Dinner for Three

Catch had a great post about which three people. living or dead, would you want to have dinner with and why. Here are the three I chose:

1. My biological mother to thank her for loving me enough to have me and to know she could not take care of me. To let her know I am ok and she made the dream of a woman who wanted to be a mother come true.

2. George Washington - to thank him for not being greedy for power and for keeping the end result in sight when there were so many times he could have walked away during the Revolution. He could have been king of this country but didn't want it. I would also want to know why he had such strong feelings about independence but still had slaves. I would also want to let him know how sorry I was he lost his son in the last battle of the war.


3. Mary, mother of Jesus. Being a mother in general is hard, but can you imagine what it must have been like for her? What was a typical day like for her when he was a kid? "Jesus, go do your chores or I will have to tell your Father."

Thanks Catch!

A confession

I have a confession to make, I like watching 'The Bachelor'....all the crying from the jilted women who have all 'made a connection' with the guy. I missed the first few bachelors but have watched the last three or four.

THe reason I am writing about it is because tonight is the season finale but the Packer game is on!!!! They are going to show it after the game but it will be after midnight so I will have to set my dvr to record it even though the guide says it is not on, the station says it will be on. Do I trust it will be on?

I worry about such mundane things.

Well, back to the regular Monday schedule. The kids are off to school. Yesterday I made 48 sugar cookies, deccorated them, put them in sandwich bags and made paper labels to staple to the top of the bags which said "Thank You" for my daughter's fund raiser at school this week. Hubby looked at what I was doing and said I had a lot of patience but I said "Wrong, letting the kids help with this would have required a lot of patience." Instead, I kept some cookies out for them to eat and they were happy with it. We will decorate cookies together later this week.

The dog is settling in nicely. Already he knows when I am at the computer I will be awhile so he lays down where I can see him and he can see me at the top of the stairs (my computer is in the loft). While I was busy cleaning from the weekend, he sat and watched me from the kitchen. When he heard my daughter come home from school, he leaped off the couch and ran to the door...he already knows when the garage door comes up, someone he has been waiting for all day is coming home. I get the feeling he is training us to live with him rather than the other way around.

Have a good one!

List-itis

Once again I have list-itis....a need to make a list which coincindentally, happens to be about other 'itises' if that is a word.

10. Clean surface -itis
This is for the person who sees a clean, flat surface and immediately dumps about three months worth of supplies on it. Try to sit down and put a coffee cup down on the table is not possible because if you try to move the stuff just ever so slightly, it will cause all items(most of which are either breakable or has some kind of liquid that cannot be cleaned up properly) within a 12 foot radius to fall on to the floor.

9. NON clean surface itis.
This is the person that lives with number ten and refrains from acting out the wire hanger scene from the movie 'Mommie Dearest' or would wind up in the looney bin. This person breathes a sigh of relief when the counter has been cleaned, all the items put away and can finally take a break only to return ten seconds later to fine the surface covered with items again.

8. Pair-itis
This is when two of something is just not possible no matter how hard you try. For instance, I need to wear the large sunglasses for eye protection and I am always misplacing them. Hubby buys me two pair and one immediately disappears before arriving at the house. This also works for sock, mittens, or any cooking item that needs a lid.

7. TV-itis
This is the uncontrollable need to watch tv even though there is nothing worth watching on. Every Sunday we watch football, even in the summer when it is not on. We just sit and channel surf until the fall when it does finally come on.

6. Food-itis
This is obvious....we all need to eat but some of us (ok, me) need to eat all the time even when the tummy is full, even though we do not feel good about ourselves after we have eaten the whole box of cookies or the whole plate of bacon.

5. Exercise-itis
Number six leads us to number five. Because we love to eat, we need to exercise but we do not even though we feel better afterwards.(The opposite of fooditis). At least I felt better that one time I did exercise.

4. Spend-itis or Save-itis
You are either one or the other.....you love to spend or you love to save. Either one can be a problem when taken too far. Some people buy things they do not need and in fact, never look at it once they buy it. They put it in the closet and hide it from their loved ones so they do not get into trouble so what is the purpose of buying it? For the saver, this person would rather lower the thermostat to freezing and be grumpy rather than turning it up to heat the house enough so everyone can get a good night's sleep. (That would be me, but I have started to turn up the heat a little. We have gone from four blankets on the bed, to three).

3. It is gonna happen-itis
This is the 40 year old person who saves her clothes from high school because she will eventually fit into them. This is also know by it's more familiar name, Dream on-itis. (Yes, me again).

2. Direction-itis
This is a very common trait commonly found in males where they will purchase something they have never purchased before and attempt to put it together without reading the directions. This is also popular with the guys who do not stop and ask for directions when they are lost.

1. More than once-itis (aka nag-itis). This is when one asks one to do something and is assured it will be done only to realize five months later it is still not done. However, if one asks again (more than once) the project has then entered the "No way will it be done this century" phase.

Finally, I have to say I have "avoid-itis" because I did this list instead of getting stuff done around the house. I have made it long enough so now there is not enough time to start the project and there is only time to eat lunch.

Spanky

As most of you know, Dr. John and Betty delivered a dog, Spanky, to us the other day. He is an English Springer Spaniel around two years old. We are foster parents to him until John and Betty move into their own side of the duplex.

So far, he has been very good with the exception of separation anxiety which we are working on. But otherwise, he is so good which will make him a good pet for John and Betty because they will not have to do much, if any training. He sits, knows his name, does not bother us when we are eating, and when we are all in one room, he lays down on the floor.

At night time he comes in to our room and sleeps at the foot of the bed, eventually getting off to lay on the floor because we tend to toss and turn all night. This morning he heard the kids so hubby got up to let him out and he ran into my daughter's room and jumped on the bed and licked their faces. (My son was in there, too).

Today I made a cherry pie which I will take to my mother's house along with a store bought pumpkin pie. Tomorrow. hubby and daughter are braving the shoppers to see what deals they can find. Sometime this weekend we will go to see the in-laws and bring the dog to visit them.

Happy Thanksgving everyone!!!

Roasting Dr. John?

This is the first I heard of the roast and here the day is almost over. What could I possible say about the man you guys already know so well? I know he had THREE bishops at his retirement party (and he is not fond of bishops).

It was kind of cool to have a father-in-law as a pastor who could marry us where ever we wanted and baptize our children.

He really loves his model trains but has no desire to ride on a train.

He plays canasta really well.

His kids have fond memories of him reading stories to them, cross counrty skiing and going camping all over the country.

Now he has left his home of over thirty years to be closer to his grandkids.

You get the idea of the kind of guy he is....but you already knew that, didn't you?

The Weekend

Today we went to help my sister in law move some more stuff. We got a late start because hubby had a haircut. I wanted to stop at a lighting center on the way (I have been wanting to replace our light fixtures for over a year but cannot find anything I like) but it was getting late so we finally headed out and managed to move five car loads of stuff from the old place to the new place. For a house with no basement, the old place has a lot of stuff!!!

Once we got to the new place, hubby tried to hook up the washer and dryer but is missing a clamp, tried to do something else but is missing a cable, but he did fix the stove.

Then we (we meaning the movers and not the person living there) decided to move the entertainment center but we broke it!!!! She handled it very well but I feel pretty bad about it. It such a nice looking unit, too. We also decided she should get rid of the unit and buy a flat screen tv and put it above the fireplace. But, easier said than done.

Anyway, we are all very tired and I want chocolate even though I already had some earlier today. I think I am going to have to postpone my Christmas 'after' photo until later. I still intend to do better, though, so at least my thoughts are still in the right place. I will post an 'after'photo!!!!! I will not let my bloggers down!!!

Baby's First Christmas

My in-law were here recently and we were looking through the ads. There are a lot of artificial christmas trees available in all colors and sizes. I asked my mother-in-law if I ever told her what happened at my daughter's first christmas. She did not remember so I told her.

My daughter was six months old and I was dead tired from sleep deprivation. Hubby was working mandatory overtime and our dog was a little schizo from being cooped up all the time. The baby would only nurse a few minutes at a time and then fall asleep. Sometimes, she would fall asleep after taking only a few drinks and then her head would fall back and the milk would run out the side of her mouth and down her chin.

So a week before Christmas someone asked where our tree was and we said we were not going to put one up because we would be at my mother's Christmas Eve and then my in-laws on Christmas day. Our friend said, "What? Her first Christmas and you are not putting up a tree?"

So, hubby goes down to the basement and brings up the aritificial tree and puts lights on it. I had picked up an ornament with a dalmation it it. (Dalmations was all the rage and her room was done with it). So there was our tree with lights and one ornament.

The day after Christmas I removed the ornament and put it in the baby keepsake box, grabbed the tree, dragged it to the stairs which lead to the basement and threw the tree down the stairs where it lay at the bottom.

There, taking down the Christmas decorations was done.

I always thought this was a funny story but my mother in law asked why I did it and I thought about it and realized how out of it I was then.

With all the news about new mothers and post partum depression, I guess I had a part of it as well. Unable to sleep because I thought if I slept for any length of time, the baby would stop breathing or something horrible would happen.

Looking back, I wish I would have asked for help. Maybe my telling this story will help others it is ok to ask for help.

Misc.

My inlaws stopped in yesterday and I was the only one they brought a gift for....marshmallow peeps! I must be pretty special....I feel special....the peeps made my day. I cut the plastic off and stuck them in the pantry so they can dry out.

We wanted to take them out to dinner but they already had plans so after they left I made spaghetti (something I know my father in law does not like so I waited until after they left. ) We will see them and the new house tonight.

I had a good day yesterday getting things done around the house (worked from 9:30 until three!) I did watch my soap while eating my lunch but still got up at commercials to do stuff. Today I plan to work some more on my daughter's room (we can get in there now without having an ambulance nearby), bring the toy chest from the family room to the basement (could take over an hour because it is huge and I will have to take half the stuff out and into a laundry basket a few times). Last but not least, today is the day all the fricken wooden domino pieces get put into a bag and if the ground is not frozen, I will bury them in the yard next to all the Barbie shoes that hurt like heck when I step on them.

Oh yeah, I need to shower sometime today. BYE!

One Fine Day

Yesterday I went to pick up my son from school. Since we met with his teacher, we have asked for a daily report on his behavior. He is five and whether he has done well at school or not, he always tells me he had a great day at school only for me to find out later he was sent to the principal's office.

So, after about a month of reports, yesterday he came home with a GREAT report card. We had told him if he had a great report, we would get him a certain pirate ship he has been wanting so I had hubby stop on his way home from work to get it. We celebrated all night, ordered pizza, did the happy dance, and so on.

This has been a great relief for me and has carried over into my dispostion today. I am happier and more upbeat. I am getting things done around the house. I worked in my daughter's room for over an hour (still not done yet, but we are making progress). Hubby is happily going through all the christmas lights to make sure all the strands work before he puts them on the bushes outside.

I am not expecting a great report every day but knowing that he is making progress, likes school, and has made a few friends is making me very happy...such a differance from his preschool experience.

I hope you all have a great day.

A Parenting Decision

Yesterday I made a parenting decision. I was in my 11 year old daughter's room helping her clean it so the house would not be condemned because of it. I decided to clean out the bookcase she has next to her bed which has everything but books in it. She had all her books which she had picked up from around the room and threw them on the bed but they could not go into the case because it was full of stuff.

I sat on the bed and started going through the stuff while she was working on something else. I found a picture of Santa with Rudolf. A few years ago she wrote him a letter asking why she has never seen Rudolph and if she could have a picture so he left this picture in her stocking. What really happened was hubby found it on the net and printed out the picture.

Hubby and I had talked about telling her the truth about the old guy so I decided now was the time. I looked at her and said, "I have something to tell you and I do not know how you are going to take it." She sat on the floor and looked at me with wide eyes. I handed her the picture and told her there was no Santa but I wanted her to know from us rather than her going to school and finding out. I was afraid her friends would laugh at her when she told them what she got this year from Santa and tell her the truth and I did not want that to happen.

I went on to say we still want to do it for her 5 year old brother and she was fine with it and thought now she could help out. Finally she asked if she could still pretend and I said "Of course. "

After all, my parents still have not told me!!!!

Does not take much....

It does not take much to make me happy. This morning I got to sleep in a little bit so that was nice. Then I checked on the kids and they had built a fort in my son's room and slept in there all night. I am guessing this is because you cannot even get the door open to my daughter's room so now they have moved on to his room. I opened the door and told then they have to clean up in there before they come downstairs. (They did it without whining!!!)

Then I go downstairs to see what to get the munchikins for breakfast. We are out of pop-tarts and they do not like cereal and I do not feel like making eggs. I spy the brownies and think of the Bill Cosby bit where his wife makes him get up with the kids and make them breakfast and he gives them chocolate cake (It has flour, eggs, all the breakfast ingredients).

So, I cut two brownies out for them and one for myself and go turn on the tv. My favorite sitcom of all time is on TVLAND but I have not seen it for a couple years. It is WINGS. I am a little bummed there is only one episode on today but it is a good episode (the one whe Joe cuts Brian out of his life because he burned his house down). I love eberythign about this show...the characters, the theme song, the relationships...it is just great. It even has a great series finale.

The kids come downstairs and cannot believe they are having brownies for breakfast (I am only fessing up to this because my daughter blogged about it). Now they are outside in the snow building a snow fort. When they come in, we will have hot chocolate with marshmallows.

And all is right with the world.

Have a good weekend, people!

Sight Restored in Mice

If you go to the RP link I have on the side of my blog, there is a report on restoration of some sight in mice due to stem cell implants in the retina. This is so important especially as the baby boomer generation gets older and macular degeneration becomes more common. This is important for all forms of blindness, not just RP which is what I have.

I'd like to think all my blogger friends and their prayers have helped with this. Good job, bloggers! Thank you!!!!!

A Dream Comes True...or does it?

Ok, we have been following the week long honeymoon trip in the northeast from thirteen years ago. We stayed at three bed and breakfast inns in New Hampshire, Vermont and Conneticut. We are now heading to Mass. to stay in the last B&B and while we are there, plan to fulfill a lifelong dream of whalewatching (my dream, not hubby's).

So, we arrive at the B&B and it does not look like much from the outside. It is hidden in the shadows of overgrown trees and bushes yet it is on a busy street. The driveway and parking area are gravel. There is barely enough room for three or four cars.

Walking into the house, we enter a very dark library. A room full of dusty books....great for a B&B but not for honeymooners. We are greeted by an older woman and man (late 50's) yet we sense they are not a married couple. They give us directions to our room which is on the third and top floor of the house. The stairs are steep and narrow where I think I actually may be claustaphobic(sp?). We get up to our floor and there are only two doors, one on the left and one on the right. Ours is on the right so we open it and walk in. The room is amazing! There is a canopy bed to the right and a sitting area to the left with a small table with two chairs and wine glasses. The best part is the view...it overlooks the cape and you can see the lighthouse. There is also a nice (meaning remodeled) bathroom which has two robes hanging on a hook.

We are ecstatic. We then decide to go whale watching which is within walking distance of the house but of course, we take the car. We buy our tickets and get on the boat. It is one of those double decker boats where you can sit underneath or on top in the open air so we choose up on top even though it is a little cold. But that's ok, because we will sit close to each other and keep warm, we are honeymooners.

We start on our voyage and I am excited because the guide says we are guaranteed to see whales today. I am envisioning hubby having to hold on to me so I do not jump overboard to swim with the giant creatures of the sea. We move out of the bay and into the ocean. The sun is shining on our faces and it is very windy. I notice the guide talking a lot on her radio to other boats in the area. After a lot of searching and looking and wondering what is going on, the guide says we are heading back to dock. There is a storm coming and we have to get back before it hits. Now the boat is running at full speed and the waves are so choppy every time the boats comes down on the water, there is a loud CRACK and I feel my spine readjusting. I look at the old woman next to us and she is just sitting there with her eyes closed. She is a nun and I am wondering if she is praying, or heaven forbid, dead? I elbow hubby and ask him what he thinks but he assures me she is just enjoying the ride. I am still not sure she ever got off the boat.

We finally make it back and we are given coupons for a free whale watching ride another day. It is only the second time all year (this was October) they had to refund the tickets because there were no whale sightings.

Another thing that did not plan out right but we laughed it off, we were honeymooners and happy and nothing was going to get in our way, not even a dead nun.

Back at the B&B we put on our matching robes and sat at the little table with our wine glasses filled with Coca Cola and watched the sunset behind the lighthouse. Of all the B&B's, I would like to go back to this one even though the breafast was unusual. (Why can't they just serve eggs, bacon and toast at these places? Nope, at this one it was eggs with some kind of seafood in it and I am not sure what was in the potatoes. After we left there we went to McDonalds).

Now it is thirteen years later, but my heart still beats faster when I am with my hubby.

Another Bed and Breakfast

Ok, we are continuing our honeymoon trip via rental car in the northeast. We flew into Boston, drove to Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire and we are now on our way to another bed and breakfast in Conneticut.

Since hubby drove, I was looking through the AAA books to see if there was anything we wanted to see along the way. (We never schedule anything but the destination reservation). There was an aquarium in Mystic which was nice and also a real castle! Our last name means castle in Finnish so we had to stop and take the tour. (I always say this is the reason why hubby never finishes anything because he is only part Finnish! Of course, I am the only who thinks this is funny....)

Finally we get to our Bed and Breakfast which we were really looking forward to seeing because according to the B&B guide it had a friendly dog and a tv in the lobby. This was the one night out of the week we wanted to catch something on tv. So, we arrive and the lady who ran the place looked at us like we were a little rough around the edges (Hey we were young and didn't have much money but we were honeymooners). We asked about the dog and she mumbled it was at the other building, same goes for the tv.

Ok, well we made the best of it. It is funny neither of us remember the dinner or the breakfast as we have at all the other places, just how rude the woman was. I will say this place really looked the part.... nice house with banister staircase (although it looked like the Amityville Horror House), a nice garden and it sat on a river where there were swans. But I think of all the places, this is one we will not return to in the future which is too bad because it was a nice place.

Next post we go to our favorite B&B even though it was an odd experience.


Family Update: We are going to hear my father-in-law preach one last time at the church he was the pastor of for over thirty years. We are driving up Sat. and coming back Sunday with another load of boxes to get ready for their move. I wish you could all come and hear him preach....he is the best.

Honeymoon continued....

Continuing the honeymoon saga of thirteen years ago, we stayed at four different bed and breakfasts along the NE coast.(The other rhree nights we stayed in cheap hotels and one night with my sister -in- law who was living in Boston at the time).

The first place was I believe in New Hampshire called Snowville. This place was in the mountains and had a tennsi court accortding to the Bed And Breakfast guide we had purchased. We brought our tennis rackets and went out to the courts and what a dump! It was overgrown with weeds and the net was all rusty. We laughed it off (I have never played tennis but hubby is good) and tried out the hammock for about a minute because it was cold out. After the 'swig out of the wine bottle' fiasco which I talked about in the previous post, we got in the rental car and headed to our next destination which was called The Island House in Manchester, Vermont. (Not sure, all the states and cities are mixed up). The drive was beautiful since it was early October and the leaves were turning. We celebrated my birthday there and hubby set it up with a surprise chocolate mousse dessert which I had after a wonderful steak dinner. The people there were so nice, unlike the people at the next destination which I will post tomorrow.

Family Update: Not much new with the family, they are all fine BUT...we went shopping last night and I found some stuff for me for Christmas!!!!! I went ahead and bought (it was all on sale and who knows if it will be there later when hubby comes back?) The items I bought were a Deanna Favre sweatshirt and shirt to support breast cancer research. (She is the wife of Green Bay Packer quarterback Brett Favre and is a breast cancer survivor). OK. this stuff was not on sale but it is selling out. Some other stuff was on sale and we also bought hubby some shirts. My daughter helped me pick out some new pictures for our kitchen/dining area which I am planning to paint soon. I was glad she was there because I could not make a decision....I wanted everything!!

It is not too often I am in the shopping mood so it was fun to get out and get something for a change.

Have a good one!