatballs. I made friends with a couple from up near Manchester (I think). When we were on a break, she offered me a piece of her brie. Their brie is a lot more pungent then what we’re used to buying in the states. I found that interesting. Oh, and they do not have Jell-o in the UK. Trust me, I looked. There was a point where all I wanted was Jell-o and it was no where to be found. Well, live and learn!

Halloween in the olden days...

2009-10-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

The geek in me likes a lot of strange things. One of those is old radio programs. Today, as it is close to Halloween, and I pretty much have this whole side of the office to myself, I am tuned into Halloween programming on Golden Age Old Time Radio, on Live365.com. Yes, I told you I was a geek. I love anything vintage; music, movies, tv, radio. You name it!

Well, anyway, I’m laughing listening to this. For one thing, the family is MAKING their Halloween candy. Can you imagine making all that candy to hand out? I bet it tasted good. Besides, the udder inconvenience, how would you get away with it these days? I mean, in between the razor blades and poison and Ex-lax, who knows what could be in there? It’s too bad my grandmother isn’t around anymore; I’d ask her about that. I also learned that housewives really loved Jell-O Butterscotch Pudding. Who knew?

Anyway, the main characters are going to cause some trouble. How? By ringing the next door neighbor’s door and run off. Oooo, there’s some trouble for ya. If it were only that simple? But, of course the old man next door has bigger problems. Someone stole his battery from car. GASP!!! He wants to know what his town is coming to. Hehe, fast forward 60 years later, I’m betting that guy is wishing batteries were the least of his worries. A simple life, indeed. What great fun to take a look back sometimes.

Today is fun, too. It is what you make of it. I’m looking forward to a traditional, yet, modern Halloween. I got the kid’s goodies ready to go. In my midst, I will have a Spock and a Dorothy, and I forgot the other two. (For shame!!!) We’ll party a little bit (well, they will, I’ll be watching the Florida/Georgia game), and then off to Trick or Treat. I must say the neighborhood is way better than the one I trick or treated in. And the candy’s way better!!!

Just checking in...

2009-10-05T04:25:00.000-07:00

Just a quick one, still have a lot of work to get out before the 15th deadline.

Still feeling in a daze. I’ve pretty much slept the entire weekend. And who else do you know goes on vacation and LOSES 15 pounds.

Okay, enough of the pity party. Just wanted everyone to know I’m still around. I will try and post more if the week allows.

Have a good one.

Fridays!

2009-09-18T05:48:00.001-07:00

Hi y’all! How’s it going? Oh, happy, happy Friday. Been a rough week with funding deadlines, but I’m just about through it. YAY!

Spent a good part of the day chatting with old high school friends on Facebook. Amazing, isn’t it? So nice to catch up with the old crowd. One of them I was on Flags with, dates back to 2nd grade we discovered. Holy cow!! She dropped out junior year, I think, to have a baby and said baby is now 23. OMFG, I am OLD!!!!!!! Also found out yesterday that one of them had a crush on me. The things I find out. I’m actually planning a trip down in October to see mom, so I will probably hook up with a few. Gotta plan it between trips and crops and shows and football. Sigh! Too much going on now. I need a vacation from the vacation, haha.

I’ll be spending a good part of the weekend doing last minute things, a Wal-mart run, a mall run, things like that. Saturday we’ll get to see Faxon’s first baseball game, as last week’s was rained out. So excited for him, I hope he does good. Linda, if King is playing around here (Steinbrenner, Sickles, Gaither), I may have to take him out to a game and let him see how the big boys play. Maybe it will give him something to shoot for.

Actually keeping this short for once, just busy, mundane stuff, not much to right about. Mom’s surgery is today, wish us luck. Lunch with some former work buddies. Leave for England on Wednesday. Ah, I’m so broke!!! Yahoo! Make it a good one.

Shameless Plug...

2009-09-15T04:43:00.001-07:00

Because it's my blog, that's why! :P Come one, come all...

Fast Holiday Weekend!

2009-09-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. I kept busy around the house this weekend, but was glad I did. Of course, today comes and now I don’t want to get out of bed. Who doesn’t after being off the last four days?

Spent most of Friday and Saturday getting the house spic and span. Hard work, but so rewarding, isn’t it? Well, I thought so. Anyways, all the boys were at my house on Sunday for the annual Fantasy Football draft. Great fun as it is! Everyone seems to have a great time and come back every year.

Lots of food this weekend. Saturday, I made a turkey breast, as they were super cheap at Publix last week, with mashed potatoes and stuffing. Sunday, everyone brought something, so we had pizza and wings and burgers. I made Stacey M’s Key Lime Bars. They were a big hit. Last night we barbequed, DH had a steak; I made some shrimp, with a little chicken breast and corn on the cob. So lots of eating going on.

Lots of football this weekend too. Did you catch the Gator game? Great way to start the season, even if it was kind of boring. It was good to give some of our freshman some playing time and get them in the groove for when the hard stuff comes (Tennessee, LSU, etc.) And did I read right, that FSU lost last night? How does that happen? Oh, well!

Abbey Cat was feeling poorly this weekend, sick to her stomach a lot. I couldn’t figure it out at first, but then I did. I’ve been feeding her Purina ONE Mature Cat formula. Now, keep in mind, she has a delicate system to begin with, always has. I could never feed her too much wet food, she’d get the runs (TMI!) So, we’re cleaning up Saturday and DH says “does her food look different?” So, I run and look at the bag and it said “New and Improved, now with Kibbles.” Kibbles??? OY! Don’t these manufacturers know that you can’t change a pet’s food abruptly like that? Especially when you have a cat that’s sensitive to food to begin with. UGG!! So I had to run to Target and get the Sensitive Systems formula (since Publix doesn’t sell that kind) and she seems okay now. If it’s not one thing, it’s another.

Did some shopping yesterday. Bought a few shirts and a pair of pants at Dillards. Had a Yankee Candle coupon to use. DH and I were going to go to Chik-Fil-A, as you got a free sandwich if you wore your team gear, but that place was a mob scene. So we went home and had leftovers. Oh, stopped at Bed Bath and Beyond, too, for a new frying pan. Did you know they make Iced Tea cups for the Keurig? I picked up a box to try. I will let you know how they are.

I’ve gotten lots of info for the London trip this weekend, along with emergency contacts and that good stuff. Only two weeks from tomorrow until I leave! WOWZERS!! I have no idea what I’m packing. I’ve got to get ready. EEKS!!

Our Tampa show is Oct. 17th, and it will be big! The same show we do in London, btw! I can hook you up with the Tix if you’re interested. Unfortunately, it looks like I’m going to miss Creepover this year, a first. I’m bummed, but what can you do? Luckily, it’s close by (San Antonio), so I may be able to swing by Friday night to say hello, as the Friday night rehearsal is usually only for soloists. I’ll be playing it by ear.

I got errands galore this week. Have to return something at Bealls, and have a couple pants to drop off at the tailors. I’m going to run to Int’l mall tonight to get a few things from Sephora/BE, and check out their Dillards as well. Next week, I’ll get to the bank to exchange money, and call my cc companies and let them know I’ll be out of the country. So much to do, so little time. Oh, yeah, guess, I’ll be getting work done too!

Speaking of being out of the country, make sure to check out Kip’s blog with all the pics and adventures of her, Jill and Barb in Spain and in the Mediterranean. How gorgeous! They are three lucky ducks, let me tell you! Some day I’ll be R-E-T-I-R-E-D too and can make trips like those. Yahoo!!!

Thanks for all the well-wishes for my mother. She called me last Friday to tell me the surgery is scheduled for the 18th. As long as the lymph nodes are unaffected, then that should be the end of it. Otherwise, she’ll have to start a round of chemo. Then she calls me yesterday to tell me the surgery is scheduled for the 18th. Uh, yeah, you already called and told me that last week. “I did?? Well, I wanted to make sure you knew.” Yeah, uh-huh. She also told me my step-dad (former, I guess) is coming down that week to stay with her. She says he’ll call me when she gets out of surgery. Great, just the kind of drama I need. I’m trying to see past all this bullshit, but you know, after almost 40 years of it, it’s hard to be anything but jaded.

Oh, well, whatever. I am just going to get my errands done, and look forward to the next few weeks.

Goings Ons

2009-08-25T07:16:00.001-07:00

Why is it when you think things are going your way, something happens, and it kicks you right in the shins? I think that is how my life is going right now. Like someone kicked me in the shins...or the gut...or something...

I get an unexpected phone call on Thursday evening. It is from my mother. She’s calling to tell me she has breast cancer. Just like that. I should be shocked, but I’m not. After all the years of all the poisons she’s put in her body. She has almost no heart left, she’s on Nitro for that. Has been for almost 15 years. It amazes me she’s gotten this far. But she has breast cancer. A very aggressive type. It’s deep, too, making surgery the only option. There are also two questionable lymph nodes, so chances are, it’s spreading. It may only be a matter of time.

Then she had to find a surgeon. One that will work with Medicaid. Good luck with that. The Medicaid system is totally broken, especially here in Florida. The plan is broken, the doctors are all broken. I as sooner go bankrupt than let one of those quacks look at me. But she’s been in this system for over 20 years. When she had cervical cancer, it took over two years to realize she should have a hysterectomy, never mind the fact she was bleeding every day. And let’s not even talk about mental healthcare when you are on Medicaid. That’s a flippin’ joke all of itself. That’s why I’ve been hesitant to come all out on a gov’t healthcare program, because I’ve seen it first hand. It’s not pretty. But something has to be done. But, I’ve gone off on a tangent...

So she found a surgeon, and sees him on Friday. Nothing like rushing things along. I also wonder in the back of my mind, is she playing me? It wouldn’t be the first time. She says she has calcifications which never showed up before. Sil, who works an imaging system says that is very unusual, calcifications form slowly and would have shown up previously. Unless the last mammogram was read wrong. This is Medicaid we are talking about here. I just have to take it at face value for now. And so it goes...

That’s not the only news. My A/C died on Sunday. I heard a strange noise coming from outside the bedroom window. I thought it was the pool pump, but it wasn’t. Turns out the Fan Motor died. $422 later....OUCH! We had some odd power surges on Friday and Saturday, the a/c man says that could have caused it. Who knew? This just a day after DH fixed the a/c in my car (thanks to a $14 can of Freon) so now, I’m cool everywhere.

Friday, I did something I almost never do. Paid full price!!! Well, that’s not necessarily true, I did have a 20% off coupon. So my $58 jeans were actually $46. But they fit beautifully, just what I needed. Skinny Jeans!!! Seems like an oxymoron to call a size 18 skinny, but they are. The legs anyways, not the waist. I have the perfect apple shape, the experts would say. Totally round in the middle, with these skinny legs. Pants, especially jeans are impossible to find. Oh, and I’m short, too. A triple whammy! I found another pair of TH jeans for half price + 20% (around $30) and TH shorts for half price + 20% (around $20). I also got a pair of black Sketchers, for $37, plus half off a second pair, so I got a pair of work/dress shoes for about $10 (this was after coupons, too.) And I put a bunch of Hallmark ornaments on layaway. About 10, I think. The manager says they have cut production and will not be ordering more when they run out, so get them now or never. So nice of them to do layaway, so I don’t have to shell out all the cash at once.

Spent some time with the neighborhood folks Saturday night, between dodging rain and mosquitoes. While fun, it was short-lived. That’s okay, a bunch of us are going to the Tampa Yankees game on Friday, for free, courtesy of Dawn. And of course, today is the first day of school. Where did the time go? Sigh. Well, back to a daily routine for now.

Here we are...

2009-08-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

Mondays, Mondays. Mondays always get me down. (Isn’t that a song?) Especially after a big weekend like the one that just passed. Waking up has been so hard this week.

Friday night we went to the skating rink for the girls’ birthday party. That is always an adventure, let me tell you. Actually, I think the word is cheap. As in cheap food, cheap décor, cheap entertainment...you get the picture. I swear walking into this place is like going back 25 years. It looks exactly the same. Not to mention the neighborhood isn’t the greatest either. (Not only was it cheap, but my guess is they waited until the last minute as well, or why else would we be having it at 5:30 on a Friday, when the place opens at 8 to the general public.) But the kids seemed to have a good time, and didn’t notice too much. I guess they are still too young. But that’s all that matters.

After the party we went home, and I packed up my stuff to go to Sebring for the Fried Green Tomatoes at Kenilworth Lodge. The Kenilworth is a lovely old hotel. They’ve done a lot of renovations over the last 3 or 4 years, as it was starting to show its age not too long ago. But now they have a new elevator, internet access, a flat screen TV (to watch the Bucs lose on, sigh!) and they made a little kitchen area in the ballroom where the cropping goes on. I know the kitchen helped Linda out a lot.

Linda and her gang work hard every year to put this together and it is always so good. I almost passed on it this week. The whole foot thing has been putting a damper on things, and I am just so wore out by the end of the day. But I decided just to shuck it all and go and have fun. And that’s what I did.

I got there around 11:30 on Friday night and went to bed around 2:30. Saturday I went to bed around 3. Both times because we were out on the porch catching up on the comings and goings on with the gang. Lots of laughs there. Just wonderful.

Saturday, Teri and I braved it to the local winery to try a hand (er, foot) at grape stomping. Well, Teri did, I just went along for the ride. But it was not to be that day. Apparently, this was the day of their yearly festival, with lines out the wazoo. Did I mention it was outdoors (read: HOT!) Oh, and it’s a farm actually. You know with chickens, and crops and stuff like that. Well, we talked our way in, just to buy a few bottles (they wanted $6 bucks admission.) And of course, as soon as we buy our stuff and head out, it starts raining. I really feel for those people waiting in line getting poured on. (Hey, feel for me, in the hot sticky cast on the leg!!!) Oh well, live and learn.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a crop without the food. We had a snack of Fried Green Tomatoes, of course. Then Melanie made her famous oven-fried chicken, with green beans, potato salad, corn bread, and for desert, Elle made a Krispy Kreme Donut bread pudding. YUM!!! Those girls all cooked their asses off this weekend. Of course, we had all our meals served with a smile by Linda, who doesn’t let anyone see her complain, right?

So, of course, a good time was had by all. This is a short week. I’m off Friday. Big sale at Macy’s on Friday. Doorbusters from 9-1 (remember when they used to only do that the day after Thanksgiving? Now everyone does it all the time!) Keep your fingers crossed that I FINALLY find a pair of decent fitting jeans (that aren’t made for the Jolly Green Giant) for the trip coming up soon! Oh, speaking of trips, if you haven’t already, make your way over to Facebook and check out the hotel we’re staying at. It’s in the middle of everything it looks like, with a fantastic view!!! Hasta!

Good Monday Mornin' to ya

2009-08-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday to all. Man, what a week I’ve had. It’s really been up and down. And it’s not over yet, let me tell you.

DH and I spent four days at the beach for our anniversary. It was so nice and relaxing. Our room has been totally renovated, with new carpets, bedding, appliances, countertops, you name it. The best thing is that they have replaced the cook top stove with an apartment-sized oven. So, I am planning for next year, because this will come in handy if we want to warm up some pizza, or have something for lunch other than sandwiches. Will save us some money on food, too.

We had Thursday dinner at Sloppy Joes. That was really good. We had the wings for an appetizer, they were crunchy, sort of like Hooters. But they had a peppery taste to them. We may go back just to get some take-out wings to go. I had the fish tacos. Hadn’t had them in a while. Dh’s friend Ricky recommended the sweet potato fries, and they did not disappoint. DH had the fried shrimp, and he enjoyed those as well.

Friday was our 10th anniversary. My, how time flies. Seems like only yesterday. We went to our usual place, LeeRoy’s. Dh tried my fried green tomatoes for the first time. He was hooked!!! I had to chow mine down to keep him from stealing them. Haha!

Monday, we went to Rays game. Our office had gotten us all seats in the Checkers Bull Pen. That was pretty neat. They feed you down there too. Hotdogs and chicken and chips and stuff. Then I came home. Which I shouldn’t have...

Amazing how a simple thing like getting your mail can change things for the worse. When I fell on it, I honestly thought it was just a bad sprain. I figure, well, I can walk, right? Can’t be that bad... Well, after two days of being in pain, and the swelling not going down, I went to the doctor. They took some xrays. It’s broke. No, it can’t be. Yep, it is. The tip of the bone broke off. Yuck! So, three weeks in a soft cast. Guess it could be worse. Uggggg! Why me?

So, I’ve been adjusting to that. I’m not supposed to take it off. But I do take it off to drive. Or else, I ain’t getting to work. Don’t go to work, don’t get paid, that’s the way it goes. I didn’t wear it much yesterday. Was too lazy. So it is sore today. So I’ve got it on all day today. I’ve got to stop at the mall, too. (Westshore) This out to be fun. But things have to get done, no matter what.

We had our big rehearsal on Saturday. They also had auditions for the ensemble and solo pieces. I did mine. It wasn’t very good. But that’s okay, it’s just about getting the experience at this point. I’m thinking about hooking up with my friend Sil’s voice teacher. She’s in Temple Terrace. We’ll see, maybe after the 1st of the year. My pal Sharon from the Orlando group came over. We all had dinner at Panera Bread. Afterwards, I went to Bella’s to have a snack with my pal Gloria. Lots of chatting and gossiping and stuff. Fun, fun. I’ll have to tell you more about Saturday, but later on.

This Friday is the girls’ birthday party, at the skating rink. We were there last year, not sure why we are there again. Guess because it’s cheap. Oh, it’s from 5:30 – 7:30. Obviously this was a throw together at the last minute deal. I guess since none of that crew works, really, it’s no big deal. Right? Sigh! Because then I get to go home and pack my stuff up to drive down to Fried Green Tomatoes. DH says I should just skip the party, but I know them all to now. They will remember. Best to suck it up and just go. So, I get to Sebring late, at least I’m there, right?

And remember, the things you are liable to read in the Bible, they ain’t necessarily so....

new week!

2009-07-28T04:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, bad blogger, I know! Sorry about that. Work has been a bitch, busy, busy, busy!!! I can’t get anything done, and everything needs to be done before I take off this week. ACK!!!! I do know people are reading though! (Hi Jeri!)

We took Abbey Cat to the vet on Friday, where they did some blood work. Turns out her thyroid is way out of whack. Her numbers were “off the charts” they said. Poor thing, no wonder she’s been out of sorts. So she will have to take a pill everyday. Yes, a pill. This should be fun (NOT!) But at least she will start feeling better. She’s gotten so grungy the last few weeks from not bathing herself, I’m tempted to dunk her in the tub. We’ll see if she turns around in the next few weeks and go from there.

Saturday was Tim Holtz day at Ruban Rouge. Two fun-filled, PACKED (in more ways than one) classes. There were lots of goodies and toys and great things to play with. The first class was more of a jewelry making class, but the techniques can be used anywhere. The second was a grungeboard collage that used all different techniques and embellishments. Very fun indeed. I loved it. He is an extremely good teacher, and I recommend that everyone take a class with him, when they can.

We had a good lunch at Queen’s, I had a gyro with fries. And for dinner, I brought home a pepperoni pizza for DH. He loves their pizza A LOT!!! I guess, I do too. Haha!

Two more days until the beach. I have nothing done. Does this surprise you? No, it shouldn’t! Rehearsals on Mondays suck. With my flex schedule, these 18 hour days are killing me. The rehearsals don’t suck. They’ve been great actually. It’s the not going to bed and falling asleep at 5:30 that kills me. Oh well, such as life.

Okay now I need to break some eggs. I’m never going to get out of level 7.

Had a fun weekend!!!

2009-07-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend at Jill’s. It was fabulous. I did not want to come home, it was so nice up there. But home, I came. Ah well, all good things must come to an end.

I spent most of my time shopping (of course), eating (of course) and just hanging out. It was very relaxing. We had a blast, just hanging out on the back deck. It was so comfortable. Jill made us feel right at home.

I spent way too much money at Archiver’s. Not only did we all go on Friday, but a bunch of us took Gerri-Anne, Barb and Sonia there on Saturday. Egads! I got my pattern paper fill, that’s for sure. Such a weakness with me. They are pricey, though. I guess they figure they have a corner on the market and they can charge for it. And considering my usual LSS has been very lean lately, this came in handy.

I tried bison burger for the first time. It was very tasty. Leaner and a little drier than ground beef, but the flavor made up for it. I’d definitely try it again. Friday’s dinner was at a charming Italian place that Jill and Scott have been going to for years. A little family owned place by real Italians. Let me tell you, I don’t think the owner knew what he was getting in for, when he let us in the place. LOL!!!! I laughed till I cried. Then laughed till I peed! OMG!!!! Saturday dinner was pulled pork and home made coleslaw. Breakfast on Sunday was homemade blueberry pancakes. How good was that? Sunday was a stop at AC Moore. It was okay. I only spent about $10, nothing to write home about. Then lunch at Red Robin. I LOVE!!!! Red Robin. I had the sirloin sliders. Oh, so tasty. Hey, Red Robin folks!!!! When are you going to open in Tampa? We need you here!!!! Oh, and I almost forgot the Saturday night frozen custard run. Very tasty. I’m not a big ice cream person, but I ate that stuff right up.

So now I’m back to the daily grind. Unpacking, and cleaning up stuff. Ginger left me a present on my blanket this morning. So I was up at 5:30 doing laundry. Isn’t that lovely? He does pick the worst times. Work, work, work.

Nothing planned for this weekend. We’re going to a party Friday night for our neighbor, Chill Bill, who is turning 40. I hope to work on a few scrappy projects and get some pool time in, between the usual house work stuff. Ackkk! I need a maid.

Recovering from the 4th!!!

2009-07-08T06:02:00.000-07:00

Yawn!!! This is what happens when you don’t get enough sleep. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I went to bed at a decent hour. It’s just the phone ringing at 11:15 after I’ve been in a sound sleep for over an hour doesn’t help. Oh, and who was on the phone do you ask?

“Hi, this is Stephen Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning, join us on Sunday for Family Fun Fest.” Yep, 11:15...at NIGHT!!!! Way to go with programming those phones, Lightning ticket office. So I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning.

That was after a fruitless drive to Orlando for what I thought was going to be the launch for the UK trip. I went to where it was supposed to be, but no one was there. I had DH check the website, and it said to check the forum. My notebook was at work, and I didn’t have any phone numbers programmed in. I had him log under my name in the forum, and nope, nothing. I know it happened, based on a friend’s Facebook post, but damned if I know where. Very aggravating, especially after going through a half a tank of gas. Did have a good Quizno’s dinner, though, lol!! I guess I’ll just wait until next Thursday when the Tampa rehearsals start.

We had a good time on the Fourth. It was remarkably uneventful, which is fine by me. Just hung out in the ‘hood, and watched the neighborhood kiddoes play. I have to take a picture of my little friend Sarah who lives 3 doors down. The cutest little thing in her lady bug dress. Alas, I forgot. Next time for sure. I made Buffalo Chicken dip; I put shredded chicken, wing sauce, cream cheese, blue cheese dressing and cheddar cheese all in a crock pot. Stir and let it sit for a little while. Oh, yum! Maybe I should start one of those cooking blogs like Pioneer Woman. I could be rich! Okay, maybe not. But I was glad to have the three day weekend.

I’m doing 9 hour days to get every other Friday off, which will come in handy on saving me some vacation time this year. With the big trip in September, I was afraid of coming up short, not so much now.

Michael Jackson is still dead. We think... I really am not totally without compassion. I do feel for his family and the people he was closest to, it must be very difficult for them, especially since they are now in such a bubble it seems. And I do mourn for the talent that was and what could’ve been. But you know, walks like a duck, talks like a duck... Well, I’m done with that topic!

I’ve been listening to Live365 this week. A wide variety of genres on there, most of them free. I’ve got some Roots Reggae on, but it is not as “roots” as I would like it to be. Need more Marley and Bunny Wailers, if you ask me. But guess what? That’s okay, because there are 20! Other stations that play that type of music, and most of them free. Gotta love that. Yes, my music tastes are very varied! LOL! (Grrr! Speaking of molesters, R.Kelly just came on. Time to change the station. Grrr!)

Back to work. Gotta project to finish up before the weekend, and a few others I’d like to get done as well. And then off to North Carolina!! Woo Hoo! I am so looking forward to it, we’re going to have the best time with our pal Jill. Love it. See you soon.

Rain, rain go away...

2009-07-02T06:46:00.000-07:00

Well, dang, we go from feast to famine around here. For weeks, we’ve had nothing but oppressive heat. Now the sky’s have opened up and have dumped a gallon of rain on us for the last few days. Horrible rain, with lightning and thunder, and even a tornado near by. And to top it off, I had a client meeting to go to, too. Ack!!!

I had to drive up to Dunedin, with some wacky Google map directions that got me in the complete wrong direction. Sometimes you just need to say the hell with technology, and just go with your gut. If I had done that, I would have gone straight up 19, and it would taken me half the time. Okay, now for the rest of the story. I had to pee really, really bad. And I just can’t go in someone else’s office, it’s just a weird thing for me. So, lo and behold, there’s JoAnn’s right next door. What a coinky-dink? Right? Hehe! I was very good, I’ve got to go on a spending moratorium, since I have two trips in July. The only thing I bought was the Debbie Mum travel paper pack on sale for $12.00. OMG, is it cute??? Lots of glittery pages, and there are beach, and cruise, and something that looks like a winery type page. LOVE IT!!

The weekend was great. It was the Hilltop Birthday crop, where we bring out our air mattresses and just have a big slumber party. I had a great time catching up and hanging out with my crew. We were missing quite a few familiar faces, though...Stacey and Michelle, Jules, Miss Elle, Diana, Lauri, Lori L., just to name a few....

Linda always puts on a big spread. Some of my faves, too, like fried chicken. And her egg salad is awesome, I’ll have to get the recipe for that. I finished the boys albums, yay me!!! And I did a whole Bo Bunny kit album, that is for summer. The colors go perfectly with the pics I took in the H20 zone on the cruise. I think they will look fabulous. And I just ordered all my pics, too, with a Clark coupon.

Speaking of Miss Linda, I replicated her baked ziti last night. Except, DH likes pepperoni so much, I threw some of that in too. DH already had the meat cooked for me when I got home, or else I would have thrown some onions and garlic in there too. But it was still very tasty.

So, it’s Thursday, but it’s like a Friday to me. Listening to some tunes on Pandora. Some alt.country/folk type stuff that y’all have probably never heard of. Yay! I’m hanging out with some co-worker buddies tonight at our friend Deb’s house. Tomorrow, I have major laundry and house cleaning to do, and run to the store for BBQ on Saturday. Hopefully it will clear up and I’ll get some pull time in, right? Every one have a happy Fourth!!

Hello again!

2009-06-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

“We’re having a heat wave...a Tropical heat wave...The temperature’s risin’...it isn’t surprisin’...”

This heat is miserable, let me tell you. It really sucks the life out of you, doesn’t it? When I get home after being in a hot car, all I want to do is flop out and do nothing. Bleh!!! So, my house is a disaster again. Eek!

What did I do this weekend? You know, I don’t remember? Hmmm... I did soak in the pool for the afternoon on Saturday. Totally needed that. Sunday was Father’s day. We went over to DH’s grandfather’s new place, ordered some chicken wings from Honey’s and spent the day watching baseball.

I had an audition workshop on Monday night. It went really well. My pitch is perfect, my expression is great...but I’m very timid. Ya think? My friend Sil actually said something I took to heart: “Mar” she said “You’d be soloing all the time, if you just had more self-confidence.” Sil’s a pro. She’s an opera singer, and had even had call backs to the Tampa Bay Opera company. Interesting, how I know Sil. She is MIL’s ex-bf’s sister. Get all that? Yeah, this family tree has more twists and turns then you shake a stick at.

But getting back to the matter at hand, Self-Confidence. Yeah, easier said than done, I say. I was such a scaredy-cat when I was a child, no thanks to my upbringing. It took a lot of years to get through that hump and not be afraid that something bad is going to lurk around every corner. I just got to pull up my boot straps, and like Nike says “Just Do It!” That’s all there is to it, right? Uhhh.. sure if you say so. LOL!

I did get to Kohl’s last night, and got a few things. Towels mostly. Beach towels, some cheap-o bathroom towels for Abbey-Cat’s bathroom, kitchen towels, potholders. I’ve been slowly replacing my kitchen towels, potholders, etc, because the ones I have are so old and nasty. Ewwww!!! Had to get myself a few things too, some blouses, a new pair of sandals. Too cute!

Birthday crop this weekend!!! YAY! My fave! Can’t wait for that. Gotta get all my junk together tonite. I’m probably going to leave work early, but I’m not sure when. I was only going to work a half day, but I ended up going home sick on Monday. So, I’ll try and get out between 2 and 3. I’ll make a few stops to the store, the liquor store, wherever. Wherever the road takes me, right?

Hump Day

2009-06-18T04:27:00.001-07:00

It’s hump day. How did I make it this far? Today is a take it easy day. No one is here on my side of the office. I’m in a cube all by myself, crankin’ the internet radio and just going to town. I guess I do need to shuffle a few papers and make it look like I did something, huh? Haha! I’m on a push to get a lot of reports out by the end of July, and since I’ve had NO days off in June, it’s good to take a little breather, I suppose.

Last weekend was the Boxer crop at the Art Institute. Interesting place. We all had a good time. Looks like they raised a lot of money for their cause. Jules and I took the wine and chocolate class. That was really good. I had also signed up for a Photoshop class which turned out to be a bit of a joke. I walked out. But the other class more than made up for it. There were a lot of auctions and raffles and things going on too, and some of our Hilltoppers won quite a few. Yay for them!!!

I’m taking it easy this week. I was going on not enough sleep all of last week, so now I need to make up for it. I had to take my car in for an oil change this morning. One of my tires keeps running flat, and it’s a tire he’s already patched once. So, I see a new set of tires in the immediate future. I’ll keep an eye out for Tire Kingdom or Tires Plus ads to see if anyone has any good deals. Or if anyone knows any, holler! Really not something I needed to do right now, as we just put $500 in to fix our air conditioner. But it is what it is. Can’t drive without tires, right?

I’ll spend the rest of the week getting my room organized. The birthday crop is next weekend, so I have to get some pages planned to work on and finish. I may start the Vegas album for Dawn I said I would do. Or I may start that the next week. Want to work on some of my own pics instead. I should have the boys’ books done this week. Just need to think of something for the front cover.

Father’s Day is Sunday. We’re supposed to all go to the Colonnade. But knowing how scatterbrained SIL is (who’s in charge) we may end up eating hot dogs on the back porch. You know how that goes. Whatever happens, I’m sure it will all work out. It always does.

Thoughts go out to my good pal Jayne today. She lost her puppy this week after an illness. Please keep a good thought for her as well.

YAWN!!!

2009-06-12T12:27:00.001-07:00

I am very tired this week. Burning the candle at both ends and not getting a good night’s sleep. I’ve had some tummy troubles too, which were keeping me up. OY!

The garage sale was okay. Sold a few things, made about $30. Spent $15 on a Cuttlebug. Yes, me with a Cuttlebug, who knew?? Now I need some do-hickeys for it. What kind of do-hickeys? I have no clue, but I need some just the same. Bought DH his favorite pizza from Q’s. I had the mini-white pizza that Linda had last time. YUMMY!!!!

Workshop on Monday. Did some gospel/spiritual. The man showing us is an attorney here locally and is awesome! Interesting tidbit of Tampa history I learned. First Baptist is going to be 150 years old. At that time, the owners brought their slaves to church with them. After the Civil War was over, the church gave the freed slaves their own church to use, and that became Beulah Baptist. That church will be 145 years old this year. We start rehearsals again for real on July 16th. The next show at the TBPAC is October 17th. OCTOBER 17th! Mark your calendars.

Tuesday was a yuck kind of day. I was really nauseous and kept running to the bathroom all night. I was in bed early, just couldn’t stay in bed, kwim? So Wednesday I woke up dog tired. I was supposed to go out with some friends for dinner and then to a seminar, and was thisclose to cancelling, but I stuck it out. The seminar was one of those self-help, become a better person deals. Not my thing, but I said I’d go and I did and now I’m done. Hehe! By 9:30 I was ready to go. But nooooo!!! My tire is just about flat. OY! We head across the street to the Quicky-Mart, but their machine is busted. I had to go all the way to 49th Street just to find a working air pump. So I didn’t get home until after 11. Another late night.

Last night we did the family thing at Olive Garden. I did manage to get home at a decent time to go to bed early, but I was too tired to sleep. Ever have that feeling? So tossed and turned some more and here we are today.

I’ll be headed out here in a few minutes for the Florida Boxer Rescue crop. Looks like all kinds of fun stuff going on there. I’ll run home to get my stuff, and then over to the Art Institute. So not far at all this time around. Have no idea what I’m packing, but what else is new. Just looking for a good time.

Well, back to the grind. Only a few more minutes until it’s time to go. YAY!!!

Happy days...

2009-06-04T04:21:00.001-07:00

Howdie all! Hope all is well. We had a SingLive workshop last night, which went really well. Just seeing familiar faces was enough for me. John, our director, was really upset with the way Susan Boyle has been treated, esp. by the BGT people. Just threw her to the wolves, basically and now she has a mental breakdown. John says she probably never sing in public again, it was just too much for her. How sad would that be???

We’ve been helping DH’s grandfather move into his new condo this weekend. Moving is such a PITA. Everything is such a cluster!!! And FIL likes to pretend he’s in charge and boss everyone a round, so that doesn’t make it any easier. And I gotta say this (sorry, Michele!) Brighthouse SUCKS!!!! Out of the 3 boxes they got, one was totally defective and would not work. Another box, the DVR, worked and then all of a sudden it locked up and 20 minutes later totally reset itself. DH has had nothing but major issues trying to get things set up. And don’t even get me started on the phone. The only thing that is working is the computer, but even that is not great. They are supposed to come back today and fix everything they did not get right when they were out on Friday. They had FIOS at the old house, but where they’ve moved to does not have it yet. The lines are laid, but they aren’t ready to be hooked up yet. Probably a few more months says Verizon. It’s been an experience.

In the meantime, our A/C unit froze up last night. It’s been doing that a lot lately, seems just about every time we have a power surge. DH called the a/c man and he’s coming out tomorrow afternoon. I sure hope it’s nothing to serious. That would really put a crimp in the budget. But, DH said to be prepared. The unit is about 10 years old, and it’s a small unit for our size house we’ve been told (by several different sources.) It’s the bare legal minimum. Oh well! I guess that means I’ll be putting off other projects, like the house painting (I’m a little afraid on that one. Like I said, it’s 10 years old, and I think we’re the only ones who haven’t re-painted. I’m sure we’ll get a nasty gram from the HOA eventually) and tile (that was such a priority last summer, but it has moved down on the list for now.)

Gotta run to Target, probably tomorrow night. Gotta sort out my coupons first, they got to be a mess. Started last night before I went to bed, and then will finish tonite. Saturday is the RR yard sale. Kip and I are sharing a table. I don’t have a lot of stuff, but what I do have is some big ticket items. A table do-hickey, cropper hoppers, a few other bags. Lots of idea books too, I’ll probably slash them to $1 or $2. A lot of stuff, like old stickers and paper, I didn’t want to deal with, so I just threw it out. The little annoying stuff, you know? I know I won’t make a profit (hell, if I do make any, I’ll probably just spend it on someone else’s table.) But I would rather see this stuff go somewhere than the garbage heap, kwim?

Wrapping up the Week

2009-05-29T08:31:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. As always it was too short.

I had a great time at Rubon Rouge on Friday. I got a few more pages done in the boys books (I’m gonna get these damned things finished yet!) And spent most the time gabbing. And laughing. It was such a hoot. Kip’s card was the highlight of the evening I must say. Don’t forget those mitered corners, LOL!

Saturday was a blur. We went to the store, I did some laundry, but most of the day I just vegged out, reading in front of the TV. I watched a lot of movies this weekend. That was all there was. With the exception of Rescue Me, all the shows are done for the summer.

I did some cooking on Sunday. Made a nice chocolate Bundt cake, and some pretty good potato salad. Grilled some corn on the cob, and DH made ribs. We had a great meal. I jumped in the shower, so we could go hang out with the neighbors, and it started thundering really bad. So we decided to wait inside until it stopped, and then the power went out. It was out for over two hours. A wind storm knocked down a bunch of power lines. But it never did rain. Dh and the kids and friends proceeded to play a rousing game of kick ball. Kick ball? Who knew? Too funny.

I’m trying to perfect my potato salad. We had this really great potato salad in the café of the building I worked in. I got the tanginess part, and the consistency, but the flavor is still a little off. Last time I went over board on the relish. This time I think it’s too much mustard. Come to think of it, I don’t remember there being any mustard in theirs, it was all white. My grandmother’s had mustard though. I’ll just have to keep trying. (hmmm, here’s one on epicurious that uses sour cream, also.)

Monday was catch-up day, putting the house in order, etc. Nothing exciting there.

This weekend, we will be moving DH’s grandfather into their new place. It will probably be a rough weekend. We’ll see. I think it’s going to be tight. They closed on the condo yesterday, and the house closes on the 1st, I think. That only gives about 3 days to get everything done. I think Brighthouse was there earlier today hooking everything. We’ll see if that goes off without a hitch.

So, it looks like more of a working weekend, then anything. I’ll probably be pretty tired after tomorrow. I’ll have to rest up tonight, but will need to go to the store. Boy, I need a break.

Shopping Adventure

2009-05-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

Everyone in town has been talking about the big new IKEA. But another store just had their grand opening yesterday, and slipped under the radar. Crate and Barrel opened up next to International Mall yesterday. So, I braved the rain to take an adventure out there.

You know me, I love little cooking gadgets and the like, and I got plenty of them. Little mini spoons and spatulas and lots of neat glasses, and vases (I picked up one of those) and all kinds of little decorator items. So neat. My favorites of the day was a little glass syrup pitcher, like the ones they use in the restaurants. I also got a little mezza-luna cutting device like the one Rachel has on her show all the time, on sale for 9.99. And these pretty tall glass candle holders that were normally $12.95 on sale for 4.95. Good deals! They also sell furniture and stuff, too, but it’s pretty pricey. But such a cool store. I’ve always liked them. I can’t wait to see what they have at holiday time. My goal was to spend $50. I spent almost $70. Oops! Oh well.

Next I headed to the mall, over to Victoria’s Secret. (Linda, don’t read this part!) They had their cotton undies 10 for $25. They are normally 5 for $25. That’s $2.50 a pair. So I stocked up. The colors were kind of eh, but no one really sees them, so who cares. It couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s been a while since I’ve done laundry, LOL! I wish they had more darker colors. You know, for Aunt Flo. Am I the only one who has a “leakage” problem? Either the pads are too short, or not wide enough. TMI, I know. LOL!

Well in another hour or so I will head up to Rubon Rouge to meet Kip and Jules and Michele and Diana and whoever else will be there. It is a good night for a girl’s night out, so should be fun. Just wish this darn rain would go away. Sigh! Although I thought I saw a bit of sun coming back from lunch. I’m sure it won’t last too long.

back from Hiatus...

2009-05-18T09:22:00.001-07:00

will post more soon....

Hello All!

2009-04-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

Just a quick check in to let everyone know I am alive. I survived the birthday party, and the Alligator Alley shenanigans. I would post pictures, but I am having issues with Picasa. Any experts out there? It opens fine, and then when I click on something, like import or add folder, it locks up on me. I’ve tried installing and uninstalling it, but to no avail. DH seems to think it’s a Vista issue.

Well, now RC has gone and cancelled our stop in Cozumel. I’m really bummed about that, because I was looking forward to our excursion at Nachi Cocum. And since I am pushing for Eastern Caribbean next year, I don’t know when I will get a chance to go again. That really sucks.

The media hype on the Swine Flu is enormous. It is just ridiculous. It’s the flu, people, it happens. “OH, but people are dying.” Yes, they are. In Central Mexico. Where they have no access to doctors, or medicines or heck even clean water for that matter. Get a grip!!! People die from flu bugs all.the.time. Take the usual flu precautions, but don’t jump off a cliff for cryin’ out loud.

Well, I’m a busy beaver trying to get everything done in the next two weeks. Help me now!!

A couple shout outs today. To my friend Teri. I hope you are doing well and everything is okay. Call if you need me. And to Debi, who’s puppy has a tumor. Lots of love and hugs to him and to your family.

In case you haven't heard....

2009-04-20T06:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI2DxkrgpgQ

I know this has made the rounds, but thought I would show a different song this time to show this amazing woman’s versatility. I am so inspired by her. She gives hope to all of us “Plain Janes” out there.

I love the original version of this song, originally done by Julie London. A) because she was a fantastic singer in her time and B) because she was Nurse Dixie on my favorite 70’s show, Emergency! I love “I Dreamed a Dream” too, it was my own “audition” piece back in the day. It’s so funny, I actually mentioned to someone 3 weeks ago about going back to it. But since this has come out, time to find a new piece, LOL! No way will I do it justice now.

Of course, our director has gotten about a gazillion emails saying “Have you seen Susan Boyle?” He even told us of his father calling over from England saying “Have you seen Susan Boyle?” Funny stuff. He did tell us on Saturday that his “people” (and he has way more “people” then all of our “peoples” put together) is trying to work out a deal to have her perform with us in London this fall. Wouldn’t that be beautiful???

I’m still tired from this weekend. I’m not 19 anymore, this hectic performance schedule catches up to me a lot quicker then it did back then. I was thisclose to calling in sick today to get caught up on house stuff, but I didn’t. I need vacation days for later in the year, when DH and I go to the beach, and I always save one for Creepover and any other little events here and there that come up. I always want to carry over as many as I can, “just in case.”

So, this week I’ll be playing catch up. I’m driving down to SoFla on Friday for Tita’s first birthday. It’s actually on the 2nd, but her party is Saturday. I’ve got to go shopping in there somewhere too.

But we were in bed so early last night; I think I was out by about 9:15. I didn’t even clean up the kitchen after dinner. YUCK! So I have that waiting for me when I get home, so right at 4, I’m gonna book straight on out of here, so I can get home and get it done!!

I started the last leg of my room makeover/under, whatever you want to call it yesterday. Sorting the patterned paper. Man, that is a hard job, I don’t even think I’m half way through yet. There’s specialty papers, and “event” papers. I’ve got one whole section that is nothing but Christmas. Then you sort the stripes, and the flowers. Soft pastels, brights, darks....Then there are the “brands” that have to stay together. Basic Grey, BoBunny, Crate paper, it’s endless. Then I set a drawer aside for just the “Stacks” I’ve gotten from JoAnn’s/Michaels. The ones I just can’t seem to part with. I do actually use those, for cards and such, so I’m hoping sticking them in a drawer doesn’t mean out of sight out of mind. I started this project back around Thanksgiving, and now I am finally seeing some closure. Halleluiah!

Oh, one last tidbit of news, Dh’s grandfather sold their house. They have the closing pending for June 9th. Now we’ve got to find a place for him, tout suite. We have to clean out the house too, that will be a job. They do have an extra fridge and freezer in their garage that I would like to get either one or the other, since he will not have a garage probably in a condo. Just trying to figure out our own garage configuration, but it’s looking more and more like one of us will just have to not park in the garage. Well, we’ll think about that tomorrow. Sigh!

20 days until vacation. I’m so ready!!!

It's Good Friday

2009-04-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

Well, it is a GOOD Friday, isn’t it? I’m glad it’s Friday, aren’t you. Just had a yummy lunch at The Shrimp Store.

Nothing going on the world right now. So just taking a few moments to catch up. How about those Rays? 2-1 against the BoSox! Great way to start the season, boys.

The pollen sure is kicking my ass this week. DH too, as my allergies keep HIM awake. Oops! Good thing we have a comfy couch. That Claritin (or as the box says “Wal-itin”) must work really well, as I haven’t heard any more complaints.

Number One on the agenda for tomorrow is to get the car washed. Between the pollen and the sea salt from the high winds, my car is looking pretty pitiful. (Well, it always kind of does, but this time worse than ever.) Lunch is at Texas Roadhouse is on the agenda as well. I think we’re making those grape jelly meatballs for dinner tomorrow with some mac-n-cheese and some veggies. Maybe some more asparagus if it still looks good.

Doing my part to stimulate the economy as well. Did some damage at Macy’s the other night on shirts. Now I need some shorts/skorts/capris/something to get me through vacation and summer. Oh, ixnay the capris, I got two pair on line at NY&Co a few weeks ago, so I’m mostly looking for shorts/skorts/skirts maybe. Who knows? I’ll start at Sears and Penney’s. Sear’s looks promising, just checked out their website. 50% off all dresses. Then I have a 20% off coupon at Kohl’s, I’ll try them next. And I’ll have to hit Dillard’s some time next week too. They have the best lingerie selection. Hey, it is a vacation, you know? Then we’ll have a Wal-Mart run for toiletries, a case of water, our “first aid”supplies (Tums, Pepto, Gas-X, etc.), suntan lotion, all that good stuff. Nothing like a week’s vacation to stimulate the economy, eh?

Hey, speaking of Sear’s, look what I just found? Think it’ll make a good formal night dress? http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_031D3336000P?vName=Clothing&cName=Women%27s&sName=Dresses

I got Easter basket goodies at Target last night. Oh, what fun that always is. Candy galore this time of year, isn’t it? I also picked up eggs for 49 cents between the coupon and the sale price. Michele would be so proud of me.

Don’t forget big show next Saturday night! Be there or be square!!!

Catching up

2009-03-31T07:55:00.001-07:00

Just catching up. The weeks just blur together sometimes, ya know? But that’s life, I guess.

Friday was DH’s birthday. I tried to convince him he wanted to go to Disney World (Hey, it’s free!) but to no avail. Oh, well. We spent Friday out and about getting stuff done, and had dinner at Crazy Buffet (also free!) I loaded up on sushi and shrimp and crab legs. The four food groups, of course. Oh wait, what’s the fourth? Oh yeah, the chocolate fountain, of course. How could I have forgotten? After that, we went home and let our food digest.

Saturday, we met MIL and her DH for lunch. That’s interesting as always. I’ll just leave it at that. MIL is now on Facebook. That should also be interesting. I guess as long as she doesn’t find the blog, I’m okay. LOL! Actually, it was a good lunch at Honey’s. I had the buffalo shrimp and DH had the wings. Very yummy as always.

We topped the night off with a BBQ with the neighbors. We just ate and hung out. Nothing too fancy. But it was nice. Windy as hell, though. WOW! Everything just blew away. DH and our buddy Mike from down the street decided to “jam” in the garage. That was really cool. They sounded really good, so I hope there is more of that in the future. “Rock Band, Smock Band!” Who needs it when you have the real thing, right?

Sunday we just chilled for a little bit. I made a turkey breast and all that goes with it. It came out really good, and I think DH had the leftovers for lunch yesterday. Can’t beat that.

I’m tired today, though. We’ve got our show in Orlando on Friday (and the one here in two weeks), so lots of extra rehearsals this week. Two of which are actually in Orlando. Have I told you I’m tired? Must..have..caffeine..now!

One musing I have for the day. How do people get such a distorted view of reality? I’m looking at a little note I had written down some 15 years ago that I keep on me at all times. #4 says “My reality is not yours”. Ah, well, this too, shall pass.

Want to give a shout out to my good friend Jill. She lost her MIL this past weekend, while she was at the Sock Hop. Lots of good thoughts for her right now.

Happy Birthday!!!

2009-03-25T06:45:00.001-07:00

If you love Broadway musicals...

2009-03-23T06:02:00.001-07:00

Don't miss this show...

April 18th, 7:30 pm, First Baptist Church of Tampa. $15 in advance, $18 at the door.

Be there or be square.

Luck o' the Irish to ya!

2009-03-17T04:27:00.000-07:00

Today is St. Patty’s Day! Everyone should be a little Irish today. Even if I don’t like Corn Beef and Cabbage. Is it weird to have Taco Night on St. Patty’s day? Oh, well! Yesterday was corporate tax filing day, with luckily no big fires to put out.

So on Friday, our new “team leader” (and I use that term loosely) planned a luncheon on Friday afternoon. Not smart planning, IMHO! Yes, our testing is done, but CPA’s still want numbers. Is it evil of me to think it was poetic justice that she really couldn’t stay and drink with us, because she didn’t have her own work done? Yes, I know, so bad, so bad!

I actually stuck close to home this weekend, and got a lot accomplished. Scrubbed the deck some, cleaned bathrooms, did a few loads of laundry, washed curtains and table cloths, did everything, except mop the kitchen floor. I’ll do that tonight. Also downloaded a bunch of stuff into ITunes. I’m listening to some of it now. Lots of old stuff, like the 4 Tops and lots of new stuff too, like Death Cab for Cutie. And lots of stuff in-between! Quite a hodge podge, wouldn’t you say?

Now, this week, tickets go on sale for our big show Sing the Giants of Broadway. It is April 18th at the First Baptist Church in downtown Tampa (across the street from UT.) Tickets are $15. If you’re going, give me a holler, and I will hook you up. I have order forms now. It’s going to be a great show.

Good morning all

2009-03-04T07:52:00.000-08:00

I just realized I hadn’t updated my blog from last week. Oops! Well, that’s what happens when tax season comes around. Busy, busy, busy around here. I’ll be glad for March 15th, really, I will be. Northing else happening, really.

Last weekend, my plans got changed at the last minute, and I went to the Incarnation crop. It was fun, a lot of my favorite people were there. Linda and Elle and Kathy L. and Michele. Val came too, it’s always good to see her. I’ll be hanging out with them Friday night, after the hockey game. Jill and Jayne too. They are coming down for the cruise that leaves on Saturday. Also, Maura was there with her table. So, Hilltop was representing.

Big news is that Tim Holtz is coming to Ruban Rouge on July 25th. I called yesterday and put my deposit down for both classes. I have no idea what they classes are, but really don’t care. It’s TIM!!!!! Woohoo! Teresa Collins is coming too, but that’s our 10th wedding anniversary, and we haven’t made our beach plans, yet, so I put her on hold this time around. Gotta save up for my other trips, too.

This Saturday is Zoo Zoom, the 5K run, walk, (crawl!) at Lowry Park Zoo. We have a team going from the office at O:so early in the morning. Egad, what have I gotten myself into there? I’m just going for the free T-shirt, haha! Oh, and to take pictures for the office newsletter.

Today is also our 14th date anniversary. Isn’t that sweet? SWAK!!!

So, other than that, looks like it will just be a busy work week as usual. Have fun!

Another week has started

2009-02-23T05:57:00.000-08:00

I’m listening to the song Summer right now. (Oh, it’s Summmmmer, Summertime is here!) Well, no. No it’s not here. But I’d wish it’d hurry up and get here. I miss my pool. Hehe!

Well, in case you didn’t know, or wanted to know, I have a chance to be part of a performance at Royal Albert Hall in London in September. I’ve known about this for a long time, since last summer actually, but Saturday night I got the details, talked it over with DH and made the decision, so now it’s a go! England has always been on my bucket list of places to go/see, and now I’m actually doing it. I am completely amazed about the opportunities that have presented themselves to me in the last year. It is fantastic.

We also made the paper today too:
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/feb/23/na-sing-live-concert-program-gives-every-voice-a-v/

DH has been on a cooking kick as of late. Which is a good thing, don’t get me wrong. The idea behind it is to not eat out so much, and save money. (Always a good thing, wouldn’t you think?) So, every night we have a meal planned. Isn’t that cool? I’ve been trying to do this for months, but I never seem to have enough time. So, we’ve been sticking to our guns.

We made baked chicken last night, like his grandmother used to make. He did a really good job, I was very proud of him. I made some asparagus (on sale at Publix this week), with some fake hollandaise sauce which was not too bad either. All in all, a very nutritious and inexpensive meal. And he has leftovers for lunch, too. Tonight, I’m making Sloppy Joes, with corn, and I bought a side salad yesterday at Publix as well.

I said if we keep this up, we’ll have to clean out the garage and make room for another fridge. Good luck with that! Haha!

I’ll be going down to So. Fla. This weekend to hang with that gang. Joelle invited me to come spend her birthday, so we’re going to go out Friday night and hit a few clubs and have a few drinks. Should be a good time.

Have a good week!

A new week

2009-02-17T06:34:00.000-08:00

Hey, it’s been a while! That’s what happens when nothing’s going on. I mean nothing. I’ve just been muddling through, with busy season and all that stuff. The weekend was pretty much a blur. I stopped by Pamela’s for an hour or two to hear some music stuff. Then DH and I went to ABC Pizza. Saturday morning got up and met my friend Gloria, and then we had to drive over to Orlando. I was back home by 12:30. Then I met DH for lunch at Honey’s.

After Honey’s, we took a long nap, as I had not gotten much sleep the night before. And, oh yeah, it’s Valentine’s Day. After we got up, we decided it was too late to go out, so we went to Publix, and picked up a few things to make dinner. I guess we dragged it into a Valentine’s “weekend” at that point. Hehe! Sunday morning, we exchanged presents and cards, and chilled out most of the day. Then we went to LeeRoy Selmon’s for dinner. We both had the Pulled Pork Nachos and the Sweet Heat Chicken (I also had a garden salad.) Oh, so yummy! I love that place.

DH has been on a cooking kick this week. Trying to save money, which is a good thing. Last night he made Roast Beef Sandwiches (Think: PW’s Marlboro Man Sandwich) with the leftover Mac-N-Cheese I made on Saturday. Tonite it is Tacos.

I need to get my nails done, but I’m going to put it off until Tomorrow. DH is determined to get our taxes done tonite. I’ve been procrastinating. I’m having financial anxiety. Could be the economy? Eh, who knows? I’m $3 off on my checkbook ($2.98 to be exact), and it bugs me. Yes, I am anal about that crap. Which is why I drag my feet on taxes, even though we’ve never owed. We are getting back less, not sure why (which is what I’m determined to find out tonite). But we always get something back. I know that it is something I inherited from my grandmother. She taught me this kind of stuff at a young age.

Remember in the old days, when you actually got your checks back in the mail. Well, I would read off the check numbers and she would check them off in the checkbook. I was about 7. And I’ve always done my own taxes. When I was 15, and got my first W-2, my step-dad gave me the EZ book, and said, sit down and read it, and if you have questions, let me know. When you’re done, I’ll look at it with you and make sure it’s right. No computers back then. Just a book and a pencil. But I learned. I was very self-sufficient. So I do have them to thank for that. But it is also where I get my anality (is that a word) from?

Let’s see what I’m listening to right now: This Can’t Be True by Eddie Holman (He used to be with the Temptations, I think.) It’s the R+B playlist, as you can see.
Have a good week, all!

Opportunity of a Lifetime!

2009-02-09T11:20:00.001-08:00

I had the unique opportunity on Saturday to attend a program at Walt Disney World as part of their Magic Music Days. The seminar we took is here.

We went to the Performance Hall at Saratoga Springs. According to our facilitator, this building is THE most expensive one in Disney World. It is built to be acoustically perfect, and has all state of the art, high end recording equipment.

After working with a clinician (who was a former Miss Florida) we did two selections from the Lion King, and then a jazzed-up version of The Mickey Mouse Club with dance moves and everything. What an adventure that was! Then at the end, we got to meet Mickey. He’s short in real life, LOL! What fun!

Afterwards, some of the girls went to Chevy’s Tex-Mex for lunch. I had the Shrimp Fajita Salad, and it was soooo good! (No, I didn’t do a Kip and take a picture of it. My dang camera battery died, and I had left the spares in the car. BooHoo!)

Afterwards, I went to IKEA to buy my Expedit shelves for my room. If you do plan to do this in the future, do yourself a favor and take a buddy with you. These things are HEAVY!!!! So $200 in purchases later, and a side trip to Crate and Barrel, I was on the way home. DH had made pulled pork in the Crockpot for dinner and it was very good.

We’ve got a couple big shows coming up in April. The first is April 3rd in Orlando, and the second is April 18th here in Tampa. We are doing the Greats of Broadway, and with a big name Broadway arranger working with us on the shows. I can tell it’s going to be great. The Tampa show is going to be at the First Baptist Church downtown and tickets are $15. I’ll have more on how to get tickets when it gets closer to the time. Hope everyone has a chance to see it. If you want more info, just give me a holler!

It's back to the grind again.

2009-02-04T06:07:00.000-08:00

Well, first off, let me tell you that Winter Retreat was just fabulous! I had a wonderful time as always. I think the highlight of the weekend for most of us was the album we presented to Linda with all our pages in it. She was just speechless. Hard to imagine Linda that way, hehe. It has to be an amazing feeling to know that you are that loved by so many people. It’s really great isn’t, it?

Looks like everyone made it home safely, with a few incidents. Poor Gerri-Anne and her trailer. I hope they get it replaced, tout suite! Joelle and I were in a roll-over caused by a blow out one Spring Break. It was pretty scary. If we hadn’t had seatbelts on, we probably wouldn’t be here right now, instead we walked away with just scratches. This is why you will never see me without a seatbelt!!! Okay, that’s it for my PSA!

And it sounds like Kip is still out of commission. Migraines are a horrible thing; I don’t wish them on anyone. I’ve had a few bad ones, but nothing like what she’s going through. I hope she gets better quick on the new meds. And I’m also glad that Woody is still here to take care of her.

But other than a few mishaps, a very good weekend over all. It’s so great to see everyone. I almost wish we could do this more than once a year. (Okay, technically we do have FGT and Creepover, and B-day, but y’all know what I mean!) I guess it’s just people like Jayne and Lauri and Natasha (who I haven’t seen in EONS!) and Kelsey and Roz just live so darned far away. I wish everyone lived right here, and in this 30 mile radius. Wouldn’t that be a hoot! We would never be bored, would we?

Anyways, I got there on Friday after the great Eagles concert Thursday night (AWESOME!) and some shopping around and prepared to work. Well, some. Well, a little. Hey, I adhered a whole album! And then spent most of Saturday working on Elle’s album class. It is so pretty. I didn’t get to my cabin book, but I’ll do that one at the next crop. I’m “hoping” to go to the crop at Incarnation, but I’m depending on someone else (as always) to give me their schedule. Long story! Otherwise, it may be March before I’m cropping again…Boo!

Sadly, on Sunday, after lots of good times and good eats, we had to pack up and leave around 10 am. We hit Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then down to Griffin’s. I had already been there Friday, but went back Sunday and bought us a Christmas tree. Yes, a Christmas Tree in February. But we needed one desperately, and their trees are so nice, and I found the perfect one for 80% off. So I took the plunge. Monday, I plugged the pieces in and lo and behold! They work! So happy about that!

For this week, we’re going to the Disney recording studios Saturday morning, I’m stoked about that. Afterwards, I’m going to stop at IKEA and spend some of my bonus money, woo hoo! (About 6% this year. I was SHOCKED! YAY, I can pay some bills, too! And maybe finally get my floors). I know I have lots to talk about on that end, but these things always seem to get too long, so I will hold off until another day. Now, it’s back to work time!

Here Again...

2009-01-26T12:56:00.000-08:00

Why is it when I plan to catch up around the house, I never do? UGG! DH and I went out to eat Friday. We picked up a couple of cheesesteaks, and then stopped in to BB&B. Didn’t get anything exciting, just a few things on clearance. I spent about $10.

We then stopped by FIL’s and visited with them and dh’s grandfather for a while. Everyone seems to be doing okay, considering. Today might be hard, because everyone is back at work today, but FIL will go over and take him out for coffee or something. I think he’ll be alright in the long run. Here’s hoping anyway.

Anyway, I had ½ a Chicken Philly Friday night and was fine. Then had the other ½ for lunch on Saturday, and it made me really sick. So, spent most of the time either in bed or in the bathroom. Not how I wanted to spend Saturday.

Sunday I was better though. Finished nearly all my laundry. Worked on my room some. All the embellishments are put away, so I can now (mostly) see the floor. Now I have to get the stuff out of the hallway and put it back. It’s getting there.

I’m going to rehearsal tonight instead of Thursday as Thursday is the Eagles concert. Then Friday, I’ll be off to WR. It’s looking to be another cold one weather-wise. Friday’s low is 30, high is 62, Saturday 31/60, but then Sunday a little warmer 39/66. BRRRR! (Have I told you how much I hate cold? Yet I go every year, don’t I? I am a glutton! LOL!!!)

I’ll have exciting news in the next few days about our upcoming show and all the excitement going on with that. Fun Stuff for sure.

Happy Monday.

This week...

2009-01-23T07:14:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am. It’s been a long hard week, probably one of the longest. DH’s grandmother passed away around 5pm last Friday. Her whole family was with her when she went. She was laid to rest on Tuesday.

I have such a feeling of emptiness now. I’m sure it’s magnetized times 10 for DH and 100 for his grandfather. I’ve lost a loving family member, my gossip buddy, and my language teacher all rolled into one. It hurts…for now…but if there’s anything I’ve learned in this short time on earth, it is perseverance. We go on. We have to. If we don’t, we wilt away ourselves. And that’s not what our loved ones would have wanted for us.

So life goes on. You live it to the fullest. Everyday is a gift. Yes, I know I’m full of clichés. That’s pretty common at a time like this.

So the theme of the day…Appreciate your gifts:
-Loving family and friends who are just like family. (You know who you are.)
-Being relatively healthy and able to go out and enjoy the world.
-An ability to appreciate humor in everything. (Yes, even this. Because I know darn good and well, I’m being cussed out from above for spending way too much time on this!)
-The ability to live comfortably. Okay, I know the whole “money doesn’t buy happiness.” No, it doesn’t. But I’m grateful for the fact that we do have decent jobs, especially in this economy, and that we have a roof over our heads and food on the table. We’re not struggling day to day. I remember some lean years growing up. And I think I’ve worked hard to ensure that I won’t have to live like that any more.
-And lastly, to know that we can enjoy the beauty in the world. A flower growing, a child laughing, a kitten purring, a tropical sunset. All these things are beauty, in their own right.

I’m usually not one for maudlin or sentimental gush. My style is more sarcastic or dark humor. You regulars know that. But to quote an all-time favorite movie: “Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” (Bonus points for the person who can tell me the movie!) :P

I borowed this from Jules!

2009-01-16T04:27:00.000-08:00

1. Do you like blue cheese? YES

2. Have you ever smoked? YES

3. Do you own a gun? NO WAY

4. What flavor Kool Aid is your favorite? FRUIT PUNCH

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? YES, I KNOW I'M GONNA GET A LECTURE ABOUT SOMETHING, LIKE MY WEIGHT.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? MMMMM....CHILI DOGS

7. Favorite Christmas movie? CHRISTMAS CAROL

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? COKE

9. Can you do push-ups? THE WUSSY GIRLY KIND I CAN

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? MY ENGAGEMENT RING

11. Favorite hobby? SCRAPBOOKING AND STAMPING (LIKE KIP!) AND MUSIC

12. Do you have A.D.D? YES, MOST DEFINATELY!!!

13. Do you wear glasses/contacts? SUPPOSED TO

14. Middle name? ELISABETH

15. Name thoughts at this moment? HOW AM I GONNA MAKE IT TO 4PM???

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? WATER, SODA AND OJ

17. Current worry? NANA AND DH

18. Current hate right now? THE COLD

19. Favorite place to be? ON A BEACH OR IN THE POOL SOMEWHERE

20. How did you bring in the New Year? I SLEPT...WE WERE SICK

21. Where would you like to go? ENGLAND (HOPEFULLY IN THE FALL IF I CAN GET THE TIME OFF WORK)

22. Name three people who will complete this? LINDA, MICHELE, JAYNE

23. Do you own slippers? NOPE

24 What color shirt are you wearing? GRAY WITH LAVENDAR "GAP" LETTERS

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? NO...STATIC ELECTRICITY

26. Can you whistle? NOPE

27. Favorite Color? PURPLE

28. What songs do you sing in the shower? NONE

29. Would you be a pirate? ONLY IF I CAN HANG WITH JACK SPARROW (SWOON!)

30. Favorite Girl's Name? SIOBHAN, NATALIE

31. Favorite boy's name? ALEXANDER

32. What's in your pocket right now? POCKETS ARE EMPTY

33. Last thing that made you laugh? OUR DIRECTOR LAST NIGHT AND HIS ACCENT.

34. What vehicle do you drive? FORD EXPLORER

35. Worst injury you've ever had? TORE OUT MY KNEECAP PLAYING SOFTBALL WHEN I WAS 10.

36. Do you love where you live? I DO, JUST WISH I HAD A LITTLE MORE ROOM.

37. How many TVs do you have in your house? A LOT!!!

Just an update

2009-01-10T05:52:00.000-08:00

No sooner had I finished, than "girlfriend" shows up in the backyard.

Miles is jumping from window to window trying to "talk" to her. too, too funny!

Happy Weekend!

2009-01-10T05:26:00.000-08:00

Goodness, is the weekend here already! I'm so glad. Getting 4 hours of sleep the night before will do that to you, ya know?

So, what did you all think of that game? Wasn't it great? Well, of course the Gators are victorious, did we expect anything else? I know I'm singing..."We are the boys of Old Florida, Down Where the Old Gator Plays." So, the question now is, will Tebow be back? I say yes. I think he really wants to finish his degree. Its good to know, that despite being probably one of Florida's best quarterbacks, his life is way more than football. And unfortunately, his style of quarterbacking won't make it in the NFL...now if he wants to become the next Mike Alstott, I'm sure Gruden can find a spot for him, hehehe!

I'm off to the mall today, hopefully to find my t-shirt. I may go to Kohl's this morning, too, they are having Power Hours and I want to use my gift card. But I don't know what I need. Pants are the biggest thing, but buying pants are such a huge PITA, being big and short at the same time is not a good combination.

Well, DH's grandmother went back to the hospital. She's been in and out since before Christmas. I got a call Monday morning that she has gone into liver failure. She had been diagnosed with non-alcoholic cirrohsis this summer. They've drained several liters of fluid from her stomach. She's also had to fight off a host of infections, but we did hear on Thursday that her white cell count had gone way down, so that's good. Just taking it one day at a time. She's very tired and weak, and I'm not sure how much fight she has, but it's out of our hands at this point.

So now, I'm going to go pay a few bills and clean up the house. Fascinating stuff, let me tell you. (GRRR Miles just knocked off my connection. Have to fix it!) Okay, I'm back. He's silly. Now he's looking out the window, looking for his "girlfriend" the black and white kitty that wonders around the neighborhood. One morning I woke up to some caterwhauling, it was her climbing on the outside of the screen, and Miles screeching on the inside.

Well, that's all for now. Off to bask in some football glory! See ya!

A New Year!

2009-01-05T06:11:00.000-08:00

Well, this weekend our house was full of sickness. First, DH and now, me. UGG!!!! I took a Zyrtec yesterday and pretty much slept the day away. Now, I’m at work muffling through. At lunch I’m going to go to the store and get some decongestants (something that won’t make me sleep). Sigh! I was supposed to go to the crop in Ruskin this weekend, but had just too much crap to do, and now I’m kinda glad I didn’t, because I would have given this to everyone else. And I’m sure no one would have appreciated that. But hopefully, I’ll get over it pretty quick, and try and go to Sarasota this weekend. One day at a time, I say, right?

New Year’s Eve we went to Mike and Dawn’s, but DH was so out of it on cold medicine I had to drag him home at 11. We fell asleep quickly after that, and missed the ball drop. DH says “It’s a big crystal ball, it’s in Time Square and it drops. Just like last year. What is there to miss?” So true, so true. I tried to get the tree down on NYD, but he was out for the count and there is no way I can get in the attic by myself. (darn my shortness and fear of ladders!)

Friday it was back to work time. But they did let us leave early. At 2:30. Woohoo, a whopping hour and a half. I think it was because the boss walked around and saw everyone on the internet and figured out we weren’t going to work anyway. Gee, you think!

Saturday, DH was feeling better, but I was starting to get that little throat tickle. We managed to get the entire house taken down and packed up, and all the usual pictures, table cloths, etc, were put back in the position they are the other 11 months out of the year.

Now, what about that CK debacle with the Project 365 album? Once again they have decided to make a name for themselves. And it was NOT a good one. I had sworn off of them after the whole Hall of Fame fiasco last year, but with all the buzz on this one, I figured, what the hell, right? Always listen to your gut, I say. So, I tried to get in, and tried and tried, and just kept getting bounced out. Or the screen would sit there and not move. So I decided to try it later. Well, a half hour later and guess what? All sold out…And no apologies, no explanation. Just a huge mess AGAIN! And I’m seeing people being charged $15 and $20 for shipping, when the kit itself was only $30!!! Come on CK, get on the ball!!!!

I’m listening to the Joe Henry albums I downloaded yesterday. He’s pretty obscure, so those of you who don’t know who he is, if you ever see those “Tribute” videos that TCM does at the end of the year, he does the haunting background music. He’s considered “Alt. Country” which to me isn’t really country. It’s more bluesy-jazzy-folksy type of music. Anyway, I am really enjoying it right now.

Well, that’s all for today. Have fun!

ALmost a New Year

2008-12-29T06:06:00.000-08:00

Did you have a good Christmas? I did. It was very busy and hectic, but it was great just the same. Got some Christmas cash to go spend... (Maybe at RR? Their 40% off sale starts today. Anybody else want to go?) And got to spend time with my munchkins, always my favorite part.

Faxonisms:

Faxon: Santa’s going to bring me an Xbox, a PSP and a million games.
Me: A million? That’s a bunch. Santa’s elves are going to be working overtime.
Faxon: That’s okay, they’ll do it for me.
Me: I dunno. Those elves are union, ya know, and Santa doesn’t want to pay them overtime and mess with their union.
Faxon: Aw, they’ll do it. Because I’ve been extra special good this year.

(Said at the dinner table)
Me: Be careful with those plates. That’s the last thing I want to do is clean up a mess.
Faxon: Oh, sarcasm, (said with an eyeroll)
Me: Honey, I am the queen of sarcasm, you have a long way to go to catch up with me.

(Said while hamming it up for the kid’s flip camera that Cassidy got)
Faxon: This show is money, money, money, like cash in my pocket. I got a whole $20!!!

(Said at Nana’s house, a teenage cousin was visiting and she was talking about her younger cousin who also usually visits, but not this time.)
Faxon: Austin!?!?!? Never heard of him. (DH is laughing hysterically at this.)
(Then upon seeing said cousin’s picture...)
Faxon: That kid need’s a hair cut!

Add this to the story his father told me about how he placed a $900 order on Amazon. The only way BIL found out was the email confirmation was sent to his IPhone and he cancelled it immediately. Hoo boy, and this kid isn’t even 7 yet??? Look out!

There was a little drama (isn’t there always) as MIL and her mother aren’t speaking to each other. So we had to visit them separately instead of together. Let’s just say that some people have a knack for revisionist history. :eyeroll: But we moved on and the rest of the day was great.

Worked on Friday (that’s a story for another day.) and then went home around 2pm to take a nap. We had dinner at ABC Pizza and then stopped at Target, and I picked up a few things. I wanted a new tree, but all the ones they had only had clear lights, not colored ones, which is too bad, because they were at a good price.

I’m seeing light at the end of the tunnel in my scrap room. I went through 3 of my 4 sticker albums and took up half a garbage bag. Who knew???? All I have left is my desk, and one set of drawers which is mostly memorabilia, programs, ticket stubs, cards, things like that. Then comes the task of putting everything away. Oh, boy will this be fun. One thing I didn’t realize, is how much darn chipboard I’ve accumulated. I have almost a four foot high stack!

Well, this is getting long, I’m on page 2 of Word, so I will sign off for now. Happy New Year everyone.

Three Days Until Christmas

2008-12-22T06:50:00.001-08:00

Ah, just three more days until the big day. I *almost* got all my Christmas cards out. Yes, I am a slacker. I finished almost all of them on Friday. I had a few stragglers I didn’t have addresses for, etc. Then on Saturday, someone I thought was off the list showed up again! ACK! (Did you read Sally Forth in the paper yesterday? I had that EXACT conversation on Saturday.)

So, I had everything ready to go today, or so I thought. I got here this morning and realized I’d forgotten the mailing labels. D’OH!!!! So they will get mailed tomorrow. So a few of you out there in blogland may be getting your card the day AFTER Christmas. Sorry about that folks. L

I did all my grocery shopping on Saturday for the week. I’m making my world famous (HA!) spinach dip for work, broccoli casserole, Cajun shrimp, these little chocolate mousie things I found in Simple & Delicious, and a pizza bread for the neighbor’s party tomorrow. I really don’t want to go to the neighbor’s “Hanakkamas”party, but it’s one of those “you feel obligated” things. I’m way closer to my bunco girls of course, but none of them will be at this party. Sigh! I do have a couple friends that will be there, though (both named Linda, ironically, enough!)

I cleaned like a freak yesterday, but still didn’t get the bathrooms done. Tonight I will do that. I did a ton of laundry. Got all but one load done, and started some of the ironing. Started the gift wrapping. Will finish that up tonite, too. Except for bows and ribbons, I wait until the last minute for those. If not, Miles will eat them. Hehe. I watched two different Christmas Carols on Saturday.

I’m on my fourth bag of scraproom garbage. How do we accumulate all this junk? This time it was mostly scraps. You know, when you make a page or something, and you think, Oh, I’m going to save this one little inch scrap because I can use it on a card or something else. And then what happens? You get overrun by those little scraps. So out they went.

Well, the carols are going, and it’s time for the final countdown. I’m feeling pretty calm and relaxed so far. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Lovin my gifts!!

2008-12-17T05:52:00.000-08:00

Ah, good morning. I’m basking in the glow of a wonderful weekend. It was a great party Saturday night. Everyone had a great time and we had loads of yummy food. Oh, man, we had roast pork, and ham, and potatoes, and shrimp and crap dip, and a big ole salad, and about a gazillion desserts, including home made turtle! WOW!!! It was all so good.

We had a great gift exchange. Everyone is so blessed and lucky. I got a load of stuff from the great Miss Elle! Do you know how wonderful she is? Well, of course you do, but I thought I’d remind you. She just goes above and beyond for everyone. Even the babies got stuff. They got their own stocking and enough catnip toys to last them for a year!

And you know those great bags that Terese from the Hilltop girls makes? Well, I got not one, not two, BUT FOUR of them. Each one is a beauty. That Terese does some great work! And each one of them was filled with the brim. Let me tell you another thing that Elle did, that she was so talented at. She is embroidering now, and will have a business soon embroidering professionally. If you have a chance, too, check out her work. I think Kip took a few pics on her blog. It is simply gorgeous.

I had Gerri-Anne, and it looked like she had a lot of fun, too. I hope so. I hope she had a great time, and loved her gifts. She’s the best!

We also went to downtown Tarpon, and checked out some of the antique stores. Very cute! Found an old bar to hang out at. More fun! It was such a great night we really didn’t want it to end. So thanks to all my stocking pals, I love you all! And big huge thanks to Elle for making it extra special for me this year.

And one last big shoutout to Teri who passed her exams this semester. Just one more left!!

It's Friday again!

2008-12-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

Well, is it Friday again? OMG, it is!!! Where did this week go? I got my FINAL Stocking Pal gift this morning. Yes, the final. Yes, I do procrastinate. I won’t say what it is. But I did get it while buying my coffee this morning. (Ah, heck, Mar, everyone had coffee something on their list, that’s not a hint.) hehehehe! You will just have to wait until tomorrow whoever you are. I hope you are (pleasantly!) surprised.

I am going over about 4. (JULES!) I don’t know if I am sleeping over or not. Jules may have a packed house, and DH is going to the neighborhood party (by himself, shocker!) It will all depend on how late we’re up, and of course, the alcohol consumption. LOL! (Me, a drinker? Never!)

So, as you can see I’m getting into this holiday spirit. Although Eric just told me that the Indian place we were supposed to eat lunch at has closed down. This was my delayed birthday lunch, since last week was such a mess, and with meetings and stuff we couldn’t go. And I had picked the Indian buffet, since Deb is off today and she hates Indian food. Well that’s a bummer. So we’re going to Fred Flemings instead. Let me tell you about this cornbread they have. It’s not just any cornbread. It’s about the size of your head, with lots of real corn and melted cheddar on top. OMG, it’s the best!!! I’m craving it.

I was going a little crazy yesterday, lots of work stuff piling on top of me. But I’ve seem to have gotten a handle on it. I went to the store. Lost my list and forgot half the stuff I needed to bake for tomorrow. Oh well, I have to run to Target anyway, so I’ll get that over with. Get my nails done, pick up my prescriptions (which I forgot yesterday, DOH!). Start my baking and my gift wrapping. I have a feeling it will be a late night.

Speaking of late nights, Miles’s favorite place to sleep is on top of my head. I have no idea why. It can’t be comfortable. It’s not comfortable for me. But Wednesday night he did not go to bed. Whenever I’d get up to go to the bathroom he wasn’t there. When I woke up the next morning I figured out why. Little shit had knocked over my little purple tree in the dining room. He must’ve had a guilty conscience and decided he better keep away. The little bugger!

Well, I’m keeping with the Christmas spirit. I’ve got my Christmas Tree Target T-Shirt on, and I’m listening to Christmas songs here at my desk. Right now, it’s playing the Misfit Toy song from Rudolph. (When Christmas Day is Here, the Most Wonderful Day of the Year!) So here’s looking forward to a weekend full of Christmas-y goodness!

Here we are again

2008-12-08T06:23:00.001-08:00

Well, you know it rains, it pours.

I had fully expected to sleep in late on Friday, when about 6am, DH proceeds to tell me that our computer has crashed. Completely! All it does is cycle through like it’s going to log on, then it stops and cycles through again. Just lovely. I really needed this 3 weeks before Christmas.

So we got a new computer Friday. It’s a nice HP with 500 gig of memory and wireless LAN and lots of other fancy stuff that I will never use. I got a cheap HP printer too, for $30, since the other one was way old, and I knew for sure it wouldn’t be Vista compatible. DH spent almost all weekend loading it up with our old stuff, and everything else. Seems we’ve got most of the kinks worked out. One thing that is not working is the scanner. Epson has a driver that you are supposed to download to get it to work, but something about the driver is for 16 bit Vista, and we are using 32 bit.

We’re also having some issues with Windows Mail or whatever it is called. Apparently you can’t use Outlook Express with Vista???? Anyways, for some strange reason, it wants to combine mine and DH’s address books into one. And I’m not sure how to get around this. Any computer experts want to weigh in on this one?

The house is all decorated, at least the inside. The outside is DH’s job, and we have 3 reindeer and a tree, that’s it for now. The rest will go up sometime, we’re in no hurry.

I’ve been cleaning out the scraproom too. I so far am on my 3rd bag of garbage, and have another VERY full garbage bag of stuff to give away, charity, etc. If you know anyone who would like this stuff, let me know. It’s a lot of older stuff, some of those old CM kits, and some templates. I had four (4!) paper trimmers. What the heck do you do with 4 paper trimmers? You know the drill, you buy what you think is the greatest, then someone comes out with something better, and then something better than that, and so on and so on. I know DH is ready for me to be done with this room, because everything that is in the room is sitting in the hallway. Oopsie! Well, someday.

And I found a ton of cards from swaps and stuff. Looks like I am going the Linda-way and give these cards all out for Christmas. I just don’t see it possible to even begin to work on cards at this point. Everyone else is getting a store-bought card. Yes, I know hard to imagine, but right now, my heart’s not in it. Soon, I promise.

Right now, I’m just taking one day at a time.

My Baby Girl is Gone...

2008-12-04T04:22:00.001-08:00

a kind of blue...

2008-12-03T04:52:00.001-08:00

Well, as far as birthdays go, this one is going to be the crappiest.

Melody is not doing very good. She’s been very lethargic, labored breathing, and she’s been hiding under the bed the last few days. I’m going to call Dr. Keene when they open and take her in, hopefully this afternoon.

It seems no matter how much you prepare yourself for this, you never quite are. I think her being so healthy the last few months had lulled me into a false sense of security.

I just tell myself that we really don’t know her true age, as she was a stray. And you just have to know that we gave her an extra 10 years in a warm safe house with plenty of love and food, which is a lot better off than she would have been if we hadn’t of found her.

Still, it doesn’t make it easier does it?

Then I think back to my friend Eric, and the day he had. Somebody shot his dog on Tuesday.

Nikki had got out an open door, and before his wife could jump in the car after her, she heard the shots three doors down. The neighbor claims that the dog was attacking him, but there were witnesses that said the dog was walking away and he shot her in the back. Other neighbors had even heard the man say if he saw the dog out, he would shoot her. The police say that since the man felt threatened, and since he had a concealed weapons permit; there was nothing they could charge him with. I also found out that this neighbor threatened to kill my friend's wife in an email while she was HOA president. She has a copy of the email she is taking to the police today and is filing a restraining order and starting civil proceedings.
They have two little ones (and yes, they were there when this went down.) All of us were at Epcot over the weekend. Nikki was a good dog, never would attack anyone and was very loving to the two children.

It just makes me sick thinking about this. Why are human beings like this allowed to roam the earth? I just don’t get it.

Life just sucks sometimes, ya know? And you got to get it all out.

Just a quickie...from last night

2008-11-30T08:52:00.001-08:00

You can't really make out faces...I'm to the left of the people in green, second row, second in. I'm behind the lady in red on the end...

Happy Turkey Day!

2008-11-26T05:32:00.000-08:00

Well, turkey day is just about upon us. I hope you all have lots of good plans for the holiday. I started the stuffing last night. And I’ll do a few desserts, and that’s it for me, cooking wise. We’ll be at the in-laws at noon, and then head to have dinner with the McCoy’s at 5:00. Ryan is actually hosting this year, down in Redington. He's deep-frying his turkey, yum yum!

Speaking of family, step-mil wants to draw names this year. Because my BIL’s business is so bad, and we need to “save money.” Hmmm...I don’t see BIL downsizing his house, or taking his kids out of expensive prep school to go to public school (especially the one his own wife TEACHES at!). Has he stopped trading in cars every 6 months? Is he still driving his Mercedes? Yes, I thought so.

So the adults (allegedly) will change names. I have no problem with this. It does make life easier. But the problem is...WE HAVEN’T DONE IT YET!!! I ASSumed we were doing it on Saturday, when we had dinner, but it was not even mentioned. And we really can’t do it on Thanksgiving, because the whole extended family is there. And considering I start shopping on Friday, it would be nice to know who the heck I’m buying for, ya know? Well, at least I can start toy shopping.

But on to happier things. Saturday is the Candlelight Processional at Epcot. I can’t wait, it’s going to be awesome. 200+ voices, and orchestra...oh, did I tell you who the guest narrator is? John O’Hurley! (Seinfeld, Dancing with the Stars.) I love his voice. Eric and his family will be there. DH can’t be there, but I don’t blame him. $75+ to go to Epcot, plus parking is really out of our budget just so he can stand in a crowd to catch a 2-second glimpse. I’m sure there will YouTube videos come Sunday. There are a ton on there from last year.

There is actually a reception/rehearsal for the SingLive UK people in Orlando tonight. I was all set to go Monday, but now I am changing my mind. Just too much to do. I haven’t even gotten my nails/eyebrows done this week.

I haven’t made shopping plans yet, for Friday. I’m waiting for the ads to come out tomorrow to plan my strategy. I know I’ll hit Target, and probably Macy’s. Then maybe Rubon? Also, Scrapbook Shoppe is having their sale at MIDNIGHT! On Thursday, but being down near the beach, I’m not sure how that will work. I’ll miss Michael’s sale on Thanksgiving, they are open 6-9. Again, it’s all a game day decision.

Well, everyone have a Great Thanksgiving. See ya soon!

from Linda via Kip

2008-11-24T05:15:00.000-08:00

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both>>

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artifical, with the cats

3. When do you put up the tree? The day after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? New Year’s Day

5. Do you like Egg Nog? OMG yes.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Barbie Dream House at 8

7. Hardest person to buy for? My FIL, he has everything and likes nothing

8. Easiest person to buy for? DH

9. Do you have a nativity scene? A few actually

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail them, hopefully by Dec 24th!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A fur coat that I had bought on layaway from my mother. She thought it would be cute to pick it up for me and wrap it. Yep, I got a Christmas present that I paid for myself.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie. A Christmas Carol...the original

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually mid-November, with the bulk of it right after Thanksgiving and the week after

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yep, sure have.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Dessert!

16. Lights on the tree? Yes, and lots of them.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Do you Hear What I Hear

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home and travel locally.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen..and of course, Rudolph.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither, it’s a purple pointy thing.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning Morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Annoying family members who want it their way or the high way.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Lots of purple (duh!) and lots of Pooh.

24. Who is least likely to respond to this? Umm ?

25 . Favorite for Christmas dinner? Lasagna, cannolis, potatoes (yes, we are Italian)

26 . What do you want for Christmas this year? I wanted a Slice, but I got that. Maybe a camera, but that might be out of the budget this year.

27 . Who is most likely to respond to this? Oh they will do it. It is fun!!

Monday blows...

2008-11-17T05:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I am back among the living...sort of. I still have this horrible cough. This morning, green gunk came up. Usually if it’s green, that means infection as opposed to a virus, but I will give it one more day, and if I’m still crappy, I will call Dr. Kampsen. I could go to the Little Clinic (and save $15 on my co-pay), but I really need the “good” cough syrup, and the Little Clinic is not allowed to prescribe narcotics. But maybe tonight I will turn a corner, right?

I was going to go with DH to the Bucs game, but I was just too tired. I stayed home and lounged some. Watched a few movies. 27 Dresses is a great movie if you haven’t seen it. A little contrived and predictable, but still cute. And I’ve decided I’m going to cut my hair like Katherine Heigl’s in that movie, if I can find a picture of it. Also watched some old movies and caught the last 20 minutes of Imitation of Life. Seriously, the saddest death scene ever. If you don’t cry when that old lady dies, then there is something wrong with you.

Great football weekend. Do you know that the Gators have scored at least 30 points against all of their SEC opponents this season? That’s an SEC record. I don’t want to get too confident or too ahead of ourselves, but could the Orange Bowl be in our future? I definitely think so. The Bucs won too, it was hard but they did it.

On a musical note, (haha) I’m cancelling our XM subscription. Sirius has just come in and FUBAR’d all my stations. People are seriously (another pun!) pissed. I’ll just have to buy a better transmitter for my Ipod. Maybe I will ask the ‘rents for one for Xmas. We’ll see.

Busy day ahead. Got a lot of work to catch up on (why does it take you 5 days to catch up when you are only out 2?). P.T., choir rehearsal, a trip to Bealls and some food somewhere in there. (Maybe Sweet Tomatoes, hummm??) Well, back to my invoices.

Sorry Folks...

2008-11-12T04:28:00.002-08:00

But I have the flu bug. Will post more when I stop feeling like death...

The End of an Error

2008-11-05T05:36:00.000-08:00

I’m very happy with the election returns. It’s a new day for us, and I am extremely proud. And the turnout was spectacular. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it so high!

My precinct (the Lutz Mason Lodge) early in the morning had a line wrapped twice around the building, and cars parked a half mile down the road. The little Baptist church down the road was just as bad. When I got home last night, the church still had cars parked on the median, and lines out the door, but the lodge had calmed down some, and I was in and out in about 15 minutes, even got a chance to chat with my neighbor Bill for a minute or two.

There can never be an election day in Florida without some snags, especially in Hillsborough County. Computer issues, people not getting all their pages, extremely long lines, especially at USF where there were only 2! Poll workers. Their excuse was “well, we figured all the students would be voting by absentee.” I call Bullshit!!!

2 reasons:
1) They should know ahead of time which ballots they receive absentee. Case in point, one of my Drunco girl’s family’s names were right below mine on the ballot. And it clearly said under her step-daughter’s name “absentee ballot.”
2) This is one the most historic elections in history, and a first time for a lot of these kids. (My first presidential election was in ’92 at USF, btw.)

And then I hear there was a physical confrontation with Buddy Johnson’s staff and some of the news people? WTF? How’s that for public relations? DH says he wished they voted for the Supervisor of Elections AFTER the election, because he would be changing his vote.

Amendments 1 and 2 didn’t pass unfortunately. And the County Mayor’s veto DID! I’m sorry I can only blame most of this on one thing. Ignorance. Pure and simple. The ballots are complicated, they are written in legalese and in our wham-bam society no one takes the time to look at the actual issues involved.

Amendment 2 not passing doesn’t surprise me. Ignorance, fear. Just about every church in town was pushing this on their members. (so much for churches being neutral). Dh also feels that the opposing side didn’t really do as much to educate their side of the issue. Now my question is, will this be up again in a few years? I’d like to think I hope so. But I’ll say this one final time for today: KEEP RELIGION OUT OF POLITICS! IT HAS NO PLACE!

It ain't over til it's over

2008-10-30T04:43:00.000-07:00

And it’s over. But our boys gave a good effort! If you had told me a year ago, we’d be in the World Series, I wouldn’t have believed you. Don’t worry, they will be back next year and they WILL win!!!! At least now we will be going to bed at a decent time, haha.

The doctor sent me to physical therapy for my shoulder and I started yesterday. I’m not happy about it, but since I’m not getting better, I guess I’ve got to do it. I really thought the ortho doc would just give me a steroid shot and send me on my way, since my x-rays were negative. I really didn’t expect this. So I am grinning and bearing it. I go MWF at 4pm for the next two weeks or so. I forgot tomorrow was Halloween when I made the appointment, so I’m going to be late for the kids party. But I’ll get there, once I fight the traffic.

I still haven’t unpacked from Creepover. As if that’s a big surprise. I lost my liquor. LOL! I know it’s in the car somewhere, because I hear it rattling, but it must have fallen behind the seat or something, because I can’t find it. ACK! It’s all worth it though. I admit to being unproductive, but spending quality time with my girls is NEVER unproductive to me. It is well, well worth it. (Although, I don’t think my ears have recovered yet, Kip! ROFL!)

Jayne is in town, yay! Been a while since I’ve seen her, so I’m hoping to catch up with her and Kip on Saturday at Ruban Rouge. They are having their “garage sale”, so hoping to snag up some bargains, and then lunch somewhere I think. You know me, I go with the flow.

Winter Retreat has been finalized, and it’s back to Oleno, which makes everyone happy. (Okay, so I was holding out for the Girl Scout place, I have this thing about wanting heat, hehe! But when they don’t you back, well....) I’ll miss the Thursday night festivities because I will be at the Forum watching The Eagles! (Yes, Michele, I am rubbing it in!) hehehehe! But I will be up at the crack of dawn Friday morning (okay, more like mid-morning, I know better!) to make it up there, so no worries. I won’t miss out.

And lastly, yes I know this kind of rubs salt in the wound, but this is tow good of a deal to pass up! 620 WDAE does double play deals on Wednesdays. It basically gives you $50 worth of gift certificates for $25. Yesterday’s deal was for Philly Phlava on Fletcher and Dale Mabry. They have the best cheese steaks by far! A while ago they did the same for Jake’s Hamburgers, and it looks like they still have a few of those left. Check it out.

http://diningdeals.620wdae.com/?page=/restaurants/index.html&rest_id=3878

Rays Win! Rays Win!!!!

2008-10-20T05:57:00.000-07:00

Dude, I am so flippin’ tired. Did you ever think we would see the day when we would be seeing the Rays in the World Series? I went to bed at 1am, after waking up around 11:40 to catch the end. Dh got home around 1 and didn’t go to bed until I got up around 6:00. He is riding sky-high. A very cool thing, after the Bucs game, at Raymond James, they showed the rest of the baseball game on the jumbotron. About 6,000 fans stayed at the RJ to see the Rays clinch. What an exciting moment. Now, I’m waiting for him to wake up (which probably won’t be for several hours now) to see if we got the World Series lottery. Those tix go on sale at 5pm today.

We had the day off on Friday to give us a post-Oct 15th rest, and to upgrade the servers, so I took advantage to get a lot of running around done. Went to Walmart and Walgreens and Publix and Hallmark and Big Lots. I made meatballs for dinner on Friday night and they are quite good. And I made the candy-peep jars for the youngins on Halloween. I got to get me a card reader for my office computer, so I can get pics loaded, it’s just to hard to get done at home.

Went to step-cousin-in-law’s baby shower on Saturday. The girls were there and they got to play with the other step-cousin-in-law’s baby (did you follow all that?) and they were so cute. There were some arts and crafts stuff for them to play with and they did very well for their first shower. I remember one shower I went to years ago, where someone brought their kid who was the same age, and the kid ran around screaming and touching everything and would not settle down. Not “my” kids. They were very well behaved. The food was great, and it was from the same place as the last baby shower, but I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it. All I can think of is Alessi, and I know it’s not that (but they have good food, too!)

So, I spent yesterday getting caught up around the house. I’m in the process of working on Frankie for Creepover. I’ve got some cute ideas for him, I think he’ll be cute. I gotta get my hat done too, for the cancer patients. That’s important too. Well, four more days. Yay!

I know the Hilltop girls are disappointed as their Belize stop on their cruise got cancelled. I hope they can get it figured out. I don’t blame them, I’ve been to Cozumel many times, and it does get boring with the same old stuff. Luckily DH has only been once and he hasn’t seen everything yet. One word of advice I’d give them, if they do decide to stick with this itinerary, is just stay on the ship. You’ll have free run of the ship, especially by the pool. Most of the time, the pool area is very crowded and you won’t find a good seat, but when everyone else is off the boat, you will have the best seats in the house. We did this on our Ocho Rios stop and it was great. There were maybe ten of us around the pool, the pool and we got to enjoy it and not worry about jockeying for position. Just my 2 cents which are probably worth about ½ cent in this economy. LOL!

A New Week

2008-10-13T06:52:00.000-07:00

Well, it’s Monday again. I kept pretty busy this weekend, plus with all the games on. Did some shopping too, and some ironing and other just general cleaning up the house. House cleaning is such a bore. Yawn. I need a maid. Any volunteers, LOL!

We checked out a new Japanese place on 4th on Friday. I had a lunch “box” special with tempura, spring roll, salad and your choice of sushi. I had the spicy salmon and it was spicy, gave me heartburn. But it was oh so yummy! I went to Kohl’s Friday nite and checked out the sale. Got some work clothes, a few Halloween goodies, and a couple of baby outfits for the shower I have to go to on Saturday.

Then Saturday, I did the usual Publix run, and then settled in for a sports-filled day. We made yummy fajitas with steak and chicken. We marinated them first (Note to Michele: Lawry’s Marinades BOGO, and there was a coupon in yesterday’s paper.) and grilled them with peppers and onions. I used the hot peppers we got from New Mexico in them, and they were just okay. I tried those “Green bags” that they advertise on TV. Not worth it. Yes, the food still “looks” pretty. But it doesn’t taste as fresh.

Sunday, I went to Babies R Us to pick up a registry gift, then to Michael’s, and then to the new Dollar Tree, and then to Big Lots. I got some cute mini album kits at the Dollar Tree. (As DH would say “How much were they?” “Uh, honey, it’s the DOLLAR store!” Hehehe!) A few Xmas items too, same at Big Lots. At Big Lots, I found the Ghost Peeps for 95 cents, so that was a deal. And these chocolates that are wrapped up to look like eyeballs. The kids will get a kick out of those. No mason jars though, but they had the lids (?) and the canning kit. Odd! But that’s Big Lots for you. No biggie, I’ll get those at Wal-Mart.

Nothing exciting at Michael’s. Pretty sad when you have a 50% coupon and can’t find anything to use it on. Can’t use on Cricut/Cuttlebug, can’t use it on books. I ended up buying some Prima flowers. It was either that or ANOTHER pack of paper, of which I have 20 of the already. So, I picked that up and some Halloween stuff. That was about it.

The Gators opened up a can of whoop ass on LSU. I bet no one saw that coming. Rays tied up the series and now go back to Boston. Here’s keeping our fingers crossed for them. And the Bucs won. No one saw that coming. Overall not a bad day in the sports world.

Crucify

2008-10-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

Fun thing I found on 2Ps the other day...Feel free to play along

1. Put Your iTunes, Windows Media Player, MP3 Player, or whatever on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write down the name of the song no matter how silly it sounds!
4. Put any comments in brackets after the song name.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
If someone says, "Is this okay?" You say? Carnival – Natalie Merchant
How would you describe yourself? Lady Madonna – Beatles (yeah, that’s me!)
What do you like in a guy/girl? GTO – Ronny & The Daytonas
How do you feel today? Wild Honey Pie - Beatles (hehehe!)
What is your life's purpose? Welcome Home – Walter Jackson
What is your motto? Cloud Nine - Evanescence
What do your friends think of you? Luchenbach Texas – Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson (I’m gonna hear it from Linda on this one!)
Tell me about your first date... Tear the Roof off the Sucker - Parliament
What would you write your own tombstone? Over and Over – Bobby Day
What do you think of your parents? Worlds Away – Go-Go’s (Now, that’s appropriate)
What do you think about very often? Convoy – CW McCall (okay, now this is bordering on embarrassing, folks!)
What is 2 + 2? Intro – Limp Bizkit
What do you think of your best friend? The Kind of Girl I Could Love – Monkees (awww..that’s sweet!)
What advice would you give to someone getting married? Raspberry Beret - Prince
What do you think of the person you like? What’s Happening Brother – Marvin Gaye (too bad it couldn’t be “Let’s Get It On.)
What is your life story? Stockton Gala Days – 10,000 Maniacs
What inspires you? Jerk It Out - Caesars
What's your greatest regret? Breath After Breath – Duran Duran
What do you want to be when you grow up? Come on Children, Let’s Sing – Mahalia Jackson (that’s not too far off!)
What makes you cry? If – Bread (yes, it does)
What is your fondest memory of your grandmother? Nowadays (Roxie) – Chicago Soundtrack
What do you think of when you see the person you like? This is How We Do It – Montell Jordon (Oh, Yeah!)
What will you dance to at your wedding? Good Love – Isaac Hayes (these are working out good!)
What will they play at your funeral? Everybody Has a Dream – Billy Joel
What is your hobby/interest? Long Tall Sally - Beatles
What is your biggest fear? There is a Balm in Gilead – Mahalia Jackson (huh?)
What is your biggest secret? Up The Beach – Jane’s Addiction
What song reminds you of you HS English teacher? Forget that Girl – Monkees (My HS English teach was a dude!)
What do you think of your friends? Get Back – Beatles
What will you post this as? Crucify – Tori Amos

Hump Day!!!

2008-10-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

Ah, morning all. The week is half over, yay! I don’t think I slept good last nite, (although DH said I was sawing a few logs.) I’ve been taking Celebrex for my shoulder, and it has been giving me these crazy f’ed up dreams. My shoulder feels 100% better, but I got the ole “Make sure you take the whole thing” lecture from the doc, so I will.

I had the kids for a little bit on Sunday. That was fun. We played games, like Monopoly Jr, and Old Maid. You know, I haven’t played Old Maid in over 30 years! They had to show me how. Hehe! We ate Nana’s spaghetti, and made Pioneer Woman’s cookies with the candy in the middle. Hey, did you know Pioneer Woman is writing a cookbook? How cool is that? I wonder if it will be out by Christmas time (hint to any Secret Santa’s out there). Actually, I don’t think it will be, as she just finished the actual writing part. You know how long it takes to edit, and re-edit, and print, and do all that stuff. Man, she must be living high on the hog. I’d love to be her (sans kids, though). But I think I’d get bored not having the beach close. Okay, okay, I’m rambling.

Rehearsals for Candlelight kicked off on Monday. The music is very hard, I must say. But it’s beautiful music. It’s closer to the classical stuff that I’m used to. That’s really cool. We are looking at possibly 5PM, the day after Thanksgiving, as that’s when the UK group sings. One thing I did learn is Disney treats their volunteer performers like actual cast members. They are very strict on dress code. Plain white shirts, no logos or designs or anything. Black flats, no buckles or anything. Plain black opaque socks, they cannot have designs or be see through. I was told that Disney actually has vending machines in the cast-only areas that sell socks, shaving equipment, things like that. And if you aren’t adhering to code, out you go. Fascinating.

How about a song of the day? Currently, it’s Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes. (I so love her! She could be a “girl crush!”)

It's Friday!

2008-10-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

I just realized it’s after 1:00 and I haven’t done the Friday update. Sorry about that. Quiet day in this place we call Hell, er, I mean, Paradise. Haha! I finished off my last 2007 filing yesterday, 12 days ahead of schedule. So, now I can start harassing people about getting stuff ready for 2008. Oh, the joys of my world.

Just got back from lunch at TJ Flats. Tex-Mex, YUM! My favorite food in the world. I was good, I only ate half, and put the rest in a box, like all the food experts tell you to do. But I had a few chips and queso that my lunch buddy bought.

It’s been fairly quiet here. One of our team leaders, AKA the Beast, quit last Friday. A bunch of us did the happy dance. (Or as my friend called it my “Beyonce’” Dance. LOL!) But I thought the bosses were going to make us miserable when they got back from vacay, with her gone, but they’ve been surprisingly pleasant. See what 3 weeks in Europe will do. How do I get that vacation??? (or I could be KIP! :P )

Speaking of vacations, DH and I are booked for our annual vacation. As next year is our tenth anniversary, we splurged on a balcony suite. My first one ever. NIIICE! There’s also a chance (albeit slim) of going to London next fall with SingLive. I’ll have to check the prices first of all, with the dollar falling it may just be way too much to swing. And it’s a bad time of the year (mid-September). Although a few people have told me I would have an assistant by then, BUT, I’ve been hearing that for 3-4 years now and I haven’t seen it yet.
In the sports world, GOOOOO RAYS!!!! DH and I are checking out for a place to watch the game tonite. We may go to BWW (calm down, Michele!). We haven’t been there in eons, but it may be too crowded. Or Green Iguana, but I think that may be worse.

Oh, and in TV world, did you watch Private Practice? I gotta say out of the premieres, this one has been my favorite. (Well, next to ER!) Good show on Wednesday, I was afraid it was going to be boring, but when I heard they were going back to more medical stuff, that excited me. The only show on tonight is Life, and I’ll probably record it. I gotta get some stuff packed for the Ta-Ta crop! Fun, fun, fun!

Weekend Update

2008-09-29T06:34:00.001-07:00

Good Morning, Good Morning. Hope everyone was well. Had a great time at Rubon Rouge this weekend. It was way too much fun. I ate a lot, drank a little (okay, a lot!) and worked on some projects. I’ll have to post some pictures soon! It was great getting to hang out with all my buds and just relax.

We lost a Hollywood legend on Saturday, with Paul Newman’s passing. I got to meet him (and Robby Benson) when I was about 12 years old. I remember how nice he was, and how pleased he was to meet us and take pictures with us. They were in Ft. Lauderdale filming the movie “Harry and Son”, and were filming some footage at my step-dad’s work. If you’ve ever seen the movie, there is a scene near the beginning where Paul Newman is bowling with his buddies and he bowls a strike. Well, he didn’t really bowl that strike. My step-dad did. Creative editing (ie, the magic of film) just made it look like he did. I’m not sure if he even knew how to bowl, it was just in the script. But, it is a memory that I will cherish forever.

SingLive rehearsals start in a week. I can’t believe summer is over all ready, and here we are preparing for Christmas. We’ll be singing at the Candlelight Processional in EPCOT around November 28th or 29th. Disney hasn’t firmed up the dates yet. So, if you want to mosey over to Disney that weekend, of course, you are more than welcome. It will be good to get back in the swing of things, anyway!

Speaking of Christmas, I think I may start some Christmas cards this weekend at the Ta-ta’s crop. I’d like to get a jump on them, and not procrastinate, like I always do. We’ll see how that goes.

Breakin' the law...Breakin' the law...

2008-09-26T06:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, yours truly is a scofflaw, a criminal, a fugitive from the law. Yours truly has gotten..... A Speeding Ticket!!!!! (insert Dragnet music here!)

Yes, I fought the law...but the law won! Well, in this case, FHP. (And yes, I have a slightly low opinion of FHP, which may sound odd coming from a LEO’s spouse. But FHP has a low opinion of other LEA’s, so that goes both ways, I’m afraid!)

Sigh, I left the office Wednesday morning to go to a doctor’s appointment. And as I came across the Howard Franklin, at the end of the hump, there the sneaky bastard was with his radar hiding behind the concrete barrier. I tried to slow down, but I had forgotten my sunglasses and couldn’t see too well, so by the time I did, it was too late.

So, I got 80 in a 65. $185 plus driving school. And truth be known, I really only have myself to blame. I was an idiot. I was cruising in the left lane (something I never do, but I wasn’t getting off until Dale Mabry), and I let my usual Spidey senses go that morning, beings it was not rush hour (also unusual for me) with almost no traffic. So, I will pay the price.

This is my first ticket since ’02. This will also be my fourth driving school attempt. What, Mar, you didn’t learn the first 3 times? No, I never do. I’m a speed demon, I will the first one to admit it. And I take full responsibility for it. And pay the price when I get caught. My mom says I drive like my grandfather, he was the same way. Guess that’s why I drive an SUV and not a Mustang (which DH has been toying with the idea, heavens forbid!) I also have to realize, I am NOT young and cute anymore and can’t flirt my way out it, like I did in my college days. (My roommate was so envious of how I could get my way out of a ticket. I must have been pulled over a dozen times in my four (+) years of college, and only got two tickets. And one was a WOMAN FHP trooper!)

So, yes, some of us are drug addicts, some rob banks for a living. Others? Just can’t drive 55!

Two tags in one day!

2008-09-25T04:34:00.000-07:00

First is from Teri! I got the blog award! Yay me!!!

Next is from Jules:

THE FIVE TAG

5 years ago I

1) was skinnier

2) was still working here!

3) was 5 years younger

4) hadn't met Jules or Kip yet

5) Was hangin out "underground", LOL!

5 things on today's "to do" list

1) reports for 08

2) my nails

3) get everything packed for tomorrow

4) print pictures for our project Saturday

5) figure out what to eat for dinner

5 snacks I enjoy

1) snickers

2) Wavy Lays

3) Trail Mix (preferably Target brand)

4) Chips Ahoy

5) Those little powdered donuts from the store

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire

1) buy a bigger house

2) cruise around the world

3) pay off the bills

4) buy new cars

5) have the hugest crop ever with all my friends.

5 places I have lived

1) Lutz

2) Tampa

3) Ft. Lauderdale

4) Gainesville

5) Long Island

5 jobs I have had

1) McDonald's

2) Walgreen's

3) Marshall's

4) waitress at Rocky Roccoco (pizza place in G'ville)

5) Analyst (my current job)

I tag Miami Dawn, Michele, Jayne, Teri, Linda!

A New Week

2008-09-22T07:47:00.001-07:00

Oh, it’s Monday again. Uggg...I just don’t want to start this week, let me tell you. But I am here, and raring to go. Yeah, right! Crazy Bitch is playing on the IPod. Pretty appropriate for me today, wouldn’t you say?

Hey, I got some stuff done at the crop (yes, I did!) Worked on my clock some. Still a few little things to go (the picture, specifically). Finished the album kit, my SIL gave me. I’ll put pics in it and a few more embellishments, and give it back to her. And I did a few more pages in the boys’ mini books.

Linda and the gals did a great job on Saturday, as usual. It was a lot of fun, and got to meet some great new people, too. Deb and her husband are so gracious to let us use their church. They are very kind.

I got (almost) the entire house cleaned on Sunday. I’ll finish up the floors tonite, and I’ll be good. YAY me! Then I’ll spend some time in my scrap room getting ready for the Pink Crop this weekend. That will be a blast.

Great sports weekend too! Gators won! (Although, a lot of the columnists I am reading are not giving us much credit.) Bucs won in a nail biter (I swear, I just can’t watch anymore, it’s always so intense.) And of course, the Rays make it to playoffs. They have 6 games to clench the division. I’d love to hear the announcers cheer “The Rays won the pennant, the Rays won the pennant”, but I am getting ahead of myself, I know. We’ll see.

We made gorditas last night, and Publix had avocados on sale, so I made some homemade guacamole. One of my favorite things ever! YUM!!! I don’t have a recipe, I just through in what I have and it comes out different every time. Looking back now, I forgot to add any garlic, but I didn’t have any fresh anyway, so it’s all good.

I’m thinking about doing a Pampered Chef show in October. They are doing a 60% off Simple Additions special for hostesses, and I love the polka dot set. I’d love to get a few Christmas things too. So, we may shoot for around the 15th for that, I’m thinking. I’ll let y’all know.

I tried to watch “Michael Clayton” last nite, but couldn’t get through it. I love looking at George Clooney, but the last few movies of his I’ve watched have put me to sleep. Tell me this movie gets better????

Friday's here

2008-09-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

Ah, I think I’m finally starting to get out my funk. It’s this time of year. Those of us in “tax/financial” world know that the corporate extensions are fast upon us, and everyone always waits until the last minute. Which always means a world of stress for me. And then when I’m home, all I want to do is vegetate, and hibernate, and any other word that ends in an “ate”.

One thing that always relieves stress from my mind is that the bosses are in Europe for the next three weeks. YAY!!!! So doing a happy dance at work today. Although, between you and me, there’s not going to be much work done around here, I have a feeling. Hehehe!

Well, I got the bad news on my car. The evaporator core had a leak. The price tag? How about $800!!!! Yep, that’s what it is. The mechanic refilled the Freon for now, and when it runs low, DH is going to try and refill it himself, like he’s been doing on the Taurus. We’ll see how it goes, and then work from there. At least it’s cold right now, and we’ll see how long it lasts. It’s one of those “cross that bridge when we come to it things”.

Got some big crop events coming up. The PINK Crop at Ruban Rouge is in two weeks, and I’m looking forward to it. And I just raised my hand for the Hilltop/KNK Pink Crop on the 4th. I’m really psyched up for it. I may even go to Ruskin next Saturday and surprise Linda. (shhh...don’t tell her. Hahahahahaha!)

I promised I’d make DH mac-n-cheese this weekend. Real cheese and real cream, yum! How can you go wrong, right? Now I have to think of something to go with it. Chicken tenders maybe? I’ll think of something when I go to the store tonight.

Hey, we haven't played a game of "What's on your IPOD?", lately. Let's spin the ole random function and see what we get...Wow, an oldie but goodie...Duke of Earl by Gene Chandler.

Here's to a great weekend.

A new week

2008-09-09T05:06:00.001-07:00

Ah, another week is upon us. Busy, busy, busy around here, as deadlines are looming. I just keep saying to myself “I love my job, I love my job, I love my job.” Yeah, right!

By the way, I just love our news media. Hillary was in town last nite. No, that’s not it. According to channel 8, the FREE tickets went on “sale”, Saturday. Can someone tell me how the heck you would “sell” free tickets? Doesn’t anyone proofread this stuff before it goes on the air? Oh, the free tickets “sold” out, btw...OY!

Did you know Sunday was Grandparents Day? No, we didn’t either. We just celebrated them on Mother’s or Father’s day. Ryan and Erin took Ama to Mimi’s on Sunday and we tagged along. It helped that we had a gift card, whoopee! Man, they are good though. DH had the pancakes (HUGE!) and I had the crab and avocado omelet (also huge). That place has such good food.

I got all my biopsies back. Everything came back “mild”, so now we just watch and see, and come back in January for a check-up. The moral of the story: ALWAYS USE SUNSCREEN? How many of us just used the ole’ baby oil in the summer time when we were kids? Yeah, me too. And I guess I’m paying for it now.

Sounds like Hoe-Down was a blast! I’m sad I missed it. Everyone did such a great job. Finances suck, don’t they! Speaking of which, I gotta get the car in tomorrow. Let’s hope it’s nothing too serious.

Well, back to my cubicle now...have a great week!

Another week...

2008-09-02T05:46:00.001-07:00

I’m tired. I’ve been tired all week. Might be something with my meds that are off. I go back to the dr. in a few weeks, so we’ll see.

We kept busy all weekend. DH and I went over to Ryan’s Saturday night to watch football. There was a good crowd there. Ryan is the best cook, and his ribs are awesome. Yum! Clemson lost pretty bad unfortunately. Hey, but how about them Gators! 56-10, woohoo!!! Look out Miami!

We also spent most of the weekend cleaning house for the draft yesterday. We had about 10 people over and everybody brought food. Good wings, and sandwiches. We bought pizza. I made brownies. I was going to make Stacy’s Key Lime Bars, but forgot the pudding. Oh, well, next time. Mike made these stuffed hotdogs with cheese and jalapeños. They were so good! But it wore me out.

I just wanted to rest yesterday, but it was DH’s grandfather’s birthday. We were supposed to go over to FIL’s to celebrate both grandparents birthdays, but his grandfather is in the hospital again. They think it is his kidneys, so he may have to go on the dialysis machine. So, we just went over for a few hours and had dinner. I also played Monopoly Jr, with the kids. Never too early to learn, DH says. LOL! Then we came home and went to bed. I’m bushed! Oh, and I got signed up for Creepover yesterday, too, YAY me!!!!

Also last week, a dear friend of mine had to bury her husband at 46. That’s just way too young. It was very sad, and surreal. Cancer is a bitch, let me tell you.

I get paid on Friday, thank goodness. My car is doing a Kip, and my A/C is acting up. It takes about 45 minutes to cool off, and when it finally does it’s cool air, but not cold. That’s not cool (pardon the pun!)

So here’s for a good week. Let’s hope I can stay awake for it.

Olympic musings

2008-08-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

Well, the Olympics came to a close last nite. I am proud to say that I watched quite a bit of it. I figured I’d share with you my observations.

1) Is the Canadian Synchronized Swimming duo trying to channel Queen Elizabeth I? You be the judge.
2) Memo to the Croatian Water Polo team: Those porno moustaches, just make you look like Ron Jeremy. (link)
3) Oh, yeah, those Chinese gymnasts are 16. Uh, and I’m turning 21!!!!
4) And I think I see some boobies on the Chinese “men’s” diving team. Egads! It’s East Germany, but in reverse!
5) What’s up with Brazil and nobody having any last names? Pele was one thing, he was a legend, there’s only one of him. But I think there are more than 1 Sheilla, Paula and Mari in the world. How does the IOC let them get away with that? And the Norwegian Beach Volleyball team wanted to use first names only too, but the IOC nixed it. Uh, yeah, there’s only one Inge and Ingrid in all of Norway.
6) Everyone loves Michael Phelps. And I do, too, don’t get me wrong. But my boy is Ryan Lochte. Dude, he’s a Gator, what’s not to love.
7) And three cheers for all of the “old-timers” who showed those kids whose boss. In addition to Dara Torres who’s 41 (another former Gator, I might add), how about Ian Millar the 61 year old Equestrian who won a medal for Canada or 32 year old Laura Wilkinson diving against girls half her age. If it not had been for her injury she probably would have beaten them too. But my favorite was the 33 year-old Romanian who medaled on the vault for Germany. She went to Germany to help fight her son’s Leukemia. A great story.
8) Speaking of gymnastics, since when did they stop having ties in gymnastics? What a gyp that was!!!
9) And speaking of ties, does anyone know why there were all these ties for Bronze in wrestling? It seems like there were two bronzes in several events, but I don’t know why.
10) And lastly, the poor sport award goes to...Well, there’s a tie (again!): The Swedish wrestler who threw his bronze medal on the floor in a temper tantrum OR the Cuban judo participant who got mad and (along with his coach) beat up the official. They both are now banned for life. Gee, ya think?

some Savannah pics...

2008-08-22T04:50:00.000-07:00

First, I found pics of the house that the wedding party was using. This was such a cool party house. The website is here, if you want to check it out.

Well here's where we were "supposed" to eat lunch at on Sunday. Boo...hiss...That's a major dissapointment, so who know's when we'll ever be back there. Oh well, moving on.

Here is the view from River Street, and the bridge. Lots of neat little places there, some pubs, some shops etc. Definately a place to waste time in.

This is the famous waving lady statute. Legend has it her husband sailed off and never returned. But every day for 40 years she stood and waved the flag so he could see her when he came back, but he never did. (Our tour bus driver said this was pretty much a story and it wasn't really 40 years. But it sounded good.)

I'll leave you with some of the architecture in the downtown near all the squares. Just lovely. Savannah is the oldest city in GA, btw, founded in the 1700's and some of these places date back to there.

Gorgeous...

2008-08-20T09:43:00.001-07:00

We stayed on Tybee Island in GA this weekend, and it was a great place. Here is the historic lighthouse that is on the island (at sunset). Isn't it beautiful. I definately would go there again.

We stayed down near the pier. (BTW, I would NOT recommend staying at the Howard Johnson's. Ick!) As you can see they are real serious about hurricane preparation.

We ate at this place here, right across from the Lighthouse, Friday nite. I think it was called North Beach Club, or North Beach Bar or something. Cool place. They had a really rockin' band playing. They were good. DH had a burger, and I had the crabcake sandwich. Very tasty.

The wedding went off without a hitch, despite the best efforts of the bride and groom, LOL! Knowing them like we do, we did not know what to expect. And there was even a brief time on Friday where we wondered if there would be a wedding. But it was beautiful, as you can see here.

And here is the lovely couple, Jeff and Jennifer. They were (somewhat) well behaved, LOL!

Much drinking and debauchery was had by all. haha! Some of the bridal party and their girlfriends/wives/etc, all rented a big house to stay in. 7 bedrooms, 5 1/2 baths, about 100 yards from the beach. Would make a nice scrapbooking retreat if anyone is so inclined.

Sunday, we were supposed to eat at The Lady and Sons (Paula Deen's place). I must have the rottenest luck. There was a gas explosion in Downtown Savannah on Friday, and it cut the power to that section of town, so it was closed!!! What a huge disappointment that was.

Well, I'll post some Savannah pictures tomorrow. Back to work.

Another week begins

2008-08-11T08:06:00.001-07:00

Kind of a sad weekend around the B. household, unfortunately. We found out yesterday that DH’s Aunt Violet passed away Sunday morning. She is dh’s grandfather’s sister-in-law. A nice, sweet lady. She was in an assisted living facility, and they put her to bed on Saturday nite. When they went to check on her Sunday morning, she was gone. So she passed in her sleep. I guess if you are going to go, that’s the way to do it.

Of course, DH’s uncle is so full of tact. We’re in the middle of a kid’s birthday party, when he blurts out, “Hey, did you hear about Aunt Violet?” Um...no? “Well, she’s dead.” Well, isn’t that special. :eyeroll:

Sometimes, I can be so over this bunch. Take my MIL. Yesterday was his grandmother’s birthday. When he talked to her a few weeks ago, it was assumed we were going to do something together. Then, when the kids’ party invitation came in the mail, DH is all freaked out, because it’s the same day as Ama’s birthday. I said, hey don’t worry about, just call your mom, and see if she can schedule something another day. Oh, no, can’t do that, it has to be Sunday. Okay, fine, just tell them to do it a little later on Sunday. Oh, no, can’t do that, we’ll just have to leave the party. Okay, fine, do what you want.

So, we don’t hear anything from MIL all week. DH tries to call her on Friday. Can’t get through to her. (Their voice mail is not set-up for some reason). Come to find out yesterday, that MIL and her DH took Ama out...ON SATURDAY. Didn’t ask us, didn’t invite us, DIDN”T EVEN TELL US! (And they took her to LeeRoy Selmon’s, which made DH even more upset!) So, we just did our own thing, and went by Ama’s on Sunday after the party, and brought her, her gift and visited for a while. What can you do? There are just some things that are out of our control. You just shrug it off and move on.

Then on Sunday, Isaac Hayes died. Now that was a bummer. Probably one of the best soul artists of our time. We got to see him about 10 years ago at Ruth Eckerd Hall. It was a great show, albeit short. (Only an hour and a half and no encores). But he was an awesome entertainer.

And then, with Bernie Mac dying on Saturday, another great talent, cut way too short. But here’s something I bet you didn’t know...Bernie Mac, Isaac Hayes and Samuel L. Jackson just finished filming a movie that is due for release later this year, called Soul Men. I don’t know about you, but I sure wouldn’t want to be Samuel L. Jackson this weekend. Holy crap!

The weekend is here

2008-08-08T07:08:00.001-07:00

Good Morning! Hey, I got this from Kip. My blog is Brilliant, LOL! So, I award this to all my blogger friends, if you don’t have one already. Whee!

Got to tell you a funny story from my nephew. Out of the mouths of babes. First, some background. When DH was little, his grandparents took him up to Louisiana to visit family. According to DH’s grandparents, they were driving across the Panhandle up near Perry, late at nite, when some huge creature crawled across the road. DH’s grandparents swear it was some sort of Bigfoot. (DH has no recollection of this, and swears it didn’t happen.)

Well, Faxon goes up to DH’s grandfather and says “Papa, my dad says you saw a Bigfoot.”
Papa: “Well, yes, I did”
Faxon: “Yeah, Dad says it was because you were drinking beer too much.”

Oh my gosh, the things that kid comes up with. He made me a cute little Sponge Bob picture, too, but it accidently got thrown away. Oh well. The girls are having their birthday party Saturday at the skating rink, so I’ll see if he’ll draw me another one then.

Skating rink? Do people still do that anymore? I had no idea. This one’s on Armenia. Trust me, I will not be skating. I’ve only skated a few times in my whole life, and at my age, and er, um, stature, I’m not about to try again now. Haha!

Anyone watching the Olympics starting tonite. I will be, it should be fun. I just hope everything goes okay, no trouble. I’m just pulling for our guys to win big.

Back to reality...

2008-08-05T04:41:00.000-07:00

Well, time to get back to the salt mines. Oh, it’s so hard. But, here I am, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

The weekend wasn’t too bad. By Saturday afternoon, the sun was out and shining. And we had a whole day of sun on Sunday. The rest of the time we just ate and sat out on our balcony watching the waves.

Thursday we tried to go to the new Bubba Gump’s that opened up at John’s Pass. When we got there, at around 5:30, it was already a 90 minute wait. As we’ve already paid $5(!) to park, we decided instead to try the Friendly Fisherman next door. We got in fairly quickly, but then it took forever to get served. And then the food was horrible. Mine was over-cooked, dh’s steak was grizzly and the “surf” of his surf and turf was four little shrimp that wouldn’t even feed my cats.

We walked around John’s Pass for a while. It has become such a tourist trap, not the little kitschy place that it used to be. DH found some frozen custard for $6(!), and then we went back home.

Friday we met up with Ryan and had dinner at LeeRoy Selmon’s. Way better than Thursday nite!!! I had some fried green tomatoes for an appetizer, (in honor of Linda and the crew), and some Sweet Heat fried chicken. That stuff is so good, I love the sauce. I need to find the recipe, somewhere. Afterwards, we went Green Iguana to catch the Rays game, and had a few drinks, and then back home.

We spend the rest of the weekend just chilling. I read a lot. I think I read about 15 magazines. I’m almost caught up, but I have to leave some for Savannah next weekend. All in all, it was very relaxing. DH still has his cold though. He says he feels better today, but he’s still coughing a lot.

I wish we could just chill out this weekend, but we’ve got the girls’ birthday party on Sunday. I’m thinking they must be having it early, as school starts next week, but it’s putting crimp on my budget, that’s for sure. Too many birthdays all at once, right after vacation, and then the wedding on top of that. OY! Ah, well, we’ll survive, we always do.

Well, back to getting some work done. My email box was pretty light, believe it or not. So hopefully, the rest of the week will go smooth.

One more day...

2008-07-30T04:31:00.000-07:00

'til we hit the beach. I've been busy getting every thing together, and getting my desk cleaned off over here. (some things fall low on the totem pole when you work 40+ hours a week, with a 2-hour commute on top of that).

I'm bummed about the weather, I think it's going to be a crap shoot, rain wise. Oh well, at least we're away, that's the most important part, right?

I got to spend some time with the girls on Saturday at Kathy L.'s house. We cooked out, had some snacks, and margarita's, and just had fun. Really loved that. Thanks to Kathy for having us.

Gotta show you this pirate ship thing I bought for the kitties. It was on sale at Target. I got it home, and it was in about 50 million pieces! I almost returned it, but I persavered! haha! The thing turned out to be huge, I had no idea. As you can see, Miles is doing his best Jack Sparrow imitation.

DH brought out his duffle bag last nite, and Miles has been laying next to it. He knows were leaving. I think he gets separation anxiety when we are gone.

So, DH got his Bucs season tickets in the mail this week. You've got to check out the packaging they put it in. (They could have saved the increase in ticket prices and just sent them in a plain envelope, but I digress). It is pretty cool packaging, we plan on keeping it:

It's this box, it almost looks like a game box. Then you open it up:

It looks like a game board, or something. Then you lift up the field, and theres a little well, where the tickets go. It's pretty darn neat. I don't know where we're going to put it, but hey, who cares, it's just cool, that's all.

Well, hopefully my day will go quick, but it never does when it's the last one before vacation. Let's hope I can get everything done today. (I'm on the right track, so far!) And pray for no more rain! :)

Wednesday

2008-07-23T05:29:00.001-07:00

Hump Day Hump Day Hump Day!

It’s been a crappy week I must say. Not a lot of good news around here.

To start to week, one of our Hilltop Girls, Karen lost her husband over the weekend. He was the same age as me, 37, so that was really heart breaking. I’ve known Karen a long time, from back in the old Florida Scrapper days, and we’ve been table mates several times. I wish there was something I could say to her and her family to make the pain go away, but I know it can’t. I can only keep her in my thoughts, and I hope she knows that all of her Hilltop family is there is she needs it.

I also found out that someone I knows husband has Pancreatic Cancer. I don’t want to say who, because I found out through 3rd hand information, and I’m not sure if it’s something that’s public knowledge right now. I just know that the outlook is grim. Another young life...(He’s in his early 40’s).

And lastly, my cubicle mate, Camille’s husband goes in for surgery tomorrow for spots on his lungs. He had Colon Cancer a few years ago, and they are not sure if this is a reoccurrence or something different. Afterwards, he will go through Chemo, and hopefully that will be the end of it. We will find out tomorrow.

I really do hope things come in threes, as they say. I don’t know if we can hear any more bad news. What do they say; whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger? Yeah, we’ll see about that.

What do you make of this Caylee Anthony story? How do you just lose your kid for 5 weeks and not tell anyone? I have a bad feeling mom killed her. What a lovely piece of work she is, let me tell you. So, so sad. Why do people like this have children in the first place?

And Estelle Getty died yesterday. I love the Golden Girls, and Sophia was my favorite. I watched it all the time when it was on, and I still catch a rerun now and then. Well, enough sadness for the day, let’s hope this week gets better.

Saturday Morning...

2008-07-19T03:47:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are again, it's the weekend! YAY! My weekend will be pretty low key.

Yesterday, I went to the doctor and had three moles removed off my back. What fun, right? NOT! The doc tells me they are pretty mild, and I shouldn't lose sleep over them. It's more precautionary. He thinks they should just come off now before they develop into something, and of course, they were sent off to be biopsied, to make sure.

I also have two on my stomach that I have to go back for in a few weeks. He said one of those looked 50/50. Those aren't reassuring odds, are they? Again, he wasn't overly concerned, especially since I don't have any family history. (Well, at least as far as I know).

What's aggravating, is those two on my stomach I showed the NP when I was there last year. I told the dr. that, but he didn't seem concerned. "Sonya (the NP) is very thorough, and I sign off on all her charts, so I'm sure she didn't miss anything". SIGH! He also said that these things change in a year, so it's no surprise. (Well to you maybe, but it is to me! Esp. when I've been coming in for my yearly check like I'm supposed to!)

Oh well, that's what you get for being pasty and growing up in Florida, and being a water lover, to boot.

We're back to square one on our tile project for the house. The estimate from Flooring America came in way over budget. DH wants to go to Lowes, since they did our bathrooms, and get an estimate from them, so they will probably do that on Sunday. In the meantime, he's going to the Rays game tonite with his buddy Patrick (Simo's dh), and I'm chilling at home, doing laundry, and probably cleaning up the scrap room. (It looks like a bomb went off in there, since I got back from the birthday crop. Poor Angie!) So, I'll have enough to keep occupied, this weekend.

It's a Really Big Day, Today!!!

2008-07-16T05:44:00.000-07:00

For two of my favorite people. (Yes, you are all MY people, LOL!)

Big Birthday wishes to Miss Linda, the glue that holds us all together in Hilltop Land!!! You are the awesome-ist! We love you! I hope you get spoiled rotten!!!

And another Big Birthday wish to my "special" people, Barb, who is probably in a plane somewhere headed to Chicago and CHA. I know the girls will make sure you have a wonderful day!

As promised here are just a few pics from Saturday...

Here's me just getting to the dressing room, and getting started. Yes, I look like hell there, but I was comfortable, LOL!

Here's Mike our vocal coach, and Gloria, our pianist for the show. Gloria is a great musician, she could make a funeral march sound good. And Mike is just an overall good guy. He really worked with us, and we came so far with him. In addition to Music Manager, he's also the head man in charge at the church where we are rehearsing, until they get a permanent pastor, so he works hard 24/7.

Here's John, our director, with Heidi, one of the soloists. Heidi is my new girl crush, btw. Haha! And she's a suishi person like me, gotta love that. John is the man who put this whole thing together. Not only did he have a dream and a vision of what he wanted this to be, he believed in us, and inspired us to see it in ourselves. He is an amazing person, and he and his partner Linda worked so hard for this to become reality, and we love them for it.

And here are some backstage pics, getting ready. We're all ready to go and shine at this point:

A Really Big Shooooeeee...

2008-07-14T06:03:00.001-07:00

I am so tired, but in a good way. This was an exhausting weekend, but it was well, well worth it.

The concert was a huge success! Everything went off without a hitch, and John, our director, and Mike our vocal coach, were so proud of us. It was a standing ovation at the end, and apparently that’s the first time that had ever happened with any of the other groups’ premiere. John said “if you want to know how well you did, well, just look at the audience, that says it all!”

The day started off early, at around 12:30, where we got all our stuff, and got our dressing rooms and everything. Then it was more of “hurry up and wait” as the crew decided that was a good time for them to take a break. So, we all sat around and chatted with each other, and the time did go by fast, as did the whole day.

At 2:00, we did a run through with the band. That was the first time we had played with the band, and boy did it sound different. It really livened everyone up, and we were ready to go. After a dinner break, and time to get into our uniforms, we took the stage at 7:00.

Everyone sounded awesome. The crowd was great, you couldn’t have asked for a better audience. DH was there, with his mom and a friend. Elle and Bob were there too. It was a great turnout.

Of course, with everything, it can’t go off without a little drama. My MIL’s ex apparently showed up and sat about 3 rows behind them. Unbeknownst to me, his sister is in our group, and the whole family had turned out. So, MIL and her friend left a little bit after the half. Oh, well, their loss, for the finale was wonderful!!!

BIG THANKS to Bob and Elle for making the trip out, it meant a lot to me that you guys were there, and I am so glad you guys enjoyed yourselves.

I know Dianne took alot of pictures, and she's going to send me the link, so as soon as I get it, I will post some here. Tonight is the cast party, and then a break until September, where we start rehearsing for Candlelight at Epcot over Thanksgiving weekend. Then we’re back at TBPAC on March 15th. (BTW, tickets for Phantom went on sale yesterday for November, anyone interested?)

I’ll be busy the next few months, though, the tile guy comes today to measure out our kitchen. Then I plan on going by Sherwin Williams the next few days to get paint for the kitchen and laundry room. Our beach trip starts on the 31st (plus our anniversary!) and then we’ll be in Savannah in August for Jeff’s wedding. I may do some painting this weekend, but I think for the most part, I’ll be catching up on sleep, LOL!

How was your weekend?

2008-07-07T05:33:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great 3-day weekend. We had an interesting weekend. Wish it were longer, that’s for sure.

4th of July was nice. We bbq’d, had ribs and chicken, and other things. There is a family down the street that came over, basically handed DH some raw chicken and said, here, cook this. Okaayyyyy.... They also made this taco dip thing that I think was not cooked right, or left out too long or something, because it tore up my tummy. That put me out for a little while, but I came back to watch some fireworks.

That was interesting, too, to say the least. Our neighbor bought over $500 worth of fireworks, and DH commented that he must have connections, because this wasn’t your run-of-the-mill stuff that you get from the tent on the corner.

Well, bright boy decided to stack one of the mortar round boxes on top of an empty one. So, when they lighted the box turned over, and fired right into the crowd. Luckily, he was able to kick the box away before there was more damage. No one was hurt seriously, just one little boy freaked out, as the thing went right under his chair. The guy felt bad, for sure, and I’ll bet he’ll never do something like that again. Never a dull moment around here, isn’t there?

We went to the Rays game with our neighbor Steve and his son, Daniel. That was pretty good. We won, of course. 9-2. YAY!!!! We sat in right field next to the Rays tank, and that was cool, as you could see them all swim by. Not bad seats, but it’s a little bit of a tight squeeze, (esp. when the guy next to you probably weighs close to 300 lbs!) So, I got out for a while and just wandered around the dome, soaking it all in. I took a couple of pics, but not very many, because dummy me forgot my memory card. Darn!

And Steve is, well, how do I say it, obsessed with his car. (And it’s only a Nissan.) We had to park at the very far end of the parking lot, next to the entrance, so we didn’t have to wait in traffic (read: we walked a mile!) And the car had to be parked next to a curve, as close to the curve as possible, so the car in the next stall doesn’t cause any dings. Uh, yeah, okay, whatever you say. I was so tired when I got home yesterday, and just collapsed. I will probably do more of the same tonite.

It’s going to be a big week, as our big show is Saturday. Can’t wait. (Still lots of tickets available, if you’re interested, just let me know.) But we have rehearsal both Tuesday and Thursday this week, and Saturday will be a long day, as we start at noon with all the staging and everything.

So, I’ll be a busy beaver once again.

Recovering...

2008-07-02T07:56:00.001-07:00

Another week is going by. You’d think it would be a quick one, what with being off on Friday and all. But it’s not. It’s just dragging by.

I’m still recovering from the weekend. It takes me a few days to catch up on sleep and a few more days to get my stuff put away.

I must say that the Birthday Crop was a huge success!! Linda did her usual great job as always. Lots of fun and laughs and food. And as always I did lots of laughing and eating and not much cropping. I did get my Cupcake book finished, from Jules’s class, got a few pages in the boys’ album done, and started my clock, but that was about it. But, it was well, well worth it.

Got to catch up with the Ft. Lauderdale crew. Always a trip, they are. And Barb and Gerri-Anne. Barb does tell some heckuva stories. And Jill came in from NC, that’s always fun. Stacey and Michelle came up from Sarasota.

Let me tell you about Stacey, that girl can cook!!!! She made: Texas Sheet Cake, Brownies, Lemon Poundcake and these Key Lime bars which were to die for!!! All from scratch and enough to feed an army. Well done, Stacey!

And then my table buddies, Di, Kathy, Michele, Elle and Chalupa (who is recovering nicely from her spaying, I hear!) Ah, Chalupa, what a spoiled little thing she is. Gotta love it. But then Sunday, it was back home to reality. Sigh!

Ran by Ruban last nite, after much urging from DH who wanted pizza from the Q. If you didn’t know, they are doing their 40% off sale this week. I got a few stock up things. Got some of the new Heidi Grace, I love her. So cute. Oh, and so you guys know, who are going, I paid for the Think Pink crop in September, so I’m all set there.

But poor DH, no Q’s pizza for him. They are closed for now. One of the girls told me that the old owners bought it back and they will reopen soon. I know they said it wasn’t as good with the new couple who had it, but I still thought it was really good. So, I’m a little bummed, but it will be back soon, better than ever, I hope. So, I tried Gino’s on the other side of the street, the girls recommended.

The pizza was pretty good. Not as thick as Q’s, but still pretty tasty. The steak sandwich was only so/so. But the service was kind of sucky. I was obviously keeping the girl behind the counter from her important text messaging. And the one guy, who seemed to be the manager, just handed the pizza and turned around. No “Thank You”, No “Have a Nice Day”, not even a “Hey, it’s hot, be careful”. At least the Q’s couple were very sweet, and always so nice to people. Oh, well, welcome to the 21st century I guess.

Any big plans for the 4th? We’re heading over to Sam’s tonight to get some stuff for our BBQ. Here’s hoping it’s not too crowded.

Thursday...

2008-06-26T06:30:00.001-07:00

Isn’t this the prettiest little baby? Okay, so I’m biased, as she is the offspring of my BFF!

Here are the boys. The blur is Stephan. This was the best picture I could get of him this weekend. I got to say he definitely is what I would call a “Strong-Willed” child. Man, that kid can throw some tantrums. His parents definitely have their hands full. They usually take the kids for walks in the evening. Well, Saturday night it was storming really bad, and we couldn’t go out. I swear that kid screamed for an hour. NOTHING and I do mean NOTHING consoled him. As a last resort we put the Wiggles on, and he calmed down slightly. Until Mom left to go take care of the baby. Then it started all over again. Oh, boy!
I did go to IKEA on Sunday. I gotta be honest, I almost didn’t. When I got there, the parking garage was full, and the line for the remote lot was wrapped all the way around the building. But not one to give up, I found a spot in the shopping center next door. But when I got inside, they were out of shopping carts, so that limited what I could carry in the bags, and out to the car, so I had to limit myself.

I got a few little things. A little clock and some candle holders for 99 cents. I got the wooden drawers, similar to Jayne’s, but with the long drawers, instead of the little bitty ones. Some magazine holders, for $4.99, those will come in handy. I found DH an album crate thing, for his LP’s. Some more of those mirrors that Diana made at Winter Retreat. And a few other odds and ins, I can’t remember. I must say, the place was overwhelming. I only did the bottom marketplace, I didn’t wander the show room, I was trying to keep it short. I can’t wait until we get our own!!

The birthday crop is Friday, and I’m shocked to say I am almost ready. Yes, me, the queen of procrastination packed most of my scrap stuff last night. All that’s left is my clothes, adult beverages, and my air mattress, which seems to have gone into hiding. YAY ME!

Is there anything better....

2008-06-20T05:32:00.000-07:00

On a hot summer’s day than an ice cold IBC root beer, straight from the bottle. Hmm..mmm. What is it about glass, is it that it makes it a good cold conductor? Who knows. But wonderful Publix last week had them on their BOGO deal last week, so of course, I couldn’t resist. I actually like root beer better than Coke, but Coke has caffeine, so that is my “drug” of choice, so to speak. (Speaking of BOGO, Publix has Twizzlers on sale, get there now!!! MISS LINDA!!!)

So, today is the first day of summer. Only the first day??? What have we been having the last several weeks, a teaser? OY! It’s Hot, Damn Hot, Real Hot!!! Seriously, I’m soaking wet when I get home, from the heat. Incredible. I’m getting too old. LOL!

Well, today, I’m on my way down to SoFla, to see the baby. Awwwww...I can’t wait to meet her for the first time, I’m so excited. I left her gift at home like a dummy, though! (A pink Gator onsie), so I’ll have to mail it down to them when I get home.

I’m also planning an IKEA excursion on Sunday. Any must haves? (Wonder if they sell patio furniture..hmmm)

Here’s hoping for an uneventful end of the week. YAY!

Mornin' Folks!

2008-06-16T05:17:00.001-07:00

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there. Hope everyone had a good day. Sounds like it. We visited DH’s grandfather and had dinner with them, and then his dad stopped by while we were there, so it was a good day.

Dh’s uncle is taking the grandparents on a cruise the first of November. Dh’s dad and step-mom have decided to go to. You see where this is going, don’t you? Well, his uncle has a balcony all to himself, but says in order to do that, he had to pay two fares. I’ve never heard of that. Kip may have to refresh my memory, but I remember the first Hilltop cruise, she was by herself, and she paid a premium, but not double the fare, KWIM? So, I think he’s getting screwed, if they are making him pay for two.

He did offer the extra space to DH if he wanted to go, since it’s already paid for. DH is thinking about it, since it will probably be his grandparents’ last vacation. But, of course, where does that leave me? Probably at the dock, waiving good bye. Yeah, I know, but how can he turn something down if it’s free, ya know? If we could afford both to go, we would, but it’s just not in the budget now. (with all the things we need for the house, patio furniture, new tile, maybe a new microwave, paint of course.) It’s a different itinerary too; it goes to Grand Cayman and Cozumel, but also to Roatan, Honduras, and also to Belize, two places we’ve never been before. But, it will be tight quarters for the two of them, plus his dad will be there. I just don’t see that going down good!

In the meantime, I’ve been on a search for barstools for my lanai. I’m striking out everywhere, I just can’t find anything. I did find a set that wasn’t too bad at a place on Bearss. The cost? $672...A PIECE. No, not for the pair, a piece. Well, I laughed at the woman, and said I’d go elsewhere. She said, “well we have others”. In the $100-$200 range? Uh, no. Buh-Bye. Nothing at Sam’s Club either (although, I found a couple lounge chairs I may go back and get this week). I can’t be the only person who has an outdoor bar, can I? Where do people buy their chairs????

I caught Meet the Press yesterday morning, and saw the Tim Russert tribute. He seemed like such a fair, likeable guy. I feel so bad for his family, my heart goes out to him.

I also tried to watch the Tony Awards last night, as well as Ice Road Truckers. I fell asleep through both. Sigh! I did wake up on time, but I am still so exhausted. It’s so hard to get through the day.

Well, that’s the Monday report. Have a good week!

Step right up, get your tickets here!

2008-06-11T04:52:00.000-07:00

I have order forms for Sing Live tickets, so get them while they’re hot!!! (Don't know why the colors are off on this, it was originally a JPEG)

The prices are $25 (mezzanine), $35 (orchestra) and $39 (front orchestra, I think). Here is a map of the stage, etc.

Our performance is July 12th at 7:00 pm. We’re doing a lot of cool stuff, including a 10 minute Wicked medley. I know some of the soloists, and man, they are good. Everyoine has been working so hard, and we have great directors. It’s going to be a good show, and you don’t want to miss it.

You can pay by check, cash, Visa or Mastercard. I’d like to take the orders all in together, so y’all can sit together, but if you don’t that’s fine, too. I can email you the form. You can also order on Ticketmaster, or the box office, if you are so inclined, but they will charge you surcharges.

Don't Look...Pity Party inside...

2008-06-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

I know, you're thinking, what the heck are you doing up at 11:30? You dodo, you have to get up in 5 hours.

You know, it's funny how one thing leads to another in your train of thought. DH and I were watching Ax Men on History Channel. One of the guys names is Gustafson. I asked DH why everywhere else it's pronounced GUS-tafson, but it's Gus-TAF-son Farms. Which lead to dairy farms, and MacArthur Dairy. Who used to have cows on 441, who I drove by and loved to see when I was a little children...which lead to the fact that it was next to Lauderhill Mall, which lead me to a blog about shopping centers, specifically old ones, which haven't been remodeled in 30 years. Which lead people to leave comments about the Mall and surrounding areas, including the old Ground Round a few blocks away. I went to a birthday party for a classmate in 5th grade at the Ground Round.

It was the only birthday party I ever went to.

You see, I wasn't allowed to grow up and be a normal kid. Birthday parties were not allowed. When my grandmother grew up, they didn't have birthday parties. So she didn't see the fuss, so I didn't go to any. Oh, don't get me wrong, I was invited to all of them. Even though I was picked on, I think the parents felt sorry for me and wanted to make sure I was included.

There was always an excuse. "Well, we don't know so&so." I went to a small, private school, where everybody knew just about everybody. It wasn't hard to go up to someone and say "Hi, Joey's Mom, I'm Mary's Mom. I understand you're having a party, let's chat."

Or they lived to far away. I learned that anything more than 10 miles was "far away".

Or they had a pool. "Oh, my god, you might drown" Or a park "oh, my god, you might wander away and get kidnapped" (This was the 70's, well before the Adam Walsh story).

You get the picture.

I didn't have parties either. Oh, we celebrated birthdays. After dinner, we'd have cake and open presents, but it was always just my mom, step-dad and grandmother. Sometimes, not too often, if it was on a weekend, my step-mom might drop my sister off.

I did have a slumber party once. It was a disaster...fodder for another day's blog.

My sister had parties. She lived with our dad and her mom (My step-mom). I did go to a few of those. One was at the rec center across from my dad's house. Helicopter mom was there, watching my every move (I think I was 10 or 11). I bet my step-mom appreciated that.

She had a slumber party once. I think dad and step-mom stepped in and said she's staying and that's that. I don't know why they never did that for me more often. I think because they were afraid of my grandmother. And god forbid, my mother ever act like a parent and say "Hey, this is my kid, I'm in charge here".

And one year we went to a skating rink up in Palm Beach. I think my step-mom and aunt had helicopter mom distracted long enough so I could actually (GASP!) skate!!! Yeah, I never really skated. My dad and step-mom bought me a pair of skates for Christmas. But I never wore them outside the house. I would (GASP!!) fall down. I might twist an ankle, I might skin a knee. All heavens would explode if that happened. I never rode a bike either. Pretty much for the same reason.

Oh, I was oh-so-delicate (eyeroll). I had a hip condition (a condition which three different doctors said was a non-issue). I'd fall down and hurt something (Ever met a kid who didn't?) Sigh!

Yes, mom, so while you had your 20+ years of therapy, thanks for saving a little of it for your daughter. And sticking up for her once in a while. And letting her be a kid, for cryin' out loud, consequences be damned.

And such is my feeling sorry for myself tonight. Sigh!!!! Maybe now, I can get some sleep.

The week(end) that was...

2008-06-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, my all-time favorite reality show (well, really, the only reality show I watch) came back on last night. Ice Road Truckers. It’s all about these guys who drive their big rig trucks and heavy materials over frozen lakes to get equipment to mines and such. This year they are driving across the Arctic Ocean, to some oil drilling sites up near the North Pole. Fascinating stuff, let me tell you. But, my cutie pie Jay isn’t back this season, so that’s a bummer. It’s all old guys this year. Ah well, still entertaining, in a geeky sort of way. (And we all know I’m a big geek at heart).

It was also a sad weekend in the sports world. Jim McKay died at age 86. Another childhood icon is gone. I always remember watching him as a kid, and that little skier guy who took a tumble. You’d think that the guy would get sick of seeing himself fall over and over again every week, but I watched an interview back in the 80’s, I think and he thought it was pretty funny. What a thing to be known for?

Did anyone watch the Belmont? What a disaster that was? All the hype and then the horse comes in last place? The jockey said that it was like there was no horse there, he wouldn’t respond to anything. Makes you wonder....

Finishing up the cruise, our last day was at sea, and we spent most of it just hanging around, checking out all the stuff on board. I made sure to get pictures of everything. One thing I loved was the artwork that is everywhere. My favorite was these glass sculptures near Bolero’s and the Champagne Bar. It reminded me of some of the Chihuly Sculptures I have seen. They must spend big bucks on all this artwork.

I did catch one of the Parades they do in the Promenade a couple times during the week. I wouldn’t call it a parade, but more of everyone in costumes dancing around. But it was cute, I’d do it again.

And we saw the Ice Show one night. That was really good, too. They did a really good job, I was impressed. Still, the Dick Button in me still wants to critique everything, LOL! (Oh, you two-footed that landing, Ut-Oh, that should have been a double instead of a single). But, considering the space they have to work with, and we had some bumpy nites, sea-wise, they did a good job. Another neat spot (again for the geeky) is the "peek-a-boo" deck, out near the pool area, where you can actually see the bridge and check out all the goings on.
Yes, our last two nights at sea were pretty rough, but nothing I couldn’t handle. It was kind of neat watching the seas and the weather off in the distance. The rockin’ kind of helps you go to sleep.

So, now we’re back to reality. Ahhhh...I’m ready for another vacation.

Oh, and of course, if you haven't had your fill of pictures...Here's all of them

Back with some more

2008-06-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Well, first, a shout out to Melanie! Hope you had the bestest of birthdays. You deserve it. Thank you guys so much. We enjoyed it. (A margarita night is definitely in our future, Top Shelf!)

Anyways, back to cruising. We had dinner one night at Chops Grille, the onboard steakhouse. It was an extra $25 a person, but so many people had recommended to try one of the specialty restaurants that we just had to take the plunge. So glad we did. It was fantastic. One of the highlights of the cruise. I would definitely pit this against a Bern’s or an Armani’s or any similar type steakhouse, in service, presentation, and food! Tremendous. DH says that this will be a must-do on any cruise from here out.

Take a look at this dessert. This was the Mississippi Mud Pie, and it was delicious. So dense, and so rich, I could barely finish it. (But we tried, oh did we try!)

Another one of my favorites was the cheese-onion soup I had for an appetizer. Now, I’m thinking this is a cheese soup, with some onion flavor. No, it was onion soup (think French Onion), with the hugest, thickest layer of cheese I had ever seen. And y’all know what a cheese-a-holic I am. HEAVEN! Interestingly enough I had the French Onion soup in the dining room, and it wasn’t nearly as good.

But I won’t say the dining room food was bad...it was pretty good, considering what you have to do to feed 3000 guests at the same time. DH’s steaks were hit or miss admittedly. There were some good things though. I do love their escargots. I never had escargots, until I went on a cruise. And it’s not something I order out because A) they are usually pricey and B) there’s usually another appetizer I want, like calamari or something that I would rather have. So, that’s a treat. The mahi-mahi was especially good this time around, the breading wasn’t nearly as heavy as it was last year on Enchantment. Oh, and my all-time favorite dessert is the Grand Marnier Souffle. And the tiramisu...and the chocolate brownie cake...and the Key Lime Pie...Oh heck, I just like dessert, period! LOL!

Next day was Cozumel...not much to tell...kind of the same old, same old. We went to Paradise Beach for a little bit, but the water had been churned up and was kind of murky. I heard on line, though, that apparently the water gets that way this time of year, which I didn’t know. Oh well. Afterwards, we went to Carlos and Charlies to get a bite to eat and some drinks, and then did a little shopping.

One more day until back to civilization.

We've been to Hell and back...

2008-06-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

No, really, we have. See:

This is a cool little place in Grand Cayman that has these weird rock formations that look like, well, Hell.

We had a lot of fun in Grand Cayman, we did the land tour this time around, and went to Hell, drove by the Governor's mansion, the little cottage (I forget what that's called), and the Turtle Farm. I found a cute Coach bag at a little strip center next to the Turtle Farm, totally by accident. And then of course, the beaches, where the water is just a beautiful shade of blue.

One of the things I find interesting is how the cemeteries are right there on the beach. Our tour guide told us that after Ivan a few years ago, the water was washing up on the beach and the graves were being carried across the street into people's front yards!!! Freaky Deaky!!

After the tour, we went and shopped around a little, and I got a snack. A beef patty and a soda. Someone in line was eating one when we were waiting to get on the bus, so I had a craving. YUM! Now, growing up in South Florida, we had little Jamaican joints were I would get some of those from time to time. And you can by the frozen one's at Wal-Mart, but there is something to say about having a fresh one. It's kind of like an Empanada, but the breading is a little different, (more biscuity, I think), and spicier. But it made a good snack.

But the Caymans are one of our favorite places, and if we ever get the money, I'd like to spend a couple of days down there. (It's verrrrry expensive!)

Labadee!

2008-05-29T04:49:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you, it’s hard to imagine such a beautiful place in such a poor desolate country. But there it is. Can’t believe that it’s Haiti, but it is. Sad to think that just outside the borders of this place there are people who have nothing more than dirt to survive on.

This is Dragon’s Point, what a great look out spot. So nice.

We had the ship’s barbeque lunch (burgers, dogs, chicken, ribs). Then swam in the warm water for a while. Ahhh...

The locals also have a market set up for you to shop in. One interesting thing, all the things you leave behind, sunglasses, towels, etc, the locals re-sell at the shop. I can't tell you how many used pair of Crocs I saw for sale there. Interesting.

But this place was so nice, we would go again and again.

The next place was Ocho Rios. We went there last year, so we stayed on the ship and enjoyed some time just laying by the pool. I did get up early and went to the Helio Deck to watch Capt. Johnny dock the ship. That was pretty neat.

Well, back to reality for now.

Cruise Talk Part 1

2008-05-27T05:08:00.000-07:00

Where do I start? It was such a packed week. Our first day was at sea, and we spent it relaxing, lounging, checking out the ship, etc.

For lunch, on a whim, DH and I decided to check out the dining room, not something we normally do. They had Fajitas as the lunch special and I had the open-faced steak sandwich, and they were both very tasty. But what made it even more interesting was our lunch companions. Some of you old, old, old-time Tampa Bay residents may remember Arch Deal. He was the channel 10 anchor back in the 70’s and did traffic reports in the 80’s and early 90’s I think. He was there with his brother, and man did he have some stories to tell. He and DH closed the place down, talking and chatting. That was really cool.

We had good table mates for dinner, too. A young couple from Tennessee who was very sweet. Another young couple from London, who were there for 2 weeks back to back cruises (lucky!) But they disappeared after the 2nd night, so we don’t know what happened to them. And the third couple was around our age, from Kissimmee. So, lots of good conversations there, too.

And of course, no cruise trip is complete without a trip to Johnny Rockets, which we did at around midnite the first night. Yummy burgers and shakes. Sigh. Check out the unlimited rings and fries. Oh, we ate so much. I’m in major diet mode this week. EEK!

I'll leave you with a few more pictures. The first is Capt. Johnnie, a real cool dude. He even brings his Harley on board and rides it around in port. The awesome dining room (three levels!), and a pic of our favorite bar, the Wig and Gavel. We always ended up there after dinner.

I'm back, did you miss me?

2008-05-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know, not really! LOL!

Just checking in real quick, while DH makes dinner. Enchilada, my favorite, yum!

Well, today is Memorial Day, and I spent it watching, what else? War pictures! They Were Expendable and Best Years of Our Lives for starters. Just a small way to keep in mind the sacrifices 100s of 1000s have made over the years to keep us free.

I also watched Capote. Interesting movie. I liked it, but not sure if I loved it, KWIM?

It's always hard to come back from Vacation and go back to work, but that is what I will have to do. Sigh. We had so much fun.

I do feel like the fashion police. Ever read Glamour Dont's? Boy, do I have some Don'ts!

1) If you are going to wear a white bathing suit, please make sure it's lined.
2) Honey, I know you're young and you want to look cute like the rest of your friends. But big girls like us do NOT wear bikinis. Just don't.
3) I hope you and "Ethan" are still together 40 years from now. Or else that Tramp Stamp is going to look pretty ridiculous around the nursing home, ain't it?
4) Make sure on the last nite, before you put your luggage out, that you keep some normal clothes. Clubbin' clothes at 9am does not look becoming, just slutty.
5) Platform Stillettos and 50 mph winds do NOT mix.
6) NO SPEEDOS!!! This isn't San Tropez or the South of France. I really don't want an outline of the family jewels, if you KWIM? Us Americans have rather, em, delicate sensibilities to things like that.
7) hmmm... not sure if a 4 year old really "knows" what that shirt from Carlos n Charlies really means... And if he does, oh boy!!!!
8) Um...didn't Rat Tails go out around 1989? (And this was on a female!)

Actually, it was a fun week. Got some cute stories to tell, which I will save for later in the week. Here's my favorite DH picture to leave with you...

By the way, if anyone has any cheap photo codes, like from York or Clark or one of those, send it over to me. I've got about 350 pics I need to upload!! TIA!

Good Morning, Bloglits

2008-05-18T03:54:00.000-07:00

Don't ask me what that means, I stole it from Dave Barry's 24 Blog. haha!

Well, it's vacation time. And just a few hours we'll be on our way to the port. About 12 hours from now, We'll be sitting down to a nice dinner, being waited on hand and foot, and will watch the world just sail away!

Last night was our annual block party. A pretty decent turnout, but alot of new faces. The food was excellent. Tony made pulled pork, chicken, hot dogs, brats, hamburgers. Lots of good side dishes. Very Yummy. A little sad, though, because we know this will be our last party with Monica and Sue. Monica closes on her house in Atlanta on the 5th, and the house here on June 30th. They are both original Drunco people, so our group won't feel the same without them.

Last CSI comment for the season (and probably for good!): My Warrick!!! Not my Warrick!!!! How can they just kill my eye candy like that. UGGG!!!!

Well, I have to go finish Grey's (makes me wish I had a laptop), and get ready to leave. Have a great week!

How was your Mother's Day?

2008-05-12T05:33:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a Happy Mother’s Day. Dh and I made the rounds, took his mom to Honey’s. They have this “Garbage Plate” loaded with fries and nachos and cheese and chili and chicken, so good. DH and I split it and were full by the time we finished it. Then we brought some wings to his grandmother’s house, and gave her, her gift, and his step-mom dropped by and we gave her, her gift. Gift Cards for everyone this year, just made it easy, with going on vacation next week, and everything being hectic. So, I hope all you moms out there got something special!

You know, I’m still watching CSI, but why I have no idea. You know a show has “jumped the shark”, when one of the characters starts talking about “jumping the shark”. I’m just holding out to see what they are going to do with my Warrick (Gary Dourdan), since he is leaving after this season, and then I am done with it. I haven’t watched Grey’s yet (or Lost), because I recorded them off the HD, and DH has been watching baseball all weekend. How about those Rays by the way? Still takes everything not to say “Devil Rays”, but oh, well!

Well, I am getting ready for my vacation. Did some power shopping at Macy’s on Saturday. Everything 50% off. Got a gorgeous purple sequined top, originally $89, marked down to $11!!! Then I found DH a nice dress shirt (a lavender/salmon cross, hard to describe) at Casual Male for $20. Bargains galore. Another good thing? The boss is leaving for Montana tomorrow and won’t be back until the 28th. YAY!

Hope everyone has a good week.

RATS!!!!!!

2008-05-09T05:58:00.001-07:00

Real ones. In our building. HELP!!!!! Deb and I were coming back from lunch the other day, and there were some people hanging outside the restroom. We went to see what was going on and found a out about a 12” rat, with about a 2 inch tail was seen crawling out of the plumbing crawspace. Ohmigod, can I just faint right now? I don’t handle creatures well at all. Egads.

But here’s the funny part. About an hour later, I see a lady from our building management and a guy with a pest control shirt were standing outside the bathroom. And he refuses to go in!!! Kept saying, nope, I’m not going in there. DUDE! You’re a pest control guy, that’s your job. I mean, isn’t St. Pete known for having a lot of fruit rats, especially in this part of town? You’d think he’d know how to deal with it. Well, apparently SOMEONE went in and sealed up the plumbing door. Which means the rat (and his 100 closest friends and relatives) are still probably in the walls somewhere. One of my co-workers made a comment to watch out for the kitchen, there are sure to be some holes in there to climb through. Lovely!

If you haven’t tried the breakfast at Wendy’s...Well, don’t bother. I wanted to go to the Sangwich shop around the corner from us. They have breakfast sandwiches, and have fairly decent Cubans, so I thought I might get some Cuban toast. I’ve been craving it for weeks. But they weren’t open, boo-hoo. So, I drove up to Wendy’s, they just started serving breakfast a few months ago. Eh, nothing to write home about. My eggs especially were rubbery. Hate that! I’ll stick to my Egg McMuffins, thank you very much. AH, well. I guess I’ll wait for lunch time.

Derby Day

2008-05-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

This is actually the first Kentucky Derby I've missed in the last several years. I was down in Ruskin with the Hilltop girls, cropping and having fun. To tell you the truth, I'm actually glad I missed it. How heartbreaking to lose a horse like that.

I'm an animal lover in general, but I do love horses. One of my "win the lotto" dreams is to own a horse or two (or three or more...). And my grandmother hails from Kentucky, and my grandfather owned several horses on his farm when I was little. And yes, I have the obligatory "on top of the horse" pic. that my mom took when I was about 3 months old. So Derby Day has always been kind of a special event in our house.

DH told me what happened when I got home Saturday nite. I wished he hadn't. I ended up with bad dreams. But I guess he figured I'd see it on the news eventually anyway, which I did. The experts are saying that all these injuries are a result of breeding. Too many muscles on top, and too skinny legs on the bottom to support all that extra muscle. It's so sad, really. I thought science was to improve on something, not make it worse? Well, I really don't know too much, just my (very) novice opinion. But it is something I think I will study more on.

I'm playing hooky today. Well, not really. I've felt under weather for the last few days. An earache, some post-nasal stuff, aches and pains, fatigue. DH made me go to the walk-in clinic today. He's worried I'll have some kind of disease and they won't let me on the boat. Diagnosis? Bad Allergies. I went with DH to Bananas on Friday, which is really just an old warehouse off 22nd Ave. I think I got overwhelmed by the all the dust and mildew and probably mold too. The smell hits you when you first walk in the door. So, at least I don't have any bugs, which I guess is good. I got a script for Flonase and picked up some Zyrtec and went on my way.

Had a real fun time at Hilltop. I worked on my Bo-Bunny album I bought in Sarasota, and it looks really cute. Got to see most of the gang, of course. I laughed so hard at Kip, who thought for sure that someone stole her magnets. How funny.

Well, I'm going to go lay in bed and watch movies the rest of the day.

I'm an Aunt-ee!!!!

2008-04-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

The boys met their baby sister on Thursday. According to Mom, Zavier just wanted to press all the buttons. Stephan was more concerned with the fact that there was something squiggly occupying his spot in Grandma's lap. LOL!

Everyone is doing well. Amazingly enough, for such a big baby, Joelle gained less than 20 lbs! She's feeling some pain from the C-section (Whoever told her the second time was easiest lied!), but will be up and at 'em in a few weeks.

Can't wait to meet her in June!

Good Morning, all!

2008-04-22T05:01:00.000-07:00

Good Morning. It’s only Tuesday. Will I ever make it through the week? Sigh.

Well, last night was the Sing Live launch. It went really well. It was harder than I thought it was, but that’s a good thing. I want it to be challenging, or else it wouldn’t be any fun. Anyways, we got through two of the songs and they sounded really good. I’m really excited. I was so keyed up, and now I can’t wait for Thursdays, my regular rehearsal “pod” as they call it.

They are still looking for about 30 to 40 more singers. So, if anyone wants to join me, look here:

http://singliveusa.com/singthemusicals.php

I think you will really enjoy it.

Now, I’m back to the daily grind. I have a nail appointment tonight and a hair appointment tomorrow. I bought another hair magazine yesterday; I still can’t decide what the heck I’m going to do with it. But I am sick of looking at it right now. This week is just so jammed packed, though.

I’ll keep you updated with our progress. I’ll probably have a few pics of my new “do” whatever that will be tomorrow nite. TTFN!