Christmas Message

From our home to Yours,

We wish you a very 

Merry Christmas

and a 
Happy and Healthy 2010!

CHRISTMAS MOVIES THAT I LOVE TO WATCH EVERY YEAR

1.   Christmas Vacation
2.   It's a Wonderful Life
3.   The Nativity Story
4.   Elf
5.   How the Grinch Stole Christmas (cartoon)
6.   A Christmas Carol (One of them)
7.   Rudolph/Frosty/Santa Claus is Coming to Town (kids have the big pack)
8.   Polar Express (Kids have that too).
9.   The Bishop's Wife (original version with Cary Grant)
10.  Miracle on 34th Street (Edmund Gwenn and Maureen O'Hara)
11.  Santa Clause 1 & 2
12.  Scrooged
13.  A Christmas Story


I'm sure that I'll add more to the list.  Anyone else have any favorites?

Village Christmas Tree Lighting

Song and Dance Man

Song and Dance Man and Giggles

Kids with Santa

Giggles

Friday Funny - Sign's You've Grown Up

1. Your house plants are alive, and you can't smoke any of them.

2. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work.

3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.

4. 6:00 AM is when you get up, not when you go to bed.

5. You hear your favorite song on an elevator.

6. You watch the Weather Channel.

7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of hook up and break up.

8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14.

9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as "dressed up."

10. You're the one calling the police because those damn kids next door won't turn down the stereo.

11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.

12. You don't know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.

13. Your car insurance goes down and your payments go up.

14. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonalds leftovers.

15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.

16. You no longer take naps from noon to 6 PM.

17. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of one.

18. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3 AM would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach.

19. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer "pretty good stuff."

20. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.

21. "I just can't drink the way I used to," replaces, "I'm never going to drink that much again."

22. You no longer drink at home to save money before going to a bar.

23. You read this entire list looking desperately for one sign that this doesn't apply to you.

HARRIED MOM

Original blog picture was called
HARRIED MOM by by niece, ELIZABETH MEHLING

A MOTHER'S CONFESSION

I have a confession to make.  I hate to cook.

Oh, I make dinner.  I have some old stand bys that everyone likes, and I make them.  But I am bored of the same old s***.  But, I do not have the desire to peruse through cookbooks, buy some wacky ingredients and make a lot of dishes for myself to clean.  What's a girl to do?

 I've been looking at a lot of the Mom's websites, and I have to say that I am very impressed.  All of you seem to love cooking! (or you are very good at pretending that you love it)  How do you get there from where I am right now?  I would love to LOVE COOKING.

 I don't even bake.  Yes, my children have been deprived of home baked cookies.  Sure, I make the Pillsbury seasonal cookies that are rolled up, and you cut, slice and bake.  But, that's cheating, right? I also think that I have made them once a year for Christmas, and everyone eats them within a couple of days.  I don't think that they ever make it into the decorative tin box.

So, I have decided to challenge myself, and I am writing this blog so that you make me stick to it, ask me for updates, whatever.  I intend to make one new dish a week (and it has to be lowfat) until Christmas.  I'll start next week because I still have to figure out which day is the best for my experiment.  I may be looking on some websites for ideas because I'm sick of looking at my stupid cookbooks because they are covered in dust.

 Since it is lowfat, I would also like to lose 20 lbs. before Christmas, but I don't want to get crazy over here.  I still like beer, and I still want to watch the Giants and Yankees, but I'm going to stop eating salsa and chips for lunch (LOL...no, it really happened today, but I didn't have the salsa...so I didn't even have vegetables!)

I guess that's it.  I better save this so I don't chicken out. 

MOM'S NIGHT OUT

Can't wait.  

Our softball team always has an annual End of Year Lobster party (aka Lobsterfest). We always BYOB and a dish (either a appetizer, side dish or dessert), and we all put in $20.00 for lobster, which one of us picks up.  I'm bringing dessert, but I'm not baking . I had volunteered to bring fruit salad, but I'm not in a fruit salad mood.  It's too chilly outside. Maybe I'll bring some cookies.  Dessert will be found in the baked goods section of the local A & P (I do suffer from non-baker's guilt, but I'll cover that subject at another time). 

I love my kids very much, but lets face it... This Mom needs a night away. A night away from the bickering between the three kids.  No "He's bothering me!".  A night away from "Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom...".  I need to talk to people that I can relate to (and who make sense most of the time), and maybe I'll hear a little local gossip (not that I'd spread it).  I need to have a little fun, and that's what tonight is all about. I highly recommend it.

 I will probably regret it tomorrow, but as for tonight...I can't wait to go out! 

A TYPICAL THURSDAY

I had to pick up my 14 year old from high school today. He only has a cold, but he felt terrible and they sent him home because he was coughing. Now he so bored that he is talking my ear off, and making funny faces in the mirror. I should give him a job to do. Maybe painting the hallway? Then again, I can starting asking him about girls, and then he'll get embarrassed and tell me that he wants to do homework instead.

I picked up my 7 year old at school yesterday because she wasn't feeling well. It turns out that she was fine. She's back at school today. But, now I'm feeling a little bit tired and cranky, with sniffles on the side. I think that my throat's a little sore (ish). It may be the weather. It's damp and misty and there's a chill in the air. Maybe I shouldn't have worn sandals today.

My 9 year old has music class today, and he cracked another reed for his oboe. He originally had 6, so theres 4 to go! I should order more. I watch him practice, and I don't know if he's doing it right, but it's all noise to me.

I don't know what to make for dinner (this will be the theme every night).

I've been getting positive feedback for my book, which is really great because this was my first book. I was really nervous when it came out, because it was the first time that anyone would have read my work. Friends would say "I ordered your book!" and I would get this nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. Even my husband didn't read it (he doesn't like romance novels). Today, I received a message from one of my really close friends who told me that she loved it and couldn't put it down. It's a really gratifying feeling when your friends appreciate your hard work!