Friday, November 30, 2007

a post a day....that's all we ask!

lol! supposed to be a take off of the Blue Diamond almond slogan: a can a week...that is all we ask. anyway...... a couple peoples' blogs that I read (Lisa D and Moriah) are challenging themselves to post every single day in December. I think it is a great idea!! kinda like that whole picture a day for the month of December from last year.....but without photos! lol!

I am going to try it. yeah....I have been totally horrible about my blog posting recently so maybe this will get me going?!?!?

so be forewarned.......I can't guarantee anything close to exciting....but there will be something new here every day next month!

Monday, November 19, 2007

the writer's strike.....then & now.....

then would be 1988. the time of the last writers' strike. I remember it like it was yesterday......if I had total amnesia! honestly......I don't remember a darn thing about it. didn't know it happened. didn't notice shows disappear....though how can anyone miss all the reality tv that has been credited to being born during the strike.

now would be 2007 and the current tv writers' strike. talk about hitting close to home. R asks almost daily how many weeks before there is no tv. this is the kid who would gladly watch a rerun 10 times. but he is sitting there almost in tears at the end of Ugly Betty or Pushing Daisies wondering how much longer until they are gone. reminding him that he survived the summer hiatus does little to console him. he is like the walking dead.

and for myself.....yeah, I am paying more attention. the Grey's Anatomy writers haven't updated their blog after the past few shows. it wasn't a requirement but a really fun read. they blog as well as they write the series. but almost more so......a break with room for a few reruns wouldn't upset me too much......afterall we did miss a few of the early episodes of Reaper and Women's Murder Club. and I could always use a little more free time during the Christmas season.

so.....am I more vested because there is better tv on now? because I am more tired at the end of the day and want to veg and watch it instead of pshing through my massive homework load from college?!?!? who knows! my most memorable tv experience from the late 80s was watching a football game with J (while doing homework) and making a correct statement about a player's position. truly remarkable! lol!!

but at the end of it all.....give me a freakin' break!! how can you NOT think that the writers aren't being cheated if they don't get paid when we watch their shows online?!?! aren't you getting paid for those ads running along side them and in between scenes?? heck, I can't even fast forward through them like I can on my Tivo! and what about when you actually make us PAY to download them from iTunes???? I realize with an unknown future no one wants to give away the farm (or residual)......... but I have read lots of legal documents. why not include renegotiation clauses or something if you are feeling worried about a particular situation?

sheesh! give me back my tv!!!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

the grateful 12of12......

yep! it was the 12th again. funny how that day rolls around about the same time every month! this month's bonus picture is based on *grateful.* but how does one really limit being grateful to just one photo?!?!

courtesy of all those who served in the military and the merger of my employer with a company that recognizes Veteran's Day.........I was grateful to sleep in to 7:53. J wasn't so lucky and had to work. the boys didn't have school and slept in even later than me.

at a little after 8am the temperature was 48 degrees. not bad but made me grateful to be able to walk back in to the heated house! lol!!

D wasn't grateful to have to do homework. but atleast he was grateful that it was being done at home instead of in detention.

and I am grateful to be the mother of two able boys. notice I didn't say willing! lol! but they raked both lawns and R mowed them both. I guess J should be grateful for this too......without the boys this would be his job!

R actually enjoys raking leaves. I think he gets a sense of accomplishment seeing a big pile of leaves emerge from what doesn't look like much across the backyard. I am grateful that he doesn't complain (most of the time) about doing work around the house.

I taught this weekend for Cosmo Cricket and one of the things we used were their Buck Naked Ornaments. I decided they would be perfect for a project I was working on so made myself a few. and since I am using the Cosmo Cricket Be Good paper line......I sure am grateful that these match!

almost forgot to take this picture! can you believe it?!?!? 1100+ miles last month! UUUGH! looks like that is my new norm. guess I should be grateful that I have a running car and that R is smart enough to go to a special school even if it DOES take on the miles, right?!?!?

the Scouts were doing a fundraiser at a local pizza place last night (see next photo). we got there early and R found a couple playing the game Magic. course he got himself invited to sit down and join them. by the time he came home that evening he knew all about the game and wanted to play himself! he should be grateful that they were so nice and helpful!

the Scouts were really there to bus tables, deliver food, etc. R did a good job taking around pizzas and cleaning up after people. but there were atleast 2 Scouts per customer so things were slow most of the time. the nice thing was that Round Table donated 20% of the take for the evening to the Scouts. talk about something to be grateful for! gotta love companies that are really willing to do things like this.

here is my own personal Primo Supremo! lol! do I really need to say why I am grateful???

croak! gag! blech!!!!!! this is killing us.........seriously killing us! AND this is the price at Costco. the regular stations were at $3.44 a gallon. that is 19 cents per gallon of being grateful for joining Costco! lol!!

when I brought D home from our pizza (and gas fill up) we had a little friend waiting for us on the front porch. D didn't get a chance to see it because the frog had hidden himself before D got close, but I grabbed a couple photos. I asked the frog to turn around and pose, but his butt was about all I got! lol! it was a nice reminder to be grateful that our area isn't so developed that there aren't frogs to happen upon once in awhile. that frog is probably pretty grateful that I have a remote for our garage door so that Tessa didn't pounce on him the minute I opened the front door!

finishing up my project tonight I actually went so far as to play my iTunes Christmas mix and drink some egg nog. I had gotten it for our mock Christmas with Cecilie but had forgotten to bring it out. it is the *light* version and you can definately tell the difference......but after drinking 2 mug fulls I am grateful it wasn't the regular full fat version! lol!

and finally........I am darn grateful that Chad has this monthly challenge! so many things that might have slipped by.....every day generic dorky moments that are caught because one day a month I have a goal to take 12 (or 13) photos.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

been awhile......

tomorrow is 12of12 so before that happens I thought it would be a good idea to do a 10 second tidy on the blog and catch everyone up to date.

on the 26th, C arrived from down south and we started our whirlwind celebration of Halloween with a little Christmas thrown in. if you check out her blog (linked in the Oct 30th blog entry) you can atleast see some photos of what happened.......even if you can't read Danish! lol!!

we went to the pumpkin patch, visited a haunted house, had dinner at Weiner Works, L&L Hawaiian BBQ, Big Joes BBQ, had a merry little Christmas (little being the operative word), saw Nightmare Before Christmas, took a mini Christmas album class, carved pumpkins, went to the Jelly Belly factory, went to the zoo to see the penguins, ate at the Hard Rock, had lots of Starbucks, Trick or Treated, made Halloween treat packets, volunteered at R's school, ate breast cancer awareness bagels at Panera (actually VERY tasty!!), and of course met some LM friends for dinner at Chevys! whew! even just typing it wore me out! lol! we totally had a blast while she was here but I think we wore her out a little bit.

then C and I took off for Detroit for the LM crop. what a BLAST we had!!! we were lucky enough to sit near each other......so it kinda extended the feeling of her visiting a little longer. I roomed with Peggy and it was SOOO great seeing her and Stephanie (and everyone else too) again.

I flew home late Sunday and had Monday off. I pretty much spent it on the couch watching tv and almost napping. Tuesday I woke up to go to work and was sick. my head was so clogged that I was getting dizzy just looking side to side to drive. so back home I came and into bed for a majority of the day.

this past weekend I taught again for Cosmo Cricket at the Sacramento Scrapbook Expo. it was fun! I only taught 2 different classes each day so I felt a little repetitive........ but it was easier than teaching 4 different classes. R had a band event in the afternoon so I went to see it and then brought him back to the crop to help with Make & Takes. as always the women just thought that a scrapping boy was the cutest thing....... and let me tell you........ that boy is a serious salesman!!! I really wish I could have videotaped or even tape recorded his spiel. he was selling Buck Naked Chipboard like there was nothing more grander!! at one point I just started busting out laughing because he was s-m-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-t-h!!! he sounded like he had been a scrapper for the past 11 years! really!!

to finish off the weekend......I actually cooked! lol! I cooked yesterday but it was just a soup mix and crescent rolls. today I made chili (lots and lots of chili), cornbread, and pineapple upside down cake. I was in the mood for the cake when I made it but by the time we had it after dinner I wasn't in the mood anymore. but it was still good!! I really loved the chili. J thought it would be too spicy for me but I thought it was terrific. good thing too because there is enough leftover for 2 more meals! good thing because I doubled the recipe and there was 4 lbs of meat in there! lol!!

tomorrow is 12of12 and Veteran's Day observed. not sure what I will have to take pictures of except atleast a photo of R working at a local pizza place to raise money for his Scout Troop. if you live in the greater Sacto area and want to come support them, drop me a line and I will give you the info!

also.....take a moment today or tomorrow to say a prayer for all Veterans and those who are actively serving now. while we may not agree with the war we should all support the soldiers and their families!

Saturday, November 10, 2007