Thankful

...for Warmth...

sitting by the fire.
a stranger's smile.
unsolicited help.
a cup of steaming tea.
wrapped in a fuzzy blanket.
my son's palm in mine.

...for Change...

being challenged.
always learning.
a new house.
adding to our family.

...for Love...

giving.
receiving.
friends.
family.
all.

Not even lying...

As I went to post an ad on Craigslist this morning, here is a picture of my word verification:

It's a bird... It's a plane... No - It's the Caped Polygamist! Curious about special powers? Just use your imagination.... Haha... Does anyone else find this funny but me?

**********

We watched the Mizzou vs. Kansas game yesterday. What a heartbreaker. I always feel so bad for those kids - basically, because that's what they are: kids. They go out there and there is so much pressure on them. For the Mizzou team, within the first weeks of the season, the expectation was set for them to go undefeated. I just imagine what it must feel like for these young guys the day after a game they were "supposed" to win. Must be really hard on them.

**********

Christmas is showing around our house. We got both trees up over the weekend and hopefully will be able to keep Sparky out of them. So far, it hasn't been too bad.

And - as an new precedent, Dave & I got up on "Black Friday" and went shopping. We figured since we are up before seven o'clock on a normal day anyway, it couldn't hurt to see if we could catch a few deals. We were successful in getting a few things bought and were home before ten a.m. Can't beat that!

Happy Halloween!

Ronda is harassing me for a new post, so I'll humor her and put one up...

I found this other other day when I was cleaning out a gift bag of stuff I got around Christmas time:

CHOCOLATE!!! Score!!!

Chocolate should still be good seven months later, right? I went ahead and took off the snowman's head and pulled out a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. After removing the wrapper and checking out the enclosed candy, I decided it looked edible. I popped it into my mouth.

Unfortunately, the person who gave this to me included mint-flavored Hershey's Kisses in the mix. I am not a big fan of mint-flavored anything and the mint Kisses had infected all of the surrounding chocolates. Something about the combination of chocolate + peanut butter + mint that didn't quite seem right to me.

It is hard to admit my level of disappointment.

I tossed the candy but kept the snowman... It is something else that Dave and I can eventually put into our storage unit.

Seriously?*

Did you hear that the traditional nativity scene that is usually displayed at the Capitol will not be displayed this Christmas season? The Supreme Court has actually ruled that there cannot be a nativity scene this year and in the future!

Apparently, they can't find three wise men and a virgin anywhere within the D.C. area.

There was, however, no shortage of asses to fill the stable!

(Bah-dum-bum-ching!)

Thank you! Thank you very much!

*Sorry for the cheap blog entry... But you have to admit it is slightly humorous. My mom sent me this joke via e-mail and when I first started reading it, I was like, "Why is she sending me this bullsh!t political crap?" As I read further, I kind of smiled to myself and decided to share it with all of you...

Loving Summer...

Happy 4th of July...

Since we've been back from vacation, I have stayed in vacation mode. Lackadaisical and unconcerned, I went the entire day yesterday doing "stuff," yet still managing to be almost entirely unproductive. Don't you love those days?

I'm messing around with trying to make a DVD for everyone of our photos from Mexico... Anyone have any experience with the Studio Ten Pinnacle program? Progress is slow going for me because my tolerance for frustration is pretty low. (Plus, I'm a procrastinator.) I'm not sure if I'm having a direct problem with the computer, the program, or the way the program installed itself on the computer.

Other big news... I've been accepted to go back to school to earn (a second) master's degree in Counseling and Family Therapy. After this master's, I'll be able to work as a licensed professional counselor with kids and their families plus I'll be halfway to earning my doctorate and being able to call myself an actual "psychologist." Hopefully, I'll be able to open my own practice one day. How cool would that be? I'll be starting classes in the fall and can't wait. I'll be taking classes and still working full time, so I'll be having a pretty busy schedule.**

Other than that, not much is going on. I'm going to try to make the rounds to everyone's blogs to catch up on what all has been happening lately.

**Dave is the greatest guy in the whole world! He has been so encouraging and positive about the whole idea of me going back to school and the application process... How lucky am I??

Brought to you by the CETPD**

What's wrong with this picture?

A bunch of fat, old, white guys... Dressed up in top hats... Harassing a freakin' ground hog in the dead of winter... To find out if it will be an early or late spring this year?

At what point is the church going to take this pagan ritual and turn it into a Christian Holiday? I mean, they did it with Christmas trees and the Easter bunny. I'm sure they could come up with something... Like, this is the day that Christ spoke to the ground hogs and designated them as holy animals that foretold the upcoming Mardi Gras festivals and the following Lent season.

Probably, the Pope won't make it a full Day of Obligation... Maybe not even a Day of Consideration... But, I think it is at least worthy of a Day of Suggestion.

As long as we decide that February 2 needs to be a federal holiday and I don't have to work, I'm fine with it!

**********

Speaking of federal holidays, when is the Super Bowl going to be made a national holiday? I mean, seriously. I think more people in the U.S. celebrate during the Super Bowl than Christmas. There is nothing worse than trying to party on a Sunday evening and knowing that you have to get up early and work on Monday morning.

I'm voting for the next president based on who is willing to make Super Bowl weekend and full three days long!

**********

**Coalition for Equal Treatment of Prairie Dogs

One more down...

I don't know about you, but I am beginning my new year with a little rest and relaxation. The past week has been pretty much total chaos, between moving and other holiday festivities, but today, other than spending a couple of hours unpacking, I'm taking it easy!

As I'm sure everyone else does, the end of the year is kind of a benchmark for me to look back and see how much progress I've made (or lost) for the last 365 days. Here's a Reader's Digest version of my 2006:

RELOCATION: I managed to stay in one apartment for the entire year of 2006! That is definitely evidence of progress, considering that I moved FIVE TIMES in 2005. This is also the first lease that I have ever had (officially in my name) that I have completed the entire term. [+1 point for 2006]

PROFESSION: 2006 was definitely exciting in terms of my career. Some circumstances outside of my control (that may or may not have been instigated by circumstances within my control) caused me to leave on place of employment to find work elsewhere. Although I enjoy working at the new place a lot more than the old, the events that led me there were rather crappy, to say the least. I'd have to say that this category is a wash. [+0 pts.]

VEHICLES: Not only was I accident-free in 2006, I managed to repair the damages leftover from the previous year! Also, my insurance dropped significantly... like, we're talking close to $100 a month. Hey, they don't call me "Crash" for nothin'. Here's to the good driving record continuing in '07. [+1 pt.]

FINANCES: I started the year by having to get a second job to help pay bills. Things got better over the summer while I worked at the pool, but things have tightened up again this fall. Basically, I've spent the year treading water - haven't made any real progress in paying off my bills, but haven't gotten into any more debt, either. [+0 pts.]

FITNESS: I'm a bit obsessed about my weight, although you may not know this. I keep a pocket-sized calendar in the bathroom and write down my weight every morning. My weight goes up and down more than G.W.'s approval ratings over the past 6 years. From my weight last January 1, I managed to gain about 7 pounds, then lose 15 pounds and now have gained back about 8. For those of you keeping track, that basically means that I made no progress in reaching my goal weight for '06. I feel like this year is the year, though. [+0 pts.]

RELATIONSHIPS: Kind of like my weight, I have to admit that my majoy romantic relationship this year was a bit of a roller coaster at times. But, compared to years past, this one has been the best ever. In January of '06, I met the greatest guy that I've ever known in my whole life. I'm so thrilled that we've made it through this first year together and can't wait for the rest of them! [+100 points for 2006!]

It was definitely a great and memorable year. Although I didn't make progress in every way, I have to say that at least I didn't regress! And that, in itself, my friends, is progress.

Happy New Year to everyone! And here's hoping that your 2007 is better than any year past!

Merry Christmas!

I'll be out-of-town and with family all weekend, so I probably won't blog again 'til next Tuesday. So, I leave you with this, which was printed on a holiday card I got from a friend at work:

The Christmas Truce

World War I combatants, during the 1914 holiday season, entrenched along the 500 mile front stretching from the Belgium coast to the Swiss border, overcame their conditioning to hate, loathe and kill one another, dropped their weapons, entered no-man's land between their respective lines and, in spite of commanding officers' threats to charge those who would fraternize with the enemy with treason and send them to the firing squad, extended the hand of peace and goodwill.

Mortal enemies became friends for a time. They played soccer, decorated Christmas trees, exchanged gifts, sang carols in their respective languages and, before being forced back behind the front lines by their officers, promised that when the shooting started again that they would fire high, harmlessly into the air. This spontaneous effort of the lower ranks to create peace may have blossomed if it were not for the interference of their politicians and generals.

The Christmas Truce remains a moving manifestation of the adsurdities of war.


"I like to think that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that the people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it." ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

Merry Christmas! Peace and goodwill to all!

It's the Thought that Counts...

Every year I tell myself that I am going to send out Christmas cards, have my shopping finished and presents wrapped more than 3 days before Christmas, and make some sort of gift for my colleagues.

This year I have accomplished all three with almost a week to spare!

Sunday, I made candied walnuts to give to my friends at work. It was surprisingly easy and didn't take all that long. (Although the trip to the store to buy more vanilla was kind of a pain in the arse...)

Simple ingredients: Walnuts (obviously), sugar, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla extract. I made two double batches, so I would have enough for all 15 co-workers.

Throw everything except the nuts and vanilla in a pot and bring it to a boil. When it is at the soft ball stage, throw in the nuts and get them all good and coated.

Then, let them cool and dry on some wax paper. Voila!

The time consuming part was the presentation of the nuts. (Yeah, yeah, I know, I said "presentation of the nuts"... Grow up already!) I decided to handmake tags and cutting out all those goofy Christmas trees and then threading the ribbon through the tag and the jingle bell was a bit tedious...

But, damn they look good!

Some Holiday Cheer...

Liz and Dave saying "hello" to Santa at R.T. Weiler's...

And, for a great laugh, click here. I promise that you won't be disappointed!

Screwdrivers, Secrets, and Snowmen

* DEFINITION OF A TOOL: A person who chooses to drive his mid-size SUV onto a big pile of snow, just to get a close parking spot. If the only "sport-utilitying" you do in your Sport Utility Vehicle is this type of activity, you are a tool. You're going to Sunday morning brunch at Mimi's Cafe, for god's sake!

* CONFESSION #1: I cried at the end of the movie "ELF." It just made me happy to see the people believe in Santa and know that the children of the world would once again see toys under the tree.

* CONFESSION #2: My mother was a hippie. I found out a long time ago that she smoked pot during the 70's. Who didn't? But I never understood her reasoning for thinking that pot was safer back then than it is now. That was until she recently confessed to me that she and her friend grew their own pot in the backyard. "Don't worry," she told me. "I threw away all of my paraphenelia soon after you were born." Thanks for the reassurance, Mom.

* Q&A: A child asked me yesterday if I could guess what his father's name is. I told him I didn't know what it was. "Me, either!" he exclaimed. "Because I never met him!" Mmmm-kay...

* JOKE: How do you know when there is a snowman in your bed? You wake up wet...

Green Thumb, 911!

We came home from the store with something that looked like this:

What we have now is something pretty much exactly like this:

Lessons learned:

1. Poinsettias need water.

2. They don't like to be next to a fireplace while it is burning.

Who knew?

Never Eat Yellow Snow....

Click here to make your own snowflake.

Christmas Shopping List

TO BUY, WRAP, and GIVE:

• Blogarita ~ A gift certificate to The Family Shoe Store in Warsaw, MO
• LBSeahag ~ Pyschadellic CatNip for Jinx
• Fantastagirl ~ Some fairy dust, so she and Mr. Incredible can fly away on another vacation to Vegas
• Dr. Mike ~ For the irregular blogger, Metamucil
• Nobody ~ An in-home hospice nurse to care for him until he is fully recovered
• Lightning Bug's Butt ~ A DVD copy of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth"
• Paula ~ "Hot MILF" t-shirt
• Ari ~ Enough cotton candy and stale popcorn for a never-ending supply of Fair Food Burritos
• Mr. Fabulous ~ A gift for his wife for putting up with his antics
• A Goofy Ass Chick ~ Chris Daughtry
• Diana ~ Meeting schedule for Scrapbookers Anonymous
• Chris ~ A new Led Zeppelin thong
• Amandarama ~ Airfare and hotel accomodations for her and Mr. Scoop to go to the next Nerd Prom
• Kimmy ~ The addresses of a couple people who need "some talking to" (Okay, this is kind of self-serving, but will provide her with entertainment, too!)
  Mikey, Nikki, Doug, and Mindy ~ Paid subscriptions to eHarmony.com**
• Dave ~ An autographed copy of his blogging hero's book, Fireflies in the Meadow, by LBB

And then, my shopping will be done!

**Hey, that's funny... I don't care who you are! (Love you guys!!!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Okay, okay... This has nothing to do with Thanksgiving... But it is pretty freakin' funny anyway.


Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

(Oh, and just a little teaser... I'm pretty excited about my next blog entry. Be sure to check back either late Thursday night or Friday morning for it!!!)

Merry Christmas to Me!

As I was cleaning the other day, I came across some old cards and stuff that I have been storing in a neat pile on top of my dresser.

Look what I found!


Six gift cards left over from last Christmas!! (2 St. Louis Bread Company cards, 1 for a local coffee shop, $25 card for Barnes and Noble, $10 card for Blockbuster, and a $50 card for JC Penney's!)

I put them in my purse with the hope that I would remember to spend them. Yesterday, I was able to get Bread Co. for breakfast for free! I don't remember who bought me the card, but thanks! It came in handy!

I guess the next thing I need to do is get the gift bag of birthday presents that has been over at Dave's house since last April and see if there are any cards or cash in there, too!

Just in case...

In case you aren't sure how to celebrate Halloween, here are a few ideas. This video is pretty short (only about a minute long) so check it out.

Happy Halloween!!!

Avast, ye salty sea dogs!

Arrrrr!!!

Today be International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Have yer saucy wench find yer eye patch and be havin' a few cups of grog with some mateys after the work day be done.

Top Ten Pickup lines for use on International Talk Like a Pirate Day

10 . Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?
9. Have ya ever met a man with a real yardarm?
8. Come on up and see me urchins.
7. Yes, that is a hornpipe in my pocket and I am happy to see you.
6. I'd love to drop anchor in your lagoon.
5. Pardon me, but would ya mind if fired me cannon through your porthole?
4. How'd you like to scrape the barnacles off of me rudder?
3. Ya know, darlin’, I’m 97 percent chum free.
2. Well blow me down?
1. Prepare to be boarded.

Top Ten Pickup Lines for the Lady Pirates

10. What are YOU doing here?
9. Is that a belayin' pin in yer britches, or are ye ... (this one is never completed)
8. Come show me how ye bury yer treasure, lad!
7. So, tell me, why do they call ye, "Cap'n Feathersword?"
6. That's quite a cutlass ye got thar, what ye need is a good scabbard!
5. Aye, I guarantee ye, I've had a twenty percent decrease in me "lice ratio!"
4. I've crushed seventeen men's skulls between me thighs!
3. C'mon, lad, shiver me timbers!
2. RAMMING SPEED!
1. You. Pants Off. Now!

(Interested in learning the intricacies of speaking "Pirate"? Click here. I tried to post this video here on the blog, but it wouldn't show up for some reason. Check it out, though. It is hilarious!)

Labor Day Weekend

Here's to a well-deserved three day weekend for everybody.

Dave and I will be attending the Labor Day Gala at Bill and Chris's house with the rest of the crew.

There will be BBQ...

and Beer...

I will also be making Apple Crisp by request for Bill and Mike C.

Bill has requested that I set aside a portion for him, since he is always so busy manning the grill (and drinking beer) that he never gets any dessert. I will oblige.

But, more important than the food and drinks, we will be there will all of our great friends! Hope it's fun weekend for everyone!!!