And, away we go. I guess I will put on my party hat tonight and celebrate. I haven't been in much of a partying mood, but hey - it's kind of a tradition. I am partial to the hat on the far left, myself. Very colorful.
I am finally getting my house back into some kind of mild chaos. That is normal for me. My refrigerator still needs cleaned out.
My niece and nephew and about three carloads are going here, tonight. My daughter and a bunch of her friends are going to a skate place in town, they have a get together from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. How cruel to make the parent pick them up at 7 a.m., but that's the breaks. I'll be there. Not sure if I'll be bright eyed and bushy tailed. I'll be bushy-something.
I will be partying with friends and family. The family member having this get together used to have a real doozy of a New Years Eve party. We started them about 25 years ago, and because of age and common sense have mellowed out quite a bit. I haven't been to their place on New Years eve in quite a few years. Should be good times.
I want to be like this picture today. Instead, I am the scrooge. Bah Humbug! Merry F*#king Christmas! Happy F*#king New Year! Oh, how I wish I could put a sunshine hat on and be happy. I always hated the song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". Shoot those people, would you? It could be the after the holidays blues.
Went to traffic court with my niece today. Nine months license suspension. $95 fees. I thought she was lucky. She thought it was too severe.
I have three more families I am supposed to visit for the holiday. They are all within a 20 mile radius of each other, but more than forty miles away from my house. I am sure that I am going to have to break them down into two days, because of work schedules.
Unseasonably warm for this time of year. I want to crawl into bed and sleep. Forget the visiting, forget the decorations, forget the New Year celebrations. Sleep. However, once I lay down, a million thoughts will start racing through my head. You need to do this, you need to do that. Where is that paper? Where is this paper? I am famous for losing important papers. And waiting until the last minute to try and find them. I hate this about myself.
How about that for a New Years resolution? To try and stay more organized about paperwork. Not more organized about everything in my life - that would be setting myself up for failure. But, just the important papers. Maybe that is why some people pay their bills as soon as they get them, because they lose them.
I want to go back to the video store and rent more movies. Then I can come home, make some hot chocolate and watch movies all evening. That is what I really want to do. Shut out the outside world. I have to force myself to be sociable. I don't think that is such a bad thing. So many people are too sociable. It takes all kinds to make up this crazy world, I am just not so outgoing. I like my down time.
I have been behind on the newspaper readings and haven't turned my television on except to watch a DVD. I have heard of the horrors in Asia and want to learn more. I found this web site today:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/tsunami/
Sending a little warmth over.
Oh, I wonder what this arbor looks like at this time of year. I was there on Christmas day, but I don't mind telling you; I didn't spend much time outside. They had a severe ice storm. One time, I was moving my car so I drove around the block. One neighbor had his trees tied to his mail box. I asked my brother-in-law "Did he think they were going somewhere?" He said, "No. They had completely bent down over his driveway and he couldn't get his car in." Oh.
I was a wuss and did not take any pictures of the beautiful sun streaming down on the ice covered tree branches. It was awesome.
I rented The Terminal and The Day After Tomorrow. Two movies that I missed when they first came out on video/DVD. I really liked The Terminal, and was very disappointed in The Day After Tomorrow. Come to think of it, I didn't care for Deep Impact, either. There is just something about them that I don't believe. Oh, I know. They are science fiction! I can't put my finger on it, but there seem to me to be many holes in the story lines. As for The Day After Tomorrow; can you say The Poseidon Adventure? It just felt like I was watching that movie all over again. And, what do they propose to do after all that snow melts? Better build an ark. To quote Bill Cosby "How long can you tread water?"
...my daughter's boyfriend put this on his head. Heck, I may never know what these things really are. She got them for Christmas, a lime green one and a hot pink one. Not knowing what to do with them, this is what happens. Funnier still was when they put them over their hands and blew them up. No pics of that, though.
I received an email reading about Charlie Daniels' soapbox. Have you read any of it? He really goes off on some issues, I tell you. Sounds like my brother. He was all into that soldier of fortune stuff a few years ago. I don't know. Both sides have good points. I still don't trust the government. I am not sure I am a very trusting person at all. I don't want to be a trusting person when it comes to the government. I just can't be. However, I also want to support what is right. There has to be a middle ground somewhere. I just don't lean all the way left or right. I just can't be that undiscerning.
I try to stick close to the issues that will concern me personally, when I get information overload. What do you think about this? I don't know. I never was exposed to "this". How do you feel about abortion? Well, I never had to make that decision. I am not sure what I would do if I ever were faced with a dilemma. How do you feel about gun control? My brother hunts. I love my brother. He has helped me a lot. He is a wonderful person. He volunteers his time endlessly as a volunteer fireman and EMT. He literally saves lives for free. (soldier of fortune, brother.) I have another brother who wouldn't touch a gun with a 40-foot pole. He also, has helped me a lot.
For some people issues can be black and white. For me, no. I can always see something more into it. There are always exceptions to every rule. I'll get off my soapbox, now.
... my oldest sister and her husband. I recall the wedding day pretty well. I remember we all wore velvet dresses. Mine was a rich chocolate brown with white lace sleeves. My sister (the one who married that day) made all the dresses, I think. Her bridesmaids wore deep red and deep forest green velvet gowns. The flower was the white and red poinsettias of course.
My Mom never let me wear the velvet dress to school I never wore it again. What good was it just hanging in the closet? In order to realize that velvet was the material to wear, you must remember Bobby Vinton's "Blue Velvet" 'She wore bluoooooooohhhhh......velvet!'
Somewhere the breeze is warm. Somewhere far south from here. Another time, another place. Why is January, February and March so long? I think it ought to be mandatory that everyone take a week or two and go South during those three months. I dread the long, dark days of January. No break from work until Easter or Spring break. Sure, a day here or there for President's day or MLK day, but no really long break. Who wants a Monday off when it's 2 degrees outside? Give me a break. Give us a week or two off so we can head south.
Some lights on my tree framed in sky blue. The Christmas day has come and gone. I sit here quietly looking at my tree in the soft evening light. The major mess is cleaned up and bagged for garbage. Carefully sorted through as only a Mother would do. Looking for lost gifts that slid off of the shiny paper into the melee on the floor.
Tired of ham sandwiches already, we have moved on to tuna and mayonnaise. Giving the oven a well-deserved rest. (Not to mention, Mom.) The younger generation still had the energy to go shopping and visiting. Mom chose to stay behind, clean and bask. More basking than cleaning. (grin)
Nope. Just a blue Christmas ornament up close. This was from the party on the 18th. Their tree ornament. I lost all my pics from yesterday at my sister's house. Bah humbug! I went to take a last picture of the huge cat, Dolomite and I received a "memory card error". Well, I knew what that meant. Poof! Up in smoke. It may have been static electricity. It may have been because I let the battery run too low on my camera. Don't know. Too sad.
I think maybe my daughter's favorite present is this one. Can't seem to get her away from it.
It is a cold Sunday morning here in Ohio. The cleaning up of the tornado continues. I have discovered (I think) the name of the storm that went through all our living rooms that evening. You can read about it here.
My sisters said they were hit with that same tornado last night. At least I didn't have to host a dinner for family the day after it hit. I can't see my carpet in the living room, yet.
I think my daughter's favorite gift this year was the mp3 player (shown above). My niece and nephew both have an ipod, I wanted something different. We are very, very happy with the Zen.
Add a pretty red cardinal to the fencepost in the scene. The one I wrote yesterday for Peace on Earth. When you think about it, I guess most birds aren't very peaceful. They are rather mean, ruthless creatures. But, for the sake of a painting or a picture, we will add one red bird sitting quiet on the fence. A bright contrast against the white background of the snowy field and dull gray/brown tree line.
Ha! Did anyone get the name of that tornado that hit my living room last night, Christmas eve? Anyone? No? Alright. I guess I'll just start the clean up. After I head north for an hour and visit with wonderful, beautiful family.
I am exhausted, but extremely happy. I butchered my poor ham trying to slice it for sandwiches with one of my knives from here. I kept saying, "I wish I had an electric knife". I got one for Christmas. It even has its own case! Fancy! I finished the rest of the ham with my new "toy". Not really a good idea after 4 Michelob's. But hey, that is about half of what I used to be able to down in an evening. Regardless, the knife works beautifully. We can have slices for our sandwiches now, and not chunks. But, chunks are good, too.
I have lemon bars, cookies, pickles, olives, mild peppers, deviled eggs, cheese ball/tray with trail bologna sitting ready to go north. We need to shower and then head out the door. Maybe we should let our hair dry first. It is like 10 degree Fahrenheit out there. Brrrr.
Stay warm and I hope you all have a wonderful, merry Christmas! Think soft, velvety snowflakes falling on a snow covered field. There is a tree line in the distance with deer peeking out now and again. There is an old wooden fence in the foreground. Maybe a wagon wheel leaning up against it. On the left are some tall, snow covered pine trees. A red fox darts out of the woods, his hopping makes a few dents in the white fluff before he heads back into the woods - into safety. Slowly dusk falls over the field giving it a blue, glazed tint. That is a scene I would like to look at while sitting by my fire drinking hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream. My cat curled up in my lap. My dog curled up at my feet. Beautiful Christmas music playing softly in the background. Ahh, Peace on Earth.
I like my steak, medium well. I was a short order cook in a restaurant in 1975. I cooked the steaks on a charbroiler. I still recall the customer who came in every Friday night and ordered his Delmonico steak rare.
In 1976 I worked at Ponderosa Steak House. For 30 years I have known what rare, medium rare, medium, medium well, and well done mean. I am taking the above picture with me each time I go out to dinner, now.
Cutting into my steak and having the juices run red all over my baked potato is NOT medium well. Damons! Each time I eat there, I swear I am not going back. Aside from them not knowing how to cook a steak, I get an apology from the manager each time I visit. This time it was because our appetizer (The sampler platter) came after the meal. They said it was because they were behind on the potato skins. (Which ended up being hard as a rock). And, they were out of the first steak I ordered.
My daughter loves to play the trivia game. (I think she likes to see how close to a screen name she can get without actually putting a curse word up there). My niece likes the fried onions. I must remember to stick to the ribs, there.
Yesterday, we went to the mall just for fun. Like I said, I go just to watch the people. They were getting so antsy. I try to spread kindness and cheer around me. I did get some people to chuckle last night.
Fresh out of the oven and kissed. I like to make them as small as possible. More kiss to the cookie dough. Well, I guess more cookies, too. That is probably why I get tired. If I rolled the balls bigger, I would be done quicker. Timer is calling, again. Off I go!
Here we are in the rolled in sugar/ball stage before baking. A bit lumpy, but they will taste the same. I was getting tired of rolling. The glasses are there - can't read the recipes like I used to. I think it's a conspiracy.
Here we are in the batch phase of Peanut Butter Blossoms. I had to start somewheres, so I chose them. I double the batch (of course) and away we go. At least I didn't dust my kitchen and myself with flour this time. That is a minor miracle in itself.
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...not much yellow, red and orange gets posted here. So, I decided to take one of my more colorful pics from a party on Saturday night and frame it in a goldenrod for a splashy effect.
At the party we had sloppy jo's (I had made them earlier for my crew on Saturday so I had them twice that day), but we also had shrimp cocktail. Mmmm! One of my favorites. As long as it is ice cold and served with a decent cocktail sauce.
I make a simple sauce with catsup and horse radish. That is how I made it when I was a cook in 1975 and that is how I still make it. I was supposed to add chili sauce, but that stuff just looked gross. It was all the way in the back of the cooler and looked to be about 50 years old. It was in this huge 2 gallon container and was all crusty on the edges. Nobody ever complained and the shrimp sold pretty quick. I always added a couple so I could have them, too.
My friends make wonderful cookies. There were all kinds of tasty treats. I tend to stick to the basics. Chocolate chip, m&m, sugar cookies, rice krispy treats, peanut butter kisses, and buckeyes. Have you tried the new Nestle Swirled chips? Semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate swirled together into a chip? I haven't tried them in cookies, yet. They have not made it that far.
My daughter had an appointment with a new dermatologist today. She said that she is going to remove some of a mole on her back, because it looks as if it is growing back. Then, we can be doubly sure. She said it is not unusual for them to grow back. They are rather persistent.
The only problem for me is, my insurance doesn't cover this doctor. They cover no female dermatologist. My daughter doesn't feel right with a male doctor. I plan to call my insurance company tomorrow to ask about this. I have to foot the bill, 100%. They will remove the mole in February - in the office. No la la drug, like before on September 3rd, when they removed 7 moles from her back. Not looking forward to this. But, it will only be as bad as the IV was for her with the la la drug. Some stinging will occur.
Had lunch with my sister and her husband. She always has a funny story to tell about herself. This one was so bad, I don't think I would have told anyone. The things she can get herself into! I wish there had been a video camera.
After lunch, my daughter did all her Christmas shopping in one afternoon. Wow! I wish I could do that. We had a wonderful time. I flung a vanilla coffee all over the shoe saleslady. I hadn't meant to. I was jabbing the straw into the lid trying to get the good part and all of a sudden it flipped out and ice cold vanilla slush sprayed all over her hair and sweater. She was attempting to lace up my daughter's new shoes at the time. I was horrified. I told my daughter, I bet the next time we go there they have a sign that says NO DRINKS!
I just cannot believe I am this far behind. I only decorated the tree yesterday. That is the absolute latest I have ever put up my tree. Yikes. It doesn't have ornaments on it. I told the girls they could put the ornaments on it. They decided they didn't want to. So, there the poor thing sits. All lit up and no place to go.
So, I am so far behind I just now got the other half of my cards out tonight. Double yikes. Some members of my family work for the US Postal service, I like to keep them hopping.
Friday was a busy day, Saturday was too. Sunday I slept until noon because of a late night party on Saturday night. I have plenty of pictures of lights from that party, too.
My daughter has another doctor appointment tomorrow - this time with a new dermatologist for her moles. I want them checked again, she wants a female doctor. That is expected for a 13-year old girl. I work Wednesday, then it is the Holiday bake-off. Thursday and Friday I will be running around baking, wrapping and cleaning.
Maybe I will make my first stop on Wednesday evening the liquor store. Big grin. I haven't drank the hard stuff in years. In fact, I have about 6 bottles of the stuff in my closet from the first year at my house. I tried to make Long Island Iced teas. I have a bottle of gin, vodka, tequila, rum, triple sec, and kaluha. All of them either half or 3/4 full.
What a light weight I have become. No beer, though. No wine. Maybe I should pick some up. I am lacking in refrigerator space. I need another unit in my basement or garage. I thought the garage would be nice, that way I can throw my groceries in there instead of carrying them into the house.
My, I am running on about nothing. Blustery cold and snowy. We were hoping for a snow day. Not to be. My niece's and daughter's school never runs on a one hour or two hour delay. They either stay open or close - never delay. Doesn't matter. Tomorrow my daughter and I go to a dr. appointment so we are taking the day off. Then, she is off for the holidays. I have one more day, and then am free.
If I don't get a chance to post before the blessed day, have a Merry.
I have been singing and listening to Christmas carols all week long. I am separating them into lively and melancholy. I especially like the ones from the Charlie Brown special.
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