Fun Monday # 24 Finish The Year With A Smile

Peter at Holties House is the FUN host this week and he would like us to Put the Fun in Fun Monday !! His assignment is:

I want you to tell us your favorite joke and/or show us your favorite cartoon, don’t worry if there is some duplication that just means more than one person found it funny. So come on and regale us with your best joke and/orcartoon, remember its New Years Eve and we feel like a good laugh, before 2008 comes along and does its thing on us.

I absolutely adore MAXINE !

Here is a small sampling of the daily cartoons for this Holiday season ...

If you choose to drink tonight .... Please don't drive. I want to be able to read you in 2008.

Happy New Year's EVE !!

Don't forget to visit Peter and check out everyone else ... Be prepared to laugh !!

Blogging Through 2007

NOTE: This was posted AFTER the above post - but I don't know how to get it to appear first.

Daily (almost) I go through my blog roll and read. Daily, I should be doing something else. Daily - I go through my blog roll and read. I can't help it - it's addicting and I might miss something. SAD, so very sad ... but true!


While checking out SJ, I will also check out the postings on her sidebar - labeled "More from BlogHer". I came across a post done by Whee! All the way home and liked the idea of what she had written. So, I decided to do it myself.


Post the first sentence of each post on the first post each month.


March I am frustrated!!


April It's 8:53 EST and my sister is on the highway coming here to pick me up (traffic due to a tractor trailer truck fire on I95 is slowing her down a bit), so I am just waitin' ..... for that big plane ride in the sky!


May Many thanks to Rachel for sending me 5 interview questions.


June Amy W, I FEEL YOUR PAIN !!


July I have been catching some grief because I haven't posted since my return from the trip.


August WARNING: This post may contain a fair amount of whining and moaning (but ...


September Today feels like Monday - but it's Tuesday!!


October Robin at PENSIEVE is our hostess this week and her "Official Marching Orders" are:


November I am so excited for my youngest sister !!


December Today is the first day of December.

This year flew by .... where did the time go?

No drinking for me ... it's not worth spending New Years Day with a headache!

I am doing something that I thoroughly enjoy - catching up on the blogs that I didn't get to experience during this "hectic" holiday season.

AND I am perfectly content ... I can't think of a better way to spend my evening - catching up with all my newly made friends. You're the BEST!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR - MAY IT BE YOUR BEST EVER

Just My Luck ....

It would happen to just one in a million ....

I am the ONE !!

I had to work on Thursday (BOO, but it was my choice). A co-worker received a few new CDs for Christmas and I had casually commented that I would like to listen to them sometime. As she was leaving, she plopped them down on my desk and said "Enjoy". COOL - new music to listen to on the way home.

I pop one of them into the CD player and nothing happened. I hit EJECT and nothing happened. The player said "No Disc". I am saying to myself - What the ...? As I am driving in traffic, I wait till I get home to investigate.

Out to the car I go, with flashlight and a butter knife in hand. I thought maybe that I had mistakenly inserted the CD above the slot in the player and that it might be wedged on the top. I take the faceplate off and check it out. There is not a space that the CD could have found it's way into. It is tighter than a drum. I look on the floor, I look between the seats - everywhere I can possibly think of. I second guess myself and check out the player again. I hit EJECT - "No Disc". So, I stick another CD (one of mine, not a borrowed one) into the player and ...

I'll be damned - it plays !!

I call my sister ... I call my son ... No one can seem to explain it. My son confirms that the stereo/CD player is not one that can play multiple CDs (he and his brother are the ones that purchased it for me and installed it, too). He says that he would have to take a look at it - that has NEVER happened to him before.

So, at work on Friday, I had to politely tell my co-worker that I was very sorry but that I had forgot to bring in the CDs. I couldn't tell her that my player ate one of them!

This morning, I went back out to the car and searched again. A sanity check, really. It is no where to be found ... THE FREAKIN' CD HAS JUST VANISHED INTO THIN AIR and the player still works. Anyone I have ever talked to has told me that when a CD gets eaten - the player no longer works!

So, I made a trip to Best Buy and bought another CD (Colbie Caillat * Coco) - and it was on sale !! For a moment - I felt "Bubbly" when I realized that I only had to shell out $7.99 instead of $11.98 !! (and the sad part is that I am not that terribly fond of the artist - I just wanted to listen to it to see what it was like).

Wednesday morning, I will return the CDs to my co-worker and think twice about borrowing any more. (Maybe, someday I will tell her what really happened !!)

Have a wonderful Sunday !! Go SKINS!!

UPDATE:

Washington Redskins 27
Dallas Cowboys 6

Warm Holiday Wishes

Wishing you

the miracle of Christmas

in each smile,

each word,

each memory,

each kindness

that touches your life

this wondrous season.

Merry Christmas

from

My House

to Yours

Wrap Yourself A Merry Little Christmas !!

Why, oh why, do I wait until the last day ?? All day long (with some breaks along the way) .... At least I wasn't out shopping - I got that finished yesterday ...

I am taking a break (before I head to my brother's house for Christmas Eve with his family) and thought I would show you some of my most recent holiday attire !!

Yesterday -

And today ...

Back to wrapping .....

Happy Christmas Eve - Stay Safe

December 23, 1965

On this day, 42 years ago, my middle sister (LB) made a grand entrance into this world. What better than a new baby sister for a Christmas present !!

( Apologies for the bad quality picture)

(I have none of her as a baby - I was just a little kid myself !)

Well - to be completely honest, it wasn't the Christmas present that my 3 brothers and I were looking for !! We were rather young (8, 7, 6 and 4) and didn't quite understand why we couldn't open but ONE present that Santa had brought us on Christmas day.

My Dad was overseas and my grandparents came to stay with us for when the time came for Mom to go to the hospital. On Christmas morning, we got to see (and play with) one present from Santa. (back then Santa didn't wrap HIS gifts). We weren't the happiest bunch of kids on that Christmas morning - but we got over it ! We had to wait until Mom and the new baby came home before having our Christmas, which would be the day after at least.


Early in the afternoon, my grandfather headed out to the store to get some milk. A while later, he came back WITH NO MILK! He had a pink bundle of joy (and of course, Mom too!). We were ecstatic !! Because NOW we got to open our presents ! And we did ... I don't really recall how long it was before we actually checked out the new baby.


I know for a fact that LB that doesn't remember our rudeness ... but as adults, the rest of us (to include Second of Six ) do !! LB has heard this story probably more times than she cares to remember !

Added note: SJ definitely doesn't remember because she didn't come along until 10 years later ...


As LB was growing up, there was always a special cake to be eaten 2 days before Christmas. On her even number birthdays, it was a wreath with the appropriate number of candles. On her odd number birthdays, it was a Christmas tree with the appropriate number of candles on the branches and a star. As the years went by and LB reached her adolescent years, the themed cakes stopped because it became very difficult to make all those branches without having an odd looking tree !


From one sister to another ... I hope you had a Happy Birthday today, December 23, 2007. Maybe, next year I will try to make you a tree (in miniature, of course !)


Love you lots,
BS

What I Have Done Instead of Shopping !

Today (with only a few days left), I spent more than a few hours shopping. Something I should have been doing over the last week ! But, NO - I had more important things to do !!
(Don't tell my kids and grandkids I said that!)

Monday evening after work, I went into DC to see the National Christmas Tree and the Path of Peace. (Be sure to check out this web site because my pictures aren't all that great)

This tree is a Colorado Blue Spruce from York, PA that was planted on the Ellipse, President's Park in Washington, DC on October 20, 1978. It's height at the time of it's planting was 30 feet. It now is 41 feet, 9 inches. It has been lit by Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Close up view of the ornaments on the tree.

I took some pictures of the individual state's trees for my out of town family and blogging friends ... Colorado - Smith Renaissance School of the Arts, Denver -”Magic”
Kindergartners use pine cones, glitter and tissue paper to create the magical look of Colorado.

District of Columbia - Children of the American Revolution - ”Leading the American Adventure” Raising awareness about the National Park Service and the junior ranger program.

Georgia - Cochran-Bleckley County Arts Alliance, Cochran - “Christmas in Georgia”
A group of local artists and crafters who love to create and share beauty.

North Carolina - Clay County Schools - Hayesville
”Christmas Tree Ornament“
Hayesville students were Inspired by the history, cultures and craft traditions of NC.

New Hampshire - Hampshire Pewter - Wolfeboro - ”Forest Friends”
Celebrating the twenty-fifth year that Hampshire Pewter has accepted an invitation to decorate the New Hampshire Tree.

Tennessee - Bedford County Arts Council - Shelbyville - “Purple Iris” (State Flower)
Painted by members of the Arts Council painting class.

Vermont - Spaulding High School and Barre Technical Center Campus -Barre -“Maple Leaves”
Spaulding HS Jr. ROTC Cadets students are striving to become better citizens through the study of leadership, teamwork, wellness, civics and a commitment to community service.

Virginia - T.S. Dahlgren School - Dahlgren - ”Virginia Symbols”
Arts Club for third to eight grade students. The flowering dogwood is the Virginia state tree and flower.

An added extra because Virginia is my home state and "We shall never forget"

I can't remember what state trees these were on, but what difference does it make? I would put them on my own tree if I could !!

It was a cold and windy (did I mention COLD) night, so this was a welcome visit (and toasty too)

The Yule Log - I kept finding myself back in this corner on numerous occasions.

I couldn't not take a picture of the Nativity because it is "The Reason for the Season"

Multiple trains (both large and small) ran around the base of the Christmas tree. I almost didn't catch this one !!

As I was walking back to the Metro to head home, each and every street light caught my eye ...

Can anyone tell me why?

I went to a Holiday Open House at a co-workers home , baked for three separate Holiday Parties at work (two on the same day), tried to get all my holiday decorations out (both inside and outside), slept a little and on Thursday, I got up at 0-dark-30, so I could meet two co-workers (one of them being my supervisor) at the job at 7:00 AM to ....

Take a tour of the WHITE HOUSE !

You will have to settle for the cover of the Holiday Program ... because NO CAMERAS were allowed! Nor could you bring your purse, cell phone, tobacco products, lighters or any of the many things that you normally don't leave home without !!

I had a couple of favorites ...

* The official White House Christmas Tree in the Blue Room - an 18 foot Fraser Fir from Laurel Springs, NC. The ornaments represent the 391 National Parks, Memorials, Seashores, Historic Sites and Monuments across our country.

* The Gingerbread House - a replica of the south view of the White House covered in white chocolate. (Absolutely incredible - very detailed) The Bush family pets - Barney, Miss Beazly and Willis - plus other wild life were recreated also (on the lawn of the gingerbread house). A few of the ladies in our group (who went on the other side instead of where I was), actually saw Barnie and Miss Beazly playing on the White House lawn. I knew I should have gone on that side, even though the line was moving much more slowly!

* The Christmas trees in the Cross Hall - they featured snow covered branches (lots and lots of cotton but very realistic looking) with birds, butterflies and other creatures of the outdoors perched here and there.

It was a great tour.

We ventured over to the White House Visitor Center afterwards and took a look around before heading back on the Metro. Then, we had lunch at TGI Fridays (I couldn't get in trouble for being gone from work so long ... the boss lady was with us!) I worked (if you want to call it that ... ) for a few hours and called it a day.

So, tomorrow (really today because it is after 1 AM) I shall finish up my shopping - and then THE WRAPPING BEGINS !!

Fun Monday - #23 Story of Your House and Road

Kitten at Kitten's Homeschool has taken time out of her busy schedule to be the gracious hostess this week. In her words - this is what she wants us to do:


This week for Fun Monday I thought it would be neat to hear about the story behind your home and the road you live on. It doesn't have to be historical, maybe just something that stands out to you. It would be nice to have pictures to go with your little story. I also would like to know who has the oldest house. Whoever has the oldest house will get a little Christmas treat from little ole me.


My story isn't so much about my home (it's just a plain jane townhome built in 1989, situated between a major highway and a bunch of other houses) but it's "location". I live on property which used to part of a 260 year old estate built on a hill overlooking the Potomac River. This home is now part of the county's historical society and is called Rippon Lodge.

This house is being restored back to it's original state and they had a holiday open house this past Saturday, which unfortunately, I missed. I have walked down to it a couple of times in the past (usually in the fall when they have a Harvest Festival) and was rather amazed at what I saw, as far as the progress they have made. You can no longer do so, because the county sold some more of the property (like they did years ago, when my townhouse was built) and condos and more townhouses have been put up right up to the edge of this historical property. It really is a shame, because you can see the construction now, when you stand in the graveyard (yes, I have been there). It was such a beautiful view all around the house and now you can only appreciate it on 3 sides instead of all 4!

Back to the reason that I chose to write about this home and how it relates to my home. Years ago, they changed the entrance to the Lodge from off of the highway to another entrance off a much quieter and smaller road in the neighborhood. I live on Gatehouse Terrace. If you go to the end of my street and go up a little hill, then look to the left ... there stands the original brick columns that were part of the gate at the gatehouse of the original entrance. Pretty cool, huh!

I have pictures of them somewhere ... that's the problem - somewhere ... and they aren't digital - hence the reason I don't have a clue where to look for them !!

Make sure to go visit Kitten and read the stories about other people's homes.

A Christmas Poem

FROM THE NEWSPAPER CARRIER !

I have never seen this version of "The Night Before Christmas" before and thought it was rather cute !

Twas the night before Christmas

And all through the street

You could not hear a sound

Not even a beep

The Christmas trees were decorated with lights all aglow

And beautiful presents lay wrapped just below

The kids were fast asleep with dreams of toys in their heads

While Momma and Daddy were just relaxing in bed

When a noise came from outside they thought was Santa and his sled

But smiled with amusement by what they saw instead

With a thump in the drive and a swoosh in the tube

It was the Washington Post carrier delivering the news

You will see us out each and every night

Just before the glow of the morning light

Before you can turn your light on to see

We round another corner as quick as can be

We twist and turn through each neighborhood

Delivering the news sometimes bad and sometimes good

But as you listen tonight you will hear

Your Washington Post carrier

Wishing You

A Very Happy Holiday Season

And A

Blessed New Year !

Fun Monday # 22 - Favorite Christmas Ornament(s)

Kaytabug is this week's hostess and her assignment is:

In the spirit of the season I would like to see your favorite Christmas tree ornament. Not to be confused with the WHOLE tree. I want you to zoom in and show me one or a few (you know I can't choose just one!) of your favorite ornaments. If you don't decorate a tree, show me your menorah or dreidel, Kinara, or Yule Log. I want to see your favorite decoration for this holiday season.

I could never pick just one !! My favorite ornaments are "anything snowman or snowflake" related. I am a snowman collector !!

Here is a small sampling of snowmen that I have acquired since last Christmas -

I search out "snowmen" that are different ... but have traditional ones too.

Here are some close ups of just of a few ...

I have yet to find a Snowman or Snowflake tree topper that I like. I would love to have one that lights up. Anyone out there seen one ?

I have taken a quick peek at some of the Fun Monday participants and what I have seen so far is awesome. Go visit Katyabug and see for yourself !!

Guess What I Got In The Mail ?

I was out and about last evening and when I returned home, there was a package at my door. Of course, I came inside and opened it right up !

After removing the shiny tissue, I found a pretty red box .....

And, inside of that was my SECRET ORNAMENT SWAP from Lisa, who happens not to have a blog (but I am sure that the wonderful coordinator will let her take a peek at her's) -

Take a look - it's beautiful.

Lisa enclosed a note -

Merry Christmas! I hope that you enjoy your new Russian ornament. Grandfather Frost is the Russian Santa Claus. He brings gifts to the children at New Year's, which is the most popular Russian holiday celebration. His grand-daughter, the "Snowmaiden", accompanies him to help distribute the gifts.

New Years Eve - December 31st - is the big day for the celebration of Russian Christmas in post-revolutionary, Russia. On New Years Eve Grandfather Frost arrives with his granddaughter the Snowmaiden. They bring bags of candy for the children and Grandfather Frost listens to the girls and boys sing songs and recite poems. After this, he gives small Christmas gifts to the children.

Russians decorate their homes with a Christmas tree and often put pine leaves on their front doors, and in the house. The Russian Christmas tree is usually taken down at the end of January after the feast day of the Baptism of Christ.

"C novom godom!" (snow-vum-gode-um) - meaning "with the New Year" - is a common New Years Eve - Christmas holiday greeting.

With every good wish,

Lisa

What a wonderful ornament and a wonderful explanation of Russia's celebration, too. Thank you very much Lisa and thanks to Julie also, for putting together this Secret Ornament Swap. It was fun and I look forward to doing it again next year !

Sunday Silliness Yet Again !!

Advertisement of the Year

I Have a New Look !!

What do you think?

Many thanks to SJ - she was so EXCITED about her new look, that she did mine too!!

All the way from Colorado - she's so talented .... Me, not so much .

She captured my love of snowmen and snowflakes too !!

(Keep your fingers crossed that I don't mess it up - I'm good at doing things like that - in other words ..... me and "html" don't know each other very well!)

Good Luck to Woodbridge Senior High

This afternoon, the Woodbridge Vikings play in the State Championship Game in Richmond, VA. This is the football team's first shot at a state championship in 33 years.

The last championship game was held in 1974.

Against Bethel High School.

At the Woodbridge A.T. Howard Memorial Stadium.

I WAS THERE !!

They lost by just a few points in the final moments of the game.

As I was reading the article in the paper this morning, I came across a quote from a student - "Thirty-three years is a long time for any school to be winless." DAMN - 33 years is a long time to be out of school was my thought when I read it.

Also said was "Here we go Woodbridge, here we go!" The student body followed the chant with a "stomp, stomp" of feet on the bleachers. I remember doing that myself, just like it was yesterday!!

Good Luck to the VIKINGS , my alma mater - Class of 1975.

**UPDATE**

The Woodbridge Vikings lost to the Westfield Bulldogs, 42-14.

Bummer.

Better luck next year!

I'm Tired !!

In every way you possibly could be !! Enough said ....


It was nice to greeted by this when I finally got home tonight !

I think this is the first time the Christmas Cactus has actually bloomed around Christmas !!

I have always wondered how the plant knows what time of year it is !!

First of the Season

It tried to snow today ....


Very disappointed ....

All it did was mess up rush hour traffic and it will probably freeze overnight ...

Fun rush hour in the morning, I am sure ....