Top Ten Reasons I felt like the Grinch this Christmas

This isn't really like me, but this year, I have really NOT been a Christmassy type person. Here are my top ten reasons I felt like the Grinch:

10. I just wanted to hang out in my cave, (or sewing room!) and not get around people at all.

9. I have tried to get my ducks in a row over the whole school thing. Do I go? Is this what I want, or what God wants? Am I going to be able to keep up with classes, work, home, and church? I have been officially accepted, now I just have to get my classes in January. They are making me wait because I am considered a transfer student. So, it looks like I'm going.

8. Our family has been going through some major changes, basically, the cast of characters. Hollywood is set on moving in with his dad down in Tennessee, (AGAIN!) but he wanted to do it mid-year instead of waiting until the school year ends in later May. I've not received any input from He Who Will Not Be Named, (ex-husband), except to wonder why it isn't easy getting things changed around. He's not offering to make phone calls (gee, he lives down there, how hard could it be?) or getting any information. Ultimately, if it doesn't work out, I will be the one to blame as far as Hollywood is concerned.

7. Hunnybunny was up and down the road for a large bid and it did finally close just before Christmas. As a result, he was pretty exhausted.

6. We did, finally, get brave enough to put up a tree. Fiona only toppled the tree once, and ate several ornaments off of it. They were stuffed ornaments, less you report me to the A.S.P.C.A.

5. We had to drive south to drop off Hollywood for Christmas with He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. I hate it when my whole family isn't together for Christmas, but I can't be selfish either as much as I'd like.

4. I tried to make my mother's Christmas candy recipe and it majorly flopped. It tasted like it was supposed to, but it sure was ugly. She's not with us anymore to ask what I did wrong.

3. The economy. It reeks when you have to watch EVERY penny, even at the most giving time of the year. I'm one of those people who feels guilty if they don't put something in the Salvation Army kettle every time you see one. The Dyl Pickle believes I'm supposed to put something in as well, and reminded me right in front of the guy or girl.

2. I had two quilt projects that I was trying to get done for presents. I did finish the purse, but not the Beatles quilt.

1. I didn't actually start shopping until the 21st.

The Jury is Still Out on Thanksgiving

Good old Martha Stewart....she is a life saver. I thought I'd use her turkey roasting method of cheesecloth draped over the bird. Well, I tried, anyway. The idea is that you put a 17 inch square piece of cheesecloth on the turkey and baste it every so often. The cloth keep the moisture on the skin and thus, giving you the juiciest turkey on the planet. However, Wally World was out of cheesecloth. So, necessity being the mother of invention, I improvised by sending Hunnybunny to the pharmacy for gauze strips. Technically, it's cheesecloth with a bit of elastic... it worked pretty well.
The Legal Adult came with girlfriend, and brought a spiral ham. Now, that's never happened before. I had not asked him to bring anything but himself. Wonders never cease. Hollywood had woofed down his plate before any of us, and began gazing at the four pies to choose from. He had his second piece eaten before we had finished dinner.
Grandma Hunnybunny and Aunt Hunnybunny made the trek from Florida to Kentucky, and as if on cue, we actually got a forecast with a chance of snow. Grandma Hunnybunny was not as amused as I was. Nor was she excited to meet Fiona. "That's not a dog, that's a small pony!"
And since a few inquiring minds want to know: I went to the RN meeting at the college. This is where you make sure your prerequisites and paperwork are all good to go before making application to the nursing program. Over 200 candidates were in session. And that was the THIRD meeting. The competition will be fierce with 800 applicants and only 125 spots.
While I was accepted into the college, they had trouble with my high school transcripts. There was no school seal, not signed by the headmaster, my college transcripts were posted with them, etc. So, long story short, I'm accepted pending my high school stuff having the appropriate signage. In fact, I got a grant to go to school! The glitch is that there are very few classes that I need still open. The school is making me retake psychology because it's been longer than 6 years. And I knew I was going to have take college algebra. I'll keep you posted.

Movie Review: UP

Yeah, to say I'm just a little behind on reviewing this movie would be an understatement. We actually saw this in the theater this past summer. It was so good that we bought it.

The beginning was precious, two childhood friends grow up and end up married. They have a dream that they have crossed their hearts to do one day. But, as we all know, life gets in the way of dreams. Sometimes, you have to pinch hit with new dreams until you realize that your dreams have changed. Waxing philosophical, right? Nothing gets past me, boy...

Anyway, what I loved about it was that the old guy intends to keep his promise, no matter the cost. And to make it more endearing, you have this dog, Dug. Dug apparently has a dream, too. He dreams of being loved. Dug actually talks in the movie with the help of a collar. He talks like I would expect Fiona to talk if she could. Stuff like, "I just met you and I love you!" She seems to be saying that to everyone that bravely walks through our doors.
So, bottom line: if you have kids, rent it. They will love it. You will, too.

I don't have anything earth-shattering to report to you this week. Just thought you like to see how the pup is doing. She went from a 20 lb 10 week old, to a 75 lb 10 month old.










Here she is doing what she does best: she's quite the kisser. And no, we haven't done the whole obedience dog school yet. I think they'd kick her out, like they did Marley.











We have found some pictures of lab mixes that resemble her. Mostly Lab-Whippet mixes. That's kind of funny to me. She's smart, a little too smart, and that would be Whippet for sure. Labs are lovable, but too friendly for their own good.





I didn't expect to get this attached this quickly, but I love her to death.


Sorry the quality isn't so great, I just wanted to show you how tall she is up against Hollywood.

Top Ten Reasons Why You Haven't Heard From Me

Every time I sit down for even one minute of me time...bam....I have to get up and see who is screaming; find out if there is blood; and then lose my seat at the computer. But I have missed you all, as you are there keeping me sane. Since Michael Jackson's death, there's been a lot going on. So I'll give you my top ten reasons why you haven't heard from me:

10. The Enter Button is messed up, AGAIN. So, when I push it down, it keeps going, and going, and ...you get the picture.

9. I've been completely mesmerized by the media frenzy associated with the death of the King of Pop. I don't know if it's that I got to watch old videos and reminisce or just hypnotized in the masses. Maybe it was the fact that the guy was all of 4 years older than me and it freaked me out! I even watched the memorial service and blown away that it was on the big 3 networks.

8. I keep falling asleep on the couch every night. With the onslaught of summer vacation, The Pickle has been given permission by his dad to stay up past his regular bedtime. That's all well and good for Hunnybunny, but I hang out with kids all day: it would be nice to know that EVENTUALLY I'll be an adult at least for part of the day.

7. I haven't felt I had anything profound to say. Lame, I know. But awfully true. Some of my old blogging buddies fell off the face of the earth because they felt like they had blogged their last. I didn't want to do that. Technically, blogging is a diary. Maybe I don't have anything profound to say to myself. It wouldn't be the first time.

6. I'm consumed with a wedding. My best friend's daughter is getting hitched in 5 weeks! Guess who's the DJ? Moi. Yes, it's been since 1993, but I think I can do it. The music for this shindig is a little...eclectic at best. Hope I can mix it well enough.

5. I've been kind of depressed. Mostly, because my family wasn't all together. Well, that excuse isn't going to hold water because I picked him up Saturday. A little early, maybe, but I think he missed me.

4. My schizophrenic sewing habits have gotten in the way, too. Okay, I'm most definitely a quilter. But, I've been exploring making my own clothes. Am I doing it to avoid quilting, or just simply need something to wear. Hey, I made pleats for the first time in my life this past weekend! Was I stoked! But I keep wasting time, going back and forth.

3. Exhaustion. Enough said there. I leave the house to go Nanny for Jo-Jo and Idgy at 8:00 am. Sometimes Pickle comes along. Most of the time the Diva shows up. It can be anywhere from 2 to 4 kids in a hurry. I leave around 4:30 or so, but then there's supper to make, or I collapse in a chair, or take out Fiona. See what I mean?

2. So many of my blogger friends have left. This really bothers me. I go to read their blog and read, "Blog not found". Then I worry. Say what you want, bloggers are a tight bunch. We pour our hearts out to readers, and we get into their lives via the Internet. I miss them when they leave. See reason 8.

But probably the biggest reason I haven't been a good blogger:

1. FACEBOOK! How addicting is it to find old college and high school friends and give them a synopsis of what we have been doing for the last 20 year? Or maybe one of those stupid quizzes that we can't seem to stop doing. While I enjoy FACEBOOK, I really love the blogging community more.

Rude People

My mother told me that my first words were not, "Mama" and "Daddy". They were "Yes, Ma'am". My mother did her best to teach us that it takes just as much time to be polite as to be rude. When I lived in Florida, everyone used the terms, "Yes, Sir,", "No, Sir" and it seemed like a great lesson in respect. During these times, even though most people don't make their kids, I make mine still say it. The Legal Adult can tell you even though his appearance is tatted and pierced, when he speaks, he still uses these forms of respect. Hollywood has to be reminded from time to time. If I've angered him, he's even tried to call me, "Beth" before, which I think is pretty funny. (Seriously, is that the best he can do?)

Today, I was reminded of why it's important to teach your children respect. I apparently got in the wrong lane to pick up the Pickle at his elementary school. A very angry mother got out of her SUV and walked across the street to where I was. She tapped on my window. I thought, "Is my radiator leaking?"

"If you're going to pick up your child, you're going to have to get in this line here because nobody is going to let you in. We have been waiting 20 minutes." For once, I think I was God-smacked. The human being inside of me wanted to say something just as rude back. But I didn't. I just put my window up. While I wasn't right in being in the "cheaters lane", it just seemed to me that she was going to make someone pay for her very bad day. In case you're still reading, I did move out of the way. Today was one of those times that I like my dog so much better than people.

Doggie Update and Movie Review

Here's our doggie, Fiona, playing with the Pickle. She got pretty big since Valentine's Day, didn't she? She's already up to 32 pounds and is about to be 5 months old. The Pickle is having a time catching her, as you can see.




Fiona has this cool marking on her chest. It looks like an outline of an Aztec cartoon or something. In fact, there are two "eye" dots on her fur that I accused Hollywood of putting on with a Sharpie!






Yes, I know. She's gonna be big. But she had to grow into those huge paws.



We decided to rent Marley and Me,
mostly because it was about a crazy Labrador. Or so I thought. It is actually the progression of a family who grows up with the dog. Now, there are allot of funny scenes! The book by John Grogan tells the tale of how the "worst dog in the world" got inside the hearts of a family. John Grogan is a reporter turned columnist and Marley helps him along with content for the paper. Of course, the dog has to get old and die. And, as usual, I cried at the end. Why, I'm not really sure, but it might have to do with Fiona being so young, and we're starting the same journey with a crazy dog. See it with your kids, but keep the tissues handy.

Spring Break: By the numbers

I had this great idea for Spring Break this year. "Let's save money and go camping!" Don't ever let anyone tell you how "cheap" it would be to go camping. They are totally misinformed. We went to Cumberland Falls State Park. The concept was grand: we would camp, save money, and enjoy family time together. Uh, yeah...that's in that perfect world where I'm still not a resident. We got to the site, (that we reserved online months ago) and there was no grass. Pure rocks, pebbles, and mud. Sigh...then there was the setting up of the tent. It went fairly flawless. The Pickle went wild with all the trees and mud to get into. The skies were cloudy with the forecast, of course, for rain. Picture a listless teenager with no electronics, whining because he couldn't take his flatiron. Don't ask.
Here is a list of our expenses on this so-called, "cheap" trip:
1. Large tent, bought on sale at a sporting goods shop, $130.00.
2. Sleeping bag, bought for me after the first night of sharing with my Hunnybunny. Sharing being figurative. $15.00.
3. Camp grill with cylinders- $26.00.
4. Fleece liner for top of inflatable bed, $10.00. (Temps dropped into the 30's at night!)

5. Camping reservation for 5 days-$69.00
6. Camping cookware- $30.oo.
7. Groceries, tolietries, paper products, etc. -$100.00
8. Boarding for Fiona, (Probably the best money I spent!) $80.00.
9. House sitting-$50.00









10. Tickets to the Louisville Zoo after we came back early from camping-$45.00
11. Eating at the Zoo-$26.00(There's The Pickle tormenting a peacock!)
12. Doctor's visit for the Pickle after we found ticks on him and one broke off in his skin! --undetermined yet.
Total as best I can figure it: $581!

My life has gone to the Dog....

Take a good look at my latest time...monopolizer. Fiona has been fun to have around, but much like having a new baby in the house. There's the getting up at the crack of dawn to walk her, (done by me), feeding her, bathing her, (Hunnybunny does that mostly)and the cleaning of the carpets...constantly. Her first week with us, we found her with a U.T.I. I guess I'm an idiot because I wasn't aware a dog could suffer something like that. But she went to the vet, and she's on doggie amoxicillian.

Then there's the chewing, retrieving, eating paper, jumping up on furniture, terrorizing preschoolers and howling she does. The chewing I expected. Some jumping on furniture was expected, too, as she'd never been around any. But the howling...oh, how pitiful! Just like a kid, she knows how to get to you with the crying.
The picture isn't at all as bleak as I'm making it...she is a very loving dog. I'm sure that with time, and maybe obedience training, she is going to be fine. Look at that face...she certainly has endeared herself to us. And despite all of the aforementioned, we all love her to death.

So, maybe I'll be even slower to quilt. At least now I have a valid excuse...an excuse named "Fiona".