New Years Eve

New Years Eve has never been a favorite holiday of mine but this year has hit a new low. We had a group of 10 who planned to go out to dinner and then back to my house to play cards. Well...beginning sometime around 2pm the group started falling apart. Two people are sick, several were called in to work and it got to the point where I didn't want to answer the phone so we decided we are all going out for dinner tomorrow evening. That still left this evening open so TommyB and I took Rosemary to The Golden Corral and then to Wal-Mart. Whooptido! Wonder what Paris and Britney are doing tonight??

STILL Caulking and Cabinets

Anybody remember the carpenter/handymen on Green Acres? I think it was a brother and sister and their names were Ralph and Ralph? Ralph and Alph? Well...I have officially become the sister. Everytime I think I'm done I find another project and it's starting to really tick me off. The cabinet doors were looking a bit iffy but not anymore! I also removed some kind of acrylic that had been "sloshed" on the master bath ceramic tile floor. Good Lord...it looked like whoever put it on stood in the middle of the room and slung a bucket over their head. After two hours on my knees with a putty knife, a lot of bad words and elbow grease the acrylic is OFF and the floor is pristine. I keep waiting for HGTV to call and schedule a taping...of course mine would be a WHAT NOT TO DO show but what the heck, I have to start somewhere.

Work, Work, Work

Seems like I'm either at my job or working on the rental mainly BECAUSE WORK IS ALL I DO ANYMORE BUT AT LEAST I'M NOT BITTER. On a scale of 1-10 I would rate digging old caulk out from under toilet bases pretty darn close to a 0. So far today I have replaced crapper flappers, dug out old caulk...OH and I also rehung a plantation blind that did not want to be rehung. It finally popped into it's little bracket but only because I threatened it with a hammer. Now I'm going to take a nap and I may or may not get up before it's time to go to bed. So there....harumpph.

Shopping!

Rosemary and I hit some of the 50% off sales today and I think I got everything except what I went to buy. I used my last scrap of wrapping paper and need to stock up but apparently we were too late for the cheapie places like the Dollar Store. Guess I will see if Hallmark has any left next time I'm at the mall. Eddie and Cameron have had a mild bug..well, don't know that they would describe it as mild. Nothing like having a houseful of company and being under the weather. Polly and family are on their way back to Montana and once again they are driving straight through. Just the thought of driving 40 hours through the mountains with 4 kids gives me the heebie jeebies but they all handle it like troopers. Heck, one time they did it with a cat, two puppies and all four kids. We all love Polly but she ain't quite right.

Morty and Ginglebelle are comatose.

We had so much fun today but just not enough time. Everybody slept until almost nine and after cereal and toast we decided to go to Tanger Outlet. We stopped by The Gap first and according to Polly (and she should know because she paid the bill) we cleaned them out of tank tops and camisoles. She said it kind of snotty too. Sarah, Tory, Katy and I went down to see if Justice was having a sale and they did but not much that interested our group except for the Webkins. Everybody has two new Webkins and man oh man, don't you wish you were the person who came up with THAT idea? Those folks have to be rolling in the $$$. Tory has developed into a BIG Duke fan so we stopped by The Locker Room and stocked her up (much to Uncle Mike's dismay) on Duke items. Uncle Mike is a Tar Heel fan to the bone so I can see some interesting conversations in our future especially during basketball season. We stopped for lunch at (where else) Planet Hollywood and after lunch we made a quick visit to the aquarium. We had our pictures taken (loved the cowgirl one the best) and then hit the road again to meet Tony and Matthew in Lumberton. SOMEBODY...hmmm, Polly maybe? forgot to call Tony when we left Myrtle Beach and we had a little time to kill at the Cracker Barrel in Lumberton. Soooo, we ate again. I think this holiday had a definite theme. Tony and Matthew arrived and we loaded everybody back up for the trip home to Montana. I don't think there is anything any lonlier than that drive back to Myrtle Beach all myself.

Back to the beach.

The Montana kids wanted to spend ONE night at Grandma's house before heading back home so Polly and the three girls treked with me to Myrtle Beach. Tony and Matthew have plans to go quail and duck hunting and Matthew's job is to call the ducks so he was all fired up to get his Carharts on and get in the duck blind. Cameron and Eddie were semi under the weather so it was probably best that we didn't stay the extra day but the time together was too short. Morty and Ginglebelle were THRILLED to see us! They were lonesome and ready to play. Katy found the laser cat toy and ran Morty up and down the hall about 780 times and then discovered Morty would chase the light up the wall. Poor Mort, he ain't the brightest bulb in the tanning bed. Ginglebelle stood over to one side and you could tell she was thinking, "What an idiot, he's a total embarrassment to all felines." There are over 1,000 great restaurants in Myrtle Beach but all we wanted to do was stay home for dinner, put on our jammies, pile on Grandma's bed and watch a movie. We had crab legs, boiled potatoes and of course MORE fudge and rum cake. While I was loading the dishwasher it was Sarah & Katy's job to check out the cable movie rentals and find one we could all watch. In case you are interested...the B button on the remote control does not mean "back up" it means BUY. We had two movies! I couldn't tell you anything about either one of them because according to reliable sources..I was asleep.

We DID have dinner!

Eddie and I managed to get the food together but we both forgot the rolls. We had plenty of flour (especially on the floor AND Avery after the noodle making) so I asked Eddie if she had any yeast...thank goodness she didn't so I didn't have to make rolls. Whew, that was a close one. Avery and Cameron managed to stay in bed until the clock almost said 630. Mike practiced with them several times before they went to bed and they had it down pat. Well, sort of. Cameron woke up and yelled down the hall, "DAAAAD! Is 605 later than 630?" "No, Cameron..go back to sleep." "DAAAAADD! Is 617 later than 630?" No, Cameron...go back to sleep". "DAAAAAD! Is 620 later than 630?" And so it goes. We all went downstairs and Santa had been there! Santa left Avery a new American Girl Doll named Emily and for Cameron he left Pokemon cards and according to Cameron they are not duds they are the GOOD ones! Eddie always makes pigs in a blanket and fresh pineapple for breakfast on Christmas morning and I don't think there was a scrap leftover. Polly and family arrived about 3pm and after dinner we went outside and enjoyed the nice day. The kids played soccer and of course the "swingshot". The best way to describe the swingshot is to say it's probably every ER Dr's worst nightmare. It's a contraption Mike has hung between two trees that, well...it catapults small children about 20 feet into the air and of course the kids think it's the coolest thing ever. We all went for a walk around the neighborhood, through the woods and of course stomped through every puddle. There were hundreds of dollars of new toys at the house but the favorite toy of the day was a deflated beach ball one of the kids found in the creek. Someone blew it up (yuk, never got a confession) and they played with that ball all the way home. We opened gifts when we got back to Mike & Eddie's and the kids played the rest of the evening. We were up to our ears in noodles, fudge and rum cake. We all had a great day, couldn't have been more fun.

Dinner? We are having dinner?

Made it to Charlotte just in time to slam the car into park and run upstairs to change clothes for the candlelight service. Thanks to me, we arrived just late enough that we were in the overflow seating. This is no joke...there was a floor to ceiling 3 ft in diameter pole right directly in front of me. Yep, sure was. I know there was singing but I couldn't tell you who or how many. I enjoyed the service very much in spite of the pole and Avery who ALMOST set my hair on fire. I leaned back just a little too far while she was lighting her candle and we just about had a catastrophe. OH...here is the best part of the day. After church Eddie, Avery and I had to stop by the mall so I could get one last gift and no smarty pants the mall was not crowded and we had no problems finding a parking place either. I know, I was shocked too. Anyway...on the way to the mall Eddie and I are talking and laughing and she says, "So Mom, what are we having for dinner tomorrow?" HUH? "Uhhhhh....Eddie, dinner is at your house, I give up..what are we having for dinner tomorrow?" Well, somehow Eddie had gotten the impression that Polly and I were bringing dinner. Personally I think it was one of those if I wish hard enough it will happen kinda things. Too bad you all couldn't see our faces when we realized it was 4PM on Christmas Eve and we had no idea what we were feeding 12 people for the next two days. Oh yes, it was a classic moment. Sooooo....we took a quick inventory of what we had on hand and started a grocery list. Here is the good news. I had brought a rum cake and everything for chicken & noodles and fudge. We bought a small ham, everything to make dressing and 10 lbs of potatoes (if you are having noodles you have to have mashed potatoes) baby carrots and rolls. Avery and I made the noodles tonight and we will make the fudge in the morning. While we were rolling out the noodles Avery said, "Grandma, do you know they sell these in the store?" I think I have her convinced that ours really will be better. Avery had a good time mixing the eggs and flour but unfortunately it looked like it had snowed in one end of Eddie's kitchen by the time we finished. Mike and Eddie went to a neighbors party for a bit this evening so I guess I better fire up the blower and clean up the kitchen!

Home!

It feels so good to be home! I do have to stop by work for a bit this afternoon but hopefully it will be an in and out visit. Morty and Ginglebelle keep looking at me like.."What? You are here? Don't you need to go somewhere?" I can't tell if they are just surprised that I'm at home or they are waiting for me to leave so they can invite all their delinquent friends over for a kegger.

I was a guest!

Beautiful night for a party. We spent most of the evening outside in the screened porch or by the fire pit on the patio. No wind, lots of stars and crystal clear. Chris made lots of good appetizers and we all brought something so there was a ton of food. We played Dirty Santa and everybody brought a wrapped new gift, regift, good gift or bad gift and there were some doozies there. TommyB brought the worst bottle wine EVER...and was soo happy to see that thing out of his house. There were also nice things but I love what I got the best. Mine is the Redneck Horn. When you hit the horn button it says all kinds of rude things, just my style. I plan to attach it to the side of my desk and see how long it takes to drive accounting (or as we call them...the hall of the walking dead) absolutely nuts. Sales has been asking for a door to our area for years and we keep getting turned down so we have a new approach. If we can't have a door then we will be so loud that everyone else will close their doors and we won't need one! So far the sales area has a top hat cymbal set (with two sets of sticks and brushes), drums, tambourines and we are shopping for a karaoke machine. In case you haven't figured this out yet the motto for the sales department is, "IF IT AIN'T FUN WE AIN'T DOIN' IT".

I know we need rain...

BUT did it have to be today?? It was POURING rain and I had a huge shopping bag overflowing with packages, my purse, my lunch the newspaper and an umbrella. Just as I came around the end of the parking lot the wind caught my umbrella and turned it inside out. Oh joy. The rain and wind did a real number on my pants and they were soaked.....and sliding south. I came schlepping into the lobby with my pants at half mast, dripping water, hair soaked, mascara stinging my eyes and it was about then when my shopping bag split open and dumped everything on the floor. Sooo...there I am with dripping hair, half mast pants, trying to get my lunch and Christmas packages gathered up and wishing my parents had been Jewish. Not exactly a great way to start your day. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. Harrumph

I did it!

Geesh, I can't believe I did it but I did. I was on the way to get new tires and then I had an appointment to get the oil changed and a belt replaced. ALL OF A SUDDEN... AND WITHOUT ANY ASSISTANCE FROM ME....The Westinghouse turned into the car dealership and instead of new tires I traded cars. It's not NEW but it's new to me and more importantly it's not a big white box that shoots ice cubes out the muffler. Merry Christmas to me!

Have I mentioned I hate my van??

Ohhh, probably only about 27 times a day. I am just not a van kinda gal...didn't want it six years ago and want it even less today. Six years ago the van was a necessity (still didn't make me like it) and now it's just an irritation. However, it's not quite irritating enough for me to take on a car payment...but we are getting closer. My friends all call it the Westinghouse because it's big, white and square...looks just like a refrigerator and nobody would be surprised if ice cubes shot out of the muffler. There is a power sliding door that has been a pain in the patoot from day one. You have to hold your mouth just right every time you close the darn thing or the sensor will BUZZ (and buzz and buzz) trying to tell you the door isn't closed even though the door is TOO SHUT TIGHT AND I HAVE ALREADY CHECKED IT 12 TIMES AND I REFUSE TO CHECK IT AGAIN SO STOP BUZZING!! Welllll....when TommyB, Rosemary and I went out for Mexican food the other night the door was giving me fits again so TommyB gave it a good body slam and now the door buzzes constantly unless the van is in park. It's a 20 minute drive to work and I can stand anything for 20 minutes. However....on Sunday I have a four hour drive. Hmm, any bets on how long it takes before I blow the thing to smithereens? My family and friends all complain about how hard it is to shop for me...well, how about a 2006 (it can be pre-owned, I'm not a new car snob) Lincoln Navigator? Silver with a gray interior or navy with a tan interior would be nice and I definitely want a power sun roof. OH OK...I don't need anything that big but a Honda CR-V or a Toyota Rav-4 would work very nicely. No pressure but Christmas is ONLY 6 days away!

My Thermometers

I know it's cold tonight (30's?) because I have two kitty's plastered to me and YES I have the furnace on! It's supposed to be back in the 60's tomorrow so Morty and Ginglebelle will be happy. Tom and Rosemary stopped by this afternoon while I was working over at the rental and Tom hooked up the cold water line to the sink for me...yea! The wallpaper roll was three inches short of being able to cover the last wall so I still have that to finish or maybe I could just buy a plant to cover the bare spot. Ginglebelle is solid black and the bookcase next to my black recliner is also black and yes I have a recliner...I am old and am just fine with that. The middle shelf on the bookcase is just the right height to serve as my end table so I usually have my "necessities" within reach. Anyway, this evening I was reading my book and reached over to the bookcase to get my Diet Cherry Coke and instead put my hand on something BIG, warm and furry. After I got off the floor....I was on the floor because that is where I landed when I got my feet tangled up in the afghan while flying out of the recliner to get away from whatever was BIG, warm and furry in my bookcase. Dumped the Coke, scared the tar out of Ginglebelle, AND ME. Yeah, yeah, yeah..it was a real Lucy Ricardo moment.

YES! The AC is finally off!

Remember all the moaning and groaning I did about the hot weather? Well..you will be happy to know I am LOVING the cooler weather. Does that mean I won't be complaining...oh come on, what do you think? All I know is I feel better and get ten times as much done when it's not so flippin' hot. The strangest thing happened last week and I haven't mentioned it mainly because I am still trying to figure out how it came about. There is a stat counter on my blog and I usually have 20 to 30 hits per day, mostly family and friends. I was tired of doing "work stuff" and clicked on my blog to see who had been there and the stat counter was practically spinning. HUH?? So I signed on the counter site, went to the pageload activity and clicked on the first link I came to. Holy crap! My blog link was on the CNN News site! Best I can tell the link was there for three or four hours and it appears that CNN posts three blog links at a time. Anyway, I have had several nice notes from all over the world and my 15 minutes of fame was more like 6 minutes but it sure was fun!

Where is everybody?

Got the shock of the season when I took Rosemary out shopping today....where is everybody? Thought it would be packed but the malls weren't even as crowded as a normal Sunday. We started out at Tanger Outlet and thought, well, we're early and LUCKY but when we get to the Myrtle Beach Mall we will be lucky to find a parking place. There were shoppers out but nothing like we were expecting and when we stopped for lunch at Red Lobster it was the same way. We arrived at Red Lobster right at 12:30 which should have been prime lunch time between church and shopping. The place was so empty I think there was an echo. Rosemary has a handicapped parking hanger and I always tell her that she better not let that puppy expire because that is the only reason I take her shopping. Good thing she has a sense of humor. The parking lots were nowhere near capacity and there were regular parking spots as close as the handicapped ones...and this was at 2pm. ALL RIGHT PEOPLE....confession time, was Christmas canceled and nobody told me???

Holy Crap!

I finally figured it out! The calender is right...Christmas will be here in 10 days!!! Sooo...after work this evening I stopped at two Broadway At The Beach stores and finished shopping for the boys and then picked up Rosemary and we ran up to Wal-Mart and bought a few groceries. I have made one batch of fudge and have chicken breasts simmering so we will have chicken and broth for the noodles. Nooo, I usually don't cook this time of night but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Morty and Ginglebelle are walking around with their noses in the air trying to figure out where that great smell is coming from. They had no idea that big white thing in the kitchen could be used to make food, especially food that smells so GOOD. When you live by yourself you just don't cook much or at least I don't. Most nights it's cereal or popcorn for dinner and that's if I'm lucky enough to be home and here lately that's been a rare occasion. Guess I'll go wrap a few gifts while Morty and Ginglebelle finish cooking and dicing the chicken.

Just 5 More Parties..Just 5 More Parties

Do you get the impression I am a drama queen? Well, I can be..especially when it feels like all I get to do is go to work, go home, change clothes and go back to work. At least I'm not bitter. :-) I THINK it's five more parties but I'm not positive...how sad is that??? Could be six but I think it's five. I bet Chef Steve knows the exact number AND how many people, oh please..if only one of us knows for sure..please let it be him! The party tonight went very well. It is a beautiful evening so some of the guests took their food and drinks out on the deck. The band was great...not too loud and played music everybody can dance to. Chef Steve is starting to look a little ragged around the edges and I do not know how the man does it during this time of year but he does and does it well. Now, I plan to go to bed and sleep until ohhhhh...maybe the crack of Noon. Then I will get up and have an egg with toast, read my book until I get sleepy and then nap until four. Don't you just love a gal with a plan??

It finally happened.

Everybody at work have been expecting it to happen and it took a bit longer than usual but it did happen. I hit the wall. I am done, finished, it's over, the fat lady has sung. Oh it's not a surprise as it happens every year at this time. Tonight, about halfway through a holiday party for 500, I looked at TommyB and said, "I'm going home." He heard the tone of my voice and I believe he said, "OH...please go home." That sentence translates to, "OH DEAR GOD PLEASE GO HOME BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T GO HOME I KNOW YOU WILL STAY HERE AND COMPLAIN AND WHINE UNTIL MY EARS BLEED." Of course I would.

Mom was right...

Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it! I just read in the paper where the temperature is supposed to drop to 30 over the weekend. HELLO??? 50 degrees? Geesh, all I wanted was for it to be cool enough that my shirt would not stick to my back but now I have to worry about my hair freezing to my head. Don't get me wrong I love having three seasons instead of four but it feels like summer will never be over this year. Fall is my favorite season and I miss seeing the leaves changing, the bright blue sky and the way the woods smell when the air is crisp. I also love the smell of the ocean air and the luxury of not scraping the windshield when you forget to put the car in the garage. Guess I just need to win the lottery so I can afford to spend 6 months in IN and 6 months at the beach. Actually I could afford to do that now if I could convince Morty and Ginglebelle to cut back on the filet, truffles and lobster. Yeah...right, that'll happen

What is this...the dog days of December?

You have no idea how guilty I feel about saying this but I am so flippin' tired of hot weather I could spit...if I could only conjure up enough moisture. One daughter has over a foot of snow, old friends in IN are still battling ice and loss of power and here I am complaining about almost 80 degree weather. Do I want snow and Ice? Oh heck no, been there done that and bought the t-shirt. Have no desire to go back to shoveling snow and icey windshields but I would LOVE to spend a day without my shirt stuck to my back. Well, aren't I just a big ole whiner? I bet you think if I won the lottery I would complain about the paperwork... and I probably would.

I really really did mean to go to work today.

Really I did. I got up at my regular time and about 20 minutes later I could not think of one single reason to go to work. Well, that's not exactly true but for every reason I came up with to go I had at least 5 better reasons not to go. Soooo....I called Rosemary and she went with me to the eye doctor and then we had lunch at Atlanta Bread before spending the afternoon shopping. Are you ready? Are you sitting down? I HAVE PURCHASED A TOTAL OF FOUR CHRISTMAS GIFTS! That is the good news, the bad news is I have six grandchildren. We stopped at the Dollar Store and then joined about 5,000 other people at Wal-Mart. Kim and her mother, Alice, invited us over for dinner tonight and it was wonderful as always. Alice is a retired Home Ec teacher and anything she prepares is not only delicious but looks like a picture in a magazine. About the best that can be said about my cookin is, well... it's filling. It's my turn to host dinner next and I HATE to follow Alice! After dinner we all moved to the screened porch and made s'mores over the fire pit. Thank goodness Kim had purchased the jumbo size bag of marshmallows because not only did we have our fill but there were plenty left for the firemen. Good times.

Wish I lived closer to a Chinese Restaurant.

Why? Because Ginglebelle kept me up until almost 2AM while she was out cattin' (ha! good one) around last night and I would have loved to drop her off someplace where she could be put to good use. Oh not really but Morty and I were getting more than slightly irritated when she stayed out so late last night. I would have LOVED to leave her hairy behind out all night but if I'm not right at the door to let her Royal Highness in then she goes to my neighbors bedroom window and meows until Carolee gets up and CARRIES her home. Carolee is a really really nice person but there are limits. Let's just say if Ginglebelle does that again I am willing to bet Carolee will be the proud new owner of a beautiful black throw rug...with feet. And a tail.

Just Hit Me With A Stick

Just got home after spending an evening with 975 of my best friends. OH OK....it was a party but I didn't exactly spend the evening with them. Oh I was there and they were there but while they were dancing and eating I was checking ID's, putting on armbands (I'm really good at catching arm hairs), running liquor and radioing for more (yes Steve, MORE) food. Let me tell you what, 975 people can flat put the food away! The DJ and band were both excellent this evening. The band had a great female vocalist who sounded a lot like Patsy Cline and the karaoke room was busy too. I always enjoy stopping by there on my way to and from the kitchen. It always amazes me how many people can really sing. Me? Ohhh..not so much. It is very warm here this weekend, I think the high today was about 74 and it's supposed to be even warmer tomorrow. I am sooo ready for some cooler weather but it sure isn't coming this way anytime soon. It is now 1AM and all I want to do is go to bed but noooooo, Ginglebelle ran out between my feet when I opened the door and I don't want her bothering the neighbors so I need to get her back inside before I crawl into bed. I cannot believe I'm forcing myself to stay awake while waiting for a stupid cat to come home!

Is it REALLY December?

Man oh man, I am in so much trouble. Haven't bought that first gift, haven't baked ANYTHING and I'm working without a day off for the next couple of weeks. People, it's not looking good!

Company Party

When you plan parties for a living you are not a very good guest. Normally, when I first arrive I scan the room and want to redo the entire setup. Not because it's wrong, but it's not the way I would have it arranged. Then I check the linens, bathrooms, wait staff uniforms, make sure all the exits are unlocked and by the time the party starts I'm ready to go home. Not tonight! Honey...I walked in the front door, got my drink and door prize tickets and found my friends. I'm not much of a drinker so the first thing I did was give away my drink tickets and in return I had water with fresh lemon brought to me the rest of the evening. The band was good but W A Y too loud for my old ears. Within 10 minutes both ears were ringing and part of the time my right ear was completely deaf so depending on which side you were standing...my conversation might have been a tad off kilter. Fortunately, it's not unusual for my conversation to be off kilter so I seriously doubt if anyone even noticed. Tonight provided a much needed break from the December chaos and it appeared that everyone had a wonderful time. It's always fun to see your coworkers all dressed up and have the opportunity to meet their spouses. Parties like tonight make me wish we would take to time all year long to do fun things together and maybe that should be my New Years resolution!

Fudge Fraud

Polly called and wants my rum cake and fudge recipes. She now has the rum cake recipe but I don't want to give her the chocolate and peanut butter fudge recipe. Ummm...family secret? Naaa, and even if it was... DUH, she is family. Recipe so complicated she will NEVER be able to make fudge? Nooooo, not hardly. OK....the chocolate fudge recipe is on the back of the large Marshmallow Cream jar. The only things I do differently are to use rum instead of vanilla and real butter instead of margarine. I prefer black walnuts to pecans but either kind are good. Are you happy now? The fudge you look forward to every year is right off the back of the jar. My mom always made Smith College Fudge and it was delicious but very temperamental. If the humidity was not quite right or if you cooked it a fraction too long or too short it was inedible but if you hit it just right...yum. I just don't have the patience to make the kind of fudge that might or might not turn out right so I take the safe route. OK Polly, here is the peanut butter fudge recipe that I use and it's in the 1995 Southern Living cookbook....thought you might want to put your sticker on that one. Yep, you now have written proof...your mother is a fudge fraud.

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

1/2 Cup Butter
5 Cups Sugar
1 (12 oz) Can Evaporated Milk
1 (18 oz) Jar Creamy Peanut Butter
1 (7 oz) Marshmallow Cream

Butter the sides and bottom of a large Dutch oven, leaving excess butter in pan. Add sugar and evaporated milk, stirring mixture well. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches soft ball stage or candy thermometer registers 234 degrees. Remove from heat, add peanut butter and marshmallow cream, beating with a wooden spoon until blended. Pour into a buttered 13 by 9 baking dish and let cool. Makes 2 pounds.

Trailer for sale or rent...rooms to let, fifty cents....

Well, Roger Miller isn't the only one with real estate for rent as we are THIS CLOSE to being ready to put the rental condo back on the market. Every room either has a fresh coat of paint or new wallpaper. Light fixtures have been replaced, new towel bars, new kitchen faucet AND new toilet seats! About the only thing left is getting the carpet cleaned. Heck, I may move over there...it sure is cleaner than my place! I have enjoyed being over on the waterway mostly because I love watching the boats go by while I work and if I'm working over there then I don't have to deal with my own stuff that needs to be done. Why is is always more fun doing any work other than your own?

Morty is a homeowner!

Yep, thanks to Mabel, Sid and Debi... Morty now has own cat house, every mans dream come true. I have to call it "Morty's" and not "Morty and Ginglebelle's" cat house because Morty will not allow Ginglebelle in, on or around the cat house. Ginglebelle wants to get in there and check it out really really bad but when she gets close Morty His Royal Highness Who Rules The Land stands on tiptoe, bristles up, hisses, pops her on top of the head and then Gingles runs and hides behind the couch. Last night Morty fell asleep in my lap and Ginglebelle got a turn to play. She kept one eye on Morty the whole time but she finally got to bat the dangle toys and even climbed up on the roof to take her own nap. So there...you hairy little tyrant.

I am addicted to Clamato Juice.

Six months ago I had never heard of the stuff and now I'm going through a gallon a week. Think they have support groups for Clamato Juice addiction? Oh I bet there is and if I can manage to wade through all the paperwork I can probably apply for disability too. That makes as much sense as some of the other disability cases I have seen. I used to work with a lady who (according to her) had terrible back problems all stemming from a work injury. She missed more days than she was there and when she did show she was useless. After three years of this the company finally put her under video surveillance. Yep you guessed it....they ended up with video of her jet skiing, bowling, building a rock garden and best of all...training for a marathon. Well why not, she was never at work so that gave her lots of free time to train. The case finally went to court and not only did she lose but she had to pay back three years of disability payments. Yes! Score one for the good guys. How in the world did I get from Clamato Juice to disability fraud?? My mind can be a very scary place.

It's PARTY time!

We had the first of three large groups tonight so one down and two to go! The band was great and as usual it took awhile to get the dancing started but once they did the floor was full the rest of the night. The karaoke room was packed and the DJ also had a full house. Everything was running smoothly so I "snuck" out shortly after 11. TommyB...you don't read this, do you? Hmmm, guess I will find out on Monday. After a quick stop at the grocery I headed for home (1/2 step ahead of the drunks), popcorn and my book. Sooo, there I am trying to unlock the front door while juggling my purse, a 12 pack of Diet Cherry Coke, mail, brief case and a big butt jug of Tide. I ALMOST managed to get that accomplished just as I dropped the Tide, the Diet Cherry Coke box split and cans rolled off in three directions. DANG! I gathered everything up and shoved the door open with my foot just as Ginglebelle, the escape artist, ran between my feet which caused me to drop the Diet Cherry Coke, again. ARRRG! I slammed the Tide down on the counter (scared poor Morty half to death) went back outside to gather up the Diet Cherry Coke AGAIN and saw Ginglebelle high tail down the steps toward freedom. Ginglebelle, darlin'...I AIN"T IN THE MOOD. Of course if I had spent the day with Morty who lives to chomp my tail, sit on my head and bite my ears I probably would run out the front door too. So I called for Ginglebelle who didn't actually look over her shoulder and yell, "Yeah right, in your dreams lady", but it was close. FINE. I put the Tide away and CAREFULLY put the Diet Cherry Coke in the fridge. That coke may settle enough to open by next Tuesday. While Morty had dinner I changed into my jammies, popped popcorn and plotted Ginglebelles demise. So Morty is now sleeping on my shoulder and I'm going to read a few pages in my book before I head for bed. Ginglebelle darlin', you better decide to come home before I go to bed or your hiney is spending the night outside.
In case you missed it, please check out the new addition to my favorite blogs. This site is a great read and the photos are out of this world. Make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom so you can see "Charlie" when he was only ten days old. One look and I bet you will be hooked too! http://www.dailycoyote.blogspot.com/