Friday, December 30, 2005

The price of eating

You know when you're officially middle aged? When your teenager's music is always too loud. Even when you can barely hear it coming out of the headphones glued to their ears and the tune isn't even distinguishable...still it annoys you. That's the sign. I even like a lot of Katy's music, it's just too loud. Geez, I'm turning into my dad. "Turn that down!"
Speaking of teen drama, Katy has had her phone taken away indefinitely. You would think they would learn after the first SIX WEEK punishment, but noooo. And I thought Shona was going to be my wild child. If my straight A student is causing me drama, I can only imagine when Shona hits that age. Oy. Save me a rubber room.
While I'm ranting, why oh why is grocery shopping always such a long, drawn out, exhausting thing to do? Can't it be simple? And WHY does everything in the house run out at ONCE!? John and I filled up two carts tonight, and after price matching, coupons and $40 worth of gift cards applied to our bill, we still spent $260. That's so wrong. Granted, this is super Wally World where we buy household goods as well as groceries, but still...

Thursday, December 29, 2005

Ringing out the old

This has not been a fun day. Last night I came home from work, had a cup of egg nog and immediately fell ill enough to go to bed. It lasted a couple of hours and then, just as quickly as it hit, it went away. I assumed it was the egg nog and threw the rest out. This morning I felt fine and headed in to work. About an hour into it, I started feeling the same thing I felt the night before. Not as bad this time, but enough to finally convince me to come home. So here I am, back at home. Now I don't know if it's a stomach bug or if I've redeveloped an ulcer, but I'm determined to find out. While I appreciate the day with my kids, it's no fun when I feel like there's a knife sticking through my stomach and they are at the end of the Christmas vacation at the point where they are bored stiff.

I had a great Christmas. John has come a long way in getting gifts for me. I remember our first Christmas together he got me dishes. How non romantic. Of course, he also proposed to me that night, so that kind of made up for it, but...dishes!? This year he got me things for scrapping, including a new photo printer. Then he installed it for me and did all the testing work. Now I'm just waiting for him to teach me to use it and I'm all set. He also bought me a king size electric blanket. I've been wanting one ever since we moved back to the midwest but hadn't even nagged him about it this year. Maybe that was the key to success? ;) Anyway, this is the first year in quite a few that I haven't felt that let down feeling after Christmas. I enjoyed it, the season lasted just long enough and I am OK with letting it go.

And in other news, Shona lost her first tooth on Tuesday. She was so excited and I was just happy it didn't happen on Christmas. The tooth fairy always brings a gift the first visit and a coin thereafter. She got a spin head toothbrush that times you for two full minutes of brushing, a tube of kids' Crest toothpaste and some dinosaur flossers. I got some great pictures of her without that tooth, too.

Now for some other fun. Annette did this year in review and challenged us all with repeating it in our own blogs. So here ya go, girl.

JANUARY
1. Did you have a new year's resolution this year? Yes, to spoil and pamper myself. I did well for the first half of the year then got caught up with everyday life again.
2. Who kissed you at midnight? No one, that doesn't seem to be a big tradition in our house.
3. Did it snow where you live? Several times in January
5. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop? No. It's not really on my life's "to do" list, either.

FEBRUARY
1. Who was your valentine? John
2. What did your valentine get you? You know, I don't remember.
3. When you were little, did you buy valentines for your whole class? Yes, and decorated a shoe box. I always made the most elaborate ones.

MARCH
1. Are you Irish? I don't have green eyes and a temper for nothing.
2. Did you wear green on St. Patty's Day? Yes because no one ever lets me use my green eyes to avoid getting pinched.
3. What did you do for St. Patty's Day? Probably worked.

APRIL
1. Do you like the rain? I love rain.
2. Did you play an April Fool's joke on anyone this year? I think I did on the kids but I can't remember what it was.
3. Did you get tons of candy on Easter? No.

MAY
1. What's your favorite kind of flower?: I love them all. I especially like daffodils but John doesn't ever want them in the yard.
2. Do you like the spring? It's my favorite season. I love watching everything green up again.
3. Finish the phrase: "April showers bring...": May Flowers
4. What would you think of as a spring color?: pink

JUNE
1. What year did you graduate from school?: 1988
2. Did you go on any vacations last June?: No, we went in July.

JULY
1. What did you do on the 4th of July? We had a party at our house and set off fireworks. John lived in a big city all his life and was never allowed to play with them. He goes overboard now.
2. Did you go on any vacations during this month?: Yes, we took the girls to the St. Louis Zoo, Grant's Farm, a riverboat ride and up the arch.

AUGUST
1. Did you do anything special to end off your summer? Not that I can recall.
2. What was your favorite summer memory of '05? The trip to St. Louis. It was great to get away and be off work for a whole week.
3. Did you go swimming a lot in the summer? I didn't but the kids did in our little pool.
4. Did you go to the beach a lot? I live too far from it. Someday....

SEPTEMBER
1. Did you attend school/college in '05? No
2. Who is/was your favorite teacher? Mrs. Warner, my first grade teacher. The night of my last day in her class I cried myself to sleep. She is retiring this year.
3. Did you like fall better than summer? Oh yes, I love escaping the intense heat.

OCTOBER
1. What was your favorite Halloween costume ever? I can't even begin to remember. My parents didn't take pictures of us back then so I don't even remember what I was.
2. What's your favorite candy? candy corn
3. What did you dress up like this year? A tired, overweight, middle aged mom?

NOVEMBER
1. Whose house did you go to for Thanksgiving? My dad and stepmother's house.
2. Do you like stuffing? Yes, I do!
3. What are you thankful for? My family and our health. The fact that we are able to have a roof over our heads and pay the bills most months. ;)

DECEMBER
1. Do you celebrate Christmas? Yes
2. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe? I've never even seen real mistletoe.
3. What did you want this year for Christmas? A new photo printer, a Fastenater and a Basic Grey notch tool. I got them all.
4. What's the best present you ever got for Christmas? A marriage proposal.
5. Do you like cold weather? Cool, yes. Cold, no.
6. How would you rate your year on a scale of 1-10? Six. I'm still working, John had a rough school year and we had a lot of teen drama.

Monday, December 26, 2005

Some Christmas questions

1. Do you like Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Egg Nog

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Everything's wrapped.

3. What do you like, colored lights on tree/house or white?
I like a combination, it really depends on the setup.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No. I've never even seen any in person.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
Usually the day after Thanksgiving.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
I can't say I have one.

7. What is your favorite holiday memory as a child?
The huge family gatherings at my grandma's house. I really couldn't narrow it down to just one.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I couldn't even begin to remember.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Usually, yes.

10. What kind of cookies does Santa get set out for him?
Whatever is in our house.

11. Snow!! Love it or Dread it?
Dread it!

12. Can you ice skate?
No.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift as a kid?
Not really. I don't remember most of the gifts I got as a kid other than a bundle of switches one year. I'm not sure if we were really that bad or if my dad was just that sadistic. Maybe a little of both.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Seeing family I don't see any other time of the year.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
I'm not much of a dessert eater. I go for the bread.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Driving around to look at the light displays. We don't do it on a certain day of the month, just whenever we can squeeze in the time.

17. What tops your tree?
A multi-colored star.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
Definitely giving.

19. What are your favorite Christmas carols?
Carol of the Bells is my all time favorite.

20. Candy Canes! Love 'em or hate 'em?
Neither. They just are.

21. Favorite/least favorite holiday special?
Favorite: It's a Wonderful Life
Least: Charlie Brown's Christmas. I've never been a huge fan. Do NOT tell my Snoopy-obsessed daughter!

22. New Years?
We play cards until the wee hours of the morning.

23. Does your family do stockings? If so, do the grownups get one too?
We used to but haven't bothered for the last couple of years. I can't say I really miss them.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Tag, I'm it!

Annette tagged me, I'm it!

The rules for this particular tagging are as follows:

Remove the blog name in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add yourself to the bottom slot.

1. Courtney
2. Beth
3. Deanna (View of Life)
4. A Scrap of Life (Annette)
5. My Mundane Life (Anita)

Then you get to select five people to pass the love on to.


What were you doing 10 years ago? I *think* I was living in Missouri, waiting out DH's time in California. I just couldn't handle another minute in that state. I was also battling severe depression.

What were you doing one year ago? Working at the same place I work now, doing the same thing, different day.

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Doritos
2. popcorn
3. peanuts
4. sugar cookies
5. caramels

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
1. Jingle Bells (Hey, it's Christmas!)
2. Waves by Michael Tomlinson
3. Here I Go Again Whitesnake
4. The Real World by Matchbox Twenty
5. On a good day, the Brady Bunch theme song

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Live in my dream house on the beach in Florida
2. Pay off my entire family's debts
3. Travel, travel, travel
4. Buy every scrap item I ever wanted
5. Start anonymously giving money to people in need

Five bad habits:
1. Not getting enough sleep
2. Not keeping the house cleaner
3. Eating the wrong foods
4. Picking at my fingernails
5. Shopping

Five things you like doing:
1. Scrapbooking
2. Sitting in front of a cozy fire on a chilly evening
3. Sitting on the beach at sunset
4. Traveling
5. Writing

Five things you would never wear, buy, or get new again:
1. Stirrup pants
2. High heel boots
3. A fixer upper house
4. Hair crimper
5. I can't think of anything else

Five favorite toys:
1. computer
2. scrapbook stuff
3. scrapbook stuff
4. scrapbook stuff
5. TiVo

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Office Party

So the office party was today. We shut down the counter at 10:45 and went across the street to party hardy. It was nothing like last year. No band playing, it didn't drag and the food was passable. This year they did a karaoke contest and geeeeeeez. I can't even watch it, it was horrendous. Only five people tried, three got prizes. Really, karaoke should be banned from anyplace that isn't serving alcohol. You need it to make people sound good. I didn't win a door prize, either, but that's OK. They gave everyone a $5 gift card to Wally World when we came in, but most people opted to donate theirs to a local family who just lost their home to a fire.
When we returned, we had our office only gift exchange. What fun. My boss got my name and I got hers. Neither of us knew it even though we had been nosing around trying to figure things out. Too funny. She got me a case of Lipton Raspberry tea. She searched for weeks to find a place that sold it by the case and finally went to a liquor store to buy it. She also got me a DVD I've been wanting and a Maxine calendar. Love Maxine. That's me in 40 years.
So, overall a fun day at work. That's something you can't say every day. Saturday I get to shop til I drop with my cousin and Christmas will be finished. I can't wait. I'm more excited than the kids and usually I'm very "Bah, humbug!" It's a nice change.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

You have to admit...

So this test was pretty accurate. MUahahahahahahaha! Thanks for the link, Carolyn.

You Are Blitzen
Always in good spirits, you're the reindeer who loves to party down with Santa.
Why You're Naughty: You're always blitzed on Christmas Eve, while flying!
Why You're Nice: You mix up a mean eggnog martini.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

That's me, Goth Mama

OK, so I was reading someone's blog and saw a link to a test. What kind of mom am I? Goth Mama!? Too funny.

Goth Mama

You're a witchy woman! Chances are that you see
Morticia Addams as a role model, and your
wardrobe sports a fair amount of black. The
other mothers at school pick up may look
askance, but your kids already know that the
judgement of others isn't what counts.

What kind of a freaky mother are you?

Take note

I had a pretty good weekend, it is amazing how much you can accomplish in such a short amount of time when not dragging kids along on a shopping expedition. John and I left the girls with his mother and knocked half a dozen people off our Christmas list in less than two hours at the mall. And by list I mean the imaginary one I have in my head that changes constantly and always has someone forgotten until the last minute.
We also found a new coffee table in a furniture store that was going out of business. We've been looking for years for a new one that's reasonably priced, I guess waiting had its advantages. I'm just so glad that ugly, boxy thing is gone.


Christmas is less than three weeks away. I have to figure out what still needs to be done and what can wait. I'm seeing a theme in my life here. Oh, for the talent of list making. I've never been good at it aside from the grocery list. Well, considering I always forget something on there, too, I guess I'm a complete failure at list making. I bet things would run much more smoothly in my life if I could just be bothered to make lists. Maybe that should be my New Year's resolution for 2006. I'll just make a note of that....

Friday, December 02, 2005

I've been exceptionally lazy about blogging. Mostly I don't find a need for it, other times I think it would be a great outlet, but what if someone read it? Possibly worse, what if no one ever did? Is there even a point to it other than an outlet for frustration? Doubtful. But I'll give it a shot.

I had dinner with a friend this evening. We live in the same town, maybe ten miles from each other and hardly ever see each other anymore. I blame it on our work schedules, the kids wearing me out, my husband needing time with me, but really...we just don't have that much in common anymore. She isn't married, has no kids and has a job she hates and she complains incessantly about all of the above. I am married, two kids and have a job...well, OK, there is that job thing. We do like to email all day about how pathetic our work lives are, so we communicate all the time. It makes me wonder why spending time with her seems such a chore to me these days when she was once my best friend. I still call her my best friend, as I have since we "clicked" in third grade, but we don't share anything other than superficial conversation anymore.

And speaking of conversation, I can tell you what I would love for Santa to bring me this year. What I miss more than anything in this world is having someone I can talk to about anything. I once had that in my brother, but he is gone most of the time trucking. Plus, we have very little in common anymore to talk about. My mother was the best person to talk to until she went off the deep end. My husband? Bah, we just know each other too well. We know all of each others' stories, we talk all the time, conversation has run dry. I guess I just want a best friend again. Someone who I could tell anything in the world to and they'd understand, not judge. Unfortunately, that's a mighty tall order for Santa.