PIE COMA....THE DAY AFTER

6:12 AM Posted In Edit This 3 Comments »

Thanksgiving was pretty good here. We spent the day with just ourselves, no family, no screaming children, and no stress. We ate our feast until we thought we were all seriously going to explode. Up there is the boy, desperately wanting to eat pie - but struggling to find the room to put it. He made me laugh so hard - I thought he was going into a pie coma!
We all sat around the table forever, just talking and laughing - then the farting starting - and that pretty much sent everyone their separate ways for either football or movies. It was a very calm and peaceful day.....


One of my children has an obsession with naked pie. I used to do this when I was a kid too. When eating the customary pumpkin pie, all the whipped cream goes first, then the custardy goodness, and finally the crust. It just made me giggle seeing this on my little ones' plate! Carrying on family traditions since 1972!!

CHRISTMAS SALAD (WALDORF)

12:24 PM Posted In Edit This 2 Comments »

So what is everyone else up to on this day before Thanksgiving?? I have been a busy bee so far, just taking a little break. I've started out my morning by trying to talk PPHead into going to truck driving school. (He'd be gone a lot if ya know what I mean...) He ignored me and went to where else - bed. Yay.
So then I got busy baking pies for tomorrow, and the yummy treat we here call Christmas salad. I thought it might be a nice thing to share with anyone who has never tried it, so here ya go!

You need a big bowl.
Some seedless grapes,
Some apples,
Some bananas,
Some marshmallows,
Some pecans,
Some whipped cream...

Cut em' all up into little chunks (Except the whipped cream - you can't really do that...) and mix it all up and stick it in the fridge the day before. It needs time to meld. Mmmmmm!!

Pretty simple, but something my mama always made for us during the holidays. It's amazing how smothering things in whipped cream makes the kids think it's desert instead of a relatively healthy side dish! :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

SOUL SEARCHING.....

8:20 AM Posted In Edit This 6 Comments »

Every year it seems like I wonder where Christmas is going to come from. How will I get the money to buy for.... How am I going to pull x amount of dollars out of my arse to provide a decent holiday for my kids? This year I seriously considered asking for help at Salvation Army, but I just can't bring myself to do it. There are far too many people in much worse situations than mine. No matter the amount of gripes I have with it - I have shelter over our heads, a vehicle to drive, and more food to eat than some. (I don't LOVE goulash so much, but at least it's an option right?)
In the blood flow of my brains, my thinking night got me to realizing that I am so sick of Christmas being all about the money. Money for lights and gifts and cards and blah blah whatever the retailers tell you is trendy at the moment. Before Halloween was even here, the stores were playing festive music and were on their way to being fully decorated with the red and green garb. I know that it's been said that Christmas has been the most commercial holiday in existence for quite some time now, but it's gotten to the point of complete ridiculousness. Money can solve a lot of problems, can make life better, and can take your mind of the insanity of the real world if you have it, but it can't buy everything.
There is no doubt that this year will be sparse in the gift department for my children. Santa will arrive as usual, bearing a lot less, but loved all the same. The gifts from mom and dad will be small, inexpensive, and probably mostly necessity - like jeans and mittens. My almost grown-up daughter spotted a good deal on ham and turkey at the grocery store last month, and has stashed both in the deep freezer for Christmas dinner. We will be eating. What's more, we will be at the dinner table together, with an open door invitation to family and friends who want to join us. There will be love in this home on Christmas morning, and that my friends can not be bought with money.
I don't know if the love alone will teach my children about compassion and unselfishness. This year instead of a meal at noon by tradition, we will have ours towards the evening. I want to spend the noon hour with my children, volunteering to serve others. I want them to see that even though they didn't get the requested video games and expensive toys that would only too soon be added to the heaps of "boring" in their rooms, that there is something bigger than themselves to think about. I want them to feel that even though times are tight for our family, they are even tighter for others, and that by helping others, we are really helping ourselves as well.
That is what Christmas is really all about.



NICKELBACK DOES IT FOR ME

5:14 PM Posted In Edit This 7 Comments »

OH GAWD PLEASE someone get me stacks of Lipovox!!! I need to prepare myself for the next concert tour of yeahhhhhhhhh- baby- my- all -time- favorite- band NICKELBACK!!! Their new album finally released today after what seemed like an eternity of waiting. I have been listening to it for days now for free on the VH-1 site and I LOVE it!! My absolute favorite song on the album is "Burn it to the Ground." Makes me wanna get smashed and swing from the ceiling I tell ya!! (Amongst other things)

OH HOW I LOVE SUNDAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!

11:08 AM Posted In Edit This 3 Comments »
WHY??? Oh well today I ought to be able to see my JJ win his THIRD straight championship in a row baby!! Oh yeah!! I am wearing my JJ t-shirt, and have my JJ teddy bear in my arms too!! This is going to be a very exciting race day my friends!!
And for the icing on the cake - Our Kansas boy Clint Bowyer took home the championship in the Nationwide Series this weekend as well!! Yeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaww! Congrats Clint!!


We have decided to also take matters into our own hands and declare this most awesome race day, our very own "Sprint Cup Thanksgiving From The Trailer Park" - and we are having our big dinner here in just a few hours - parked in front of the TV! Screw FOOTBALL!!! We got the turkey cookin, the stuffin in the crockpot, rolls, green bean casserole, taters an gravy, and yes baby some punkin pie!! Today, life is good, and everyone is off work, out of school, and together like it should be. Man I wish I could waft some of the yummy smell in your direction!!

Ya'll have a great day! I will be jumping up and down on the furniture with a fist full o' turkey!!!

DO THEY REALLY??

1:38 PM Posted In Edit This 7 Comments »

I think they must have used a fat burner on all the turkeys this year. The biggest one we could find at the supermarket only weighed 13 pounds.... It's a sad day I tell you.

I suppose it's not a big deal anyways, because both Halie and PPHead have to work on Thanksgiving anyhow, and yes - even on Christmas. Thanks so much Morton Salt - for your oh so peachy morale boost for your employees. Sorry kids, Daddy won't be home for Christmas because production comes first. Oh wait - and sorry again because you won't get much for presents either - because at Morton Salt - only the salaried folks get bonuses - not the workers who put out the production 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That is one thing that has never made sense to me in all the years he has worked there. The little people that make the big people all the money - don't get squat. If it weren't for the guys that put out the actual product - there would be no profit for the greedy asshats at the top of the food chain. What gives?? And now not only do the little guys get to watch as the higher ups cash their big bonus checks at Christmas time, but they are forced to work the holidays as well. Wow.

I WAS ALWAYS DRUNK IN ARIZONA

9:55 PM Posted In Edit This 5 Comments »
After leaving one of the most awesome las vegas hotels, I woke up inside a little tiny liquor store in Arizona. All they had were itty bitty bottles of booze. Really itty bitty. I drank CENSORED and BLEEP, until I fell down on my BLACKED OUT. When I awoke from my stupor, the lady clerk was looming over me telling me I had to go home now - I had been there for 12 or 57 hours. So the little green fairy picked me up by the nape of my neck and flew me home. She put me in bed, folded my clothes, did my dishes, and called me baby.

Please - let this be fair warning. Stay away from the absinthe.....

WHAT HAPPENED TO THANKSGIVING??

6:12 AM Posted In Edit This 6 Comments »

For his birthday, Shane Michael got the newest installment of Guitar Hero - World Tour for his PS2 - only the disc wouldn't read, so it had to be taken back - twice. So much for fun ON his birthday. Anyhow, we had to make the dreaded trip to Walmart to go and exchange that gift for other gifts, and during our shopping experience, I noticed the music. Christmas music playing in the background like it was going to be the holiday of the month! Everything in the place was decorated for Christmas as well, and I just couldn't help but wonder what in the world happened to Thanksgiving?? What happened to turkeys and pilgrims and fall?? I suppose here at home we will be putting up the lights and such outside while it is still warm, but I absolutely REFUSE to turn them on until December 1....
BRING BACK THE TURKEYS ALREADY!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BOY!!

9:30 AM Posted In Edit This 5 Comments »

YAY! Today is my son's 9th birthday!! I can't believe he is already this old - time flies when you are having fun I guess! Before we were blessed with this wonderful child, the doctors told us that we would never be able to get pregnant. (You can bite me on the DNA testing PPFACE!! HAHA!!) They said PP was basically sterile, and I had too much scar tissue to even go there. Ummm ok then. It took some time, a lot of tears, and even giving up. As soon as we decided to just be happy with what we were given - here he was! (And then of course not too long after, Rye followed.) I am so proud of my son, so happy he was brought into my life, and so grateful that he is such an awesomely well behaved little boy - for now.... hee! :)
Happy Birthday Bubby!!

AS DEMANDED - THE HAIR.....

6:17 AM Posted In Edit This 6 Comments »

Oh god yes. THIS was my costume for Halloweeny. I was me - about 20 years ago!! I nearly forgot how to roll my jeans properly, and they kept falling down all day long. GNR was my favorite favorite band, hence the shirt. The only thing lacking really was bangs! I used to have huge bangs that would stick up and fall over my eye. I really really hate pictures of me - so you must know that I love you. Oh yeah - and I had entirely too much make-up on, another sign of the 80's. I didn't get any candy sad to say, but I did get a few little promotional bags they pass out at the churches and the mall to all of the parents. Kinda like free stuff at the fair. The first part of the day I went like this to work, and my hair kept getting caught on everything.




This pic was around 1989 I believe - much thinner with much bigger hair here! (See the big ol' bangs!)
Back in the day, when I would go and get in my itty bitty car, my hair would touch the roof, and I would be all kinds of worried about it getting smooshed! Heeheeeee! Those were the days! Of course I had run out of conditioner, so it took over 30 minutes to comb all of the rats and tangles out of my hair in the morning. Now I have a half a can of Aqua Net that I am pretty sure I will never put in my hair again - someone said to use it for stains in the laundry! LOL!
Ok - stop giggling!!

SCARY NIGHT PICS....

6:00 AM Posted In Edit This 6 Comments »

Rye had her first visit from the tooth fairy! When she woke up on Halloween she found a little surprise from the crazy ol' lady! She's so cute with her little tooth hole! One down, four more to go - and fast!


Shane wanted to be a mad scientist this year, but I think he looked more like an insane butcher! We used flour and aqua net to get his hair all crazy.


The big kid in the back - I dunno where he came from..... very scary. I ended up going as myself 20 years ago. I ratted my hair so big, I was actually knocking over signs and bottles at work. It was silly. It took 30 minutes yesterday of brushing to get all of the tangles out of that mess....

The kids had a blast of course, and are still on a sugar high all these days later. Now to prepare for Wednesday night which is Shane Michaels' 9th birthday. Where does the time go???
December 2008
October 2008