TGIF

Finally it is Friday! This week seemed to be very long, and yet, here it is Friday already.

So the weather people are predicting a snowy Saturday night, and it's pretty cold out right now, plus we have a shit-load ( actually, 3 episodes) of Criminal Minds to watch and a bunch of stuff that I DVR'd over the week, so this is a good weekend to just hang out at home. Here is a list of things that I want to get done over the weekend, in no particular order:

1. Hem two pairs of pants
2. Clean the carpeting upstairs
3. Sweep out the garage
4. Do the laundry
5. Work on this blog
6. Clean the area rug in the family room
7. Straighten out the Christmas trees (rotten cats!)
8. Fix one set of lights on the living room tree.
9. Get the outside lights up (this one is really iffy)
10. Take Marie to breakfast for her birthday
11. Clean out my desk
12. Try to remove a square foot of wallpaper

Will see how much actually gets done. I always have good intentions, but my laziness gets the best of me usually.

Today at work my supervisor was given some money for lunch from one of the doctors (who wants to remain anonymous for some reason) so she ordered a shit-load (love that word today) of Chinese food. Yum!! It sure was good! It's a pretty quiet day today, which is a good thing because my co-worker Diane is off and I am working the desk alone.

Tonight, out to dinner. No cooking for me!

Ciao.

I love Christmas

I love the Christmas season.

No, not the mad shopping or the money spending or anything like that. I love decorating our house for Christmas. I love the snow (I know, but only at Christmas!). I love my Christmas trees especially. I love to just sit in a room lit only by the lights of the tree. It's so pretty and serene and for a while I can forget my troubles. And I also love Christmas music.

This year I signed up for Holidailies. I have to post every day in December. This will be a challenge because I have a hard time coming up with a couple posts a week. I'll have to make them short, just to not be too boring! Oh I know..I'll do little bios of my kitties, one each day. That will take up 6 days anyway! Maybe by then I'll come up with something else exciting to write about!

In other news, today I scheduled a colonoscopy for January. I meant to do it all year, but just never got around to it. Marie works for a gastroenterologist and she called me from work for another reason, and while we were on the phone together, we went ahead and scheduled it. I am not looking forward to it but it has to be done. If everything is OK then I won't have to do it again for 3-5 years. And that's enough on that subject!

It's pretty cold out today. Waiting in line to park I usually turn my car off to save on gas, but this morning I had to keep starting it to warm up. Winter has arrived!

Ciao

Weekly Winners Sunday Meme

I love my nativity scene which I have had for at least 20 years. This year I decided to light it up. I think it really adds something to the serenity of this scene.

You can participate in this meme, too. Just click on the link below to find out how.




Ciao.

Thanksgiving is Over..On with Christmas

We had a very nice Thanksgiving at my dads house. I ate too much as usual but I planned on it so no big deal. Everyone was there except Jim's kids. Two of them live out of town, and the other one was visiting in-laws out of town. All of the food was delicious, and every one raved about my mashed potatoes. Chris and Marissa did not make it in time for dinner, but Marissa brought a cake she made where she uses yogurt instead of the oil in the cake. Excellent!

Went to bed early, took Advil PM and slept like a baby!

Today I went and got new cartridges for our printer. I got refills and they seem to be OK. Sure is a heck of a lot cheaper than buying new. Also went to Meijer for some miscellaneous non-Christmas stuff. It was not as crowded as I thought it would be. Kohl's however was packed. I didn't go there, just drove by and the parking lot was full. People are crazy!

I also picked up my ring which is absolutely beautiful. I have been trying to get a nice picture to post but my camera sucks!
Now I am getting ready to start decorating. I am being lazy today though so I probably won't get much done. Oh well, no rush. We are having Marissa's mom and step-dad over for dinner on the 15Th and as long as it's done by then, that's all that matters!
Ciao.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie

This is the best freakin' pie in the world!!



Ingredients: One graham cracker crust, 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, 1 cup powdered suger, 3 oz. cream cheese, 1/2 cup milk (not pictured) and 8 oz. cool whip.



In large bowl add cream cheese, milk, peanut butter and sugar.



Beat until smooth which seems to take forever but actually is about 3-4 minutes at high speed!



Fold in cool whip. The trick here is to just gently fold the cool whip in. Do not mix too much or the pie will not freeze. I usually leave it a little marbled to make sure.



Spread the mixture into the graham cracker crust.




Use the plastic cover that came with the crust as a lid. Oh and no need to bother taking the label off or anything. I didn't!!



Put the pie in the freezer for at least 4-5 hours.



Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Watch how fast this gets eaten. Fight over the last piece. Delicious.

Ciao.

Sleep is overrated

It's 5:00 in the morning. I'm awake and have been since approximately 3:30. I've been having sleep issues lately. I don't have problems falling asleep, I just can't seem to stay asleep.

It's Thanksgiving Day. This year sure is flying by. Seems like I just put all of the Christmas stuff away, and now I'll be carting it out again tomorrow. Anyway, we are gathering at Dad's today. My brother Tom is cooking the turkey. I am making mashed potatoes. I also stopped at the store on my way home yesterday and bought paper plates and napkins, and I have plastic flatware that I bought last year, and then washed. Yes, I washed them because it's the good stuff that looks like real silverware. I'm too practical to throw that away!

No ravioli this year. My brother who usually makes it is too busy and stressed moving his dental practice to deal with it. That's OK. We will survive without it!

The jewelry store called yesterday. My ring is ready to be picked up. I can't wait to get it.

I cannot believe that there are stores opening at 4:00 tomorrow morning. And I really can't believe that people will actually be at those stores at 4:00 tomorrow morning! I don't particularly care for shopping, myself. And I don't care how good the deals are, there is no way on God's green earth that I would be shopping at 4:00 in the morning! Although, apparently it's not a problem being awake that early anymore!

Ciao.

How To Make It Rain

This is my bag I take to work every day.





This is my umbrella.

I keep my umbrella in my work bag all of the time. I don't need to use it often because it's usually not raining when I am walking to and from work.

Yesterday, something spilled on it in the bag and I took it out to clean it. Of course I forgot to put it back in the bag this morning.

And, you guessed it, it rained!

So I walked to my car (approximately 3 city blocks) in the rain.

EVERY TIME I forget my umbrella, it rains!

Who needs raindancers?

Ciao

Short Week, Short Entry

I love short weeks. We only work Mon-Wed, and we have Thanksgiving and the following day off. Usually I decorate for Christmas on that day. This year I may do a minimal decoration because we are not having any family over, but we'll see. Depends on my mood. It also depends on how rotten my cats are. We did not have them last year when I was decorating. I actually do love decorate a lot because I love the way it looks!

We had Chris and Marissa for dinner yesterday. I made a peanut butter pie which I will post the recipe a little later, with pictures! It's out-of-this-world good. We gave them a gift certificate for 2 months of Netflix. They loved it! They are very happy and it warms my heart to see them so!

Ciao.

Rings and things

Well, after all of the thinking and looking on resetting my diamonds, I decided against it and am just having my ring checked and sized and cleaned so I can wear it with the 3-stone. Apparently gold is at about $800 a ounce right now and so that makes the ring I wanted about $500, and I just don't want (Rich) to spend that much money for it. Besides, the more I put the band with my 3-stone the more I liked it. I am excited to get it now. It should be ready in a week. I'll post a picture.

However, there's still the little 1/4 carat solitaire......I'm thinking a pendant!

I am off work today. I was up at 5:30. I cannot sleep in on my days off and really don't want to anyway. I have my most energy in the morning. This morning I walked on the dreadmill for 40 minutes (TV sucks in the morning), did 3 loads of laundry and did a general clean up. Then went to the jewelry store, the bank, T@rget and JCPennys; all before noon.Maybe I need a job where I work afternoons!

Tonight I am going to dinner with Linda, Helen and Carley to a new Irish restaurant. Should be good.

Chris called Rich yesterday. My nephew Mikey got a 8-point buck. I'm excited for him but bummer!

Ciao.

Long weekend

It's Thursday and I have the day off tomorrow.

I always take a day or two off this time of year because Rich usually goes hunting and I usually do something with Shauna and my sisters-in-law. This year he isn't going hunting, but I still took a day off. Everyone else is working, so I have a day to myself. I'll probably just go to a couple of thrift stores, clean the house, watch some TV, nothing too exciting. In the evening Shauna and I are going to dinner with Linda, Helen and whoever else wants to go.

I do have to go back to the jewelry store to see what kind of settings they have for my ring. I have decided to just use the small diamonds, and leave the larger solitaire diamond for a later time. Maybe a necklace or something.

I'm going crazy trying to get the pictures off of my cell phone on to my computer. I bought a cord off of eBay a month or so ago and I downloaded the program from Nokia to store the images, but that's as far as it goes. For some reason, my computer won't recognize the cord when it's connected, but yet the USB ports work fine with other connections. I know I bought a knock-off but the original cord from Nokia is like $50! No way will I spend that much. I really think it's not the cord, but something in the computer. I don't know enough to figure it out. Driving me crazy!!

Thanksgiving is one week away. This year is absolutely flying by!! I have to shop for plates and napkins and tablecloths to take to Dad's house. And I am making a new mashed potato recipe that I saw here that looks really good!! I am dying to try them!

That's all for now.

Ciao.

Watching TV

The other day I was watching a show about wild animals on TV. There was baby wolves and birds and all sorts of critters.

Zoe and Coco were absolutely fascinated by this. Normally, the cats don't pay too much attention to the TV but these two probably watched for 1/2 a hour at least. Every time a animal would run across the screen, one of them would stand up and paw at the TV. Too cute.

We've had a pretty nice weekend so far. Yesterday I took my rings to a diamond place in town to inquire about setting the diamonds in a new ring. I'm not sure now if I am going to like it or not. They are going to design a ring and carve it in wax. then I am going to check it with my current ring and see if I will like it. If I do, they take the diamonds, I make a deposit and they make the ring. If I don't, no big deal. No money spent. I'm just not sure now if I want to use the engagement ring or just the 16 little diamonds and make a band. I suppose I could always have the ring for a right hand ring. Whatever.

We also went to the new W@lmart Super center in Commerce. It's a huge store and the groceries were quite a bit cheaper than other grocery stores. It's too far to go regularly, though.

Friday I went shopping and got new shoes and a new shirt. Today I went shopping and got new jeans and some shirts for Rich. Lots of shopping! Ciao.

Friday-Payday

Today is Friday and it's payday too!

I have a $10 gift card for Kohls which I am going to use on my way home from work today. I need a nice top to wear to work and new brown shoes and a couple new t-shirts for Rich and new pants and maybe new jeans, too. Think the $10 gift card will be enough?? Hah!

I lost another pound. That makes 29 total since the first of the year. Funny, the diabetes has made me change my lifestyle. I eat to keep my blood sugar in control and I exercise to keep my blood suger in control. It doesn't feel like a diet so I really don't feel deprived. It feels good to eat healthy and be in control, and the weight loss is a side benefit.

That said, today I walked into my department to find two big containers of cookies, chocolate chip and peanut butter with dove chocolate on top! God, they look so freakin' good. And later on in the morning, they brought 5 big bags of bagles (say that fast 10 times!) in the break room to celebrate National Health Alliance Week! I really shouldn't eat bagles because they have about 60-70 carbs in each one, but I did take one each of the cookies. I'll split them with Rich tonight!

I would like to get the carpets cleaned this weekend if I can and also get that downstairs bathroom cleaned.

I am going to see about having my old wedding ring diamonds set into a ring to wear with my 3-stone ring. I am over the thrill of the new ring (although I still love it of course) and would like another ring that will complement it. I love the look of two rings on one finger.

Ciao.

I Like Cool Pictures

This is a picture taken last year using the negative setting on my camera.

I love taking pictures and I wish I was better at it. I love to experiment with different scenes and different options within the limits of my not-real-expensive camera.

I took this picture in our family room. I just think the overall shade is really pretty and it makes the room look cool and inviting. But the best part is my kittie, Smudge. He just looks so neat, like his little head just fits perfect in that spot!

Maybe that could be my hobby. Photography.

Yeah, right!

Ciao.

I Need A Purpose

Lately I've been feeling like my life has no purpose.

Seems like all I do is work, eat, do chores, watch tv and go to bed; only to get up the next morning and start all over again. I don't do anything that helps anyone, or gives me any sense of satisfaction or of a job well done.

I feel like Rich and I need to volunteer our time to help people that are less fortunate than us. With the holidays coming up there should be ample opportunity, I just need to look for it. Maybe I'll start at our church.

I would also like to have a hobby. I have always wanted to build and furnish a miniature house. I think it would be fun and I actually have some miniature wood furniture that Rich and I built many years ago.

It's time we started to live life more abundantly.

Ciao.

Lou

This is Lou short for Luciano. He belongs to my son Chris and his wife Marissa. Lou is a pit bull. He looks really imtimidating and he is one solid mass of muscle from head to tail. He's also the sweetest dog I know. He would just as soon lick your face off than bite it. I admit that I was scared of him when I first met him but I'm not anymore.

He gets excited whenever he comes to visit us. Not to see us but to see if this is the day he finally gets to eat one of those kitties!

Sorry Lou.

Not gonna happen!!

Ciao

Monday Again

Well it's Monday again. The weekends sure do fly by! We even had a extra hour!

Did not do a whole lot this weekend.

Friday night dinner at Legacy with the usual gang.

Saturday morning Marie and I walked and had breakfast. Watched two episodes of The S0pranos. Chris and Marissa were over for a while. Went to the MGM to use some freeplay. It was very crowded. I do not like going there when there is so many people. They bug me, plus the Michigan-Michigan State game was on so it was noisy with people yelling and screaming.

Sunday morning grocery shopping and then I finally went out and got the outside cleaned up. Took all of the dead flowers out of the barrels and pots, put a bunch of stuff in the shed and in the garage, basically just cleaned up and got ready for winter and the snow! I also put away the Halloween stuff and got out the Thanksgiving decorations. I think this is the first year that I have actually decorated for Thanksgiving so early. Man, I am good! I also cleaned out the downstairs closet and put 4 coats in the trunk of my car in the hope that I will find somewhere to donate them.

Today is my brother Tom's 49th birthday!

Ciao