Author Archive

I don’t know why, but when I saw this Dancing Guy, I thought of Shea, hoping for her that Mr. Honeydew is just as talented.  I know my man ain’t. LOL

Give Gavin a big 10 vote for Jones Soda.  You can only vote once. Thanks!

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate? Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them out under the tree? Some are wrapped, some are not.

3. Multicolor or only white lights on your tree? Neither, mine are all blue lights.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No, but I think I will next year, sounds fun.

5. When do you put your Christmas decorations up? 2nd week of December

6. What is your favorite holiday side-dish? Ambrosia (sp?) It’s that sweet green goop with marshmallows and pistachios.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a kid? The year my mom had a dressed up Santa come in during the middle of the night and leave presents under the tree.  She woke us up, told us to be real quiet and that Santa was downstairs.  We crept half way down the stairs and peaked over the banister to see Santa.

8. When & how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don’t remeber actually. I think my mom "slipped up" on purpose, but I remember that she wasn’t telling me something I didn’t already know.

9. Do you open any gifts on Christmas Eve? One gift.

10. What kind of cookies are left for Santa? Usually store bought Christmas cookies.

11. Snow … love it or dread it? Love it when it’s fresh. After that, yuk!!

12. Can you ice skate?  I haven’t had ice skates on my feet in many years.  I can’t rollerblade to save my life, so I imagine I’d do just as bad on ice.  Funny thing is, my husband plays hockey and is a hockey ref.

13. Favorite Christmas gift as a kid? My lime green skateboard.

14. What’s important to you about the Holidays? Being with family.

15. What’s your favorite Holiday dessert? Jello Cake, made with cherry and lime jell-o.

16. What’s your favorite Holiday tradition? I started a new one this year to do with my little man, Gavin.  Making a gingerbread house.

17. What tops your tree, star or angel? Nothing actually.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Oh, gotta be giving, of course!

19. What is your favorite Christmas carol? Oh Holy Night is my favorite Christmas song.

20. Candy Canes … yuk or yum? I can handle eating maybe one each year, that’s it.

21. If you had to spend this Christmas with only 1 person… who? I’d spend it with someone who doesn’t have anyone to spend Christmas with.

22. Tag 3 people to take this Christmas Survey. Tammy, Dan, Shea

Thanks to Jenna for reminding me that there is only 9 days until Christmas.  I have less to buy for, but more to buy for this year, if that makes any sense.  On my side of the family, of my siblings and cousins, our children total about 15 kids.  We always just bought for the kids and never exchanged between ourselves.  Every year I bought all 15 kids pajama’s, pretty easy and within budget.  Well this year, my sister and cousin decided that buying for the 15 kids was just too much.   I never complained, considering that having the least amount of offspring, I had the most kids to buy for.  My cousin alone has 4 girls.  Well anyway, so this year we put all the kids names in a hat and drew for each child.  On the plus side, it’s a little more fair.  My cousin, having 4 children herself, has 4 to buy for. Am I making any sense??  So since I just have Gavin, I only have one child to buy for.  But this now also means that the kids will be getting less this year because they won’t be getting gifts from everyone, just from the cousin that picked their name.  That’s all fine and dandy to us parents, but what about the little ones? Now, other than what their grandparents get them, they will only have one gift to open.  Maybe the older ones will understand, but we can’t expect the littles ones to.  So, now I have less to buy for this year.. and that part is done.

Now on my husbands side… he has a smaller family with less than half as many nieces and nephews as my family.  Everyone pretty much just bought for the kids and for grandparents.  This year, they decide to exchange names and include everyone in the draw.  So I have less kids to buy for, but now more because I drew my brother-in-law, Gavin drew my sister-in-law, and Dave drew his sister’s husband.  So we ended up with no kids to buy for there, but now 3 adults instead, that we’re not used to buying for.  I have no idea what to get my brother-in-law.  I’d much rather go into Target on any one given day between now and Christmas and just buy  20 pairs of pajamas and be done with it.

3 Things courtesy of Tammy.

3 names you answer to:
1. Jenn
2. Mom or Mommy
3. Jennifer

3 parts of your heritage:
1. Irish
2. German
3. English

3 things that scare me:
1. child abduction
2. spiders
3. the original Exorsist

3 of your everyday essentials:
1. chapstick
2. toddler kisses
3. tv

3 things you are wearing right now:
1. my new purple sweater
2. black bra
3. my wedding ring

3 of your favorite songs:
1. "Elsewhere" by Sarah McLachlan
2. "Trouble" by Coldplay
3. "How Soon Is Now" by The Smiths

3 things you want in a relationship (other than real love):
1. compassion
2. great sex
3. communication

2 thruths and 1 lie (in any order):
1. I’m a natural blonde
2. I steal cable
3. I’m a cat lover

3 things about the opposite sex that appeal to you:
1. hands
2. eyes
3. strength

3 of your favorite hobbies:
1. photography
2. drawing
3. web surfing

3 places you want to go:
1. Ireland
2. Balis
3. Australia

3 things you want to do before you die and live to tell about it:
1. skydive (ditto TJ)
2. join the mile high club
3. scuba dive

3 ways that you are sterotypically a male/female:
1. emotional
2. I love smell good things like candles and potpourri
3. I’ll buy a pair of panties just because they’re pretty

3 people you would like to take this survey:
1. Dan
2. Shea
3. Kim

I’m addicted to this game, Luxor.  Warning! Clicking on link will take you directly to the game. You too could become addicted.

Thanksgiving was nice.  We went to my mother-in-laws.  She always does a beautiful job.  I ended up having a 5 day weekend over the Thanksgiving holiday (Thurs-Mon), since Mondays and Thursdays  are my usual days off, plus that Friday after Thanksgiving.  Other than that, it’s been business as usual around here.

Decided my blog needed a little change, so I got creative and created another look.  Something a little softer and matches the other side of my personality.  I like bold and loud, then the other side is very romantic and sensual. Hense the new look.  Took me forever to find a candle picture online that I liked, then come to find out, my photo editing program had just the perfect one in the gallery.

Heading over to my mom’s this afternoon. She was out of town over Thanksgiving (I drove her half way)… she took the train home on Tuesday.  Probably get some Christmas shopping done.  I just dread going to the mall this time of the year.. it’s so crazy!

You know, I don’t care where I’m going or how long it takes to get there, I’ve always been one that loves a decent road trip.  So I’ve gone and volunteered for one.  My sister, who moved to Chicago last year has finally moved into the home they were waiting to be built which is in Indiana.  My mom is going there for Thanksgiving.  Well, because of the holiday, her usual mode of transportation (the old fashion train ride) is a bit too much for her to afford.  Considering gas prices are not as bad as they’ve been it’ll be cheaper than a train ticket.  So I’m driving her half way to Indiana tonight.. yep tonight, I’m leaving around 6pm-ish.  It’ll be about a 4 hour round trip. I’m hoping to be home before midnight, gotta work in the morning.  Drive back should be interesting since I’ll be driving alone. Nothing better than a long drive all to yourself. AAhhhh!

As for my weekend.. it went pretty well.  Our tailgating plans ended up getting 86’d.  We ended up watching the game close to home, then hung out at the mall and bought for ourselves while everyone else was shopping for Christmas.  At about 7pm my husband calls and ask if we want to come down and watch the Wings game.  We were in 2nd row off the ice, on goalie’s left side. Man oh man, those were awesome seats. It’s ironic that I kept mentioning to Amy how HUGE Jiri Fisher is, he’s a monster out there when you’re sitting that close, hope he’s doing better and can play again.  Hubby says he saw us on tv a few times.  We went back to Amy’s after the game, dolled up a bit and then headed for our usual haunt in Royal Oak. Crowd was kind of lame, but music was awesome. Sunday was a lazy day at home, Dave raked the yard while Gavin and I played inside. Is that how you spell raked? Looks funny.

So this morning I come into work and notice that landscapers had installed the "winter curb markers" around the parking lot.  They’re those 2-3 feet bright orange sticks that get stuck in the grown to mark where the curbs are; that way when we get that big dump of snow, the plows know where the curbs are.  All I kept thinking was "Is the threat of 2 feet of snow really that close? No way, it’s only November."  I’m not ready.  I’m still in denial this year about the inevitable winter approaching.  Giving the fact that it’s been in the thirties the past few days and this morning I actually pulled a scarf out of the closet.  I can’t be in that much of denial though because my radio here on my desk is playing Christmas music.  Yeah, we have a local popular radio station here that as of November 1st, all they play is Christmas music 24 hours a day until Christmas.  I admit, it does get you in the spirit.

Looking forward to the weekend.  For my birthday, my mom is giving me an entire day to myself.  Hubby has to work Saturday, so my mom is taking Gavin for the day.  I’m leaving with my friend, Amy at about 10am. We’re heading out to Ann Arbor to tailgate for the Michigan vs Ohio football game with a bunch of friends that are going to the game, then those of us that don’t have tickets to The Big House will keep warm watching the game in a local pub.  Spending the day, hanging out in Ann Arbor with my closest friend, with no pressures to get home is going to be fun.  Then we’ll probably go back to Amy’s place, have dinner somewhere local and then hit a bar somewhere.  Hubby, Dave, will be picking up Gavin from my moms when he gets off work.  Tomorrow is going to be a fun ME day!!! Can’t wait!

Yea, it’s my birthday as of about an hour ago. Though officially I wasn’t born until 4:12am.  At 37, that’s not mid-thirties and yet not late-thirties.  I can’t believe I’m pushing forty.  I’ve barely gotten past turning 30 and now 40 is around the corner.  Don’t have any major plans.  Hubby and I might go out for dinner and I’m sure I’ll get a night out with the gals in this weekend.

Attended my husband’s boss’s funeral today.  He died very suddenly and quite unexpected.  He was a good man. And still young at 55 years of age.  Had a stroke.  Shows you just how precious life is.  The priest told a story during the funeral service today that really said a lot.  It was about the painting "Mona Lisa".  It was stolen back in 1911 and was missing for 2 years.  Records show that more people came to see the emplty wall space where she once hung than in all previous years when the painting was there.  Tells us that we often fail to recognize the gifts that are there for us everyday, that is until it is taken away.  And suddenly those gifts are greatly missed.  We need to say thank you and express our love to those around us everyday while they are here… because once they are gone, it’s likely that you’ll never have that chance again.