Monday, November 30, 2009

Have you ever

Decorated a tree with the help of TWO toddlers?!!??!??!! Altho, I guess to be fair, DJ would be considered a pre-schooler instead of a toddler...but still! NOT MUCH HELP!!!!!!!!

DJ has been bugging me since we got the tree on Saturday to decorate it...but he's very unknowing of the way things happens....and then the tree came in the house yesterday and he was bugging even more with that constant visual reminder of something to do....

So this afternoon, while SamSam was snoozing, we got all the lights out and did the test on them to see what's what....turns out I had 4 new boxes of lights that I'd bought 2 years ago on sale...SWEET!....and then 5 sets of lights that needed to be checked...of which 4 were good! That 5th one couldn't even be saved for spare bulbs!

So I got started putting the lights on with his "help" which consisted of him laying on the floor UNDER the tree watching me...now, I start my lights from the bottom...so he REALLY wasn't helping!!!! I tried giving him a "job" by holding the other end as far as it would go...he didn't like that job! lol

Then it came time to get Samantha up from her nap and I wasn't even half done the tree....I really just wanted to shut them off and wait til they'd gone to bed, but DJ was having NONE of that business!! So I kept at it and got just about done before I realized I'd need one more strand of lights...thankfully Howie got home and had some downstairs for me.

Did you count....how many lights I have on my tree....900!!!!!!!! Plus the few for the star...16 or so...that's an insane amount of lights to me!!!! And yet, I can still see some holes where I missed! This is our biggest ever tree...and I swear it didn't look THAT big in the field!!!!! Man! When I get it done, I'll be sure to take a picture! Promise!

We also got new ornaments this year as I really wanted a "theme" tree...so purple and gold is what we chose...for the UW Huskies. Howie likes it...and it looks REALLY pretty together!!! The putting on of the balls was a family affair...Howie put the hooks on them, and the kids brought them to me one by one to hang...they liked being included that way! I also made sure that 90% of the ornaments are above Sam's reaching height! So the bottom 1/4 of our tree is JUST lights at this point...ooh maybe I'll pop some corn and we'll make a garland for it...they'd like that! And we'll get some cranberries too! Good thinking! *pats herself on the back*

Samantha is good today! No pukey episodes since I got home last nite, and her fever is still hanging around...so obviously her body is fighting the good fight! I didn't medicate her today and just let her body do its thing. She also got minimal food...banana for breaky, toast for lunch and then for dinner, because she'd done so well, she got 8 noodles, 2 Ritz crackers, 1/2 a slice of cheese and 1/4 an 8oz yogurt...and did well! Fluids are great!! Anytime she asks for something to drink she gets it...I certainly don't want her to get dehydrated! We're steering clear of milk tho (which she's begging for) just in case it turns sour in her tummy...may give her some tomorrow....I just want the fever to break and be gone! Its certainly not affecting her ability to play...she just wants to sleep longer at nap time!

Speaking of sleep...DJ woke me up at 6:40 this morning to tell me Sam was awake!! He'd gone in there and turned her light on and everything! So I made him go turn it off and close her door...she didn't even fuss and went right back to sleep! He crawled in with me and fell back to sleep...whew!! Whatta kid!

I'm off to knit now...


Til next time...ciao!

Not Me! Monday

Its been a while since I've participated in Not Me! Monday....the blog carnival that's put on by MckMama over at her blog! You know, where you 'fess up to doing something that isn't quite the norm...and you do it on the sly hoping no one else will catch on! Yeah, that thing!!!! Share with me readers!!!!!!




My transgression of late...*averts eyes*....the day we did family pictures (which you'll see evidence of on the side bar to your left) I did not let Samantha stay in her jammies ALL day til it was time to get ready for pictures...just because I didn't want to do MORE laundry than normal...you know, those 2 extra pieces of clothing might tip the scales! I always dress my kids first thing in the morning!!!! HA!



I did not tell DJ that we'd get rid of the dog (no animals were harmed in the writing of this blog) if he didn't stop kicking/hitting/pulling/sitting on her!! I'd never threaten that to my child!!!!!!!! Or the dog, for that matter! But he has GOT to stop abusing her!!!!!!! grrrrrrrrrr



And that about wraps up my short little jaunt for Not Me! Monday!!!! Again, feel free to join in or simply head over to MckMama's blog and read some more confessionals!!!

Til next time...ciao!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Step one is done

And that was get the tree IN the house!!!!!! We let it stand overnite in the garage to let all the woodland creatures who got a free ride to our house remove themselves....and be free! lol Oh did it smell good in here too!!!!! Like the inside of a car that has one of those hanging pine tree scent thingys....hmmmmmmm

Well, it DID smell good anyways.....

Sam's had a low grade fever (not even above 98.6, but she's felt warm to the touch) for a few days now...and today it was 99.7 so I gave her some Tylenol...we ate lunch...she went down for her nap....I took Jake home and did some Avon errands....just as I'm on my last stop and making my way home, I get a call from Howie that all is not well here at home. Sam's thrown up twice and its miserable! She's just burning up and very clingy. So he gave her some more Tylenol and just snuggled her in his chair til I go home. She sat with me for a bit, I gave her some watered juice (its what they drink regardless) and she seemed to perk up a bit....so while DJ and I ate dinner (Howie'd lost his appetite) she munched on 3 or 4 Ritz crackers...and some more juice. She did okay and so far, everything's stayed down.

I think that rule is "Starve a fever, Feed a cold" as with fever can come vomiting....makes sense. We'll also follow the BRATTY diet for a day or two depending on how she's doing in the morning. My poor baby girl!! Neither of my kids get sick often...DJ's thrown up twice in his life (or rather, had two vomit episodes) and Sam's been sick once before...in her car seat on the way here, remember?...so when they do sick, they go gangbusters! Her poor baby smells of vomit too...so its out here drying from the washing I gave it, and she's sleeping with Dolly...I swear, vomit is stuck in my nose as its all I'm smelling...I've washed my hands several times...changed my shirt...smelled coffee and I can STILL smell it!!!! YUCK! I wanna smell my tree!!!!! ugh!

So that was our day! Here's hoping the nite goes smoothly...she went down quite easily and so far, not a peep!!! I better get to bed early just in case!!!

Til next time...ciao!

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Our day....

In pictures....but first, I'd like to wish the woman who bore me (and 4 of my siblings) a VERY happy birthday!!!! Hope you got our message! And that you had a fantastic time at the show with Joanne!!!! We love you!!!!! And miss you!!!!!!!


Guess where we went today...



and while we were gone....

this is it!



This is the life!!!!




Oohhhh daddy!!!




Walkin in the trees






Would you stop already!?!?!


Took the long way home and this is what we saw!!! Wild turkeys crossing the street!

I thought the were peacocks!
This a statue of Sultan John...


Howie on the ice for the first time in a LONG time!


Warmin up!

We were there for this guy's 40th birthday party!
SamSam thought this was great
DJ on the ice for his first time ever!

Unsteady as he goes!!
Oops!!!!
And again...
Sam out on the ice with Daddy
He did a "whee" and she loved it!
Ready to go home!

Til next time...ciao!

Friday, November 27, 2009

10 seconds!!!

That's how long it takes to lose DJ...a mere TEN seconds!!!!!!!! UGH!!

This morning did NOT start the way I was hoping it would...boy did it ever NOT! First it started with the cat scratching to get into our room...for water!! Of which there's a perfectly good, full bowl of water out in the dining area that I've seen her drink from!! But she's such a snob! She wants it right from the tap! Spoiled is more like it!

And once I'm awakened by the cat scratches, I realize that DJ had somehow managed to crawl into bed with us on my side...putting me in the middle...and I can't move...I hate that feeling! I'm not claustrophobic, but I don't like being bound up!

So I roll over to lay on my good ear and try to ignore the cat...cuz I can't get out of bed to let her in...and Howie's idea of solving the problem is to throw something at the door....yeah, not such a good idea there honey!

Now, I have NO idea what time it is as I can't see my clock from where I'm at in the middle of the bed...and I can't reach for my cell to click it to see what time it is...but I swear it was all of 3 minutes later DJ's awake and ready to start the day! He gets out of bed and wanders over to Howie's side to wake him and gets shushed...so he comes back to my side, checks the window to see if its still nite out (dang it! he's smart!) and then tells me he has to go out to the living room....so I got up...it was just barely 7! We come out to the living room and lay down on the couch...he is far too squirmy!!!! ugh! Sam gets up shortly after 8 and Howie follows after 9 and Jake just about 10ish.

Once the kids get dressed we head out to get more milk that's on sale at Freddy's and I wanted to use my coupon at Ben's to get a garland for the top of the mantle...and fondle all the yarn there too! :)

So we go to Freddy's first and I get a cart that doesn't buckle up...so I hold Sam in place and we head into the lobby to change carts...we walk by the pay phone and DJ says "I need to call Jake!!" (its what he says anytime he sees a phone!) and I am literally 4 feet away from him changing carts...a ten second job!! I turn around and there's NO DJ!!!! A rush of people have just left the store so I'm searching them for DJ and his red coat...nothing...a wave of panic hits me...I search out the other door and nothing!! I go into the store to see if maybe he's gone on ahead of me to Playland....and there he is. What a rush! I was literally shaking in my shoes!!!!!! I go up to him and speak very sternly about what he just did and not to do it again! We've talked about it a couple times today in fact! I do NOT like that feeling!!!! Man!

We missed all the Black Friday messy crowds...but I did manage to score a BF deal...socks are always half price at Fred Meyer, every BF...its their draw! And I got there while they were still out, so I still got the deal! Samantha was the only one in need of socks...and I got 9 pair for 4.50!!! What a deal!!!

We did go visit Ben! Their carts suck for two kids! So Sam rode and DJ bugged! I did find a 9' garland...very plain...so I'll be adding lights and small trinkets to it to jazz it up a bit...when I get it looking like the one I see in my head, I'll be sure to take a picture of it! I know, you're anxious! lol

DJ ended up taking a short nap on the floor watching TV with Jake, I'd gone to lay down for a few minutes myself, and he didn't want to lay with me....but I needed those few minutes to re-energize! That and I only had a bit of time left before I needed to deal with the soup I was making! Yup, I made my first ever soup!!!!! I've seen my mom make it LOTS of times, so I searched recipezaar and found one! Smells YUMMY!!!!!!!!!! Its on the menu for lunch tomorrow!

Once DJ finally woke up, he and Jake and Snickers went to check out the gated field just down the street.....its got swings, and a basketball court and a whole bunch of lawn. Sam didn't like them leaving, but dealt with it good!

After they got back I took the roasting pan and some pumpkin cobbler to the neighbours and chatted with them for a few minutes. They got their tree today, so were busy clearing for its set up. Fun stuff! I put up the snowman light up thingy...that's as far as I've gotten! lol

It was a bit of a chore getting DJ to bed tonite...we'd rented a movie (GI Joe and the Rise of the Cobra) and he kept coming out....so after the 3rd time, I put him back in bed and had a "chat" with him and that was the end of that nonsense! Part of it was the movie, part of it was that he didn't get to see Daddy tonite!

Now, everyone's in bed and I'm going back to my knitting! I got some yarn today to make some hats for the kids' stockings...and to match their coats!

Til next time...ciao!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

I am thankful for

A husband who gets up with our child when he wakes up just before 7 am!

I'm thankful for sleeping til after 9 am this morning! SO nice!!!!

I'm thankful that my husband just dove right into the list of chores we had and did most of them without my help!! How awesome is that!??!! I did sit with the kids while he vacuumed so they'd stay out of his way...

I'm thankful that lunch was easy and both kids ate great!!

I'm thankful that my neighbour loaned us her roasting pan!! At the eleventh hour we discover we don't have a roasting pan big enough to handle a 23.63 lb turkey!!!! (which I'm thankful my father-in-law gave us) What an ordeal that was! Howie took off for Fred Meyer in search of a roasting pan...only to discover they had NONE!!!!! Not even the disposable ones!! So I called over to my wonderful neighbour and she was just sitting down to their turkey and I was able to borrow it. Made my life MUCH easier!!!! I'll be buying one from Pampered Chef when the time comes, as that's what I borrowed and it was a SNAP to clean up! I was amazed how easy it was!

I'm thankful DJ took and unasked for nap this afternoon in Howie's chair...gave me peace while I had a shower!!

I'm thankful that Howie made this TERRIFIC turkey in the BBQ....I've never had BBQ turkey before...and I'll never again have it roasted! It was DIVINE!!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely wonderful!!!!

I'm thankful that everything came together on the table at the same time...always a miracle for any woman to co-ordinate!

I'm especially thankful for my Father-in-law's girlfriend, Ellen, and all her help in the kitchen afterwards with clean up! I can actually see my counter tops again!

I'm thankful that both kids fell asleep instantly!!! Can't ask for better than that!!!!

I'm thankful that my mother taught me how to make soup from chicken carcasses and how to check on recipezaar.com to find one for turkey!

I'm thankful this day is over and my inlaws seemed to have enjoyed themselves!

I'm thankful I didn't over eat, but sure did get my fill of such wonderful food!!!

I'm thankful there's plenty of leftovers to eat too!

I'm thankful I don't have to go out shopping tomorrow on Black Friday, even tho I wish I was!!! OH the deals are amazing this year!!!!! But I'm almost done with my shopping, so I'm thankful for that too!

I'm thankful my whole family was together today...and we all survived!

I'm thankful I'm done this post and gonna go sit in my chair and relax for the first time today!! *sigh*

Til next time...ciao

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

May your stuffing be tasty


May your turkey be plump


May your potatoes and gravy


Have never a lump




May your yams be delicious


And your pies take the prize


May your Thanksgiving dinner


Stay off your thighs!!!


Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Twas the nite before

Thanksgiving and all thru the house....there's piles of crap everywhere, not even a mouse...wait, that's not how it goes!!!!! Seriously...I just had that chocolate party 3 weeks ago...how on EARTH does my house get so messy in 3 weeks!?!?!?!!?!! ugh!!

I would like to clarify that messy and dirty are two VERY different words!!!! And their meanings are almost polar opposite!! :P

The lists have been made! The menu has been planned! The house still needs cleaning!

Thankfully, I have this amazing husband (no, I'm not trying to butter him up in case he reads this...) who pitches in when its game time! If its keeping the kids occupied...taking over with the vacuum while I'm doing something else...even piling all the crap in our closet so its not visible...its all a HUGE help! And I love him dearly for it! Most men won't pitch in and help out on such a stressful day! I dodged that bullet when I married Howie! And he lets me make my lists and freak out a bit...OK alot! and then moves onto the next item on the list! I love him dearly!!!!!

Today was a good day...long, but good! DJ woke up in a silly mood, and Samantha in a happy mood! Perfect! AND we were able to get to story time!!! It was the same gal as last week (but a different day...??) and she had a bit of an outline that I'm starting to see...but she's not "user friendly"...or maybe its just me! When the toys were brought out and she was talking to the kids and interacting with them (I think there were about 8 kids today) I asked if I could sneak out to go get some books for the kids....something Kathleen never had a problem with cuz she never left the room....and this gal (I still don't' know her name) said "No, there has to be a parent/guardian present at all times. And I don't always stay in the room" and then she left! Just to prove her point! Nice! So instead of cruising the kids section in the library, we took books that were set out on the table....I was able to pick out 6 books for the kids and the were both very excited. So once they were done playing, or rather, I was done watching them play at the library, we checked the books out and left...with a screeching SamSam in my arms...Oh, I was THAT mom today!! I really hate when she does this to me! But I just smile and nod and continue carrying her out the door....*rolls eyes*

We got home and the neighbour kids were just getting started playing outside on this unusually mild day!! So DJ got started with them! It was tough calling him in for lunch...he thought they were going to go inside while he was inside...but they were right there when he got done...and he announces "I'm back!! I'll be right there!" SO cute!!!!! He played hard tho!! He was very quiet at dinner and kind of somber at bath time....but perked right up the moment Jake came in the door! And it took a bit to get him to fall asleep tonite...he's so very excited for Thanksgiving and playing hide-n-seek with Jake AND his cousins tomorrow!! Turkey schmurkey!!! He wants to play!!!!! lol

And now, I must go to bed (HA, ya right! more like go get the load from the dryer and put the next one in, then fold it, then set the dishwasher on, make sure the coffee pot's ready to go in the morning, tuck the kids in, and and and....) so I'm well rested for tomorrow's festivities!!!!


Til next time...ciao!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Eau de Chienshit

Is now my new most hated smell!!! Oh she's awful!! STILL!!!!!! According to other doggy moms its gonna stick around for a week or so...lovely!!!!! She slept out in the hall last nite...until DJ came into my bed at whoknowswhattime and left the door open...so I had the extreme pleasure of waking up to a whiff of Eau de Chienshit! That's french for dog sh!t...just in case you weren't raised in Canada with French as your second language!



After waking up and clearing my nose out the plan was to do breakfast, get dressed and then go to the library...but Mr DJ was fooling around so bad and NOT listening that by the time we were ready to leave, story time had already started! So he missed out again...and doesn't like the cause and effect theory at all!


Instead, I got my mom's envelope ready to go and put together a little box of Avon stuffs for her, my sister Tori and two nieces...nothing big, and taped it up to go with us. Our first stop, obviously, was the mailbox place....and O M G it would have cost me 26.00 to ship this small box....so I opened that sucker up and took out all the Christmas cards (everyone emailed me their addresses in time! Whew!) and opened up the envelope and added them...that alone cost me 8.95! Sheesh! Now I just hope it gets there before my mom and dad leave to do their snowbird thang!



After escaping narrowly from the mailbox place we hit up Albertsons....I do NOT want to go there tomorrow...or Thursday for that matter!!! An hour later I had everything on my list and managed to get two of Jake's gifts too! Sweet!!!!



Remember when I said that I was getting off easy that Howie was cooking the bird....that was til today when I realized that's ALL he's doing!!!!!! OY! During nap time (outside play time for DJ) I started getting the menu organized and figuring out what needs to be done today/tomorrow/day of. Today I got the eggs hard boiled...the yam/marshmallow pie done...the cheesecakes made...and the butter tarts are in the oven as I type! Let's hope this set turns out better than the first set!! I learned the hard way NOT to PAM spray the bottom of the muffin tin....makes the bottoms of the pastry soggy...grrrr AND I inadvertently doubled the recipe by having double the butter I should have had...at which point I should have stopped!!!! LOL



DJ had a lovely time playing outside this afternoon...in the rain!! I had no idea it was raining til he came in the house SOPPING wet!! I ran and grabbed a laundry basket and we stripped him down on the stairs landing...he had SO much fun that he was muddy UNDER his clothes!!!!! So, off to the bath he went!!! He thinks it was neat to wear pj's to dinner! No sense putting on clothes for 2 hours!



I actually shed a few tears this afternoon watching him and Kristopher playing outside...running together, talking to each other....I couldn't have asked for a better playmate for him than that of the next door neighbour!!! Perfect! They better not move!!!!



This morning brought a smile to my face...once DJ heard SamSam talking in her room he went in there to see her...this is what I found!

They were giggling away!!! So very sweet!! Made me think we were gonna have a good day!!! And all in all...aside from the Eau de Chienshit...it was a good day indeed!!!!!

Til next time...ciao!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Washing poop off of anything

Is NOT a fun way to spend time!!!

Tonite that chore was mine and the object being washed was the dog.

Can someone tell me WHY dogs feel it necessary to ROLL in other dog's poop!?!?! Is it some kind of doggy sign that "she's into you" if they roll in other poop!?!?! Is HER nose broken that she can't smell just how putrid it really is!??!!?!? Seriously makes me wonder if dogs CAN in fact smell!!! Amazing how a little time outside to 'do her business' turned into something SO vile it makes me want to vomit!

DJ let Snickers in tonite after she'd been out all of 6 minutes...and immediately asked "What's that!??!" pointing at the dog. My bionic nose picked up what it was almost instantly! Sh!t!! On her face, neck and chest! Say it with me now....YUCK!!!!!!!

Howie did the dry clean up with a towel as we were right in the middle of putting kids to bed...and put her butt down in the garage! Her smell lingered....blech!

It wasn't til about 15 minutes ago that I realized she was still down there...shame on me, I know! But most times when the kids go to bed, she just flakes out and relaxes knowing no one is going to chase her!

So I got a bowl of nice warm water and put some soap in it and washed her about 5 times in the areas that stunk really bad....and then dried it and washed it again....lather, rinse, repeat! She's now upstairs and laying in the hall...which I hope she likes as she wont' be in our bedroom tonite! No way! Nuh uh!!! Not happenin!

I guess it could be worse...skunk...yeah, that'd be worse! *shudder*

My goal today was to get ahead of the laundry game....and my intentions were good! Honest! After lunch DJ wanted to go play outside with his "neighvors" as the sun was shining (briefly) and it was semi-dry out. Got him all bundled up and sent him on his way. Turns out their mom was putting the youngest down for a nap, and could DJ come in and play in their rec room....SUUUUURE!!!!!! Such bliss this is!! I've never had this happen!!! EVER!!!!! Oh he's played outside, but I'm always checking on him and calling out to him so he knows I'm watching. But to have him inside under someone else's eyes was different! And nice!!!!

The laundry could wait!!

Instead, I did up all the Christmas cards...cut up all the family photos and divvied them up....addressed 90% of the cards that have to be mailed...emailed the ones I don't' have addresses for....put together the packet for my mom which I'm really hoping to get mailed to her tomorrow...if I get it gone tomorrow, it should be in Canada by Thursday which is not a holiday and then I'd gain a day in transit!! I have high hopes...but I'm waiting on 3 more addresses! I may just put them in there blank and have my mom fill them out when she gets them....hey! that's an idea!!! Oh I'm so smart sometimes!!!

I also can't believe how calm I am this year about having Thanksgiving dinner here this year...knowing that Howie's cooking the bird is SUCH a relief to me!!!! Side dishes I can do! Side dishes I'm good at!!! Desserts I do extremely well!!! Turkey...not so much! But BBQ turkey sounds divine to me!!! And leaving all that stress up to Howie...even better! He's an excellent grill master! So much so, that we bbq all year long...there's not just one season for bbq'ing...oh no, ALL year!! Delish!

OK, I've rambled enough...gotta go smell some coffee to get the dog poop smell out of my nose hairs! Did you know that smelling coffee takes away any lingers scent-sations in your nose?!?! Now ya do!

Til next time...ciao!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Third row seats

Are absolutely FANTASTIC when you're going to a concert!!!!!!!


Great when you're ringside at a fight!!!


Awesome when you're at your child's play at school!!!!!!!


Not so much when you're watching a movie in a theater!!!!!!


I know this because that's where we were able to get seats for the 4 of us who attended a matinee showing of New Moon!

That's right!!!!!!! I went to a movie with girlfriends!!!!!!!! 3 of them that wanted to go see the movie!! No children (of ours) present...and no husbands!!! Sore neck be damned!!! lol Actually it wasn't that bad...except when they did the pan thing with the camera that goes in a circle around the subject...then I got a wee bit dizzy!!! Whoo!

This morning, because of my impending girl date, Howie told me it was my turn to get up with the kids...thankfully they didn't wake til 8:20!! Got them changed, fed and playing before Howie got up at 10! Shirah had just gotten upstairs herself when Howie came looking for coffee! Which of course, was already made and being poured when he came in the kitchen...I'm a good wife like that! lol

Then Shirah and I took off shortly after 12:30 to make Avon and chocolate deliveries!! I was in such a rush to get out the door, and both kids were pitching fits about me leaving...that I forgot to bring new catalogues with me! D'oh!! Now I have to make another trip back to Lynnwood at some point with new books for my loyals! ugh! I hate that I forgot them in the first place!!!

I got the deliveries done in time to meet Andie at the theater and get seats....and Shirah waited in the lobby for Wyndi to arrive.

The movie was FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely well done!!! And yes, way better than the first one!!! Here the characters are already developed, so the story just continues on! And they pretty much stuck to how the book was written! Very unusual for a movie script to do! The animation of the wolves was incredible too!!! WOW!!!! I'd definitely give this movie 4 stars!!

Oh wait, my name's not Roger Ebert...sorry about that...got carried away!

Its definitely worth the watch!!! Thankfully our audience had more maturity to it than I'm sure one on opening nite had! And there were quite a few hilarious moments to it too!

This was my first big screen viewing since seeing National Treasure with Howie and Jake when DJ was all of weeks old!!! HUGE occasion for me!!! LOL

After the movie I had two more chocolate deliveries to make and also drop of Andie as she'd gotten dropped off by her hubby....it worked out perfectly til I got lost looking for Jackie's street! I swear, every street name sign SHOULD be lit!!! Make them solar powered, but dammit, light them so I can read them!!!! I could have saved myself 10 minutes!!

In any case, I got home just before 7 pm and the kids had just finished their dessert....so I fed Howie and I the meal I'd made in the crock pot, and then got pj's on the kids and we put them down for the nite. Samantha hadn't nursed since Friday nite, and almost didn't want to tonite, but when I told her it was nitenite time, she latched on. Put up a bit of a fuss going to bed too, but not too bad!

Howie went to bed shortly after they did too as he was exhausted from being with the kids all afternoon. And Sam didn't have that long of a nap, so she was a bit on the cranky side.

Now, its my turn to hit the pillows!!!!

Til next time...ciao!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Walk of Shame

Is NO fun!! Especially when, while you're walking, you can't feel your toes...or your hands...or your nose!!!!

Tonite the Mavericks lost their first game of the season! And they lost in a big, bad way!! Final score was Union 49, Meadowdale 7. See?? It was a really tough game to watch too!!! Yes, I got to watch it!! Miss Shirah watched our kids while Howie and I drove a total of 8 hours to attend the game.

A game that started off way too quickly for Union! They scored their first touchdown in the first 3 minutes!!! And then another one almost right after that!! At halftime the score was 42-0...heck of a long way to come back! Usually if we've had a rough first half our boys pull out of it...but tonite was a little tougher! For starters, they had 94 players!!! 94!!! we have 60! AND their starting team was ALL seniors!! They had 26 seniors on their roster, and we're pretty sure 22 of them played the first 3 quarters! Jake got to play once in the 4 quarter for 4 or 5 plays. At least he got in there!!

Shirah spent the nite last nite as we originally thought we were going to chaperone the Rooter (students) bus, but didn't find out we were on it til this morning, at which point we weren't prepared to leave that early. Plus, I'd woken up with spasms in my upper right shoulder blade that wouldn't even let me bend down. Any time it spasmed (which was often) I'd freeze, and forget to breathe. Advil didn't work! What worked was the heated seats in the car!! Bless the person who invented that little marvel!! I cranked it as high as it would go and it really loosened up my back! Good thing too cuz there were no seat backs in the stadium. We sat up as high as we could go, and even then the back wall was still 18 inches away!

It was nice to have my husband trapped in a vehicle (I mean that in a good way) for 8 hours!! The first 4 we spent just talking, with no one interrupting us...what a novelty!! We didn't even have the radio on!! It was good to just chat!! Now, we're on our way home, and its raining yuck out there, so I'm blogging and he's concentrating! We've still got a long way to go too! Good thing I brought some knitting with me! Stuff I can easily do in the dark!

The kids have had a great time with Shirah too! Who we can NOT thank enough for coming out for the weekend! DJ apparently took that time out nap I was wishing for two days ago! Brat! And SamSam was walking around saying "hi mum" and looking for me! So cute!! DJ was also worried that it was too dark out for us to be out of the house! The things kids say!! He even asked Shirah when she was going to wash off her tattoo!! And he sees mine daily! So I'm not sure where he's coming up with that one!

Ok, my eyes are hurting from the brightness of the screen! And my thumbs are tired :)

Til next time...ciao!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Care to guess

How many times I've threatened to call santa today!?!?!? Far too many, that's for darn sure!!! I'm not sure what his problem was today, but DJ was incorrigible!!! Today was pay day which also means grocery day! Tomorrow I'll be out of commission as Howie and I are going to Jake's game in Vancouver, WA and Shirah will be with the kids...so I tried valiantly to get as much of it done today as I humanly could! I seemed to have forgotten that DJ is also human....and at best, a 3 year old human!

We sent Daddy off to work, and then got to the business of getting dressed...Samantha was already dressed as I think she woke up soaked....so it was just DJ to contend with...now, one would think dressing a 3 year old wouldn't take THAT long, for the simple fact, that he understands what getting dressed is all about! This morning....it was all about being nekkid! Oh what a kid!

We finally were on the road by 10 am...a short half hour later than I'd originally wanted, but still early enough to get most of what I wanted done, done. Costco was our first stop....which is nice because both kids get strapped into the front of the cart...its also bad because both kids are strapped side-by-side in the front of the cart....and I have 4 feet kicking at me....and 4 hands reaching out for stuff they know they shouldn't be touching....and the list goes on! Usually, when one visits costco they are bombarded with samples....yeah, not today! And I was saddened by that...it usually grants me a few moments peace while each child enjoys whatever they're sampling!

In any case, we were done and out of there in 45 mins! Not too shabby! AND we got gas too! Next on our list was Freddy's where DJ was able to play to his heart's content...and Samantha gets all the mommy attention...WRONG!!! She was miserable today! Squirmy. Whiny. Wiggly. and LOUD! If it's not one, its the other! OY!

Got outta there about 12:30 and hit up McD's for the kids to have lunch so they'd at least be semi-quiet during the next stop...which was Safeway and all of 6 things....which turned into 12 things! As I'm walking the aisles looking for one thing I see things that didn't even make it on my list (Spaghetti sauce!?!?! How'd I miss THAT?) or things that would be good to have on hand at that price.

Finally got done just after 1pm and hit up the mailbox place for stamps and to mail off a couple letters....then home! We're literally 5 mins from home and I look back and DJ's sound asleep and Samantha (the one who's getting a late start to her nap time) is wide awake! So we get home, and I unload the car first....then get Samantha and her wet bottom out of the truck, change her and put her down for her nap. DJ continued sleeping!

Today was also Avon delivery day...so I had fun sorting thru all the stuff and getting it bagged up...stamping (no more writing for this Chickie) my catalogues for the next campaign and going over stuff. I woke DJ just before 3 as I didn't want him sleeping all that long!! He actually woke up decently and came in for a snack. Just as he was mid-snack, a knock on the door announced the neighbour kids coming to ask DJ to play....well YES he would LOVE to join you!!! So off he went! I had to change his pants first as he was in his white pants that need to stay semi-white thankyouverymuch!

He came in about 4:30 and that started the evening ritual of dinner, bath and bed time! He was a little bugger about bed time too tonite...he managed to yank down the slider door blinds...the verticals...and was sent to his room...which allowed me the quiet (semi-quiet really) time to put SamSam to sleep. I've since tucked him into bed 3 times....incorrigible I tell you!!!

Now, I'm gonna go switch out laundry, and wait for Howie to come home from work...he's bringing Shirah with him so she can sit the kids tomorrow while we're gone. YAHOO!!!!!!!

Til next time...ciao!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

I'm not sure when

He joined me in bed...but I do know that I woke up to a soaked in pee bed thanks to Mr DJ! I seriously have NO clue when he climbed in on Daddy's side...who'd gone to work EXTRA early this morning so he could attend a funeral this aft. I do know that at precisely 8 am, I was wondering why my knee was damply stuck to the bed...at which point I gingerly reached out with my hand to see what was going on...that's when I discovered DJ and the pee...and he woke up wondering why he was wet and very upset about it. Got him out of bed, cleaned up (he refused a bath...guess he's like is mom in not wanting to get wet first thing in the morning!) and bed stripped and Samantha woke up...and our day had officially begun! What a way to wake up!

Got the laundry in the wash and then did breakfast. The past three mornings, the kids have wanted cereal...I wonder if they heard about the Eggo shortage that's supposed to happen!!?!?! (sometimes I crack myself up! That was funny right there!) So we had cereal again! Funny how DJ will gobble down Jake's stupid Cap'n Crunch Berries cereal, but struggles with Strawberry Yogurt Cheerios, or Apple Cinnamon ones....grrrr!!!!! We also had some toasted raisin bread that I'd made last nite...oh SO yummy!!! But definitely in need of way more raisins and cinnamon! Next time!!!

We didn't go to the library this morning...it was raining cats and dogs and I just didn't feel like dealing with the wetness...I know, it's a lazy answer, but that's the one I'm giving! So there :P

Instead, the kids played upstairs and downstairs, in my room, in their rooms, basically ALL over the house! They sure had fun tho! Samantha has learned from the master at bothering the dog...'cept she's much gentler and breaks out in a fit of giggles!!!! I'm sure if Snickers could talk, she'd say "this kid cracks me up!" lol

When Sam went down for her nap I tried laying on the couch, but there was a knock at the door (Fed Ex) and then a phone call (Avon) and then DJ wanting to snack on something, and then another phone call (Howie) and I finally had to admit there was no rest for me today! *sigh* DJ wanted to paint too, so we did that...the paint with water books are awesome!!!

Sam got up and I got busy cleaning the kitchen and getting dinner started...then we ate, let the kids run wild a bit, and then got ready for bed. As we're getting the kids nekkid, there's a knock at the door...its our neighbour asking me to come out and play. HAHAHA That gave me a chuckle! As if! lol She came by to drop off my Christmas gifts that Howie got me from the Pampered Chef party she had two weeks ago! YAY!!!!!

Once the kids were in bed, we got OUR bed re-made with the clean sheets and Howie went right to bed. He was slightly on the exhausted side of the day! Tomorrow is his go in late day...but I'm sure DJ will want him to get up with him...which I just think is the cutest!

Now, my butt is begging me to get up off this stool and sit somewhere else!!

Til next time...ciao!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Just call me

Susie Q Breadmaker!!! Today I took my bread machine out of retirement!! I couldn't tell you the last time I used it, it was that long ago. Maybe even before DJ was born....no, it can't have been that long ago! Oh, that's sad!!!

In any case, I broke it out and made rolls to go with dinner, which was the Wednesday predictable spaghetti...or as we say here in the Hughes house, sketti! Then I got inspired and made a cinnamon raisin bread...needs way more cinnamon AND raisins I'd say! The recipe called for a 1/3 of a cup of raisins...this is a pound and a half of bread and it only called for 1/3 of a cup!??!?! HA! I put a half cup in, and it still could have used another half cup...easy!!! It was still good tho! Reminded me of malt bread from back home! YUM!!!



Speaking of recipes....my recipe for Acorn Squash Apple bake was featured over at my friend Tiffany's blog its really yummy!!!!!!!!! I'm drooling now just thinking about it! In fact...I think I may just make it for Sunday's dinner!!! Sweet!



Know what else is sweet!?!?!?!

DJ playing outside with his friends ALLLLLLL day!!! The sun was shining beautifully this morning!!! So about 10:30 I got a message from Lara that she was sending Kristopher out to play...I responded that DJ would meet him out there!!!!!


I had to call him in for lunch around 12:30...and back out he went! He finally came in about 3 and had a snack and some quiet time.

While he was out playing....Samantha and I had so much fun in here...she really likes being tickled...and up in the air...so I'd lay on the couch, lift her up in the air and sway her, then let her lay down and tickle her. Oh she thought it was fun!

She also thought the dog was fun! She laid on the floor nose to nose with Snickers and kept saying Nayer (she's getting better) over and over...Snickers just looked at her and sighed...she's not afraid of Sam! Here's a few pix to document just how cute it truly was!!!!
As soon as she saw my camera she started saying "cheeeeeeese" so I snapped that too!! lol And of course...the close up of that cheesy grin!!!

OK...off to go watch some more dvr stuff...my bum's numb....and then to bed to read! I totally figured out before I was even done page 1 that I'd already read "K is for Killer", but until "L" comes in, I'll read to refresh myself with the style of writing, and the main character!

Til next time...ciao!

This house

Has its quirks and flaws...we're discovering them as we go. Can you believe one month ago today we started sleeping here!?!?!?! Time has FLOWN by!!!! And in that month there are a few minor things that I don't like about the house...so minor really!

For one, the guy who laid the carpet in this house was L-A-Z-Y!!!!!! He didn't bother sweeping the floor up before laying it down. I know this when I walk barefoot and happen to catch every single impurity under the carpet. Drives me nuts actually!!! How hard is it to use a shop vac to pick up little things that are going to annoy an owner!?!?!? lol

I may only be a plumber's daughter....but damn he was a perfectionist when it came to his work!!!

OK, gripe number two....the layout of the switches at the top of the stairs...there are 4 on/off switches for 4 different things and we seem to never get them right! Now, this could be human error, but logic would dictate that they should be a different arrangement.

#3 the microwave, located above the stove, is in a DUMB spot!!! While I do like it off the counter, above the stove it should not be!!! When I have a stuff cooking up there...just about every day!....the condensation of whatever is cooking collects on the microwave door...and it doesn't matter if the fan is on or not! I guess to that end, I'll always have a clean looking microwave on the outside! :)

Numero 4....The living room is set up for the TV to ONLY be in one spot...above the fire place! There really isn't another wall for it to go on....and you can't have the fire place on for very long...sucky!

5 would be the same gripe as my neighbour's husband...that the dining area doesn't have a window! Which, in my case, means that I don't have direct visual of the road or my driveway from anywhere in my house. A window would go perfectly there too! Just saying...

Next would be the placement of the light switch for our walk in closet...while one would dictate that the outside of the door would be the ideal place for a switch...it really isn't! You see, Howie goes to work in the dark....and with our lovely curtains, its even darker in our room than it is outside! So, when he has to go in the closet to get his work clothes, he has to go all the way in, close the door as much as it will with his hand poking out, flip the switch and quickly close the door. Grab what he wants, carefully open the door with his hands full, sneak a hand out to flip the switch off, and exit the closet. Thankfully I have a rather handy husband that knows all about electricity and can switch the switch (that sounds funny!) to the inside! Thus, solving the problem!

Seventh would be the placement of our toilet, more so than the placement of the kids' bathroom toilet....if one is claustrophobic, our toilet is one that they shouldn't use!!! Wedged in between the tub and sink vanity, there's not much wiggle room! And when reaching around yourself to grab toilet paper, you realize "WOW, that's a reach!" Unfortunately, there's NO where else for it to go!

Lastly would be the doors....they had a little too much wiggle room! And closing them made noise! You see, I'm a kid checker! I absolutely must check on the kids before I go to bed....and when I close their doors it would hit the wood of the door jamb and make a bit of noise. I've actually woken Samantha a few nites doing this. After pondering on this for 3 weeks, I did come up with a cheap solution! I put felt tabs on the door jamb so when the door hits it, its more like a very dull thud, not wood hitting wood. This cheap solution also fixed the problem of the cats pushing at our door in the opposite direction than the tabs helped wanting in....I put them IN the groove of the door jamb where the handle connects...and they can't push on it anymore!!!! See...I AM smart!!!

That's all I can think of at the moment!!! Not too bad a list eh?? Its only been a month....check back with me next year when we've had all 4 seasons under our belts!!

Til next time...ciao!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

I'm not sure I like

The "new to us" library. Oh, the building itself is great...the layout is okay...but the story time is just not up to par in my eyes. We'd done story time at the Mukilteo library for well over 2 years, so we got used to how things run, the same gal (Kathleen) has been doing baby story time for years....she didn't care if the kids were running around because they were still hearing books if not looking at them. She didn't mind if the kids came up to her while she was reading to look closer at the books. Always had a smile and a hug for each kid! She didn't mind when my two would "help" her bring the toys out of the storage room for play time. She expected every parent to join in the songs/rhymes and had them ready for us to read if we didn't know them. She is just awesome!!!

Today was our second time at the Monroe library and we had a different person doing it....and she didn't like that Samantha wouldn't sit (can you believe DJ actually sat the whole time!??!) during story time...or that Sam wouldn't give the bells back...she (who remains nameless because I didn't hear her introduce herself, nor did she come up to me after to get to know me) did NOT like when Samantha squealed her heard out (OK, screeched is more like it) when DJ took something from her. And then there are the other parents who during play time, just stood 4 feet from their child not making eye contact with anyone else, or talking to anyone else, but monitoring their own child (like mine might come over and clobber their kid or something...) or even playing with their kid to ensure their toys wouldn't be taken away. Its just not friendly! And for that I'm very sad! DJ and Sam weren't the only ones who looked forward to story time...I used to love it too!

And at the end of craft time, we headed out into the real library to get some new books...one on hold for me (I finally have something other than PEOPLE to read!!!) and new ones for DJ to read, and we got two for SamSam all about ducks! Checking out was miserable as Samantha would NOT stay near me at all...and holding/carrying her is not really an option. I even had a staff member ask me "is this yours?" as she came running back to me. OY!! There's a different baby story time at the Sultan library on Thursday, we may go check it out....but at this point, I'm not hopeful!

After the library we came home, I did want to stop at this mail place to get stamps, I have something I want to mail my mom before they leave for the south...but as soon as I pulled in, DJ announced he had to pee....so we went home instead....where he didn't have to pee. Go figure! We did lunch and then Sam took a nap. DJ got all dressed to go outside to play and it started RAINING!!! Not the kind of Northwest drizzle that's okay to play in, this was RAIN! So he came home, and I message their mom to invite one or both boys over to play. As it turns out, Kristopher came over first and when David showed up, he went home saying he was tired! LOL And apparently he was just as worn out last nite as DJ was from playing all day!!!

David went home as Howie came in the door, so the noise level went up! They get SO excited to see him walk in the door!!!! I do too as it means dinner is soon approaching and with it comes bed time! :D

Just as I was serving up the plates, my mom called! So we chatted for 10 seconds and I told her to call back....she did!!!!! It was good to chat with her but she sounds tired!!! More than ready for a rest I'm sure! It was still good to just hear her voice! And we have a plan in place for Christmas Day, so I feel better about it now!

Everyone's in bed, so I'm going to get under my snuggie and watch TV...I'm in between knitting projects, which means I have yarn, but not sure yet what to do....it'll hit me soon enough!


Til next time...ciao!

Monday, November 16, 2009

The best Monday EVER!!

Today went sooooooooooo smoothly!! The solution...adding another kid...or two! No, I'm not pregnant...or getting another kid!!! I simply invited our neighbour's son(s) to come play in our rec (more like wreck) room with DJ on this down pouring Monday! And it all started with excellent sleep!!! Those new curtains are the BOMB!!!!!!! Howie doesn't care for them (I'm giggling typing this) cuz he can't see (go ahead...laugh with me) when he's getting ready for work in the morning. *give me a moment while I collect myself!*

OK...I'm good now.....I think....in any case, DJ joined me just before 7:30 and crawled his cold toes into bed to warm up...and promptly fell back asleep (Thank you curtains!!!) and I woke up again it was 8:45!!! I got up quietly and checked on Sam who was still sleeping and came out to the living room. DJ woke up just before 9 and in a great mood!!!! Sam very shortly after that. Perfect start to ANY day if you ask me!!!!

So, I chatted up my neighbour and told her her boys were more than welcome to come over and play....so just before 11, Kristopher, who's also 3, came knocking! The giggles that ensued from downstairs was delightful!!! Even Samantha got to join in on the fun! DJ came up right at 12 o'clock (I swear he's like the croc who ate the clock in Peter Pan!) and said he was hungry! I called Lara to see if it was okay for Kristopher to eat with us and continue playing....no problem!! Just as we were getting done lunch, his brother came knocking! He's 9 so things got even louder!!! LOL

I put SamSam down for her nap...bless her heart she slept thru it all!!....and continued with the mountain of laundry...speaking of which, the last of 5 (FIVE!!!) loads is in the dryer waiting to be folded....such a lovely task!!

David took off around 3:30 or so, and I went downstairs to "help" the boys clean up all the toys (which were literally EVERYWHERE!) and make it neat again down there. Sam got up, Howie got home, Kristopher went home, dinner got cooked, lunch for Howie got made, kids got put to bed, and relaxing was had by both my husband and I in our lazy chairs watching comedy TV! What more could a gal ask for?!?!?! Seriously?!?!! Well, aside from money...which always seems to be short....nothing!!

I've submitted my Avon order for this campaign....and now I'm gonna go do more of that relaxing stuff...this stool is NOT kind to the behind!!!!!


Til next time...ciao!

P.S...I keep forgetting to tell about THE most adorable thing Samantha does now....she puts her dolly to bed right after supper...tucks dolly in the wooden cradle my mom got her for her birthday, rocks her a bit, puts a blanket over her (face too) and kisses her, and pats her on the tummy saying "nigh nigh" SOOO freakin cute!!!!! That's how easy she goes down most nites...only she sleeps on her tummy so I'm patting her back!

Not ME! Monday

Its baaaaaaaack!!!!!!!!!!! The Not Me! Monday blog carnival put on by the dear MckMama. She's now back home with her SVT-FREE Stellan!! His ablation was HOME RUN last week!!! Such a miracle!!!! So join in and tell us what your transgressions are!!

Since its been a LONG time since I last purged my soul in the Not Me! Monday editions....there have been a few instances where I've cringed!! And instantly thought it perfect fodder for Not Me! I'd never think something was Not Me! worthy the second it happens...not me! So here goes....no laughing please! Oh, who am I kidding...you'll be hysterical!



As you all know we like to attend Jake's football games every week, or whenever we can! The norm as that Howie would go early to a) get a good seat and b) watch the last part of the 5 o'clock game and know the score. Then I would wait for Shirah to arrive and then put the kids to bed and then go to the game. This worked well when we were minutes away from the stadium. I'd usually get there in the second quarter and enjoy the rest of the game.



This one particular Friday nite (Homecoming) it was a little busier than normal and I had to park wayyyyyy down at the end of the parking lot. It was raining, but the stadium is covered....so I didn't grab my umbrella or anything, just used my hood. I parked next to a hedge in a "non" parking spot but wasn't the only one to do so. Did I mention it was raining? So I get out of the truck and realize I've parked too close to the hedge but scoot along the truck and get out. I did NOT get totally soaked from kissing that hedge with my pants!! I did not look like DJ when he pees himself!!! Did I not realize it was raining!?!?!?!?!



That same nite...Howie walked me to the truck first before heading to his car...we couldn't find it! I seriously did not think we'd been towed! Come to find out, we hadn't gone far enough in the parking lot to find it!! I then did not crawl in the passenger side so as to NOT repeat my kissing the hedge incident....oy!



With the move last month, I did not take time to go to Fred Meyer just so I could have a DJ-free hour with him in playland...I'd never do that just for peace and quiet! I also did not find myself packing up the bathroom at 1 am the nite before we moved!! I'd never be packing at the last minute!! I'm much more organized than that!!!!



I pride myself on making my kids eat their veggies...have done so since they started solids! So I did not find myself without any veggies in the house for their dinner in the days following the move (and before pay day) and proceed to feed them cucumber with their dinner so there would be a veggie on the plate! And then I did not realize I had a bag of carrots in the fridge and then boil them up for the next couple days! I'd never run out of veggies!!! Not me!





Ahhhh my soul feels better now!!! Join in with us will ya!!!! And if you do participate, leave me a comment so I can check it out!!!

Til next time...ciao!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Company's coming for dinner

And he got lost!!! On his way here!!!! One of the members at the club Howie works at has been a friend of Howie's for a long time now. So on Friday at the Zumba class they got chatting and Howie invited him for dinner tonite. So, I pulled out a pork roast, looked up a recipe for it, and got to town...oh the garlic alone smelled heavenly!!! And I gotta say, like the crock pot, its SO nice to have everything in one dish cooking at the same time!! I also did up a butternut squash...my kids don't like potatoes unless they're french, and fried!





Wanna know what we had for dessert??








The most delicious Pumpkin Cobbler that my g/f Tiffany posted on her blog....I was doubting it would be good (sorry Tiffany!) but man...it was SO good I had two helpings!!!! Very moist, and the cake on top was nice and crunchy!! I did manage to "Missyfy" it...I didn't have any ground ginger, so instead of using just plain cinnamon...I used Pumpkin Pie Spice....it had ginger in it! lol In any case, the chopped pecans were toasted perfectly!!!! My only complaint....DJ managed to turn the oven off mid cook...so it took longer! GRRRRRRR lol

I served it with ice cream and it was a HIT! The kids both loved it too! In fact, Howie (who doesn't like pumpkin, other than to carve them) said he wanted some in his lunch tomorrow!!!!!! *GASP*



Our day mostly consisted of cleaning...which when you think of it, shouldn't really have been all that much considering we just had the chocolate party a week ago...right?? HA! I am APPALLED by how much we collect crap!!!! Having guests means you HAVE to deal with it!

The other accomplishment of the day...the curtains are UP in our room!!!!!!!! No more next-door-neighbour-house-light-shining-thru-the-window crap! (Not you Lara!!!) Or the daylight breaking thru!! SWEET!!!!!!!! In daylight today, I went in there, shut the door and just looked at the darkness of the room...so beautiful! This coming from the kid who slept with her door open til she was 19!!!! I got a boyfriend and that was the end of that! LOL



This next part is for my mom...I just realized today that I might not get to talk to you on Christmas Day! I'm very saddened by this!!!! Call your cell provider and make sure you get an American plan...or research what it would take to get a pre paid number when you're in the States that I can all for free!!! Oooooh we could chat EVERY day like we used to! You never did call me this last week like you said you were going to....*ahem!*



OK, back to regular programming! Dinner was great!!!! The kids were a hoot for Mark and loved up on him right away!!!! And surprisingly went to bed very easy for us! Mark stayed and watched Desperate Housewives with me and then went home...hope he got home safe! I should have made him text me or something...silly me! I also got Wyndi's scarf all done!! Trying to decide if I want to add a fringe to it or not....Wyn, what's your thought!?? Call me!



Look at me using my blog to talk to my peeps! HA! lol



Til next time...ciao!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Eleven and OHHHHH baby!!!

That's the Meadowdale Mavericks tally so far!!! Tonite was another game for Jake's school team and they were AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! We couldn't find a sitter for the kids and just decided to take them with us...in the end, my good friend Andie saved us half the trouble by taking Samantha for the duration of the game. Which in turn, gave us a great Daddy/Mummy/DJ time! He had FUN too! Grandpa was there...aunty and uncle and "dozens" (how he says cousins) were there...not to mention many friends of ours that he knows. Plus he got to eat dinner with just us, and popcorn and then got a pompom after the game...so all in all...a HUGE success!!

AND there were NO pee'cidents!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can I get a hallelujah!?!?!?!? We went pee right when we got to the stadium....then during the 2nd quarter...then in the 4th quarter and then when we got home!

Let me tell you what a chore it was too.....the child had MANY layers of clothing on in an effort to stay warm...so, I would roll up his coat half way, then his sweatshirt, take down the jeans, then the pajama pants he had on underneath those, roll up the t-shirt he had on, and then take down his undies....once he was done, pull up the undies, pull down the t-shirt to tuck into the pajama pants, pull up the jeans, pull down the shirt and the jacket and flush! Whew!! He didn't seem to mind tho! And yes, I did this three times!!!!!!! Howie got the easy end of that deal as he was getting pj's put on the boy and got to take him potty nekkid! Cheater! lol

Samantha, had SOOOO much fun at Andie's house!!!! I got a picture of the sketti she got for dinner and then a cute video (I'll have to ask if its okay to post it tomorrow for ya) of her and Malorie dancing to her husband playing the guitar....ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!

She had so much fun she didn't want to leave...and then when she realized that she had to go with me....dumped everything that was in the baby doll stroller and tried to bring it with her...SO funny!! I think santa just found out what he's getting HER for Christmas!! Sweet!

Now, I'm gonna go rest my weary bones for a bit...chat with my still awake hubby....and then hit the hay!!

Til next time...ciao!

Friday, November 13, 2009

I have become

Reacquainted with eBay and all its promises!!! The Christmas shopping has officially gone under way! Most of its done, but Howie is now bought and paid for, and I'm still working on the last thing for DJ and Sam...a couple new movies. Jake is all about gift cards, which is fine with me....I got tired of buying him things that just sat there waiting to be worn/used only to hand them down to my nephews....so gift cards it is! Besides, I've never had his taste....even he'll tell ya that one! lol

This morning started off unpleasantly at 3:25 when DJ joined us in bed...I asked if he needed to potty and he said no, and then climbed in bed between us....somewhere around 4:30 I got kicked and couldn't figure out why...so I reached behind me and felt wet...pajamas...so instantly, wide awake now, I hop out of bed and drag his sleeping butt with me (thankfully the sheets and mattress were dry!!) and took him potty. And then put him back in his own bed.

I swear it was five minutes later he's bugging at me again, only this time it's 7:30....and he ended up kneeling on my nipple....definitely NOT a pleasant way to wake up! Howie got up with him and I lay there waiting for the pain to go away, and dozing off til 8:30. I knew Howie was picking a guy up to take him in to work with him, so he was leaving earlier than normal. blah!

Once breakfast was consumed we got dressed and headed out to get some of the weekly specials at Freddy's and Albertsons. Freddy's was great, as usual, thanks to Play land...and Albertsons, notsomuch! So as a result, he lost out on going to the library!! Which ultimately means I lose out as I've got books on hold waiting to be read by me!!! ugh! Hopefully tomorrow we can put it on the menu of the day!

While Sam was napping DJ went to call on his neighvors as the sun was shining and it was nice out! Earlier this morning when we went into town, there were snowflakes mixed in with the pouring rain...I could tell by the way they were landing on my windshield. So for it to clear up enough for him to go out...have at it! Thankfully, they came home about 3 minutes after he knocked on their back slider. And he got to play for a couple hours! SO nice!!! Made for a really easy bed time too! In fact, both of them went down very easily tonite! Now, they just need to stay down!!! I seriously think I'll keep Samantha in a crib til she's ohhhh 5 or 6! hahaha I won't be rushing her a bed that's for sure!!

I've had a lovely evening knitting and catching up on my DVR'd shows....very productive!


Til next time...ciao!

hmmm seems the new "updated" version of blogger posting no longer has spell check...that's not kool!!!! may have to switch back now! I cant' have you seeing all my typis now can i?? lol

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Not feeling very

Welcomed by the Welcome Wagon!!! I remember YEARS ago whenever my parents moved, the welcome wagon would drop by with a basket of goodies....things from local merchants, fresh fruit and coupons to other local merchants. Since moving here, I'd wondered when the welcome wagon was going to come....they didn't. Instead they sent out this booklet thing that has "Valuable Welcome Offers" in it....from a dance studio (almost typed stupid there...), a family medical clinic, and the welcome wagon itself soliciting jobs!! Then there's a page devoted to "Using the Right Substitutions and Measurements" just in case you've never cooked/baked in your adult life! Then a page where you're supposed to write down the colours you chose for your walls, and the sizes of your rooms....isn't' that what the paint swatches are for? Then there's a spot for address and phone numbers...y'know, just in case you don't actually own a million address books...or you have so many friends that you've run out of room in previous books!!! And finally they conclude with a calendar!

Sad!!! What is Welcome Wagon coming to?!?!?! I do NOT feel very welcomed! In fact, I feel dissed! lol


Speaking of being dissed....my 3 year old son (who's now up for adoption) gave me quite the wake up call...he had to pee about 20 mins after waking up, so into my bathroom he went doing the real pee dance...unzipped his pj's and started moaning....I go in there lightning quick and he's standing there holding himself with the toilet lid not even lifted! And what does he do??? Pee! On me...on the floor...on the bathmat...on the toilet (not IN) and just about everywhere else pee does NOT belong! SO frustrating!!!!!

Got him cleaned up and put him in a pull up!! We'd been threatening diapers for a couple weeks, and today I did it!!!! Oh, he was not happy with this! But he fully understood WHY he was in a diaper! And we talked about it every single time he went pee!!! Even Daddy had a chat with him about it when he got home! Just before dinner he had to pee, so we talked about it yet again, and he said he was ready for underwear....so we put some on. He did fine til bed time! And hasn't woken up to pee yet. *sigh*

Today was a stay at home day...which was just fine with all three of us! DJ and I are recovering nicely from our colds....I can now breathe thru my nose, and DJ's just got the clear runnies happening. Samantha had such fun going up and down the stairs all day...she doesn't do it the way DJ does, on his bum, but she manages just fine! It was actually nice having them play downstairs for a bit and not having the noise of the TV on upstairs. I actually had the radio on!! Imagine that!

DJ did try to call on his neighvors, but they weren't home....so instead he played on our back deck just to be outside in the sunshine. He wanted Snickers with him, but she'd gone exploring twice already today...so she enjoyed the kid free atmosphere for a bit (SamSam was sleeping) and just lay around. DJ did manage to bang up his upper left eye lid...either on a stair or on the railing...he's not sure....but it looks like a doozy! We got some vanilla on it right way and it just swelled up...no other colours! LOVE vanilla!!!


Now, I'm done for the day!! Gonna go crawl into bed and get warm next to my extremely warm blooded hubby....he LOVES my cold feet at nite!! lol

Til next time...ciao!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Eleven Eleven

Today was Remembrance Day...or as they say here, Veteran's Day (gotta be different y'know!) and while I'm no longer in school (going on 20 years now...how he HECK did THAT happen!?!?!) I did read Flander's Field and had 2 minutes of silence (almost impossible with DJ around) and thought alot about my Grandpa who was ready to fight in WWII, but never made it over as it ended...and my cousin who is about to go to Iran in Feb. Also, my other cousin who's birthday it is today!

Today was also laundry day (again!) and I got 3 loads done...didn't I just put away 2 loads!?!??! How on earth does this happen!?!?! Are there little leprechauns who come into my house when I'm sleeping and add clothes to the dirty hampers!??! That MUST be it! It is a never ending job that's for sure! Especially when you have a 3 year old who pees himself (AGAIN) while IN the bathroom trying to go on the toilet!!! Then, he DANCES in it!!!! Not quite the pee dance I was taught....

Other than that...a pretty boring day! Oh, I know, with two kids how can it be boring....true enough! There were lots of tickles and laughs and tears and baths....so a typical day...notsomuch a boring one. How's that? I thought you'd like that better.

Samantha's vocabulary is growing leaps and bounds!!! And its so cute the pronunciation of words that she tries to say...Snickers is near, or it sounds like that....and brudder is brother....and so on. She's also learning about consequences....at least with her it's getting thru! So, one out of three ain't bad....HA! She'll turn on us eventually...we know this! But for now, we're enjoying her cuteness! Howie even said tonite "When she talks back to me its so cute and hard not to laugh" yeah, just you wait mister!! I'll let YOU deal with her when she's a teenager!!

After the kids went to bed (effortlessly, I might add!!!) we sat down to watch the CMA's and enjoy a nite of great music!! And comedy apparently! Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood hosted and it was FUNNY!!!! There were MANY times I was actually laughing out loud...almost uncontrollably! It was great! I was able to "call" more winners than Howie did...in fact, he called NONE!!! :P

And now, I'm gonna go watch Glee, all the while thanking the person who invented DVR!!! Oh, and knit some more...been a great knitting nite! Ooooooh they're calling for more snow in the mountains (I've got the news on in the background) and its already so pretty looking out my window!


Til next time...ciao!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Grounding a 3 year old

Is WAY more punishment for me than it was for him!!! This morning, after he took his medicine, he decided to wash the cup he took it from in the sink in their bathroom...while standing IN the bathroom, NEXT to the toilet, with the water running, he pee'd his pajamas!!!!! He was THAT lazy he didn't go right there on the toilet...then came out to me laughing about it!!!! HA! We'll see who's laughing when I take away going to the library story time!! Yeah, neither of us were laughing then! But he was upset with me and every time he had to go potty, he made mention of going on the toilet cuz he wanted to go to the library!! Here's hoping it worked!!

So, instead I got busy with dishes, laundry, folding the two loads that were done, ironing, and showering and getting all girly.

You see, tonite we had an appt for family pictures with Jake! I had the kids ready to go when Howie walked in the door, he got changed and spruced up! and off we went! Picked Jake up and then went to Walmart (where else!?!?) for our session. She was running late, so we didn't get started til 6:30 and then all clocks stopped as we took picture after picture! Got some REALLY nice ones! Man, I wish I had the money to buy 'em all!!! In the end we got the one of all 5 of us (I'm the dorky one this year, in that I'm the only one not looking at the camera!) and then got an 8x10 of the kids, which looks SUPER good!!!! I'm thrilled with them!!!!

Since pictures were for 6pm, and didn't get started til 6:30, that means we didn't get done til 7:30!!!! And we still had to eat!!! While I was dealing with picking poses, the boys discussed where we were eating for dinner and chose Round Table...never again! Their pizza wasn't that great! We got talked into the buffet and then they shut it down 5 mins after we started!!! They did eventually make more pepperoni for Jake, but grumbled about it. So much so, that one employee got so pissed off he was swearing at another employee right in front of our table...so yeah, I'll be calling about that tomorrow!!!! Unacceptable!!!!

By the time we dropped Jake off, it was 8:45 and we still had a 45 min drive home! DJ fell asleep almost instantly! Samantha on the other hand stayed awake the whole ride home and was running circles when she got in the house! I changed DJ while he was sleeping and then put him in bed, and then got Sam settled in her bed only to hear her SCREAMING bloody murder! Turns out one of the cats got trapped in her room and was clawing at the door scaring the crap out of her. She clung to me for dear life when I went in there! I reassured her all was good and put her back in bed and she fell asleep pretty quickly! There were a few whimpers, but no protest!

And if DJ gives me another nite like last nite...I'll be one exhausted Mum!!! Last nite I woke up to him in bed with me playing with my elbow at 4:26....so off we went for him to go potty...put him back in bed and then went back to bed myself. Howie's alarm went off very shortly after and we hear DJ running down the hall chasing a cat. Howie tries to settle him back in bed and then started getting ready for work...DJ was still awake (and so was I) when Howie was done, so I told him to just bring DJ in bed with me. Even then it took him a while to settle down...and his feet were FREEEEEEZING!!!!! Seems like 5 mins later it was 8 am and DJ was awake and raring to go! ugh!

Now, I'm gonna go work on that scarf I started....this time for real! I frogged it 3 or 4 times before settling on this pattern and width. Its new yarn to me, so it took a bit to get the feel of it. It is knitting up nice!!!!!

Til next time...ciao!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Chipotle doesn't just mean

A smoked and usually dried jalapeno pepper....it means FUCKING HOT!!!!!!!! (pardon my french/Italian/German/dutch/English!!) I had the extreme unpleasure of ordering a salad at Quizno's this afternoon, and I chose the Raspberry Chipotle Chicken...I about burned my mouth off!!! I know for a fact I lost a few taste buds!! And my poor nose!!!!!!! I'm right in the beginnings of a cold (thank you DJ) and my nose is raw after today! (I don't even want to think about my poor bum in the morning *shudders*) Please, don't ask my WHY I ate the whole freaking thing either!?!?!!? With every bite it burned more...and with every breath it got hotter!!! I almost thought I was going to turn into a fire breathing dragon!!!! It was THAT hot!!!!!!!

Now, I do understand that I have a very low thresh hold for spicy food (this was SOOOOOOO far beyond that) and if someone out there tries it and loves it...you can thank me later! I for one, will NEVER order anything EVER that has the word Chipotle in/around/near it!!! Mark my words (Tiffany!) cuz this is the truth!!!!!

Whew!

The really sad part (and don't laugh) is that I had not a drop of water with me to try and cool it down...all I had was the drool my mouth was forming with every bite!!!!

So, how was it that Quizno's was my lunch??

Glad you asked!

I had to make a run to Lynnwood today as Jake forgot his "special" calculator and hat from this weekend's visit. And it ended up being a late run as DJ was gracious enough to sleep in til 8:45!!!!! Sam woke up very shortly after that and we all got on the go.
While we were going to Lynnwood, I dropped off a few Avon catalogs, and hit the Walmart (where else?!?!) that's right up the street from Jake's mom's house. The Walmart (where else?!?!) visit happened over the lunch hour, and this one has a McD's in it...so the kids got nuggets and fries. Gave me little peace to shop! They were MONSTERS!!!!! GRRRRR

Of course by the time we were done I was starving!! I knew there was a Quizno's in the same parking lot, so I stopped there. Got one of those Toasty Bullets (waste of money in my opinion!!!) and the small salad and called it good!

Both kids napped in the truck on the way home...Sam for all of 45 mins and DJ for a 20 minute power nap. I don't know HOW Samantha knows, but she KNOWS the moment we pull into the driveway!!! Unreal!

After dinner they got bathed and went to bed rather easily! DJ with his cold medicine in his belly and Sam with her bunny tucked in beside her. And now its my turn...I'm gonna stuff my nose with tissues and lather it up with Vaseline so it won't chap up too bad...and suck away on a Halls cough drop so I can breathe while I'm sleeping which will be impossible with the tissue in the way.....OY!

Til next time...ciao!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Special Brownies

Are made with raspberry flavouring...NOT what you're thinkin of!!! And my special brownies were devoured at the Dove Chocolate Discoveries party I had this afternoon! What a turn out too!!!! This morning when I got up, I was starting to panic a bit about the number of people coming...estimated to have been 27 ladies coming (not including kids!!!) and in the end I had 18 adults and 7 kids...not including the 5 of us who live here!!! I'd say that's a pretty darn good turn out!! Thankfully I have my dad's genes in the area of entertaining...always have MORE food than you think you'll need! I think we had 2 peanut butter cookies, 3 oatmeal raisin cookies, 1 banana muffin and 6 brownies (I'd put them aside) left! All of the fruit got, the pretzels and marshmallows got eaten. Made the clean up a snap!!! Which was good considering I still had to make dinner for our family.

Speaking of clean up...I've decided I don't like the tile pattern on the kitchen floor!!! Not one bit! At first, I was using the scrubby part of my mop on this one stubborn part of the tile...turns out THAT'S the pattern of it!!! Which in a way can be good...as it'll hide the dirt my kids drag in (not to mention the dog!) but the downside is that it'll hide the dirt my kids drag in (not to mention the dog!!) I'm thinking of asking santa for steam mop...I really dislike my mop! I know my mom has one and is impressed, and my g/f Tiffany has one that she loves....think those elves know how to make one?? I've been REALLY good this year!! He can read my blog to prove it! :P

DJ and Samantha had a blast with the other kids!!! 5 of which were willing to play with them...one of the non-contenders is only 4 mos old, and the other was 16 mos old...they sure had fun chasing each other around! The play room is a hit! Howie and Jake hung out with them downstairs and watched the football game. Win win in my eyes! And both my kids were played out!! They went to sleep relatively easy! Other than last nite when I put DJ to bed because Howie was at the game, I haven't gotten to tuck DJ in...he's usually asleep when I go in there after putting Sam down. I like it!!!

Tomorrow reality comes crashing in as Howie goes back to work...our staycation is over! I sure did love having him around...and not just because he let me sleep in 7 of his 9 mornings either! We have a lot of fun together and it was nice to be together to have fun!

Tomorrow is also a Pray for Stellan day! He's in Boston again having an ablation on his heart to hopefully make him better...he's had a rather downward month last month, and tomorrow he'll be having surgery. So if you could, please send up a prayer on his behalf for his doctors, nurses and parents!!! I simply can't even begin to imagine! Thanks!

Til next time...ciao!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

This day has been

THE most productive in the way of cleaning and decluttering! Whew! I'm exhausted too! You see, I have a Dove Chocolate Discoveries party here tomorrow afternoon, so we've been busy beavers getting everything ready for that! Everything is vacuumed...doing it today ensures the dust will settle by tomorrow for my allergic friends) and I'd say 85% of my counter tops are cleaned the way I want them....everything is baked up for delights tomorrow....pretty much the only thing left is to mop...which I'll do tomorrow, I don't have any more energy left!




While I was cleaning, Howie was DJ proofing the house...we got these locks for the front and garage doors that flip into place so he can't open the door even tho the bugger knows how to unlock the doors. HA! And they're nice and high up that he can't reach them! Foiled him again!




As I type this, Howie is at Jake's football game...its the first of the play off season and they're winning!!! Howie said Jake is only playing in the kick off team and not his usual defense spot...bummer! Altho, he is only a sophomore...and this is only the first game...I guess its kinda like being nominated...lol OK...update: They WON!!!!!!!! Final score was 45-20!! WOOT!




I got to talk to my very tired Mother tonite as I'd lost a famous recipe....famous to our family that is...and could not locate it! So she called me with it when she got home and I pretty much got busy making them right away! Banana bread muffins! YUM!!!! So in the past 24 hours, I've made a batch of peanut butter cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, a batch of banana bread muffins, and a batch of brownies! Whew! Good thing that party is tomorrow! lol




My hands are hurting from all the cleaning...my knuckles split open and get chapped...SO painful! Thankfully I still have the prescription stuff I got last year and it works like a charm! I just look dumb with all these band aids on my knuckles....like a boxer or something! And the Aveeno cream does wonders for the itch!




OK, how weird is it that the kids have been in bed for an hour and I STILL have Sprout TV on....OY! At least its better than football...




Here's a pic of the swag I was talking about yesterday....















And while I'm at it....this is a picture of my Great Nephew Jude...I can't believe I didn't blog about his birth on Monday when he came into the world!!!!! This is my 4th Great one!!!
Til next time...ciao!

Friday, November 6, 2009

I have a new Boyfriend

And his name is Ben....Ben Franklin!!!! He's so dreamy!!! And extremely crafty!!!!!! Oh so crafty! He stole my heart the moment we met! In fact, I even paid for the date!!! *sigh* Its okay, he's worth it!!! I can see a long relationship in our future! With a lot of accomplishment, and some arguments, and a whole lotta love!

If you live in the WA area, you know who/what I'm talking about.....


The local craft store!

My other boyfriend, Micheal, and my girlfriend, Joann, haven't moved out this way...so instead of just dumping them all together, I've joined forces with Ben and he and I will have many hours of fun when I can't make it out to see Micheal or Joann.

I know...it sounds like crazy talk....but they shouldn't name these stores after people...its just too easy! LOL

This morning, after a slow start to the day, we all went grocery shopping. Well, Howie, SamSam and I went shopping, DJ went playing at Playland. He was SO excited to go shopping today!!! I'm even getting to recognize the employees who work in play land too!! That helps! Having Howie with me was nice, but he has NO clue how to stick to a list!!! I spend more when he's with me!! So, we only ended up doing one place and then heading home for lunch.

Got home and my Avon was waiting for me at the door (YAY!) and once Sam was down for her nap, I spent a few minutes working on sorting the orders out. I got samples of the new perfume that was created by Reese Witherspoon, called In Bloom...oh it smells heavenly!!!! I really like it! Thinking I might just put it on my Christmas wish list....

Once I tore myself away I took off to finish the grocery shopping...but decided to visit Ben instead. I found THE perfect "hide the cords" swag for under the TV, on the fire place mantel. Because of the placement of the TV, I will never be able to put anything on the mantle....but at the same time, looking at the tacky cords didn't cut it for me either. Howie and I talked about doing a swag there for Christmas, and then do an ivy the rest of the time....so while at Ben's I kept my eye open...and then I saw it....a beautiful Maple Leaf swag in Fall colours...GORGEOUS!!! It was the first thing I did when I got home...I hadn't even taken my coat off! PERFECT!!! It fits so perfectly!!! Next time I go, I'll be on the lookout for a Christmasy one!

Once the kids were in bed, I got down to baking some cookies for Jake's football team...they play their first play off game tomorrow, and I was asked to bake 2 dozen cookies for the boys. So, I did a dozen peanut butter, and a dozen oatmeal raisin...that way we have a dozen of each here at home to enjoy! I also pulled out some bananas to make some banana bread tomorrow....was going to do it tonite, but the two batches of cookies ate up all my time. Still smells good in here tho! And now, tomorrow will smell good too!!

OK, last batch is going in, and I wanna go sit and knit....I did manage to find some yarn that I've never used and want to make a scarf for a friend...I'm anxious to get it started! I've done about 6 or 7 dish cloths, so this will be a nice break!

Til next time...ciao!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

One Down

Only 359 to go!!! Shouldn't take too long...right??? HA!

What am I talkin about?

Why the mortgage of course! Just another 359 months and it will be OURS!!!! Yeah, I'm being cheeky! For me, it was a momentous day in that this is my first....for Howie...not so much! lol We talked about that...he got smart with me....and I have to be careful what I say as HE'S now reading this blog too!!! Love you honey! *typed with a smirk on my face*

Today we tried a different story time at the Sultan Library....it was okay. DJ really enjoyed himself, but had a hard time taking direction from the teacher until he saw two other boys behaving and then joined them. Samantha...OY! That child was ALL OVER the library!!! Now, the other two libraries that we've done story time at, they have a designated room for such noisy story times...this one did not! So we're in the middle of the library and she's SCREAMING whenever I try to contain her. I tried the keys, my phone, books....ugh! The lady next to me gave her paper and a pencil (followed with a pen next) without asking me...cuz that's really what I did NOT want her to have! In the end I just let her roam the library...she'd climb up at one of the computer desk areas and put on the headphones and play with the mouse and hit buttons on the keyboard (wonder who she sees doing that...) and having a grand old time. DJ got busy painting with fruit...the theme of this story time was food....she'd done a memory game with the kids that had 7 fruits and vegetables on a tray...talked about each one, and then would cover them up and take one piece away to see if the kids could figure out which one was missing....yeah, DJ's not that observant yet...but the older kids got it. Then she cut each one in half and used half of the fruit/veggie in paint and let the kids paint pictures....which then morphed into finger painting...DJ did okay, but wanted his hands clean RIGHT away! and he had more globs of paint than anything else. Didn't matter to him, he was just as proud as Rembrandt would have been!

After nap we took a family outing to Costco....SOOOO exciting!! Got everything on the list and then some...that's how it always goes! But the "then some" in this case was hearing aid batteries!! I feel like I hit the hearing aid battery lottery...30 batteries for 10.00!!!!! That's a STEAL!!!! I'm used to paying roughly a 1.00 per battery! Hey honey, I guess I can wear my hearing aids on a regular basis now instead of just special occasions!!!!! hahahaha j/k!

We came home and got dinner going as I had plans for the evening that didn't include the other 3 members of this house! So once dinner was cleaned up, I got changed and went to my neighbours house for a Pampered Chef party. I haven't been to one of these in about 3 years!! Maybe even longer...I think I was just pregnant with DJ at the last one I went to...which was 4 years ago! So it was nice to see all the new stuff they've come out with! And of course all the classics they've still got! Did you know Pampered Chef has been around for 3o years!?!?!??!! I was floored to learn that!!! Wonder how long Tupperware's been around...
In any case, Howie did some Christmas shopping tonite without even lifting a finger!!! Lucky him eh?? He thinks so too!

Now, he's got the playstation all hooked up (its what we use to play movies too) and playing a game that I'm goin to kick him off of...it IS Thursday nite y'know!!! Prime TV viewing nite! Thankfully the DVR is making itself useful! I did tell him I'd be done in 5 mins....and I have one minute to spare!!

Til next time...ciao!