My Christmas List

I want it to rain. A LOT.

I want everyone to be kind to animals-well all living things really. Human and animals.

I want world peace.

I want a home for every homeless animal.

I want a home for every homeless person.

I want hungry people to have food.

I want stray animals to have food.

I want people who abuse animals to be punished.

I want people who abuse people to be punished.

I want good things to happen to good people.

I want Global Warming to stop.

I want everyone to have a Happy Christmas

That isn’t asking too much is it?

Christmas Quiz

I did this last year and it was fun. Here is the 2007 version although I think the answers are the same:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? No Question-Wrapping paper! It must be the Hallmark Girl in me!
2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial-since I am allergic to the live ones and the scent brings on seizures in my dog. :-(
3. When do you put up the tree? The day after Thanksgiving, but this year I am not putting it up
4. When do you take the tree down? January 2
5. Do you like eggnog? ICK!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? A box of play (dress up) rings that Santa brought me.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? No-but I wish I had a little one.
8. Hardest person to buy for? My Brother at least until gift cards became popular!
9. Easiest person to buy for? My nieces!
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A pair of old shoes from my uncle. It was a joke but still Gross.
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Definitely mail or handed out.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Love, Actually and the Year without Santa Claus
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I try and shop all year.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yep. It is the ULTIMATE recycling. And it was not from or to anyone on this list! 
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cheese Pierogi, my sister-in-laws crinkle cookies, mom’s homemade bread.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Multi Color
17. Favorite Christmas song? Feliz Navidad, Bare Naked Ladies version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman, and that song about the Nightingale. I weep every time!
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Sure
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Hmmm I think it is a dog dressed up like an angel!
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Santa’s gifts on Christmas Morning, family gifts Christmas Eve.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Traffic at all the stores
23. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme? I call it the Mimi theme. That means every kind of ornament you can imagine and lots of them!

Yes, Virginia, there is...

I am sure you all know that famous line about Santa Claus. My sister-in-law and her sister have blogged recently about what to tell their children about believing in Santa Claus. So this got me thinking. I thought I might tackle the question as well.

I don't remember the exact Christmas that I stopped believing in Santa Claus and flying reindeer and the Easter Bunny. But, what I do remember is what it felt like to wake up on Christmas morning and realize that "Santa" had come. I mean all the evidnce was there, cookies eaten, milk drunk, gifts left, stockings full. He was real right? Well as I got older (and snoopier) I realized that my parents were the gift givers and I would be a liar if I said that wasn't a bit of a buzz wrecker for me.

But, there is still this one memory that I have, that I just can't help but wonder about... We lived in Indiana until I was 8 and we had many a white Christmas. On this one particular year I remember my brother and I looking out his window very early Christmas morning and seeing reindeer prints on the roof over the garage. Mom told us that Santa had left his reindeer up there while he delivered our gifts. I kept thinking about this today after my sister-in-law's post, so I called my mom. She also remembers the prints. I asked if my dad had gone up there and did it and she informed that no-no one put them up there. She said that she still has no idea how those "prints" got up there but she said she just thought it was one of those Christmas miracles. Something that can't be explained. I said bye to her as we laughed about something else and hung up. But I sat there at my desk and thought about it. How amazing. A Christmas Miracle. Something you can't explain. And then I thought, why would want to? It is a perfect Christmas Memory without an explaination needed. I am 37 1/2 now (and was probably 4or 5 then) so it obviously made an impression.

And that is when I got my Christmas Spirit. Yep, on November 30th at about 2:45 p.m. Right here at work, with tears and a smile and everything. Wow...

So, where did I put all my Christmas decorations...

My Journey to Ernie, I mean Christmas!

Ok, the Journey to Ernie is a reference to a segment on Sesame Street where Ernie goes and hides somewhere and Big Bird goes to find him. It has a catchy little theme song and is a cute show. So, maybe my Christmas Spirit is hiding and I have to go and find it! So here is my plan today. I am going to sing every Christmas song that comes on the radio. We have 3 radio stations here in the area, that have been playing non-stop Christmas music since last Monday. Which if I am being honest here, sort of annoyed me. But today I tuned in on my commute in to work and I have to say it did make me feel slightly “Christmasy”. So Krista, even though I read your post AFTER my Christmas music singing it was good advice!

Hmm…now what to do tomorrow…

Bah Humbug?

I have a problem. A big one. I am totally not in to Christmas this year. Now this is seriously a big deal for me. I love Christmas. At least I always have until this year. Even during the disaster year of 2004 I loved Christmas. This year I am just not in to it. I have not enjoyed shopping like I usually do, I have not enjoyed wrapping like I usually do and I am not even doing Christmas cards for everyone at work like I usually do. I don’t even want to put up my Christmas tree! Oh horrors!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!?!? I hate feeling like this.

Maybe it is because part of my family won’t be here for Christmas and that really makes me sad. I will miss the crinkle cookies that my sister-in-law makes and I will my nieces running around. I know they will be having a great time but I will miss them. All 4 of them.

Maybe it is because I bought a Bah Humbug shirt with Oscar the Grouch on it this weekend.

Maybe it is because I don’t have a lot of money and I don’t feel good about the kind of presents I can afford.

Maybe I will get the Christmas spirit on December 1st.

Maybe it will just hit me all of a sudden.

I hope so because it makes me sad. And no one wants to be sad for Christmas. Maybe I will start a list of all the things I LOVE about Christmas. Maybe that will help. Maybe I will do it tomorrow…

Where am I?

Well sometimes I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz when she says "I don't think we're in Kansas in anymore". Work has been so busy that by the time I get a chance to go home, I just crash. No energy for blogging! So here is my apology and a promise to blog more in the coming weeks! (I am sure you are all on the edge of your seats! hahaha)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Deep Thoughts

So sometimes I have deep thoughts. Sort of like Jack Handy of Saturday Night Live. But, not today. Today, here is what I thought:

I am hungry.

I am tired.

I have no money.

The dogs need heartworm medicine.

My clothes don't fit. They hang all wrong.

Aggressive drivers who pass me while I am going 10 miles OVER the speed limit piss me off.

Gas costs way too much money.

Why can't the people taking my order in the drive thru get it right? I wonder if they were mad when I drove away. It was just more than I could deal with.

And there were many other negative thoughts. And that bothers me. I have so much to be thankful for. I have a family that loves me, dogs that love me, a house to live in that has electricity and running water, a car to drive, a job to go to, clothes to wear and I could go on and on. But I think it is important to remind myself of all that I have when faced with all of the things that I feel I have to complain about.

Happy Halloweens!

Here are me and my nieces returning from trick or treating. We had such a great time! How cute are they? Mallory was a Fairy and Phoebe was a the cutest girl in a a pumpkin shirt! She informed my sister-in-law moments before we were to go that she wanted to be a froggy. Now Krista (my sister-in-law) had several choices for Phoebe but not a froggy. So, she wore her pumpkin shirt. She was a trooper. she had her bucket and she was ready to go! They were both so cute! I wonder what everyone will be next year?

What a day

I had a bad day today. It started off with a 2 hour commute to work-which really should only take 30 minutes. It went down hill from there. So, in an effort to cheer myself up,I have decided to write about somethings that I love, make me smile or make me happy:

Diet Lipton White Tea-Raspberry: This stuff is so good! And no points!

Pecan Lovers Mix from Planters: This stuff is amazingly good. And lots of Weight Watchers points, but sometimes, you just gotta eat it!

My niece tonight when she said "Mimi let me cova you up wif da blanket...there you go"! I almost cried she was so cute.

My dogs who are snuggled around me.

I got my hair cut tonight and it was GREAT! I got to relax and get my hair washed. Fabulous!

Otto who is cracking me up by running around the living room with a squeaky candy cane squeaking it!

My friend "J". Thanks for being on the other end of the line as I tried not get out of my car and start running and screaming up and down the highway while trying to beat the crap out of the people who were trying to "cheat" by speeding down the median during the traffic debacle of 10/30. IDIOTS!!!!!! I love you!

My friend "A". Thank you so much for being there for me today. I can't tell you how much it meant it to me. Seriously there are no words.

Well, I hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween. I will be trick or treating with my nieces. I can't wait!

Parched

This is a picture of Falls Lake. A stones throw from where I live. I found it on our newspapers website. (Can I get in trouble for using it? Oh well!)

We are having a very serious drought here in NC. Our governor asked us to reduce our water consumption by 50%. I have my own well so I don’t use “city” water, but that does not mean that I am not taking this seriously. I am and I have thought of a few ways to personally conserve. Here are a few of the things that I have done:

I switched to paper plates. Now this was very problematic for me. Because I am fairly “eco” friendly I try to use things that can be reused. For this purpose that means plates. I try not to “kill trees” by using needless paper products if I can help it. But when faced with running the dishwater a couple times a week or just once a week, well I thought saving water was more important. The plates use a renewable resource, are biodegradable and are made of recycled paper. That is how I justified it anyway.

I take a “sailor shower”. Ok, I had never heard that term before but someone said it to me while describing how they are trying to conserve water. It means that you turn on the shower and get wet. Then you shut it off, lather up (hair and all) and then turn it back on to rinse. It really does save a lot of water but there are other issues. Like you can get a little cold for one! But it is worth saving several gallons of water so I stick with it.

I save the water from my shower. I have a “bathtub” shower. I plug up the tub and take a shower, thus collecting all the water in the tub. I was using it to keep my plants alive and also to rinse out the sink after brushing my teeth (no, not rinsing out my mouth, just the sink!) I also used it to rinse off plates and cups that I did use before putting them in the dish washer.

I turned off the water to my toilet. I know this one sounds bizarre. Every time I flush the toilet, approximately 2 gallons of water goes down the drain, literally! So, I use the saved shower water to flush the toilet. Yeah the water is a little cloudy from shampoo and soap but who cares. I also don’t flush after every pee. I know gross!!!! Really I do. But desperate times call for desperate measures!

I take my laundry to the Laundromat. Now, someone said that this is saving my water but at the cost of city water. And while this is true there is actually another reason for my going to the Laundromat. The washing machines are bigger than mine so I get more done at one time (saving energy-I think) and the commercial washing machines use less water than most home models-or so it appeared to me. I do one load per week at home and a couple at the Laundromat on Sunday. The Laundromat has other benefits, I get to sit and read while I wait for my clothes. A luxury that I don’t get often at home because the dogs want something or there is something to clean or to put away etc. It is kind of relaxing which makes me feel less stressed.

I know some of these things sound completely weird and not everyone has time to save water in milk jugs (another thing that gets recycled!) to flush the toilet, but these are the tings that I can do. Do a rain dance for us here in NC. We had some good rain last week but they said we need a lot more to fill the lakes!

The long awaited blog

Well, maybe not long awaited. I have no idea if anyone will be interested in my trip but here it is in pictures! Well, sort of...




So, here is the main part of the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. It is the original section that opened in 1913. It was restored to it's original glory at the end of the 20th century. They still have many of the original furnishings which were done in the Arts & Crafts Style(some call it Mission Style)- my favorite! Gorgeous isn't it?



And here is the view from my room. Really fabulous right? (HaHa) They are building luxury condominiums or so I was told. Kinda too close for my liking.



Ok, here is a better view. This was taken from one of the windows in the Sammons Wing.



Cookie had a good time!

All in all I survived and had a bit of a good time, with a little help from my friends. Thanks A and C! Just remember, we stick together and no one gets left behind! Oh and "it is so pretty up there,we had a great time right"? RIGHT!(ha ha) And the Very Berry Tini at Elaine's was FABULOUS!!

The dogs were just fine without me as I knew they would be. But it sure was nice to get home and they were so excited to see me! That made me feel pretty good. There is nothing better that arriving home to 3 very excited fuzzies who just want your attention. Ah...I am loved! :-)

Travelin' Blues

I should be packing. But I am not. I have been doing lots of other things. Like talking on the phone, working on this blog, feeding the cats, making the dog's food for the next 2 days, eating chips...I just don't want to pack. Because I just don;t want to go. Now there are some highlights like getting to ride with 2 really funny guys. Plus it isn't every day that you get to meet a US Supreme Court Justice, other female Chief Justices from other states or the Secretary of State of NC. I mean those are all cool things. The thing is, it is also a lot of work. Checking in 500 people and making sure everyone has their tickets, name badges etc. But I am going to try and enjoy myself. At least at some point. So I guess I should go pack...but I think I need to take out the garbage oh and I think the dog room needs to be dusted...

Random thoughts for today

WHY IS IT 94 DEGREES HERE IN OCTOBER?! Could I get a break please?

Why won't it just rain. A nice deluge-for a couple of hours, is that too much to ask? I mean come on already!

I learned something new today. A mountain lion is also called a puma, panther, cougar or catamount. I always wondered what the heck a Western Carolina University Catamount was. Why not just call yourselves the Western Carolina University Cougars?

Sugar Snap Peas ARE REALLY GOOD!

So are Slim a Bear 100 Calorie ice cream bars!

Morning Star Farms Cheddar "burgers" are not good. But I like their Grillers! Yes, even though it is a soy, meat substitute.

Men in Trees starts on Friday! Yeah!!

Why can't fried shrimp be good for you?

Why does Otto always bark to come in right when I get comfortable on the couch with
the laptop after just letting him out?

Oh good grief this was BORING!

Trips

Well it has been a while since I posted. Mainly, because work is stressing me out. So, when I come home the last thing I want to do is turn on the computer. Even for fun stuff like blogging and ebaying!

Here is my problem. I have to go somewhere for a work function over night. I don’t want to go. We are staying in a very upscale resort and spa-somewhere that I would NEVER get to go left to my own devices. The problem is I am completely freaked out to leave the dogs. Now, the dogs will be fine. My dad is taking care of them and he is great with them. Plus my parents live 1.1 miles away, so multiple trips to my house to let them out really won’t be too much of a hardship. The problem is me. I am having huge separation anxiety. You see, I have never left them overnight in the past 5 years. This is significant. It became worse once I was divorced. The dogs became my “security blanket”. I knew when I got home they would be there waiting for me. And I kind of became a homebody. I mean I am not a hermit. I still go to the store, go my parents, go to my brother and sister-in-laws. I mean I have no problem going out for a couple of hours. But I want to be home, sleep in my own bed with the dogs snoring around me. I guess it is like people who can only go to sleep with the T.V. on or some other “white” noise. The dogs are my “white” noise!

Second, I am pretty shy and just the thought of having to possibly “mingle” with the 500 people that will be there has the potential to send me into an anxiety attack right now! I don’t think that I have anything that these people would be interested in hearing. Maybe we will run out of steak and chicken dinners and I will be allowed to go to my room and order room service! That would be great! But not likely.

Oh well, I will just need to suck it up and try to enjoy my time at an exclusive hotel and spa in the mountains in October!

Wish me luck. Seriously.

So, I have a few complaints.

Me, Complain? Well, maybe not complaints but there are 2 things that are really bugging me. So, maybe if I jump up on my soap box it will make me feel better.

The first thing is people who insist on watering their grass during a drought. Now, I am not talking about people who have a new house and need to water their new lawn. I mean the people who insist on having a green looking lawn. Here is the deal. WE ARE IN A SERIOUS DROUGHT! If you don't believe me or the news, just drive on highway 98 and check out Falls Lake-Raleigh's water source. It is scary just how low it is. There is a section that is just all grass and mud. IT USED TO BE WATER. I am a homeowner and I understand that your lawn is part of the curb appeal. An investment in your property. But I think having water to drink, cook with and take a shower is more important. I don't know maybe it is just me.

The second thing is the whole Michael Vick situation. There are people out there who are outraged that he just might never play football again. All over a bunch of animals. Who cares what he did to the dogs when their are humans suffering. They are just picking on him because he is rich and people are jealous. I mean it isn't like he committed a crime. YES HE DID!!..ARE YOU PEOPLE KIDDING ME?!? Now, first let me say that I do think we need to concentrate on the human suffering in this country, but not in lieu of animal suffering. WE need to concentrate on suffering, period. There is a great quote by Gandhi that says the greatness of a country can be judged by how it treats it animals. If we aren't kind to animals why would we be kind to our fellow man? Dog fighting is disgusting. No matter how you feel about dogs or animals, what they do is just wrong. Have any of these people saying it is just a dog, seen a pit that has been used for fighting? Well I have and it is one of the saddest things I have seen. Michael Vick admitted to killing his pits that didn't fight well by wetting them down and electrocuting them as well as strangulation. I mean how do you do that to a living thing? Disgusting. Dog fighting is cruel, disgusting and not a sport. Why would you want to watch that? I heard a great guy on NPR today and he said I am a black man and I love my dog. He said people are saying that dog fighting is a black thing and he did not agree. And I don't agree that it is a "black thing" either. It isn't something that only black people do. It is something that humans do. It is a human thing and it has to stop. And I don't give a crap about how great a football player he was/is. He committed a crime. He admits to it. And now he will have to pay the price for that crime. And everyone who commits a crime, whether against humans or animals should pay for their crime. They shouldn't get a break because they are rich or famous or white or black or green. Everyone has a right to fair trial and I hope that Mr. Vick gets one if it goes that far. Because when he does get his punishment, I don't want anyone to say he got railroaded.

Ok, so now I can move on. And give my 3 rescue dogs a great big hug, an extra treat and more space on my bed.

Dancing with the Stars

Yep, it is that time of year again. Time for Dancing with the Stars. I LOVE THIS SHOW! For so many reasons. Seeing these "stars" learning how to dance is just a hoot. I say "stars" because I have only heard of a few of them. The costumes are simply amazing and I love the voting aspect.

What annoys me about the show is the music. The singers sing these weird songs to ballroom dance to. For instance, someone just Cha Cha Cha-ed to the Pussycat Dolls. WHAT? You don;t Cha Cha to the Pussycat Dolls. The second thing that annoys me are the people who make fun of the people who have not done so well. Ballroom dancing is HARD. How do I know? I took 2 semesters in college and performed the Tango at a dance show. Yes, my parents drove to Greensboro to watch me(bless them) and no, I can't still do a good Tango. Now a Polka yes. The swing absolutely. I might even be able to pull off a waltz. But that is about it. These dances are hard. To learn these complicated steps in such a short period of time is tough. And most of these stars have day jobs. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying that ballroom dancing is brain surgery but what I am saying is give them a break.

So on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8-9:30 call me during commercials! haha..no seriously. HAHa!

Fred Weasley

Well, I finally got a picture of Fred. How cute is he? He is such a sweet cat. I love the wink. Something must have happened to his eye because it is always winking. He must have had a hard life. I hope that I am making it better for him.
I love you Fred Weasley!

Today's Random Thoughts

Fall is finally here in NC...at least for now! I will enjoy it while we have it.

I am tired of mowing the grass.

My Weight Watchers total so far is 10.2 lbs! Yeah!!

I am adicted to the show Surviorman on Discovery Channel. Les you rock!

Man am I tired. But I have to go pet sit before I go to bed.

Veggie Burgers baked in the oven are actually very good. Well with cheese and a potato roll!

My hair cut is still fab! It makes me feel good about myself. That is a BIG accomplishment!

I feel really bad for my dad. He is a contractor at a computer company and they told him that they may not be allowed to renew his contract. My dad is a hard worker and he is good at what he does. I just feel bad for him. I just hope they do renew it in January.

My 20th class reunion is next year. Holy crap! Where did the time go?
Those were the days. Where you couldn't wait to be grown up. And sometimes I wish I could go back. Knowing what I know now of course!

There are 98 days until Christmas!

I will leave you with that thought.

Sick

So, now I really am sick. I went to the doctor yesterday and he informed me that I have a sinus infection. So I am on antibiotics for 10 days. The problem is, now I am sick from the antibiotics! So, on top of feeling terrible I feel even worse. So, I am doing and experiment. I took my meds this a.m. If I get sick again, I am not going to work. I really don't like calling in sick. It makes mefeel bad. I worry about all the work that I should be doing. But, I can't go to work like this. I am way too far from the bathroom. I just feel guilty and then I feel bad for feeling guilty becasue I really am sick! Wish me luck!

Cookie Monster and I say TGIF!

Seriously. If I had to work one more day I think I would have to call in sick, and I never do that. I have been trying to think of something to write all week. The thing is, I have no inspiration. I am tired and sad. My gramma is really sick and in the hospital, one of my best friends has extremely ill pets and I am crabby. Maybe because it is the end of the summer and I am tired of being hot, I am tired of being in this terrible drought, I am tired of brown grass, I am tired of mean, annoying,and nosy people at work. I AM JUST PLAIN TIRED OF EVERYTHING. And to top it off I had a minor anxiety attack thing morning. So, to try and boost the ole' morale, I am going to write about happy things!

NO work for 2 whole days!

Cookie Monster ROCKS!

I have a new hair cut and I LOVE IT! Very sassy!

My total weight loss is 9.2 pounds. Whee!

When I went to leave my parents house the other night, my 2 year old niece followed me to the door shouting, "bye Mimi, (I said "I love you" and she says..) love you, bye Auntie Mimi, bye Mimi, I go outside, BYE MIMI!!! How cute is that?

I am thinking of starting my own business in the next 2 years. Go me!

I get to go back to sleep tomorrow after I give the dogs their meds.

I am half way through re-reading all the Harry Potter books.

I am driving the dogs crazy by singing while listening to my MP3 player. They hate when I sing. Boy I must really stink! That is ok. It doesn't stop me. "Waterloo, finally facing my Waterloo..." Go Abba!

I got a new CD at Target called "80's Mixed Tape". How many of you had the infamous "mixed tape"? I had about 50 of them! Loved the mixed tape.

It is late enough for me to go to sleep. Yeah me!

Cookie Monster, the dogs and I wish all of you lots of things to be happy about!