Holiday craziness

Well, Christmas ended up being good but very hectic. Wednesday was a very crazy stressful day. It seemed like all we did was rush around and to top things all off, Big Country and I were at each others throats. I think the Holiday stress got to both of us and we both acted crazy. Anyway, once we got on the road to my Aunt & Uncles house- things calmed down.

Christmas at my Aunt & Uncle's house was very nice. We got a lot of neat stuff and Mason got the rainforest Jumperoo from his Great Grandma. I made broccoli salad and deviled eggs to take. I was a lil disappointed in how the eggs turned out. They were good, but the shells wanted to stick to the egg whites and I hate it when that happens.

We stayed the night at my parent's house on Christmas Eve night. I was up until 1:15am making a breakfast casserole that turned out fabulous!!!! It's called breakfast in a crockpot.

1 lb bacon or sausage
2 lb pkg of frozen southern style hashbrowns
1 10.5oz can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 cup milk
12 eggs
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 to 2 cups of shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

Brown, drain, and crumble sausage or bacon. Combine and blend together soup, milk, sour cream, and cream cheese in a large bown. Then add milk, shreadded cheese, garlic and onion and mix well.
Whisk eggs in a separate bowl then combine with cheese mixture, adding hash browns until thoroughly coated. I reserved some of the shredded cheese and sprinkled on top of the mixture.
Coat large crockpot with an oil spray, add mixture and cook on low for 8-10 hrs.

Omg, it was wonderful. I found the recipe in a cookbook that my Grandma got me a few years ago.

Christmas morning at my Mom & Dad's house was really nice. Christmas Day was a lot less stressful than Christmas Eve was! We opened presents and ate a glorious breakfast. Then we went home, unloaded our loot, and headed to the in-laws house. There were a lot of people there in a very small cramped house but we survived. Then around 8 o'clock last night we headed over to Big Country's sisters house for another wonderful meal.

Big Country got me the perfume I really wanted and a ring. I haven't got my ring yet. Apparently he went to go pick it up before Christmas and it hadn't been sized yet. So I haven't got to see it yet. By the end of the day yesterday I was so exhausted! Mason had a good Christmas! He got tons of toys. I will have to take a pic of him in his jumperoo. He is so cute in it. Mason had two big melt downs yesterday and I think it was b/cuz he was out of his routine, exhausted, and had been passed around quite a bit. He didn't want to sleep in his crib last night. I finally gave up b/cuz I had absolutely no energy and Big Country stayed up trying to get him to sleep. We would get him to sleep and as soon as you'd lay him down in his crib he'd wake up and get pissed. So, it was a battle.

We will be spending the rest of our weekend moving. Lovely. I can't wait until it's over with. I really and truely dislike moving and I'll be glad when it's over.

Have a great weekend and a safe and happy New Year!

Bah Humbug!!!!!!!

Well, I wish I could tell you that my Christmas Eve was off to a great start, but that would be a total lie. I'm realizing that I missed something in my marriage vows. Apparently somewhere in there it said "thou shalt not enjoy Christmas from this point forward" and I missed that part. I give. This Christmas is already hard enough and Big Country aka Ebenezer Scrooge insists on busting my balls every chance he gets. At this point, I don't even care about Christmas. My heart has a huge empty spot in it and yet I'm so filled with anger that I can't see straight. Merry F'in Christmas. I can't wait for it to be over and trust me when I say that things will be different next year!

working on Christmas Eve sucks butt

I am totally psyched about the fact that I get to work tomorrow. I'm layin' the sarcasm on pretty thick- in case you didn't pick up on it. I am only going in for a half day, which will entail our annual Christmas Eve party at work and probably no actual work. The people in the office that participated in the secret santa excuse will reveal their identity and exchange gifts. Those of us who opted to sit out of the fabulous gift exchange this year will do....? I am really not looking forward to tomorrow. Who wants to work on Christmas Eve?

Off to bed so I can get up and start a hectic day tomorrow.

Merry Christmas and God bless.

Tis the season

Well, just like clockwork, today kicked off our annual holiday blow out. Every year, a couple days before Christmas, Big Country and I have a good blow out and today was that fabulous day. It's always about the same thing too: money. It's like this- I am married to a big scrooge. He doesn't like Christmas for the following reason: It's stressful worrying about getting presents and what to buy etc., shopping for this person and that. That is a valid argument. The holiday season can be very stressful.

However.

I do ALL the shopping, decorating, cooking, planning, wrapping etc. All he has to do is show up, eat, open presents and be frickin merry. I think the only reason we have a Christmas tree this year is because of Mason. Last year I couldn't even get him to get up in the attic to get the shit down. Our attic is weird. It's a huge opening in the ceiling of the garage and there is no ladder. So Big Country stands on something kinda tall and can reach up there. I just try to avoid that situation altogether because with my luck I'd fall.

Big Country hates Walmart and he hates crowds and shopping. So, he waits until Dec. 23rd or 24th to go to Walmart to get something and then bitches and turns into a grump b/cuz there are tons of people and lines. I made the mistake one year of waiting on him to decide what he wanted to get his Mom and Step-Dad for Christmas. He kept putting it off and we ended up at the store on Dec. 23rd waiting in line for what seemed like hours. Now I just buy for everyone and don't ask for his input. So now he doesn't understand why we have to "buy for this one and that one". I stay within a very reasonable price range for each person, but we have a lot of people to buy for. What am I supposed to do tell people they didn't make our Christmas list this year? Uggggh- he irritates me.

I'm changing his name to Ebenezer. Bah Humbug.

I, on the other hand, have always loved Christmas and I am trying to keep my spirits up despite Big Country's "scrooge-like" attitude.

air drying is probably a better alternative????

on our girls shopping trip a couple weekends ago, a very funny story about big country came to mind. the girls and i stopped in at a big and tall store so i could shop for big country. let me tell you how hard it is to find jeans for big country. he wears a 40X34 which is always the biggest and hardest to find in a regular store. in a big and tall store- he wears the smallest size. so in the midst of my frustration of trying to find him jeans, i remembered this one pair of jeans i bought him when we were in Kansas City MO a few years ago. omg, they were hot and he looked so good on him. we bought them in Nov (the only reason i remember that is b/cuz we were in MO for thanksgiving) and in Feb the hot sexy jeans met their final resting place. i am still pissed that i only got to enjoy looking at his sexy ass in those jeans for two short months. the jeans were just a pair of levi's and i think it was the coloring/worn look that made the jeans look extra hot on him.

anyway, the story....

big country and i went to gatlinburg with a couple friends- who happened to be gay. that in itself was odd to me that big country wanted to go- seeing how homophobic he is. we rented a chalet in the mountains for a couple days. each bedroom had a heart shaped jacuzzi in it with a shower curtain that pulled around it so you could take a shower. big country gets in the shower and forgets to take his jeans off the platform around the jacuzzi. he realizes his jeans are wet and leaves the bedroom. i finish getting ready and walk out of the bedroom to smell smoke. wtf? there stands big country in his underwear- next to the OVEN. i soon figure out he put his jeans in the oven to dry them! it wasn't long after i asked him what the hell he was doing- that the sexy jeans caught on fire. he grabbed them out of the oven with some tongs and threw them in the fire that was going in the fireplace.

why would you put something flammable in the oven just to dry it? i'll never understand it. that's a man for ya. big country is such a damn hilljack sometimes (ok, maybe 99% of the time). nonetheless, i love the hilljack. i'll keep him around at least for the comedy value ;-)

Christmas traditions

Every Christmas Eve of my entire life has entailed a trip to Grandma and Grandpas for Christmas Eve dinner (the best meal of the year). Grandma would always make a huge spread. She made tons of food so we'd all have left overs to eat on Christmas Day and wouldn't have to cook. Oh my, she made the best party potatoes (mashed potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese) and mayonnaise cake ever. I don't really know what all is in the mayo cake but I know she puts miracle whip and cocoa and... she just "puts in a lil of this n a lil of that." It is the most moist chocolate cake ever. Isn't it funny how Grandmas bake and know all the tricks? I wonder if we will be the same way when we're grandparents- since now you can buy rolls of cookie dough to easily bake and I think most of us now-a-days don't 1. have the time in our busy lives to bake or 2. we don't know how. So it's easy to grab premade cookie dough.

Anyway, back to holiday traditions.... Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpas house always went the same. My Dad's side of the family is very small. So it's just my parents, uncle and wife, and gma and gpa. We would eat, eat some more, talk about how stuffed we are, and someone gets nominated to be Santa and pass out presents. Then after all the presents were open, we'd visit, and start packing up the car for our hour + drive home. I always enjoyed falling asleep in the car on the way home... from the time I was a kid til even know. I just always feel comfy, full, happy, and warm and snuggled in the car.

We are trying to start a new tradition this year. They say you should do that when you have lost a loved one. So, since this is our first Christmas without Grandpa, we are having Christmas Eve dinner at Uncle Ron and Aunt Deb's house. It will be better this way b/cuz Grandma just turned 83 and although she is in excellent shape, it's a lot of work for her to cook for all of us. So, we're all bringing a dish (like we have in the past) and Grandma is bringing party potatoes to my Uncle's! We've instructed her to only bring 3 things.

... but what's it going to be like when we all sit down around the tree to open presents and Grandpa (who was the rock of our family) isn't there? I can just hear my Grandma saying "this doesn't feel like Christmas" and it breaks my heart. Her first Christmas alone in 63 yrs. God love her.

Anyway, let's toast to the fond memories of old Christmas traditions and welcome the birth of new family traditions. Have a warm and safe weekend and goodluck with any last minute Christmas shopping. I know I will be out at some point tieing up loose ends.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goonight.

Thursday blahs and no sunshine.

It's been a few days since my last blog. I've been busy with getting ready for Christmas. I still have a few more things to get and I feel like I am running out of time. Tomorrow Big Country and I are leaving to go to Cleveland for his work Christmas party. We are staying the night in a hotel and might get up and hang around for a little while before we head back. We plan to spend Sunday packing and maybe start moving to the new house. That pretty much leaves Monday and Tuesday for me to finish up last minute ends with my Christmas shopping. I am getting scared, lol, AND I haven't even started wrapping anything. I think I will resort to a lot of gift bags this year. I know it's lazy compared to actually wrapping a gift, but with the little one and getting other things done- that's just how it has to be. I am hoping to get to the store tonight to get a few odds and ends needed to make a gift basket.
I'm feeling rather blah today. I don't have much else exciting to talk about. Of course, there is always drama with the in laws, but if I told you half the shit that goes on- you'd get tired of hearing it very quickly- trust me.
I am planning to make a candy cane cheesecake and buffalo chicken dip for Christmas Eve dinner, and a breakfast casserole for Christmas morning. I will post those recipes at a later date. I actually don't feel like doing it now and I would rather be lazy. I think my body is seriuosly lacking vitamin D from the sun.
Anyway, that's all for now. Sorry so boring- just in a blah mood.

A tribute to pickels

I am a pickel freak. Wait, let me specify that I am a dill pickel freak. I hate sweet pickels of any sort. It's strictly just dill for me. I have always been a huge fan of dill pickels. My brother and I both devoured pickels when we were little. One year for Christmas our Grandma got us a HUGE jar of pickels and don't ya know- we ate them all. So I was thinking about all the ways I like to eat pickels, and I came up with a list.

1. a crunchy pickel wrapped in a thin slice of ham

2. pickels on a sandwich of any sort

3. pickels dipped in ranch dressing or ranch type dip

4. sliced pickels on a peanut butter sandwich

5. fried pickels..... "aaaaaaah" the Gods have spoken (my favorite!)

6. pickel slices in tuna

7. pickels or pickel relish on a salad

8. pickels or relish in potato salad, deviled eggs, and egg salad

9. pickel sandwich (bread, butter, and pickels)

10. beloved pickel juice

If I said the word pickel would you think of the top picture or the bottom half? I think most people associate pickels with the top part of the picture. I think my friend- "the pickel" is very misunderstood. What about fresh pickels, aka cucumbers? There are so many ways to eat a cucumber that are so yummy. My Grandma always used to make pickels and onions. I make it now and it's always a family favorite. It consists of : thin sliced cucumbers (peeled), mayo, white vinegar, and seasoning (some put sugar in it). I also love cucumbers, tomatos, and onions tossed in some sort of vinegarette dressing. Simple and yet so fabulous.

How do you eat your pickels?

recapping and reminiscing~

well, monday is here- already. the weekends never seem long enough and i am always bumbed to start a new week. i got a ton of Christmas shopping done and i only have a few gifts left to give. i am trying to think of something to get my almost 6 yr old nephew. he has hundreds of toys and really doesn't need anymore. i wanted to get him something educational. any ideas? i thought about some kind of crayola set and maybe some books, but i'm still undecided.

the girls shopping trip on saturday was a huge success and we had a great time. i hope that we are able to make it an annual event. we shopped all day, stopped for a fruit smoothie break, shopped some more, had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, and crashed at the hotel. we shared a piece of white chocolate caramel macadamia nut cheesecake. "aaaaaaaaaaaaaah" (singing) it was fantastic. melon brought bagel dip to snack on at the room and let me tell you - it's the shit! i told her if she ever made it again i would have to kick her ass. mmmmmk!

we finally got Christmas pics taken yesterday. the place was a zoo and i could tell that Big Country was getting irritated. he's not much of a crowd person, but we got them done and they turned out so good! Here are a few:

it was so hard picking which ones we wanted! mason smiled in so many pics. he babbles all the time now and sometimes he gets pretty vocal.

this morning as i was getting ready for work, i found myself reminiscing on events that happened this time last year. it was almost a year ago (Dec 20th ish) that i became deathly sick and couldn't stop throwing up. i laid at home in bed for a day and couldn't keep anything down until i let my husband take me to urgent care. i sat in the waiting room- throwing up. the urgent care dr walked past the waiting room and saw me and called me back right away. he told me that i needed to go to the ER b/cuz i needed fluids. so onto the ER we went. i found out there that i was 2-3 weeks pregnant. so they gave me phenergan (sp) and fluids and sent me home. we announced that we were expecting at Christmas. we got my parents, brother and sis in law, and grandparents Christmas cards signed from Big Country, Lindsey, and baby Dunbar#1. everyone was so excited. now, our little present is here and growing like a weed!

i must get back to work. have a wonderful and safe day. i hope the holiday season is bringing you and yours much happiness.

God bless.

caylee anthony time line

i was just searching the internet for updates on the discovery of what they believe is caylee anthony's body in FL. i read that casey (mother) and grandparents have been notified of the find and the jail has put casey anthony in some sort of protective custody so she can't hurt herself- i'm assuming. as i said in a previous blog, i have just been catching bits and pieces of the search for caylee over the last few months. the time line that greta v. talks about is pretty fascinating. casey anthony is guilty, guilty, guilty! isn't it interesting that caylee disappeared mid june and casey hid from her parents and everyone for a month before the grandmother found casey and reported caylee missing? that speaks guilt right there- in my opinion! why was casey hiding out for a month? God, i pray that caylee didn't hurt or wasn't tortured. experts on nancy grace last night said that they obtained a search warrant for the gparents home and are likely looking to check the perforations of the trash bag and duct tape to see if it matches sampes at the gparents house. i'm wondering where this is all going to go. i hope they are able to trace dna on the garbage bag or tape that was used. poor little caylee...

well, tomorrow morning me and my besties head off to columbus for a day of shopping and a night of good laughs and tons of fun. we're staying in a hotel and i am so excited! we are going to have a blast! i hope you have a nice weekend full of happiness and holiday cheer!

Ta-ta!

have you heard? it's so sad.

Have you been following the story on the little girl (Caylee) that has been missing in Orlando FL since June? I have been catching bits and pieces on Nancy Grace over the last several months. I am convinced that the mother had something to do with the little girls disappearance. From what I have heard on N.G., she didn't sound like a very responsible nuturing mother. I am so anxious to hear what the cause of death is and what theory forensic experts come up with on the motive. It's pretty amazing that the mother, Casey Anthony, had no idea where Caylee was, but experts found traces of chloroform and a decomposing body in her trunk. And isn't it intersting that Casey Anthony nor the grandparents reported Caylee missing for a month?!! I don't understand this! If my son lived with my parents and they didn't see him for more than 24 hrs (or less)... they would be reporting it. I don't believe the grandparents took part in the girls death (I hope I am right), I am fairly certain they have known what happened and have been covering for Casey. Authorities may never find out what the grandparents role in this was. I hope they are able to solve this murder- like they did for Maria Lauterbach's death. The loss of a loved one can be tragic. Although, if my loved one had been murdered or disappeared, I think I would find it harder to find closure if the body was never recovered. I think I would never find closure.

Anyway, I love Forensic Files, Snapped, Cold Case (on A&E) and Dateline murder mystery shows. I can get pretty engrossed watching these shows. I find them suspenseful, intense, and intersting.

All we can do is watch and see how this unfolds.

moving :-( OR moving :-) that is the question.

so. very unexpectedly, my mind has been wrapped around making a decision and it's all i've thought about all week. i didn't really quite know or understand my feelings on making the decision. we are getting ready to move. we are currently living less than 5 min. from a krogers and everything is very accessible. we are moving approx 40 miles west of where we are now- and into the country. our nearest neighbor is 1/4mi away. i have always wanted to live secluded in the country. i am a little bit nervous about it b/cuz i am worried about the dogs. jack and bella will listen to commands... BUT ...gus (he's deaf)... (or goose as O calls him)- well he can't hear commands (or really anything else either, lol) and sometimes its hard to get his attention. right now we live in a court and gus just runs out in the street- there is essentially no traffic. we are going to live on a major road- back off the road, but i am scared to death that gus is going to get hurt. i love him to pieces. he makes us laugh EVERYDAY! he is so sweet but so crazy!

anyway, my mind has been engrossed on this all week. tonight we went back out to the house and took my dad, brent, and megs and i am happy to say that i think i am actually getting excited. im def. not excited to move, but i think that i will like living there. i am trying to be at peace with this b/cuz i know big country is going to love living there. so i am going to give it a try. i actually like the new house better than where we are living now.

i am going to be a little further away from my friends, but i hope they will come visit me in the boonies. :-)

so, moving :-) is my final answer.

mass mental confusion

my computer says it's 63 degrees outside! wouldn't that be freakin' nice? obviously it's not 63 degrees. it's been cold, dreary, and pretty rainy here. so earlier i sent bugs an email and mentioned something about it being 50 degrees outside. i clicked send and went on to doing other non-related work things. then she emailed me back and said exactly this: "It's 33 doll." I'm thinking to myself, what is 33 dollars? i didn't get it. so i minimized the email, went on doing more non-related work things... and kept trying to put it together.

(light bulb) then i got it! duh!

she was saying it's 33 degrees DOLL!

welcome back, self.

hump day

i am feeling rather blah today. work has been a real drag lately and rather boring to be honest. it's december 10th already which means that christmas is two weeks from tomorrow. omg. i have only two things bought.
this saturday is our girls shopping trip to columbus. me, two of my besties, and my dearest sis-in-law are going. we are departing early (well 9:00am) and going shopping at polaris mall and staying in a hotel. it will be a marvelous time! it will be nice to getaway, do some shopping (without my little bubby-mason), and have some much deserved, overdue, hard laughs. i really love being able to shop without the little one. it's just easier all the way around. anyway, i am counting the days til take off!

that's all for now.

thinking of you

it's a good thing bosshog is gone today b/cuz i have had lots to blog about today. i have a 15 yr old step daughter that lives in FL. she and big country have had a very strained relationship mostly due to her interfering mother. she came to visit us in June 2006. it was a very stressful time. my sister in law and 3 yr old nephew (at the time) moved back from CA and moved in with us. i was a full time nursing student in an intense program and big country had just started a new job, which took us years to adjust to with his crazy schedule. anyway, in the midst of a 3 yr old, school, and financial stress there were some tense moments. i made the mistake of calling my husbands ex a bitch and my step daughter over heard it. it caused a huge uproar. my step daughter flipped out and has hated me since. i wrote her a letter and tried to apologize and reconcile. i think a lot of it has to do with letting her mom down if she reconciles with me.
anyway, i'm over it. i'm over the devious behavior of my husbands ex and all the bullshit she puts my step daughter up to. it has taken me a long time to accept that i cannot change this situation. i think it's time to move on and i have. maybe someday she will want to have a better relationship with her dad and mason.
my step daughter, ash, is in the hosptial and i am worried about her. i care about her whether she likes me or not. big country says she doesn't hate me, but she has used me as an excuse to not come see her dad for 2 1/2 yrs. i hope that someday things will be different.
nonetheless, she is in my thoughts and prayers. we sent her a dozen pink roses and signed teh card from all three of us (big country, me, & mason). i pray the doctors take good care of her and get her medicine fixed.

mr. & mrs. crazy (my lovely in-laws)

last night i was blessed with a visit from my mother-in-law and her mean, grumpy, ignorant, husband who is 20 yrs older than her. this is mil's 5th marriage.
a few months ago, my husbands sister had a big surgery and was laid up at mil's house for a week. so for my sis-in-laws bday (while she was still recooperating) we had a get together at mil's house. i made a fabulous paula deen cake and took it over for a bday cake. well everyone was stuffed and there was a lot of cake left. so i told mil to finish off the cake (since sis in law and 5 yr old nephew had been staying there) and i would get the pan from her later. well i never got my pan back. it's just a metal cake pan with a tephalon coating. so mil showed up at our house for tgiving and made homemade mac n' cheese and brought it in my cake pan. she left the pan at my house on tgiving. so i washed the pan and put it away. then she comes over last night and says "oh i need to get my pan back." i froze and im sure the look on my face was priceless. i didnt want to start an argument b/cuz:
#1. big bad grumpy husband would have chimed in with his unrequested angry 2 sense.
#2. big country and i have had many arguments over the behavior of his mother (even though we both know she is crazy)
so... just to go with the flow and keep everything civil, i didn't say anything back to her. in the meantime, we eat dinner and they are getting ready to leave (thank you Lord). mil tells mason that he needs a sister. i said he has a sister (my 15 yr old step daughter)... and then we talk about that. then mil tells my husband that i need to get pregnant and have a girl and give it to her to raise. first of all, hello. i am right here. i just had Mirena put in a couple months ago - for a reason. i don't know if we want more kids or now, but that's not the point. so, anyway, mil and grumpy ass are getting ready to leave (thank you God) and she says "oh, i need to get my pan back." doooooa! so i officially surrendered MY metal, tephlon coated cake pan to my mil who claims its hers. let me also mention that she has dooped me for my crockpot when she claimed she couldn't find mine so she gave me her shitty one. my cobalt blue pyrex pie pan and casserole dish- gone. i finally had to say something to big country last night. he said we'll go to her house when she's not home and get our stuff back. so that's what we'll do and no one will say anything to mil.
every mannerism or attribute that mason has is not because of big country. this is getting old. according to her, EVERYTHING mason does is b/cuz big country supposedly did it. the sad thing is that no one knows what big country really did b/cuz she lies about EVERYTHING. for example, thurs. after mason's 4 mo check up mil called to see how the appt was. i told her that he got two shots and turned red and cried but quickly calmed down. she says "he's just like his dad. he doesn't like shots." ok, big country is petrified of needles. needles and snakes are his phobias. here are my issues with that:
#1. i have never seen a 4 mo that didn't cry from getting a shot
#2. mason is too young to know what a shot is or that it hurts
#3. 4 mo olds don't have phobias
#4. that doesn't make him like his dad.
it is possible that some of mason's attributes might be from ME. ya know, i am his mom so it is possible. i'm not trying to be petty here but if you could hear the number of times she says mason is like big country- for every single thing he does- you would think it's annoying too. mason fights sleep. my mom told me that i was the ultimate champion at it and she used to have to hold my head down to her shoulder when she'd rock me. nope- he fights sleep cuz big country did that too. uggggggggggggggh! she irritates the shit outta me!

On a happier note, here's a funny movie clip!

a good weekend topped off with a lil dose of monster-in-law

(sigh)... it's monday morning. the weekend went pretty well. i didn't get to see Four Christmases but Big Country promised to take me this week. friday night was spent with my brent and megs (my bro & sis-in-law). we went to eat chinese and then came back to the house to watch that "don't forget the lyrics" show and then went to bed. saturday we went to a christmas play at church. it was ok, but not as good as it has been in the past! it was still nice though. i am having a hard time listening to christmas songs. i'm ok with decorations, but the christmas songs make me homesick for my grandpa. so i just haven't been listening to much of it. mason stayed with my parents saturday night and Big Country and i came home, put on jammies, and watched a movie. we started out watching "tropic thunder" and we thought it was soooo stupid so we turned it off. then we ordered fred claus off paperview. fred claus was pretty good. i had taken a pill (since i didn't have mason) to help me relax and it worked beautifully! i had the best night of sleep and it was so overdue. i felt great yesterday.

yesterday... was ok. the in-laws came over for dinner. i found out they were coming about 45 min before they arrived. luckily, the house was clean for the most part. their visit was just like usual..... ANNOYING. i can't bitch to my husband about her (at least i try not to) so blogging is going to be a great outlet for me on this subject. Big Country knows how my MIL is and always will be... so complaining about it- it gets old hearing about it. so, hold onto your seats because it'll get good. my mother-in-law stories are usually good ones. stay tuned....

i must get some work done for now. have a good day...

ready...

... to get the heck outta here! Friday at 4:45... tick, tick, tick... I have been dieing to see Four Christmases because it looks really good and plus I really like Vince Vaughn. I am hoping to be able to see it sometime this weekend. We are going to a production of our church's Christmas concert tomorrow. It is always really good and is a good way to nuture the Christmas spirit.

Speaking of holiday spirit, it wouldn't be complete without watching my favorite Christmas movie. It's a classic!

This ones gonna be short and sweet! I'm off to start my weekend.

Extreme holiday gingerbread houses!

Hello! I hope your snuggled into your warm houses, out of the cold, and are enjoying the Holiday season. If it's warm where you are- I'm jealous. Moving on... last night I posted some unusal Christmas tree pics. Well, I was watching a show earlier tonight called "Extreme Christmas" and it showed all kinds of Christmas light displays all over the country. Then it went on to talk about extreme gingerbread houses. I guess I never realized how extravagant and exquisite these gingerbread houses can be! This is what I think of when I think of a gingerbread house...

...and I would be proud of myself if I did that. I have never attempted to make a gingerbread house, but I imagine that it would be time consuming, fun, frustrating, and take some creativity. Check this next one out!

what about this one....

... that just blows my mind! and one more...

I just think these are so amazing and detail oriented. I never knew that people were taking gingerbread houses to a whole other level! LOL It's glorious!

a psychiatrists dream (sounds like a Dr. Phil episode!)

How to Spot a Pathological Liar

* They change their story all the time
* They will exaggerate and lie about everything, the smallest and easiest things to tell the truth about and the big serious things
*What ever you do, they can do it better.
*They often don't value the truth, and can often live in their own type of reality.
*They will act defensively when questioned or challenged, they see their lies as not hurting anyone
*They lie for sympathy or to seem better
*They usually never own up to the lies
*They contradict what they say, they lose track of the many lies told
*They lie because they are insecure

Do you know anyone like this? This is my mother-in-law to a "T." She has every symptom and you wouldn't believe some of the stuff that she comes up with! It has been a huge eye opening experience getting to know my mother-in-law. There is not enough time in the day for me to tell you all the crazy things that she comes up with. Her kids even know how much of a problem she has with lieing. Their philosophy is that's the way she is and most of the time they let it go in one ear and out the other. I came from a totally different family and this has been very hard for me to accept. I was always taught that lieing was something you just don't do. My Dad's biggest pet peave is lieing. So... that's how I grew up. It is hard for me to look at my MIL b/cuz all I can think about while she is talking is that it's all a lie. She lies about small things- like what she had for dinner... to huge things. I could write a book on my MIL based on the 5 yrs we have been together. I try not to complain or gripe about her to Big Country, but damn... sometimes you just can't help it. This is a big source of frustration and anger for me. I am trying to deal with it better, but it's definately going to take some work.

He's a big boy now

Mason just turned 4 mo on Tuesday and last night was the first night he slept in his crib. He was been in his bassinet in our bedroom since we brought him home from the hospital. His Uncle Brent fed him his bottle last night (a total new experience for Uncle Brent) and shortly after that he passed out on his Uncle's chest. He did so good last night for his first night in his crib. He slept through the entire night and I had to wake him up at 8:15 to get ready for his Dr. appt!! Typically he goes down at 9-9:30, sleeps until 5 or 6am, gets up to eat, and lays back down for a couple more hours. I was so grateful to sleep through the morning.

Mason had a Dr. appt this morning- his 4 mo check up! Wow! 4 mo already? Anyway, the pediatrician was happy with Mason's growth and overall health. He weighs 17 lbs 4.5oz and is the 85th percentile for his weight! He is 24 3/4" long and is in the 45th percentile for his height. He got two shots- one in each thigh. He turned bright red, screamed, they put a couple band aids on him and I scooped him up and cuddled him. He was heart wrenching! He cried for about two minutes and then settled right down.

The Dr. said that we can start cereal anytime now but to start with rice cereal. So, we will try that out this weekend. The Dr. asked about his sleeping habits, and I was reluctant to answer. Mason has always been a good sleeper, but he does not like to sleep on his back. He will sleep on his back for a very short time and then he's up. He has acid reflux and babies that reflux don't typically like to be on their backs. Anyway, he sleeps on his boppy- kind of hugging it with his knees bent.

I think they used to say that it was ok for babies to sleep on their bellys and now they say to stick with the ABC's: Alone, on their Backs, in their Crib. So, anyway, the Dr. wasn't happy with how he sleeps. I may look at trying something other than the boppy, but I don't know how he will do sleeping on his back.

Mason smiles all the time and loves it when you talk to him. He tries to talk back and is making new noises all the time. He is trying to giggle and is about to bust out laughing at any moment. It's precious. He is getting to be so much fun. The other day he was at the sitter sleeping in the crib on his tummy. He had slid out of his boppy and was laying flat on the mattress. He pushed himself up with his arms and stiffened his arms for a few seconds (like he was doing a push up) and then laid back down. It was an "awww" moment. I am amazed everyday at how much he is changing and growing.

The tree is done, but I am still working on getting the rest of our decorations up. I took pics and hope to be able to post tonight. That's all I have for now.

Have a good one!

Interesting Christmas trees

I found some unusual Christmas trees that I wanted to share.

#1. None other than the glass beer bottle tree- this is the true meaning of recycling.

#2. Then, of course, there is always the upside down tree???

(what the ....?)

#3. Last but not least, there's the keg tree.

It's 5 o'clock somewhere

The work day is almost over!!! Aaaaaaahhhhh (singing). We still had some left over ham from Thanksgiving. I threw beans and ham in the crockpot this morning and I am looking forward to a warm bowl of yummy beans.

Brent and Megs (bro & wife) are coming over to eat with us and I am hoping to recruit my sister-in-law to help me put up Christmas decorations or watch Mason so Mommy can get decorations put up.

Last night, I finally got the tree up and put a bunch of lights on. Mason started fussing and I took care of him and went back to the tree to find the bottom half of the trees lights were out- son of a bi*ch. So after feeding Mason and getting him ready for bed, I finally got the chance to fix the light situation. I'm realizing that it's hard to do the little things- like putting up Christmas decorations when you have a little one. I'm finding I have to do a lot of things in segments and sometimes it can be frustrating. So last night after the lights were on teh tree I did my usual straightening up and before you know it it was 12:30 am. Mason was fussing at 3am and then 7am and needless to say, Mommy didn't get as much sleep as needed. However, I can't wait to get my decorations up and start enjoying them!

I've decided I need the Dog Whisperer for 3 little 4 legged friends at my house. They have been bad lately and it's very frustrating. Two major problems:

1. pottying in the house

2. getting in the trash

We had Gus (our deaf dog) neutered the day after Christmas last year. (LOL) Merry Christmas Gus! (j/k) I still finding him hiking his leg in the house! I rarely catch him in the act, but when I do I spank him. I don't know what else to do. Bella knows better so I'm not sure what her problem is. Jack went through bootcamp when he was a puppy and he KNOWS not to potty in the house. The other two.... (sigh)... are a different story.

Then, just when your're good and pissed off at them for being bad, Gus takes off running laps through the house- trying to get traction on the hard floors (like last night) and it's hilarious!

Pop! Champagne anyone?

Bosshog probably won't give you any either. He's a scrooge!

The work day is winding down. Bosshog has been in meetings and right now he is currently getting ready for a champagne tasting we are hosting.


I work for a beer/wine distributor and I order various wines from vineyards mostly in CA, but some come from Italy, Chile, Australia etc. Big Country is working pretty much all night... so it's just me and Mason and my three barking shitski's!

Do babies dream? I was talking to Mason's sitter today and she said he was sleeping very peacefully in the crib and with no warning- just started screaming. She said he screamed like someone had pinched him or something. He screamed for a while and he was changed, fed etc... so we wondered if he was having a bad dream? He finally settled down and last I heard he was sleeping again.



Well, I booked a hotel room for our girls shopping trip today. A couple of my besties and I are going to Columbus to go shopping in a couple weeks. I'm not sure if we're doing any serious shopping, but it will be a much needed/deserved getaway for a night. It will be a great time.

That's all the news I have for now. Have a safe, warm, relaxing evening!

Ta-ta

My very own show & tell

Show and tell, wow, that was a looooooong time ago- kindergarten maybe? So, picking up- after 25 yrs.... LOL...here goes!

Well, today was a wet snowy day. Work was pretty laid back today. "Bosshog" (my boss, Larry) left around lunch time and didn't come back. Hence- the few blogs I posted earlier this afternoon. By the way, Bosshog loves his title! He's a fun boss about 90% of the time. He has to PMS every now and then- but he is really laid back and has a great sense of humor. I have a pic of him on a bulletin board in my cubicle. I stick push pins in him when he irratates me. It's all in good fun!

I have a few pics to share...

I went to the store tonight to get a bunch of odds n' ends and bought this blankie/rattle for Mason D.

Mason is getting to be more funner everyday. I really don't think I just said that right. LOL, anyway- you get the point. He is full of big smiles and is trying to talk. He has been trying to giggle and he's just about got it! It's so cute. People say he looks like Big Country (and he does) but tons of people have been telling me he has my eyes and lips. We're just so thankful that he is healthy and growing after the slow start he had into the world. It's been cold, dreary, rainy/snowy so much lately. My girlfriends and I are talking about taking a trip somewhere together to celebrate our 30th b-days next fall. We've been tossing around ideas and looking at books and pics of beautiful beaches etc.... and I wanted to share some pics of our trip to Jamaica.

This is from the terrace where we ate breakfast...
This is sunset at dinner....

My brother and sis-in-law got married in Montego Bay Jamaica. This is my sis-in-law, "Aunt Megs," with her Dad. Her Dad is full blood Coasta Rican and Megs is 1/2. Her Dad was adopted into the US as a small infant. His mother was a young 16 yr old girl who put him up for adoption. Megs has expressed interest in researching her Coasta Rican roots, and I have been encouraging her to do so. So we'll see...

Megs is the sweetest person I have probably ever met. She is so good with Mason and he loves his Aunt Megs too!

That's all I have for now...

Have a blessed night and I hope your holiday season is off to a good start!

Dear Santa, I've been a good girl

This, my friends, is my FAVORITE perfume ever! I have been in love with it for about 7 yrs and I've never owned a bottle. Until recently, I could only find it at Saks and we don't have a Saks in my area. I recently found it at Macys and I have dropped some pretty big hints so I hope that Santa is good to me ;-)

Mmmmmm, I love it!

Holiday fun

I got this from in my overactive head and I thought it would be fun.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? usually both, depending on what the gift is.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artifial.
3. When do you put up the tree? Around the 1st of December... hopefully tonight!
4. When do you take the tree down? After New Years.
5. Do you like eggnog? no
6. Favorite gift received as a child? probably a barbie or easy bake oven??
7. Hardest person to buy for? My Dad- he never wants much and has most everything
8. Easiest person to buy for? My bro and sis-in-law
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes I do.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? around now usually.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? no
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Party Potatoes (mashed potatoes with sour cream, butter and cream cheese mixed in... its wonderful)
16. Lights on the tree? Yes, usually clear lights.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Rockin' around the Christmas Tree, O Holy Night.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? We stay home.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? I think so!
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? a Christmas bear
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve (since I was born) is always at Grandma's house. We open presents and eat tons of food. Christmas morning is at my Mom and Dad's house.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? not enough time.
23. What theme or color are you using? I don't know yet. I have to get out the Christmas stuff and see what I have and what I need. I'll take pics.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Anything my Grandma makes is always wonderful!!!
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? some perfume, clothes, a ring with Mason's birthstone and anything else Santa wants to bring me.
26. Do you have a favorite ornament?Yes I do. :-)
27. Gifts from Santa? Wrapped or Unwrapped? Yes please, wrapped please

Merry Christmas friends!

Good day. Is it over yet? LOL, just kidding. The girls at work are drawing names for the secret santa this year. I opted to sit out of the gift exchange this year. The women at work are VERY catty and love to talk about people. I like to keep to myself and stay away from the b.s. There are a select few that I enjoy talking with, but ultimately I didn't see the point in shopping for gifts for someone that I don't particularly care for- or maybe they don't care for me. So, I think we can all save each other some time.

On the other hand, I have started my shopping. I found a neat shirt for my husband and a picture frame for my bro and sis-in-law... let me show you their pic. I love them. I only have one sibling- my lil bro. He picked a fabulous wife too! Here they are: my lil bro (aka Cousin Eddie "Merry Christmas, the shitter was full!) and Megs.

I love doing silk flower arrangments and I happen to be good at it. I am planning on making some for gifts this year. I had planned on going to the store yesterday but it didn't pan out. I am planning on taking over one of our garages for the month of December and spread everything out and go to town. I will be sure to post pics!

My grandma bought Mason his Christmas present yesterday... sssshhhhh, don't tell him. She got him a Rainforest Jumperoo. He will be able to bounce and bounce and bounce.... it will be entertaining to watch I'm sure.

I printed out a bunch of Mason pics yesterday so I am finally all set to start on his scrapbook. I am hoping to get started on that soon.

That's all I have for this moment... maybe more later.