August 20, 2008

Learn something new every single day.

Joana and I were on a forum we both frequent this afternoon, when the subject of Quinceanera came up.
Being from up north, I had absolutely no idea what that was, so I asked.
Joana posted a bunch of information about what exactly it is.

Basically, when a young girl from a Spanish or Mexican family/culture, is coming of age, the family sends out these beautiful Quinceanera invitations to family and friends to come celebrate the girl turning 15, the age at which she goes from being a girl to a young woman.
They are huge elaborate parties, and a special Catholic mass for her, and the whole thing is usually paid for by her godparents.
The girl wears a very formal dress almost as elaborate as a wedding gown with a veil, and she will have attendants, other girls who are also dressed in formal white gowns, and who will lead in for her at both the ceremony and the dance afterwards.
Most of the guests are family, some friends will be invited, but it's mostly a ceremony and function to announce the new young woman to society.

According to the information Joana posted, it's a pretty big deal.
I always enjoy learning new things about people and their cultures, their ceremonies and stuff, so thanks Joana for teaching me something new today.
I would have probably never learned about this otherwise as my sons and I would never have a reason to be invited to something like this.

August 15, 2008

He's 17 today.

My first born, my baby boy, is 17 today.
When my Mom and Dad called this morning to sing happy birthday like they always do, they were surprised to hear the very man like voice that answered.
He has a big deep voice, he's over 6feet tall, he's awesome, kind, caring, compassionate, and all around great young man.
I am so proud to be his mother, and wish him a very happy birthday today.

Tonight, we'll be going out to our traditional Chinese buffet to celebrate his birthday, and Susan's 5th birthday too.
It's something we've been doing every year, it's our fave place to go, and I'm sure we'll all have the same good time we always do.
Then we need to go clothes shopping.
Either tonight or tomorrow, because school starts Monday, and it's the last thing we need to get.

August 11, 2008

There is a hell. It's name is Chuck E. Cheese.

Yesterday we went to Chuck E. Cheese for a few hours for my niece Susan's birthday party.
I ran around with them taking pictures of them having fun playing games, winning tickets, getting prizes, eating pizza, and just having an awesome time.

I spent a lot of time hanging with my buddy niece Skye, she is so stinking adorable!
She is still fascinated with my body jewelry, my tongue ring to be specific.
When she was a baby/toddler, I used to stick my tongue out and she used to try and grab it.
She is still intrigued with it.
I kept dong it to her yesterday, sticking my tongue out, and she'd just stare at it, ask what it was, and then she'd try to touch it, and then giggle.

But Chuck E. Cheese is hell.
That place is absolute chaos.
This is what it says about their kid check program. Emphasis mine.

When you first arrive at Chuck E. Cheese's you will pass through our Kid Check area where parents or guardians will have their hand stamped with a number that matches their child's. This is our special way we try to assist you in helping that everyone who comes together leaves together. (This program is not a substitute for adult supervision.)

And the part I bolded up there about adult supervision is my biggest issue with Chuck E. Cheese.
There were kids everywhere, running all over, pushing other kids, one small child was going around and stealing the little cups full of tokens from other kids, climbing on tables and chairs, just absolute crappy behavior.
And the parents?
The parents were all just sitting at tables talking with the other parents and adults, paying no attention at all to what their heathen brat children were doing.

Chuck E. Cheese's motto is "where a kid can be a kid."
It does not say where a kid can be a complete jerk and steal from other kids, push them, run around and climb on tables, scream at decibels that would cause a dog's ears to bleed, and the signs do say that parents need to supervise.
But so many parents just let their kids do whatever while they sit there and gab to each other.
I find that it's an absolutely horrible place, I'm glad my sons are grown up and I will never have to take them there for a birthday party, ever.
It was dirty, dirty tables, dirty floors, and the behavior of the kids and the lack of parenting, just aggravated me to no end.
But I made the best of my time with my nieces who I don't get to see very often, I have a ton of pictures of them playing games and having a really good time.
I might post a few of my favorites later on, I did have fun with my girls, but man, that place is just absolutely horrible, it is my version of hell on earth.

July 31, 2008

49 years ago today....

George and Lois took vows to love, honor, and cherish one another, till death parts them.
They have had their share of ups and downs, lived through some hard times and some amazing times too.
They had their own son and still had more love to share.
They took in child after child who needed a home, needed to be loved.
And love each and every one of them they did.
They adopted two daughters, they would have adopted them all, their love was big enough to love every child who passed through their doors.

All of their children are grown up and have children of their own now, some natural born, some adopted love born.
But Ninny and Pop Pop love each of those grandchildren as much as their own.
Each child is their family, even friends of their grown-up kids are welcome through those doors.
They are Mom and Dad to everyone who comes to their home.
They remember every birthday, every crowning achievement, they never miss a chance to send a note filled with love, hope, and encouragement.

Things aren't always so easy now, it's tough times for everyone, but you'll never hear them complain.
Ninny always says that you make due with what you have, and then stretch it out some more.
Pop Pop gives great big bear hugs, a wink and a smile, and tells you it will all be ok.
They are stubborn and set in their ways, if you refuse to take their money for shoveling the cold Maine snow, Mom will make you a couple loaves of homemade bread and your favorite muffins to take home.
They send their love for you in so many ways.

Forty-nine years ago today, George and Lois began a life filled with love.
They still love each other as much today as they did all those years ago.
They have a life filled with memories and love, and they continue to share it with everyone.
If only all of us could be so lucky to find that special person to share all of that love with.
They belong to one another and they respect one another.
They love, they honor, and they cherish, every single moment, of every single day.

Happy 49th anniversary Mom and Dad.
I'm sorry we couldn't be there this year, but next year, next year is the big half of a century, and one way or another, we'll be there to celebrate it with you.
You are loved and missed and respected, far more than I ever told you.
Whenever I think I can't keep going, there you are, showing me that I can, encouraging me to keep doing and keep living, and keep loving.
It's that love that keeps me going.
I couldn't keep doing it without your love for me, and seeing the love you have for each other, continues to give me hope, year after year after year.

June 15, 2008

Happy Father's Day 2008

I want to wish my dad a happy father's day today.
I don't get to see him nearly enough living so far away from my parents, but I think of him often.
I'll hear a brass horn, and be reminded of my dad playing and his love of music.
I get my love of music from him.
There was always music playing in our house, and my dad, while certain types of music were his favorite, he had an appreciation for all types, and would even tolerate my loud heavy metal blaring from my bedroom.
I hope my dad is doing well today, is happy, and knows how very much he is loved and missed.

A funny thing happened at Publix yesterday, when we went to get our subs for lunch.
They had a table right inside the door, where an employee was helping kids decorate a cookie cake for their dads.
She asked Sebastian if he'd like to make a cake for father's day, and he turned to me and said; "Mom, would you like one? I have the money to buy it?"
The employee looked confused, so I told her I was a single mom.
She said "Oh, I'm sorry. I just thought..."
"It's ok" I told her, "everyone always thinks that every kid has both a mom and dad at home, single moms do both jobs, but we only get 1 holiday."
She looked kind of embarrassed, but I didn't mean to embarrass her, I just wanted to explain why he asked me if I wanted it.

It's also funny to me, just how many little things they had set up around the store for father's day.
Tables with things to color for dad, a display of cards and gifts for dad, and in the meat department, a big sign that said, "Grill a big steak for your dad!"
And at every one of those "stations", an employee offering to help Sebastian find the perfect gift for his dad.
At each one, Sebastian would turn to me, chuckle, and say, "After how many years shopping here, have they ever seen me come in here with anyone but you? Have they ever seen me with a dad?"
We both got a laugh out of it, but it is kind of interesting after 10 years of shopping at that store 2-3 times per week, that they've never noticed we don't come in as a traditional family package.
They know us, they know our names, they always ask how we're doing, and if I go alone, they know enough to ask me where my boys are, so they do know who we are.

So anyway, happy father's day to all the dads, all the single dads, and all the single moms who are both mom and dad.
You all deserve the cookie cakes, the cards and gifts, and yes, even the big steaks done on the grill.

June 1, 2008

Rabbit rabbit birthday

My little baby boy is 15 today.
He is no longer small enough to fit on my lap, he's almost 6 feet tall.
He's smart, and handsome, funny, and a great human being.
He's caring, loving, and helpful.
And he's grown up right before me, in the blink of my eyes.
He's awesome, and amazing, and I'm so proud to be his mother.

May 12, 2008

Digital graphics tablet. Shhhh.

Sebastian's birthday is coming up in just a few weeks, and I think I know the perfect gift for him.
It will require some major extra work on my part, but thanks to Buy.com's weekly deals, I just might be able to get him this PenPower Digital Graphics Tablet.

One of Sebastian's future dream jobs is to be a game designer.
Video games, pc games, digital design and graphics design.
He is already taking these classes in school, he's used a tablet in his class as well as all kinds of other graphics programs, and we have a few of them at home on the teen's pc now.
Adding the tablet would be perfect.
It would allow him to keep designing and drawing over the summer.

The tablet costs $160, has free shipping, and a $30 rebate is offered, making the bottom price I would pay, just $129.95.
That's a really good deal.
It has a 5 star rating in value, performance, ease of use, and overall satisfaction.
It will work with Windows XP, has a usb port, and comes with everything he would need to continue making graphics all summer and all next school year as well for home projects in his classes.
This is something he's been asking for for quite awhile now, so it might be the right time to pick this up for him while it's at such a good price, and his birthday is June 1st.
It would get here right in time to give it to him.

May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's day '08!

Happy mother's day to my mom, and all the moms out there!

We moms have probably the hardest job that ever existed.
We are responsible for turning tiny little people at birth, into good, knowledgeable, and responsible people by the time they leave our homes when they've grown up.
According to a recent study, based on every thing a stay-at-home mother does, her salary would be about $117,000 per year.

The eighth annual survey calculated a mom's market value by studying pay levels for 10 job titles with duties that a typical mom performs, ranging from housekeeper and day-care center teacher to van driver, psychologist and chief executive officer.

In just the last few months, I've watched my sons grow in many different ways.
Not only have they physically sprung up like great oak trees and tower above me, but they are maturing, becoming smarter, becoming young men that I am so proud of.
Not saying there haven't been some seriously bumpy times along the way, but they are becoming some really cool and interesting people.

So to all the moms who stay at home, all the ones who work outside the home and raise their families, and especially to all the single moms who do the work of two parents all the time, have an awesome mother's day.
You all deserve sweet cards, flowers, breakfast in bed, and tons of hugs and kisses today.
But even if you don't get the material gifts, know that you are loved and thought of every day.
To your kids, you are the center of the universe, the one constant they have in their ever changing worlds as they grow.
Don't do any cleaning today, leave the laundry till later, and if there's no one to cook for you or take you out to dinner, order some take out, or cook you and the kiddo your favorite meal.
It's your day, enjoy it, have some fun, take some time to relax.

Happy mother's day all you awesome rockin' mamas!

April 16, 2008

Mother's day is coming up soon.

My mother always had a mother's ring as I recall growing up.
I loved that ring, all those colors like a little rainbow circling her finger.
It didn't have our names, just our birthstones, but I would love to have a ring like the one above someday.
Just two stones, August and June, peridot and pearl, with the teens names on it.
In either white gold or silver, titanium is good too, but no gold, I don't look good in gold jewelry at all.

With mother's day approaching, I get all wishy washy and start looking at stuff like this because I love being a mom, I love my sons, and I always wanted a ring like my mothers.
They actually have one similar to the one my mom had, but I think I really like this one the best out of all of them.
It's sleek, it's simple, it's stackable, a very simple yet elegant design.
But then again, I like this one too.
I love trillion cut stones, and I could do all three of our birthstones, mine in the middle, the boys on either side of me.
So it would be peridot, aquamarine, and pearl or alexandrite, which is the modern birthstone for June, but the traditional stone is pearl. But I can see how a pearl may look awkward with the other two gemstones, so the modern stone would be ok.
That site has so many different mothers day rings and styles, you will have to check it out if you're planning on getting your mother or spouse a ring for mother's day. *hint hint*

April 2, 2008

Oooh, I am a bad mommy!

I was cleaning out my purse this morning, and in one of the front pockets I found a few gift cards that belonged to the teens.
They always ask me to hold their cards until we go to those particular stores.
One was for Best Buy, and had mostly been spent except for about $11.00, and the other was for Old Navy for $25.
Not been spent at all.
Oooops!
It was Sebastian's, he got it for xmas from his big, and I kept telling him we'd go, but I hate that store so I never go there and totally forgot about the gift card.

So when I found it, I was like hey bud, look what I found, wanna shop online?
He was like 'geez mom, it's April, you just found it?'
But he picked out a couple t-shirts, I paid the difference and shipping seeing as it's totally my fault, and now he has 2 t-shirts on the way.

I think I get the bad mom award for the day.

April 1, 2008

She's 10 today.

My pretty Kali baby is 10 years old today.
Born on April Fools day, and been the best pet anyone could ever ask for.
I gave her a can of special cat food today, I sang to her, and she meowed back to me in her squeaky little 'mew' of a voice.
I love this cat, I don't know what I would do without her.
She's just the awesomest.

April 1, 2008

Ribbit ribbit April 1.

I'm up an attempting to get moving so I can get to the docs this morning.
I slept terrible, probably because of the off and on napping I did all day long, but I just laid there, rolling back and forth staring at the clock.

The teens are doing ok so far on spring break.
I say just ok, because there have been a few minutes there that I just wanted to wring their necks for being obnoxious turd nuggets.
Spring break.
It's only Tuesday.
If you're the praying kind, you may want to say a prayer for their safety, or better yet, pray that they learn to knock it off.

And it's April Fools day.
Oh great.
A day full of stupid internet pranks, WoW on the console, Virgle, Custom Time, etc etc etc.
I don't do April Fools.
It's a non-holiday to me.
You don't get the day off, it doesn't have it's own candy or presents, so it's not really a holiday.
It's a made up day for people to act stupid and try and pull one over on the people they love.
Here's an idea, don't do it on April 1st, pick a random day out of the year and do your prank then.
And when they say what the hell man?!
You can yell April Fools!
Now that would be funny.
But today, we're all expecting it.
On like June 11th, I may laugh and say oh you got me, but today, I'm watching you.
I'm expecting it and if the teens do anything really stupid, they may die.

March 27, 2008

Sebastian is already telling me what he wants.

For his birthday.
In June.
He wants more video games, he wants a pc based game that all I have to do is pay for it, and then he can download it, he wants new shoes, some more surfer shorts, some more Billabong t-shirts, and all kinds of other stuff.
So I'm going through sites for Amazon coupons, and will be starting to add these things to my wishlist so that I don't forget what it is he wants between now and June.

He's getting to be that age where he's far more picky about what he wears.
His shirts have to be a brand name, with a logo or logo design on them.
Mark, he doesn't care.
He is totally happy with a 4 pack of Hanes, plain black, one pocket t-shirts, plain khaki shorts.

Why do they have to be so different when it comes to this stuff?
I miss the days of being able to just buy clothes with nothing on them, mix and match type stuff, easy stuff.
But that's what he likes, and it will be his birthday, so I'll start saving, looking for deals, and buy things slowly when I can get a deal or they are on sale.

March 24, 2008

Today isn't half bad.

I spent most of the weekend dealing with pain issues due to the weather, but today the sun is shining, and my body feels good.
The teens went off to school, I sat and chatted with a neighbor out on their lanai for awhile in the cool breeze, took a walk up to the store to get my much needed money out of the ATM so I can pay a bill that I only pay in cash, and came back.
I'm just sitting here chilling for a few before I go help another neighbor with her computer.
She's such a sweet lady, but she has absolutely no idea how to make things work right.

One of the things I really like about Amscot, is that even though they say that money transfers will take 3-4 business days, it's usually a whole lot faster than that.
I transferred the money out of my paypal account on Friday morning, around 11am-ish, and wasn't expecting to be able to access it until at least Tuesday or Wednesday, but I woke up this morning to see it there.
I do need to call them or go in to talk with them about my card though.
It expires in a few months, so I need to find out if I'll just be sent a new one, or if I'll need to apply for one again.
I just have no idea how that works with them.

After the boys get home, I need to go to the grocery store and pick up some stuff we need, and then I can relax for the rest of the day.
But today has been a good day so far.
I'm not in any intolerable pain like I was this weekend, I feel good, and things are just going good for me.
I do have a lot of things I have to do, the house is a tad on the messy side, but I'm just not going to worry about it right this minute.
I'm having a good day, and cleaning would totally ruin that for me. Hahaha

I sent my Netflix movies back and need to go set up my queue for my next two movies, but their site is under maintenance right now.
Bugger.
I hate it when I forget to check my queue, and then I end up with a movie I didn't want right now.
I know they are all in my queue because I put them there, but there are certain ones I want first.
I'm totally anal like that.

Anyway, I guess I blathered on for long enough, I hope you are all having a good Monday too, or if it sucks, I hope it turns around for you.
Later days!

Oh! Before I forget, I lost another 2 pounds!
I absolutely love love LOVE, my NordicTrack elliptical!
On painful days like this weekend, I didn't get on it at all, but on most days even when I have a little pain, I hop on and do as much time as I can.
After I got back from my walk, I was feeling really pumped, so I hopped on and did 20 minutes.
Then just for giggles, I stepped on my scale.
I'm really trying hard not to obsess over the numbers, but it's an awesome feeling seeing them go down.
I'm now down to 182.5.
Not bad, not bad at all.

March 18, 2008

I got my Easter box! I got my Easter box!

Every year, my Mom sends me a box full of stuff for Easter, and inside are the worlds most yummiest things.
It actually came yesterday, but I was too sick to indulge in it's contents.

Oooooh, see that box inside the bigger box?
Do you know what's inside?!

That would be my Mom's famous home made peanut butter eggs.

Then she filled the rest with yummy candy, and some Slim Jim beef jerkies for the teens.

Thanks Mom!
As soon as the teens saw the box of peanut butter eggs, they screamed out "Yeusss!"
These eggs are legendary I tell ya, even Shell has partaken of their yummy goodness.
Of course, I didn't get any of the blueberry muffins, my favorite, but I'll just have to fly home again at some point to get some.
This time though, I'll be getting some better tsa locks for my suitcases.
I'm tired of the scum baggage checkers stealing my stuff.
I know the last time I went up, that I packed 3 things of blueberry muffins in my suitcase, and when I got home, one was definitely missing, and my stuff had been rummaged through.
I hate that.
It's like you have to write a detailed list of everything that is in your suitcase, copy it, and leave one list in the suitcase, and keep one with you.
On the note at the bottom, write something like "I will be checking this bag before leaving the airport, if any of the items on this list is missing, I'll know and report it".

March 8, 2008

No mom guilt allowed!

For my birthday last Saturday, Christine sent me a gift certificate to Amazon with the strict instructions to buy something for me.
No mom guilt, no buying anything for the boys or the house, but for me.
So I did.
I bought a ring with my birthstone, aquamarine, and sterling silver, from Avon's amazon store.

It arrived today, and I absolutely love it.
Thanks Christine for making me do something for me, it's nice to have such a pretty thing just for myself.

March 5, 2008

The school is retarded.

Ok, so Easter is March 23, most schools are taking spring break then.
Not ours, oh no.
We have a professional day on March 21st, so no school.
Then they go to school for a week, then they have from March 31st through April 6th, for spring break.

That's a very late spring break.
It should be over the Easter holiday, not in April like that.
Our last day of school for the year is May 30th.
I will never understand why they plan the school calendar this way.

March 1, 2008

It was a very nice dinner out.

I got back a little while ago, from dinner out at the Oriental Buffet, with my sister, my boys, and my nieces.
I love that place.
I could survive on eating nothing but Chinese food for the rest of my life.
Ribs, General Tso, those fried buttered green beans, and their little Tiramisu squares.
So yummy!

Here's the girls posing in front of the antique bird cage at the restaurant.
Susan is on the left, Skye is on the right.

Susan who is 4, wished me a happy 8th birthday.
I said 8?!
She said "Yes aunty Kat, happy 8th birthday!"
Hey, I'll gladly knock off 30 years. ha ha
Man, wouldn't it be fun to be a kid again?

They gave me a big balloon, a really pretty card, and a Penelope Pussycat, t-shirt.
I absolutely loved the Pepe Le Pew cartoons, and how love struck he was for her until she would return his affections.
Then he would freak out and attempt to run away from her, and just when he thought he was safely hidden, she would pop up and say "mew".

Penelope Pussycat is Pepe Le Pew's object of affection, and also caused him to show his true fear of commitment.
She didn't have a name for many of the episodes she was in, until 1954 when her master called her Penelope. She was mis-named as both Fifi and Fabrette, but her mother's name was Fifi.
It wasn't until the 1995 "Carrotblanca", where advertisements for the short credited her as "starring Penelope Pussycat in her first speaking role".

And now I'm home alone, with my sister taking the teens to her house for the night.
The house will be quiet, no beeping video games, no bickering over whose turn it is, and just time alone to actually watch a movie all the way through with no interruptions, and sit around in my undies if I want to.
I am going to watch The Lookout.

Synopsis:
Chris "Slapshot" Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), whose once bright future has been dimmed by a severe head injury, is a night janitor at a bank. Lonely and frustrated, Chris falls prey to a con man's seductive promise of romance and a better life, and agrees to help rob the bank where he works.

I'm going to answer some more of the emails that have piled up, I do want to respond to everyone who has sent me supportive comments and emails over the last few days.
I really appreciate everyone who has offered to help out should I need to fly back for the child support hearing.
I don't think it will come to that, I hope not, but if it does, it means so much to me that so many people would help me get there, and fight for the fair amount of child support that is long over due.
I thought about taking that entry and placing it in draft mode so that if he or his friends, or his latest bimbo girlfriend of the month, Googled across it, they wouldn't know what's going on, but then I said no.
The motion to modify has been filed, he has already been served, he knows that a hearing is inevitable, he just doesn't know that they know he lied.
But he shouldn't have lied in the first place, and I have done nothing wrong, I have no reason to hide what's going on.
It's not me who would be prosecuting him for failure to pay his taxes for a few years, it would be the state of Maine Attorney General, and possibly the IRS.
I simply wanted a fair and reasonable amount of child support, based on the actual wages of a business owner, not imputed minimum wage, because he doesn't make minimum wage.
And that's all I have to say about that for now, because today has been a good day, and I don't wanna spoil it with any of that headache.

I'll let you know how the movie is.
Hopefully.
I am so bad about writing movie reviews.
I watch so many, and I really do plan to review them all, and then I get caught up in other stuff and forget.
If I don't get a review of this one up by tomorrow afternoon Kim, send me an email and tell me to get my ass in gear.
Later days.

March 1, 2008

I need to get my butt in motion!

I've been very lazy today, I haven't even taken a shower yet!
I need to get in there and take a shower, get dressed, and all that, so I can be ready when sis gets here.

We've been playing video games and then watched 30 days of Night.
I'll watch it again by myself tonight, I was busy multi-tasking while it was on, so I missed some stuff that was happening.
But what I did see, I liked very much.
I like the idea of ancient vampires who just feed and are brutal killers.
It's not the romanticized version of vampires normally seen in movies.
I have another movie to watch tonight too, it's called the Lookout.
Hopefully it's good.
Ok, I need to get moving here. Ack!
I'm always so late getting ready for stuff.

February 29, 2008

I am not a leap year baby.

Sorry for the confusion, my birthday is not today, it's tomorrow, March 1st.
I will be 38 years old.
*gasp*
I'm in great company though, some famous people who share my birthday on March 1st are;
7th Heaven actor Adam LaVorgna (1981), "Saved By The Bell" star Mark-Paul Gosselaar (1974), Nickelback guitarist Ryan Peake (1973), hoops star Chris Webber (1973), Spanish actor Javier Bardem (1969), WWE wrestler Booker T (1965), "Eyes" star Tim Daly (1956), prolific actor/director Ron Howard (1954), the real "Daisy Duke," Catherine Bach (1954), Reggae singer Burning Spear (1948), comedian Alan Thicke (1947), actress Lana Wood (1946), "The A-Team" actor Dirk Benedict (1945), The Who singer Roger Daltrey (1944), Cuban guitarist Leo Brouwer (1939), actor Jed Allan (1937), "The Lady in Red" actor Robert Conrad (1935), Calypso singer Harry Belafonte (1927), screen actor David Niven (1910; d. 1983), bandleader Glenn Miller (1904; d. 1944), and early Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli (1445; d. 1510).

I think though, that 38 will be my last birthday.
I don't want to get any older, so I think I'm just going to stay 38 forever. *wink*

Tomorrow night, my sister and I, the teens, and my nieces, will go do our usual birthday diner at the Oriental Buffet, and maybe something else, then the teens will go to my sister's house for the night, so I can go do something if I want, or just have a night alone.
I think I'll just stay home alone and curl up with some cake or ice cream, and a movie.
I have 30 Days of Night coming from Netflix, so I'll just curl up with my kitties and a scary movie, and enjoy a peaceful night by myself.
Thanks for all the early birthday wishes though!

February 20, 2008

That's my kind of watch.

So yeah, I'm still up because the AC whirring is making me kind of nutty, I'm like too tense to sleep, afraid it might blow up or something.
I know, totally unrealistic fear, but hey, that's me.

So I'm surfing the net and I come across the perfect watch for me.
I don't wear a watch everyday, I don't think the watches I own currently, fits well with my oh so casual style of dress.
But I came across this site for Technomarine watch styles, and found this one.
I love it!
I like the design of the numbers, the nautical look, the blue and the black together.
It's perfect.

I should try to get to bed soon though.
I'm a bit shaky, need to rest.
Mark will be attempting to make it to school tomorrow.
We'll have to see how he's doing in the AM I guess.

December 31, 2007

Just under an hour now.

It will soon be 2008 and people will begin working on their resolutions and things they hope to do.
I don't make resolutions because it's too easy to quit and say I'll do it next year.
I just take things 1 day at a time these days.
I am just going to get up every day and keep going.

The boys and I have been hanging out and eating pizza, watching tv and stuff, and we'll watch the ball drop at midnight and then I'll probably go to bed.
But after the ball drops, ABC, after the rockin new year's eve, they are going to have some kind of special thing on about Cloverfield.
I am so very curious about this movie. I just have to know what this monster is.
I'll be going to see it as soon as I can after it comes out, I'm trying so hard not to read too many spoilers on it.
There are so many sites out there talking about it too, but one little special after the ball drops won't be a huge spoiler right?

Alrighty, off to click through new years shows again.
Have a happy one, don't drink and drive.
Call a cab or if you live throughout Florida and in Metro Atlanta, Savannah, and Metro Nashville,
you can call 1-800-AAA-HELP, and they will give you a ride home and tow your car absolutely free.

December 26, 2007

I wanna rock! Well, sorta.

Today was a fun day.
I had my niece Skye over all day long, we played, ate snacks, read a story book, and just had a really good time.
Then sis came over to pick us all up to do some shopping and get some dinner.

We went to Best Buy so the boys could spend their gift cards, and Mark picked out Halo 3, and Sebastian picked out Rock Band.
Yup, we've got GH3 and Rock Band now.
Rock Band is fun, we can all play it.
We can sing, play guitar, bass, and drums.
It's actually pretty fun.
I don't think we'll be making any videos of this till we all get much much better.
It's kinda tough. The singer stuff is hard. If you don't hold those notes as long as it wants, it says you failed.
Ouch man. LOL

Mark is gone to my sisters for the night, he'll be back in the morning and Susan will be spending the day with us.
Sebastian and I are hanging out playing Rock Band and eating the Chinese take-out we picked up for dinner.
We went and bought new shoes for everyone before getting the Chinese.
All 4 of the kids all got new sneakers, and are very happy. Susan and Skye picked out some Dora shoes, the boys got some new Champions.

Oh, a wicked funny about playing Rock Band.
Shahiro the kitten, absolutely hates it when anyone sings, hates it.
We sometimes will just sing to annoy her, and she tries to rip your face off.
So, Sebastian and I were playing, I was sitting down singing, and Shahiro climbed up on top of me, hissed right in my face, then stretched out all her claws as a warning to shut up.
I failed at the game because the cat made me scared...LOL

December 25, 2007

Merry xmas 2007!

The boys have had a good Christmas, they got the games they wanted, clothes, money to spend, gift cards, and the computer.
They are quite happy right now playing Call of Duty 4.
We watched our favorite holiday movie, A Christmas Story, while we ate our turkey and mashed potatoes, gravy, corn and rolls.
In all of our stockings is enough candy to rot our teeth till easter rolls around again..LOL
It's been a really nice day so far, here's hoping all of you have had a wonderful Christmas as well.

December 24, 2007

It's late on Christmas eve

and everyone is away.

Sebastian has gone to bed, Mark is playing video games, he's rocking out, and I'm finished reading blogs, and about to go reply to emails.
It's really been a boring day and night here.
We did watch a really cool bloody movie, I'll have to write up my review after emails are taken care of.
I made dinner, cleaned the kitchen, did laundry.
Such a thrilling list of things done on Christmas eve eh?
I just have had absolutely nothing exciting to do today.
Oh yeah, I tweaked the boys new pc.
Because it's brand new, it is set up to load like everything on startup, so I cleaned up teh start up files, tweaked the services.msc of all those stupid things that don't really need to be set to automatically run, and when I rebooted, it was fast as lightening.
They are pleased.

My sister brought some gifts over for the boys after work when she dropped off Sebastian, I gave her the presents I had for the girls.
I had gotten the girls some new toys from the Learning Resources, I know they will love them.
Sis gave them each $50 to Best Buy, and some presents from Mark and Carrie, her employers. They gave the boys a ton of new clothes.
They own some surf shop clothing stores, and asked for the boys sizes.
They gave each of them 2 huge boxes of stuff. I can't wait to see what they got.
My sis gave me a necklace like the one of hers that I had been admiring and wanted to borrow it to copy it, to see if I could recreate it and make one. The matching earrings too.
Sweet!
Now I have one and I can copy the pattern to make them whenever I get the go ahead to make jewelry again.

Well I guess that's all for now.
Time to get busy on other stuff and try to entertain myself for the rest of the night.
Later days.

December 24, 2007

Twas the day before Christmas.

It's a quiet Christmas eve here at the Cooper household.
Sebastian went to work with my sister today so he can play with his friend Matthew, while she takes care of his brother Greg.
Mark is playing on the computer, Runescape again.
I'm done wrapping gifts, I have all the food ready to start cooking tomorrow.
It's a lazy quiet day.
I gave my sister her birthday card this morning, and will give her the presents for the girls when she drops off Sebastian later this afternoon.

It really is a different kind of Christmas now that the boys are older.
I feel kind of sad about it.
No little kids getting all excited, no begging to watch the Christmas movies, no begging to take a peek at the presents under the tree.
It's just so weird.
It's just not the same, and because they have changed and are no longer excited, I'm not either.
I had no Christmas spirit this year at all.
The only decorations I put up were the tree and my antique Santa pieces.
I usually go all out, hang garland, place the Christmas story books on the coffee table, all the shaped candles, the little Christmas village, the Santa wreath on the door.
But not this year.
I left them all in their boxes and just said forget it.
The boys really don't pay any attention to it anymore, so why should I do it?
I know I should have just done it anyway, but it feels so unappreciated anymore.
The boys usually always help and beg to put the stuff out.
This year they didn't.
Why do they have to grow up?
Why do they not love it as much as they did?
Maybe I'll just drag the rest of the decorations out and do it anyway.
I need to feel more in the spirit.

December 23, 2007

Christmas blahdy blahs.

The only thing I hate about this time of year is that no one is around.
Hardly anyone has blogged for the last few days, no one is posting to any forums, which leaves me totally bored.

I could go tweak the boys computer, but Mark is on it.
Sebastian is playing video games on the xbox, and I'm bored.
I've started converting cds over to mp3s, just to have something to do.
I've got about 15 or so cds to convert over, I guess that will keep me occupied for awhile.

What are you doing?
Getting excited for Christmas?
The kids driving you nuts yet?

I remember when the boys were little, oh how they would go crazy by today.
They knew in just 2 more sleeps, it would be Christmas and they'd be getting lots of new toys and games to play with.
Now that they are older, honestly, Christmas isn't a big deal anymore.
It makes me kind of sad.
The more grown up they get, the less the holidays excite them.
It just isn't the same anymore.

December 22, 2007

Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say.

I'm finishing getting ready to go out, but won't be leaving until after I do the drawing for the Walmart sucks gift card give-a-way, so no worries, I won't keep any of you who have entered waiting.

But while we're all waiting for 2:17pm to roll around, I thought I'd give you a couple more songs for the present wrapping I'm sure all you moms and dads will be finishing up this weekend.

Remember to right click and save as please.
Davey Jones - Mele Kalikimaka and
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - Holiday Road

I finished wrapping the presents for my nieces and oh my bad, I lost track of the dates.
TODAY is December 22nd, not tomorrow.
TODAY is my sisters birthday.
Yikes!
They say when you get older, your memory is the first thing to go, so I confused the dates.
I have a birthday present for my sister and I'll give it to her on Monday when I see her.
Mark just got home from being out with George, and he got some money for Christmas, so when I go to EB games, he says he wants to go too.
Oy!
More video games!
Ah, I guess it's ok, it keeps them busy and off the streets, but if his grades start slipping again, off goes the xbox. He knows that now. After that last time the teacher called and said he wasn't doing his work, he knew I was serious when he came home and all the battery packs to the controllers were gone, and I had unplugged the cords and hid them.
He finished all his work the following week...LOL
Over vacation, he can get ahead, but I won't push him too hard. He'll be ahead and that's good enough.
Ok, I've rambled on enough I suppose. Time for a shower.
Later days.

December 21, 2007

Santa knocked on my door today.

Ok, so it wasn't Santa Claus, it was a way hot UPS guy with a package for me, and inside was a Sansa Clip 1 GB MP3 Player!
Yup!
It's the mp3 player I blogged about buying for myself instead of trying to save for an ipod.

A friend told me to be on the lookout for UPS, they had sent me something for xmas, so I knew something was coming but didn't know what it was.
I was totally surprised it was this!
You have to see this thing, it's so cute!
And in my fave color too. *wink*

It really is only slightly larger than a quarter, but it holds a full gig of mp3s, records voice memos or audio books, and has an FM tuner.
Very cool.
It charges through the same USB cord that you use to drag and drop, or copy files from my music folder to the player.
It only took about 30 minutes to fully charge, and I've been messing with it ever since.
I loaded about 400 mp3s on it, and there's still room for more.
I totally love it!
So thank you 'C' for the awesome gift. I think she somehow knew that even though I said I was going to buy it for myself, that my mom guilt would totally win out. *LOL*

December 20, 2007

More holiday music goodness.

I feel like I've been living in the Outer Banks the last few days, and I am so sorry that I forgot to post some Christmas music.
I was reminded to do so earlier tonight, so here's some tunes to make up for the days I missed.

Please remember to right click and save as. Stealing bandwidth isn't nice.

Queen - Thank god it's Christmas

Twisted Sister - Silver Bells

Weird Al - The Night Santa Went Crazy

December 20, 2007

The Christmas meme.

First, as I suspected, the Walmart green snowman gift card did not arrive today as they said it would.
Par for the course. *eyeroll*

Bucky at the Wvb, tagged me for this one.

1. Wrapping or gift bags?
I wrap everything.

2. Real or artificial tree?
Fake. And Charlie Brown lovable.

3. When do you put up the tree?
During the first week of December and not a day sooner.

4. When do you take the tree down?
New years eve.

5. Do you like egg nog?
Hell no.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
A real life looking baby doll. I was like 8 or something.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?
Hahahahahaha! No.

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
The year my brother thought it was hilarious to give me a giant box full of condiments.
Yes, he actually gave me a box full of mustard, ketchup, mayo, salt, pepper, bbq sauce, chocolate syrup etc etc etc.
Shittiest gift ever. Hands down.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Cards.

10. Favorite Christmas Movie?
A Christmas Story, and the Year without a Santa Claus. The Miser brothers rule.

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
i shop all year long when I find good deals.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
A little bit of everything.

13. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
Colored, non-flashing.

14. Favorite Christmas song(s)?
I really like them all. No favorite.

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Stay home.

16. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Yes. Dasher, dancer, prancer, vixen, comet, cupid, donder and blitzen. And old rudolph too.

17. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Neither. I have Zero from TNBC.

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?
Morning.

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
That stores start selling us Christmas at Halloween.

20. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color?
Nope.

21. What do you leave for Santa?
Santa is a fairy tale just like the easter bunny, tooth fairy, leprechauns, JC and so on and on. So, nothing.

22. Least favorite holiday song?
I don't think I hate any of them.

23. Favorite ornament?
I have several faves handed down from my gram, stuff my kids made etc.

24. Family tradition?
We have our own thing.

25. Ever been to Midnight Mass or late-night Christmas Eve services?
When I was a kid and had to go. I haven't been to a church for Christmas services in about 25 years.

Annd I'm not tagging anyone, do it if you like and let me know in the comments that you did.

December 20, 2007

Join us on the dark side.

I finally went and did the grocery shopping I needed to do, got my turkey and taters, gravy, veggies, and for dessert, I picked up a small tray of petite fours from the Publix bakery.
I got a roasting pan and more household supplies that we needed, more regular groceries as well because, school vacation is starting and they will eat me out of house and home.

Before that though, I went into Walgreen's to pick up my script, and picked up all the stocking stuffers for the boys and me too. Lots of candy, chocolates and stuff like that.
I picked up wrapping paper, tape, gift tags, and then I saw this lone box tucked way on the back of the shelf.
I reached back there and this is what I pulled out.

The whole 8 piece M&M's Mpire dark side ornament set.
Score!
Every year I buy at least 1 new ornament for our tree, and when I saw that, I bought it.
For only $5.00 too!
Double score!
They sell for around $30.00 on ebay, but the sticker said $5.00, so $5.00 is what I paid...LOL
I paid for all that stuff and then headed to Publix.
Bought a super easy dinner as well as everything else above, and came home, ate dinner, and now I'm playing catch up with blogs and emails.
I'm so stoked about those ornaments!
Later days.

December 19, 2007

No more stress, just sleep and clean.

I am so glad that things worked out today the way they did instead of how the day started.
I was so frustrated this morning, and I had been awake all night, so of course that made things more stressful.
I appreciate all the comments about how 'stuff' isn't important, that the teens love me, know I tried etc etc, and I'm not even going to bother explaining anything because I just don't think people will get 'it'.

So anyway, now that it's here, I can go ahead and take the Dell Memory sticks and add them in there so that the pc can do what it needs to do for the teens, and then I can start on the other things around the house that I have been planning on doing.

After the holidays, this house is getting a top to bottom, every nook and cranny, cleaning.
It's that time of year again, and the teens will be out of school for winter beak till the 8th I think, so all of this stuff should get done.
There are bags and boxes of items that have literally, not been opened or touched in years.
If they haven't been touched, they aren't needed items.
It's time to shrink the amount of stuff I have down to just what I actually use and need.
A full cleaning is in order.

I have so many things to do on my own pc tonight and tomorrow, I need to get cracking on it or it will never get done.
Then, I'm going to go to bed and actually sleep.
I'm wiped out.
Later days.

December 19, 2007

I don't believe it!

So the order got canceled this morning, right?
They said they canceled the order and to make up for my troubles, they were sending me a $20 gift card.
Right?
Well about 30 minutes ago, the UPS guy walks up to my door and hands us this.

Um.
It was overnighted, next day aired to my house.
But at 4am, they said they did not have the item.
At 8am, they canceled the order and said they did not have any but were expecting more on Monday.
Um.
On my order history page, it is canceled.
I have no freaking clue what the hell Walmart.com is doing.
Is it really canceled?
Is my money being refunded still?
Do I call them again and say what the hell are you people doing?
Or do I just let them wallow in their own mistakes?
I'll wait the 24-28 hours for my CC transaction to update, and if it's been refunded to me, I'll call them.
Or maybe I should wait 3-5 business days to notify them. *evil grin*

But it's here, the teens are happy, I'm happy.
Yup, I got them a new computer because theirs was broken, and Pete did send me a tower, but i was unable to get a windows xp installation to work on it, and so I'll strip it for parts. There's some good working parts in it.

Annnnnd, I won one of the ellipticals!!
W00t!
So even though today started out like total crap, it has ended totally freaking awesome!
Yay!
Whoo hoo!
Later days!

December 19, 2007

Walmart must die.

My really horrible experience with Walmart.com begins here, then here, and as of yesterday, here.
But here's the cliff notes.

On Wednesday December 12th, at 10:30am, I purchased a very expensive item from Walmart.com.
$359.00
The site said the item was in stock, I could pay $36 for 1 day shipping, and my item would arrive on Friday December 14th.
Total paid = $421.10

Fast forward to Friday morning, they sent an email saying they had just processed my order, obviously I wouldn't be getting it that day.
I call customer service, ask what's up.
A supervisor by the name of Carol deducts the $36 because I'm not getting it on the day promised, she tells me I'll get it Monday the 17th.

Monday the 17th arrives, no package, I call customer service again, they tell me they haven't shipped it yet, they will expedite my order, please wait 48 business hours.
Carol condescendingly assures me I will have this in time for Christmas.

Yesterday the 18th. I receive a call from them telling me they have to "investigate" my order, there is no logical reason why it has not been shipped to me.
I ask, is this item in stock?
They assure me it is but can give no estimate of it's arrival.
They tell me someone will call me in 3-5 business days with an update.

I call Walmart corporate, make a complaint, they tell me in a few business days, someone will call me back to discuss the nature of my complaint.
They take my name, phone number, address, and order number.
They promise me I will get a call from someone at corporate.

I call customer service again, ask if I can cancel my order.
They tell me no because it's in process, it will definitely be shipping to me soon.

At 4am this morning, I received this email.
Dear Kat Cooper,

Unfortunately, we have not been able to ship the item(s) shown below yet
and as a consequence, it may not arrive by the original estimated delivery
date.

Well considering my arrival date was December 14th, obviously it's not been delivered.

We apologize for any inconvenience and are working with our suppliers to fill
your order as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we are currently unable to
provide a revised delivery date.

We will continue to make every effort to ship this order; however, if you wish
to cancel this order, please call Customer Service at 1-800-966-6546 and we
will attempt to cancel it before it ships.
If you don't request that we cancel this order and we cannot fulfill it within
10 days, we will presume that you consent to us canceling the order and we will
cancel it at that time. You will be notified of the cancellation.

What do they mean they are working with the suppliers to get this filled?
They told me it was in stock, the website says this item is in stock, and they are still offering customers 1 day shipping.
The last day a customer can order to get it on December 24th is Thursday the 20th at 11:30pm.
But they are telling me in this email, they are working with the supplier to get it filled?
Does that sound to any of you like this item is in stock?

Yesterday, they would not let me cancel the order, they told me it was processing.
My money has been tied to this purchase for an entire week, and now they tell me I can cancel it?
With only a few days left to try and get this somewhere else?
Their website says it's in stock!
They are still selling this item on the website, yet they don't actually have any!

My credit card has had a hold on this money for a whole week, I have no idea how long it's going to take Walmart to actually cancel this and release my funds, and then how long after that, that my credit card will release the funds back to me.
I may possibly get to spend my money by New Years!
This was a Christmas present for the boys that I was going to give them early because they need it now.
Not in 10 business days if Walmart finally gets the supplier to ship more product.
And of course, they cover their butts and say they may not get any more within 10 days, and will just assume I want to cancel at that point.

I can't even call them to cancel this until 6am central time, it's only 5am here now, I have 1 week to try and get this someplace else, and no local stores have it.
I've called, I've checked online, the only other place that has this is an online store based on the west coast, Pacific coast.
I can't call them to verify they really have this until 5am Pacific time.
And that's if Walmart immediately cancels my order, and if my credit card immediately releases the hold.
It will cost me an additional $65 to get it sent by Fedex, next business day priority from this on line store.
If they even really have it.

You have absolutely no idea how livid I am.
Walmart has wasted an entire week of my time, my money, $421.10 of my money, has been held captive for a week, I have made calls to them every single day, spent over 4 and a half hours total, just sitting on hold during the last week, waiting for a rep to pick up.
Every call I made, they assured me the item was in stock.
Their own website says it's in stock.
And at 4am on December 19th, 5 days after I was originally supposed to receive this, they send me an email telling me they are sorry but I won't be getting it because they need to work with the supplier to get more of this item.
At 4am on December 19th, 7 days after I paid for it, they tell me that I can now cancel this order after being told for the last 2 days, that I could not cancel it because it was processing and would be shipping soon.

I am so furious right now.
You have no idea what kind of rage state I am in.
I've been sitting here typing this for about an hour.
I have been making sure I've gotten every detail of this straight by going over my notes I took during each and every phone call.

I may not be able to get the boys their Christmas present that I tried so hard to get.
I saved as much money as I could, I put my own Christmas present money and my earnings, and the money from Aunt Heather, together to do this, and now I may not be able to do it at all.
I am so upset right now.
I tried so hard to do this.
I was finally able to get them this really great gift for Christmas, and Walmart screwed me the hell over for an entire week!

Do you think Walmart is going to care how much of my time they have wasted?
Do you think they will care that my money has been held hostage by them for a whole week?
I don't think they will care at all.
I don't think they ever did care.
They held onto my money as long as they could because that's all they cared about.
They lied to me repeatedly, told me I would definitely have it by Christmas, it was shipping soon, wouldn't let me cancel it, assured me repeatedly this item was in stock and I would definitely be getting it.

Walmart will NEVER get another penny of my money ever again.
I will NEVER shop at any of their brick and mortar stores again.
I will NEVER shop at Walmart.com ever again.

December 19, 2007

Merry Christmas to me.

One of the sucky things about being a single parent is you like hardly ever get gifts at Christmas, unless you buy them yourself.
My parents always send me some money, my sis usually gets me something, and a friend sometimes surprises me with a gift, but single parents usually get the stale end of the candy cane most of the time.

So we buy our own gifts, and when the boys were little, I used to sign the tag from them so they felt like they gave me a gift.
It made them very happy to watch me open a gift from them, like they somehow were responsible for getting it for me.
It made them smile and be happy, so it's one of those fond memories I have of the holidays with them. They thought it was magic that mommy got a gift from them when they had no money and didn't pick it out.
They were always excited to see what they got me. *laugh*
They would find the present under the tree and race it over to me and say "Mommy hurry open it, it's from us!"
Adorable.

As I said, my parents sent me a little bit of money for myself for xmas, but I spent it on the teens.
I combined everyone's money and mine together to get the boys the gift that Walmart.com is holding hostage. They will eventually get that whenever the hell my order gets found and shipped, and 2 more video games.

But last night I sold an ad here on my site for a nice small bit of change, and decided to treat myself to some pretty-up things because I'm a total make-up whore.
I love make-up, and Avon is starting to sell mineral make-up for way way less than those big mineral make-up companies.
A friend of mine who uses Avon, told me that their mineral make-up is actually better than Bare Escentuals, and for far less money.
I went to my Avon reps website* and logged in, clicked shop by brochure, chose the me-spree catalog, and bought myself the following.

They were having a $5 each buy 2 get 1 free sale on their line of Mark haircare, and their curly hair products are awesome, so I snatched up the following; Salon straight anti-frizz, Curl Goddess defining gel, and Curl Goddess curling mist.
A foundation brush for $5.99, and oh yeah, from the Outlet catalog, I bought a Footworks foot file for .79 cents.
Then I picked up an all over color stick for $2.99 in rosy shimmer, it's for eyeshadow, eyeliner and lips, all at once. Perfectly coordinated looks in one item. Cool.
Then I got two big color eye pencils in eggplant and classic mocha for just $3.99 each, and for $7.99, I got their Personal Match smooth mineral makeup, and for just $3.99, a Personal Match concealer stick.
Shipping was only $3 with the offer code of SHIP3.
My total was $42.73. Not bad at all.
It will ship tomorrow, and I'll have it by Saturday.

*Yes my Avon rep is a man, he is the grandfather of Kelle, one of my friends.
He and his wife sell Avon to make ends meet.
Ordering on line is easy, and they ship it anywhere right from the Avon warehouse by ground shipping.
No personal Avon rep has to deliver it to you. It's all done through the mail now.
I love that!
I always felt kinda weird having some lady come over and show me stuff while I flipped through a catalog, or wrote down my order. I prefer to shop anytime on line in my comfy clothes ya know?

December 17, 2007

Feels like Christmas now.

That's our current temps, it's not bad at all.
I actually love it when it gets like this, my body doesn't, but I do.
It will be about 39 degrees when the boys head off for school in the morning, so I need to make sure they are wearing their hoodies when they leave.
They walk to school, and even though it's not far at all, about a 10 minute walk, Sebastian said it was cold this morning, so I know tomorrow will be cold too.

Some locals on the message board were whining about how cold it is.
They have no idea what cold really is if they've lived here their whole lives.
Last February when we went to Maine, it was 10 degrees with a wind child ranging between -10 and -20 below zero the entire week we were there.
Now that's cold.

Sebastian and I went for a walk this evening around our hood to look at lights, and I saw this cool tree a few streets over.

Not many people here decorate outside for the holidays, it does look weird decorating your super green lawn and palm trees with Christmas decorations, but at least a few of our neighbors went all out.

December 15, 2007

I'm living in a fog.

I haven't felt myself all week, and it just dawned on me why, while I was grocery shopping this afternoon.
The muscle relaxer I'm taking causes drowsiness, dizziness, and blurred vision.
I've been sleeping almost non-stop all week, lethargic, lazy, haven't wanted to do a damn thing.
And I kept changing my contact lenses because I thought they were dirty.
Nope, just the meds.
I'm gonna stop taking them and tell the doc on Tuesday that I can't take these.
I have to be able to function, and with these, I simply don't want to do a damned thing.
I hope the effects wear off soon. I hate feeling like this.

I babysat the girls this morning for a few hours, and then went shopping so I could feed the teenage garbage disposals, and picked up Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for us.
We love the HP movies and books.
Mark had gone out with George and saw Beowulf, so Sebastian and I watched HP while they were gone.

And I didn't forget to post an xmas tune today, so here ya go.
Punk Rock Christmas- Sex Pistols
Please right click and save as.

December 14, 2007

Should auld acquaintance be forgot.

I didn't forget about a holiday song for the day, I was just busy doing other stuff.
But here's a rare one for you.

Auld Lang Syne- Jimi Hendrix

Please right click and save as.

December 13, 2007

OJ Simpson, not a Jew.

One of the songs the boys absolutely love listening to at Christmas is the Hanukkah song by Adam Sandler.
They laugh and laugh no matter how many times they've heard it before, so I'm passing on the giggles to you.
I'm sure you've heard it many times before, but anyway, here it is.
Hanukkah Song
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You don't need Deck the Halls or Jingle Bell Rock
Cause you can spin a dreidl with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock--both Jewish!

December 13, 2007

We're gonna make it through.

I've taken to watching Degrassi the next generation every morning at 9:30 on one of the local stations.
I know it's for teens, but I used to watch Degrassi Junior High, and then Degrassi High during the late 80's.

On Degrassi Junior High, the character Spike was pregnant and then gave birth to Emma.
Emma is now one of the main characters on Degrassi TNG.
I was just watching one of the episodes, and Spike was in it, getting married to Archie, or Snake as fans of DJH knew him.
It was a good flashback, I got to see other characters from when I watched like Joey, Caitlin and Liz.
Every Sunday morning, another local station plays back to back episodes of DTNG.
The boys and I have started watching those too.
I used to love Degrassi when I was growing up, so it's kinda cool to see some of the old characters from when I used to watch.

I have another xmas song for you. It's full of bad words, but totally funny.
Ho Ho F'n Ho- Monty Python
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December 12, 2007

It's a gothic little tree.

We have this tiny little tree we absolutely love. It's covered in purple lights, all the boys decorations they made through the years, fun stuff.
So here's our little tree all decorated.

Here's our tree topper, Zero from the Nightmare Before Christmas.

Winnie the Pooh, Aladdin, Mario, Yukon Cornelius, and the black power ranger.

And here's another song for you.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas by Tori Amos gone baby gone
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December 12, 2007

I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus.

Twisted Sister put out a Christmas cd awhile back, and I love it so I thought I'd share.
I saw mommy kissing claus gone baby gone
Don't be a dick, always right click *and save as*

December 11, 2007

Digital, drugs and trees.

This day just dragged didn't it?
I'm so glad it's almost over.

Anyway, this morning, Mark's teacher called me to let me know he finished his work.
As soon as he completed it, he called her over to his desk and asked her to check it.
She did, and then he says "Can you please call my mom? She grounded me because you called on Thursday and said I didn't do it. Please Mrs. W.?"
So she called me and told me, and I told her to tell him he was un-grounded.
I heard this woo-hoo in the background. *LOL*

Yesterday after I left the new pain docs, I went straight to Walgreen's to get the new scripts filled, he added a muscle relaxer and some Ultram ER and the regular Lortabs I have been taking. The muscle relaxers give me wicked cottonmouth by the way.
The pharmacist couldn't fill the Ultram because it interacts with the muscle relaxer in some people, and causes seizures, so she said she was going to call my doc and see if he knew that and still wants me to take it.
I just checked the Walgreen's site to see it's progress, and it says it was filled yesterday and picked up.
I'm all no, I didn't pick that up, the pharm wouldn't fill it.
So I called Walgreen's and they said the computers have been malfunctioning all day and saying that every script that has been dropped off has been filled and already picked up by the customers.
The pharm clerk sounded absolutely frazzled as she said this.
I can only imagine how it's been all day having to deal with the computers saying every order was complete and picked up, while the customers stand there probably screaming, that they didn't pick it up.
She said as soon as they fill it, if they fill it, they will call me but I can expect an email saying it's ready and it won't really be ready.

On to the digital.
On February 17th, 2009, all broadcast tv will go digital.
You can find out more about it at DTV answers, and also learn about the digital converter box that you will need if you don't have cable or satellite tv already.
That's the group I fall into, no cable, no satellite tv, just an antenna on top of the tv.
Between Jan. 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009, all U.S. households will be eligible to request up to two coupons, worth $40 each, to be used toward the purchase of up to two, digital-to-analog converter boxes. For more information about the converter box coupon program, call 1-888-DTV-2009 or visit ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon.
So come January, I'll be signing up for that coupon. I can't afford to buy a digital tv, so I'll be needing the converter box, and if I can get a coupon for it, all the better.
The boxes cost about $60, so getting $40 off will definitely help.

Tree time!
I have my tree out and placed where I want it, the lights are on, but no ornaments yet. I just can't seem to get in the mood to decorate at all. The tree is the only thing I have out.
Pretty darn pathetic right?
I'm going to try and get it done tomorrow.
At least finish the tree.

I was going to do some xmas shopping on line today and didn't, instead we watched Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End.
It was pretty good, what I saw of it anyway. I fell asleep a few times, jolted awake, fell asleep again.
I'll have to watch it tomorrow or something and hopefully stay awake during it this time.

December 11, 2007

Christmas music to get you in the holiday mood.

Every year, I usually post some songs for people to download, getting a late start on it this year, but I thought I'd start off with the rare version of Ave Maria by Soundgarden.
It's so beautiful, and I know some people have never heard it.
Don't be a dick, always right click. *and save as.

Ave Maria Gone baby gone.

December 11, 2007

Santa's runway is melting.

The climate changes are causing the runway which Santa uses to take off and deliver toys from, is melting.
He's not sure if he'll be able to make it this year.
Check it out at Green Santa.

December 8, 2007

Fa la la la la, lalala la!

I just finished writing out, addressing, and stamping my Christmas card list.
You still have time to get a card from me, they will all be mailed out on Monday, so if you want a card, just shoot me an email clicking the handy button at the top of my sidebar, and include your name, address, and zip code, (really important) and a link to your blog so I know who you are.

As per the terms of my privacy policy, your name and address or email, will never be shared or sold, only used for the sole purpose of me sending you a card during the holidays.

November 28, 2007

Bottle of Red, Bottle of White.*

A few days ago I received two premium bottles of wine from Gold Medal Wine's wine of the month club, to try and give my review of.

They were delivered very quickly by Fedex, and were packaged securely in shaped styrofoam, and snuggled tightly inside their shipping box.
When I got them out, I noticed how well they were each presented, wrapped in tissue paper and tied nicely with a bow matching the contents inside.
One red, one white.

They came with a beautiful gift card addressed to me, lots of informational materials, order forms, and a wine tasting score sheet postcard to mail back on each wine, with instructions on how to judge the wines.
They also came with a newsletter with all the information about the winery, Hambrecht Family Wines of California.
The newsletter also contains a few recipes that would go well with both these wine selections, and all the details of each wine, as well as information on last months wines and directions on how to see the full list of available wines.

I no longer have any nice wine glasses, I need to pick up some more for myself and for when I have guests. I had them on the shelves above my sink, and one of the cats had gone tearing through the house one day and knocked them all down.
So for this tasting, I used one of our latest collector cups from the Simpson's movie promo a few months back.
It would have been nice to use a real glass, but all mine were broken and Christine wanted to see my cups, and I'm only too happy to oblige a friend.

On to the tasting!
Let's start with the Bradford Mountain Grist Vineyard 2004 Zinfandel.
It was aged in oak for 12 months, and only 1,800 cases were produced.
This Zinfandel won several gold medals, and is very intensely flavored.
It had a brilliant appearance, a slightly musty aroma, full bodied, a mild texture, and a bit of a rough aftertaste.
At first I wasn't sure if I liked it, so I took another sip and swirled it around taking it all in.
I do like it, I think it would go with ribs, lamb, or a nice filet mignon, and/or heavy tomato pastas very well.
I then took a few minutes break making sure to completely rinse my mouth out with water, even lightly brushing my tongue, so I could taste the Chardonnay next.

The Belvedere Russian River Valley 2005 Chardonnay was aged in oak for 10 months, and 5,000 cases were produced.
It's a light yellow color, a pleasant aroma of pears and apples, and a hint of pineapple.
It has a light body, full fruity flavors, a mild texture, and a fine aftertaste.
I think it would go nicely with a garlic chicken dish and/or pasta.
Of the two, I liked the Chardonnay the best.

If I drank more often, I would definitely join this wine of the month club.
I was very impressed with both wines as well as how they were presented and shipped.
I noticed on one of the sheets enclosed, that gift packaging is available, and the boxes were gorgeously designed. The price for gift packaging was very reasonable and I could see ordering a few bottles as a gift for friends who enjoy fine wines.
I do need to go buy some new wine glasses now so that I can enjoy both these bottles over the next few weeks.

November 28, 2007

I love my anchor hocking bowls.

There, I said it, I admit it.
I was doing the dishes earlier and was washing out one of my Anchor Hocking mixing bowls, and realized how much I love those bowls.
Nothing sticks to them, they come clean so freaking easy.
I think I want every dish and every pan, and all the bake ware I own, to be that Anchor Hocking glass stuff.

I use those 2 quart mixing bowls for everything I make practically.
When I need the boys to get down under the cupboard and get my bowl, I just say get the glass oven ware, and they know exactly which bowl I'm talking about.
I've dropped them on the hard terrazzo floor, and they didn't break, not even chip.
They've been in the sink and had silverware or a pan thrown in on top of them and not broken.
They freaking rule!

I have used them for everything from mixing cakes and making dips, to serving hot soups or to make jello.
I've even made an ice cream crunch frozen dessert and popped those bowls in the freezer, and they don't crack or chip from the temp changes.
I want all of my dishes to be made of that stuff.
It would be awesome.

November 27, 2007

Deckin' the halls and all that jazz.

Have you already decorated your house for Christmas?
I know some people who did it like 3 weeks ago, and others who did it the day after Thanksgiving.
I never decorate before December actually gets here, the holidays are so rushed already, I don't want to rush them more.

I'll dig everything out in a few days, and then start putting it all up, so when did you do yours?
Have you already sent out your Christmas cards?
I have my card list ready, and if you want to exchange with me, just send me an email with your name and addy, and blog url so I know who you are, and I'll add you to it.
I do love the holiday, but just don't like to rush it.
I like to take time to enjoy the tree and the lights, all the specials on tv and stuff.
I am getting excited though.
Fa la la lala, la la la la.
Ha!

November 27, 2007

Halo 3 Legendary edition today only!

Ack!
Today only, you can buy the