December 13th

There are only twelve days till Christmas and I'M NOT READY !!

Fun Monday - #48 - What Would I Do ?

Many thanks to Sayre at Sayre Smiles for hosting again ...

Her assignment is:

If you had a WEEK with no obligation and money was no object, what would you do with it?

First, I would reserve a section of rooms at the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, VA. Next, I would book non-stop round trip flights from Colorado to Virginia, California to Virginia and New York to Virginia. Then, I would call my parents and all five of my siblings and their families and tell them to free up the week (for those that work [including me] - I would make sure their salaries would be paid for the week they are gone). Once the out-of-towners arrived at the airport, limousines would pick them up and head to Williamsburg. For those of us that live in Virginia, limousines would pick us up too!

That entire week would be a FAMILY REUNION with no worries or cost to anyone.

37 people - all together at once !!

Go visit Sayre and see what everyone else would do ...

A Sad Day Indeed

Nobody puts baby in a corner!

Dirty Dancing

The love inside - you take it with you.
Ghost

1952 - 2009
"Ditto"

Fun Monday-#47-Yes, I'm a Bag Lady Too !

Ms Cellania is our hostess this week and I send her many thanks for making this such as easy assignment. It is:

I'd like to know 'what type of shopping bag do you favour'-plastic or material? How many do you use. You could even show us what's in your bag!

Here in the United States, we too, are encouraged to GO GREEN and use reusable shopping bags. I keep a stash of them in my car ... Sometimes, when I am in a hurry, I forget to bring them in, but that's OK because the few plastic bags that I do get, I use them in my small waste paper baskets (in the bathrooms, the bedrooms and such).

Here are the ones that I brought in from the car:

I tend to reuse the paper "handled" shopping bags that you get in the department stores, also.

No pictures of the bags filled with groceries, because I was too lazy to go to the grocery store this weekend - just made do with what I already had in the cupboards and refrigerator !!

Go visit Ms Cellania and she what types of bags others prefer.
Save The Earth and GO GREEN.

Fun Monday - #46 - Your Babies

Oh My Goodness - I have returned !! Maybe, it's because summer is over - officially, as of today as it is Labor Day ...

The hostess this week is Sayre at Sayre Smiles. Her assignment is:

I want to see your furbabies. Or scalebabies. Or finbabies. Whatever form your pet takes, I want to see a picture of it/them and hear the story of how it/they came to be a part of your family.

UPDATE: Don't have pets? Share your skin-babies!!!

Sadly, i have no furbabies. No scalebabies. No finbabies. BUT, I do have skin-babies (even though they aren't really babies anymore!)

So ... I present to you - my grandbabies !!

Trevor
Sophomore - Mountain View High School



Trevor - Again !

Tyler
Kindergarten

Tori
2 1/2 Years

(the youngest of my babies!)

Christopher

Freshman - Randolph College

Jillian

2nd Grade

How did they become a part of my family ??

Obvious answer !!

Except for one ...

Christopher became a part of our family when he was adopted at the age of 13.

It feels so good to be back ... it's been a long time. Take a few minutes and visit Sayre to check out everyone else's babies.

Happy Father's Day

Yes, it's been a while ... I am still here, just not very active at the moment. Too much to do and too little time to do it. Someday, I suppose.

Game 7

I guess that most could care less but ...

It wasn't the best of games but the final score is what counts ...

Washington Capitals - 5

Pittsburg Penguins - 4

LET'S GO CAPS !!

Back to Washington, DC on Wednesday where

WE WILL BE ROCKING THE RED

Happy Mother's Day

Real Mothers sometimes ask "Why Me?"

and get their answer when a little

voice says, "Because I love you best."

Real Mothers know that a child's growth

is not measured by height or years or grade ...

It is marked by the progression of Mommy

to Mom

to Mother ...

April 16, 2009

Raise your hand !

It's National High Five Day

April 15th

If you make any money, the government shoves you in the creek once a year with it in your pockets, and all that doesn't get wet, you can keep. - Will Rogers

The taxpayer - that's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take a civil service examination. - Ronald Reagan

Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut saves you thirty cents? - Peg Bracken

If the Lord loveth a cheerful giver, how He must hate the taxpayer! - John Andrew Holmes

People who complain about taxes can be divided into two classes: men and women. - Anonymous

On a lighter note:

The first McDonald's opened on this day in 1955. A hamburger cost 15 cents!

Happy Easter

from ME

and

the newest addition to my extended family

my niece's son

Jayden

born March 2, 2009

Chocolate

C is for chocolate, h is for hand, o is for overweight, I understand.

C is for chocolate, o is for out, l is for last piece, when most of us pout.

A is for apple, t is for treat, but when we spell it, e is for eat.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Today Is (Was) ...

Square Root Day !!

For those not up on their math skills, here is how to figure it:

The square root of 9 is 3, meaning that 3 multiplied by 3 equals 9.

The whole equation in order - 03.03.09

Just thought you needed to know !

Fun Monday - # 46 - Kitchen Counters in All Their Glory !

This week's assignment was rather simple, even if a bit embarrasing ! All week long, the counters are neat and clean ... come Saturday, some little gremlin must come in and mess things up. (That would be me ... I get lazy on the weekend and don't put things away) The sad thing is that if I continued cleaning up after myself on the weekend like I do during the week (this is true for other areas in my house too) - I wouldn't have to spend the weekend cleaning instead of playing !

Many thanks to Ari_1965 at Beyond My Slab for being the hostess this week.

Her assignment is:

It's time for show and tell. What does your kitchen counter look like right now? (And no fair cleaning just for the picture!) Do you have any favorite or unusual items on your counter?

This morning:

Now:

This morning:

Now:

This morning:

Now:

OH GOODNESS - I didn't realize how stained the George Foreman grill was - I guess it's time to get another one ! (It usually isn't out on the counter but I had just used it and it was still hot).

Can you guess what my kitchen is decorated with?

There are many more in places that you can't see from these photos. Some are purchased and many were made by me. Most are filled with infused vinegar or beans or pasta . And none of them have ever been used - they are for looks only.

Go ahead and say it ... I know you are thinking it - she's crazy !!

So, there you have it ... my kitchen counters in all their glory ! Hopefully they will stay the way they are tonight - well, at least until Saturday !

Wander over to Beyond My Slab and check out everyone else's counters.

Oh MY !!

**Scroll down for Fun Monday**

I have fallen victim to Facebook ...

One of my "friends" posted the following link - when I opened it all I could say was
"Oh My Goodness". (Not really, but this is much nicer than what I really said.)

I would assume that the "The Sun" is a legitimate newspaper - I don't really know.

But still ...

See for yourself - I wonder if your reaction will be the same as mine !

Fun Monday - # 45 - Your Feet (Inside your Home)

Gattina at Writer Cramps is our hostess this week.

Her assignment is quite simple !!

It is:


Please show us what you wear on your feet inside your home ! Do you wear slippers, flip flops, shoes or nothing ? just take a picture and show us your feet !


On Saturday - to honor Valentine's Day

But most often ...

If I need to run outside real quick (in the colder weather) ... like today !

And if my feet aren't bare, it's usually this ...

To see other's tootsies (which I am sure are prettier than mine), visit Gattina - OK?

Happy Valentine's Day

Foil Wrapped and Delicious

Hershey's Chocolate was founded 115 years ago today.

Have a KISS or two to celebrate !

Fun Monday - # 44 - Where Do I Live ?

Pamela at The Dust Will Wait is our gracious hostess this week. Her assignment is:

Show me in pictures or tell me in words what defines the place where you live.

She wants to leave the interpretation open to include any possibility.

I live in Prince William County, VA. I live on property that used to be part of the Rippon Lodge estate. I live on Gatehouse Terrace. To read all about that - go here.

OK, so I live in eastern Prince William County. Along the I-95 corrider. The exit I take to get home is Rippon Landing. If you go the other way - Dale City. I live (basically) at the end of Dale Boulevard.

With that said ...

As reported on the news, in the paper ... earlier this week.

Linton Hall, Va. Home To Longest Commute

LINTON HALL, Va. (WUSA) -- A fast-growing Prince William County, Va. community is home to a dubious distinction: the longest average commute in the United States. People living in Linton Hall, also called Bristow by some people, commute an average of 46.3 minutes one-way each workday. The national average is 25.1 minutes.

Bristow / Linton Hall is in the western part of the county.

Three other communities in the Washington area make the top 12 longest daily commutes in the nation. Drivers in Fort Washington, Md. have the eighth-longest average commute in the nation with a 42.5 minute one-way drive. People living in Clinton, Md. rank 11th on the list, clocking in at 41.7 minutes. Dale City, Va. commuters rank 12th, at 41.3 minutes. The rest of the top 12 list is made up of communities in New Jersey, California, and Florida.

The information for these commute times comes from the Census Bureau, looking at survey responses over the last three years. The Census Bureau is examining data down to exact streets, the first detailed research of its kind. The Census Bureau promises this will be an annual list to be published.

No pictures - you can't very well take pictures when you are driving on the very congested interstate. In the morning ... In the evening ... not even when it isn't rush hour !

Take into consideration that the news is reporting on the "average" . Some people commute 10 minutes - others an hour or more. I live 12 miles from where I work - on average, it takes 45 minutes during rush hour - either way. And I don't drive on the interstate.

Heaven forbid if it rains, or snows or freezes - sometimes all it takes is sunshine - the commute gets extended ...

Note: Prince William County is in Northern Virginia- about 25 miles south of Washington, DC. (the part of the county where I live) Linton Hall (western end) is somewhat rural with no "big" businesses out that way. I deal with I-95 - they have to suffer I-66.

Don't forget to visit Pamela to find out about the "special place" where others live.

It Must Be The Time of the Year ...

It's cold.

I'm tired.

I have no energy.

I have no motivation lately.

Is anyone else feeling this way?

It's frustrating ...

Yesterday

It snowed !

It sleeted !

It rained!

Night time came and it froze!

Ice sucks !

It took me longer to chip the ice off my windows (even with the defrosters going) than it took to drive to work.

It misted rain all day today!

IT HAD BETTER NOT FREEZE AGAIN TONIGHT !!!

You gotta love Northern Virginia weather - NOT !

NO pictures of the winter wonderland - I was at work during most of nature's confusion.

And, when I got home from work and saw my yard - I wasn't pleased! Some little twerp had walked all over it. (I suspect the neighbor boy because the footsteps were small).

When nature creates a masterpiece of white, I want to see it and relish the beauty. And I want to be the first one to make footsteps in my yard ...

And because it was already sleeting by the time I got home - I didn't get to make a snow angel IN MY YARD. Disappointment ...

Is anyone else out there as weird as me?

Good Night ...

Fun Monday # 44 - The Dreaded Diet

Grace - MamaRehama is our hostess this week and her assignment is:

Many people make resolutions during the month of January and they usually include diets/eating healthy/losing weight and all that good stuff. I myself decided to try the Weight Watchers this time round. My assignment is to tell us about a diet or two (Atkins, Sonoma, Weight Watchers, South Beach, the You on a Diet, Best Life, The Abs Diet, The Zone, Cabbage Soup, E-Diets, Dr Phil, Jenny Craig, The Meditteranean Diet, Nutrisystem, Slim-Fast, Suzzane Sommers or No Name diet etc etc) that you have tried and what you liked or did not like about it. You can tell us about one diet that you had so much success with, or another that was a torture to follow or both. AND/OR Photo assignment: post a photo of something/someone that makes you feel good about yourself. It could be your loved one, your pet, your part of the world, anything goes.

My New Years resolution this year has NOTHING to do with dieting because I always fail. But, a couple of years ago, I tried one and it worked pretty good ... at least for a while !!

The South Beach Diet - it can't be classified as a low-carb diet, a low-fat diet, or a high-protein diet. Its rules: Consume the right carbs and the right fats and learn to snack strategically. Confession: I just put away the Chex Mix I was munching on while putting together this post - guilt got to me !

It really isn't a "diet" - it's a life style change, in regards to the foods you eat. You can eat a great variety of foods - it's mantra - NO WHITE - stay away from white breads, stay away from white potatoes, stay away from white rice, stay away from white pasta - and sugar too - it becomes carbs.

So, it took me a couple of times to get started (phase one is a killer).

I failed time and time again. I felt tired all the time and seemed to always be hungry. My head would ache and I was a total B!tch to be around.

I then decided to Sh*t can phase one and concentrated on phase two. I plugged away and vowed not to give up.

After a while (quite a while, it seemed), people started to notice that I had lost a few pounds. My clothes started getting a bit looser - the belly fat was disappearing. I was able to buy some clothes in a smaller size. I was feeling pretty good about myself and it really wasn't all that hard. A lifestyle change - that's what it was. Being constantly aware of what you are putting into your mouth ...

I lost 30 lbs. and was for the first time in a long, long time - under that God awful curse of 200 lbs. People never believed me when I actually confessed to my weight - I am 5 ft. 10 in. and blessed with height so the weight is distributed - but I knew how much I weighed and didn't like it one bit.

I went on a cruise in June of 2007. I ate often AND like a pig. ANYTHING I wanted.

When I got back, I hadn't gained an ounce.

I was feeling so good about it and eventually sabotaged all of my hard work. I no longer paid attention to the lifestyle change that I had created for myself. I was still mindful of some of the things I ate and careless about so many others. It creeps back on - Yes, it does.

So, now I am determined to do it again and lose 30 plus pounds this time (I didn't gain it all back - but still hate myself for the pounds that I let slip back on to my body). It wasn't really all that hard once you got into a routine - you get tired of some of the same foods - over and over again. But, if you are willing to try new things, there is plenty of variety.

All of this - because I am going on a cruise again in October of this year. And I want to feel good AND look good too.

And this time, I vow not to fail - both before and after.

And now, for the photo part -

Post a photo about something/someone that makes you feel good - um ... looks like I have failed to read the rest of it !

Dark Chocolate !!

Make sure to visit Grace and see what everyone else has to say ...

YES WE CAN !!

Welcome President Obama and the First Family

Washington, DC is the Place To Be ...

Fun Monday - # 43 - 2nd Anniversary Edition

I am so glad that I found Fun Monday - I haven't participated each and every week but have enjoyed the weeks that I have.

Julie at Another Chance Ranch is our hostess this week - Thank You Julie !

Her assignment is:

Instead of standing in your front door and taking a photo of what you see outside, let's turn around and take one of the inside.

When you open my front door from the outside, and step inside ...

YOU SEE YOURSELF

As there is a mirror smack dab in front of you on the wall !

Lucky for all of you - you can't see me !!

Thank you flash!

Turn to the right, and currently you see that all of my Winter Wonderland from the holidays hasn't been put away yet !

Turn to the left AND there is a Christmas Tree (YES, a Christmas Tree) - still decorated and still up (but the lights haven't been turned on since January 6th)

If you are a regular reader ... you would know that my son was not home for Christmas - he was in the Middle East and I vowed not to take down the tree until he returned home towards the end of January or early February.

On the evening of January 5th, I got a very nice surprise !

So, I haven't had time ...

Visit Julie and see what is just inside every one else's door !!

HAPPY SECOND ANNIVERSARY FUN MONDAY -

MAY WE CONTINUE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.

We Are One

I just finished watching the HBO:We Are One live broadcast from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. It was awesome! I can't remember any other time in my adult life that I have actually sat on my couch and watched the TV without any interruption for TWO FULL HOURS. After seeing the crowds of people who were so far back from the memorial, I now have validated my decision to stay home for the inaguration on Tuesday. And watch it on TV !! And be warm !!

If you have the chance, it is being replayed on HBO tonight at 7:00 EST. Even if you don't subscribe to HBO, you can view it if you have cable or satellite. It is well worth the time.

Obama's Speech at the Lincoln Memorial Concert

(If not interested ... go to the end)

I want to thank all the speakers and performers for reminding us, through song and through words, just what it is that we love about America. And I want to thank all of you for braving the cold and the crowds and traveling in some cases thousands of miles to join us here today. Welcome to Washington, and welcome to this celebration of American renewal.

In the course of our history, only a handful of generations have been asked to confront challenges as serious as the ones we face right now. Our nation is at war. Our economy is in crisis. Millions of Americans are losing their jobs and their homes; they're worried about how they'll afford college for their kids or pay the stack of bills on their kitchen table. And most of all, they are anxious and uncertain about the future - about whether this generation of Americans will be able to pass on what's best about this country to our children and their children.
I won't pretend that meeting any one of these challenges will be easy. It will take more than a month or a year, and it will likely take many. Along the way there will be setbacks and false starts and days that test our fundamental resolve as a nation.

But despite all of this - despite the enormity of the task that lies ahead - I stand here today as hopeful as ever that the United States of America will endure - that the dream of our founders will live on in our time.

What gives me that hope is what I see when I look out across this mall. For in these monuments are chiseled those unlikely stories that affirm our unyielding faith - a faith that anything is possible in America. Rising before us stands a memorial to a man who led a small band of farmers and shopkeepers in revolution against the army of an Empire, all for the sake of an idea. On the ground below is a tribute to a generation that withstood war and depression - men and women like my grandparents who toiled on bomber assembly lines and marched across Europe to free the world from tyranny's grasp. Directly in front of us is a pool that still reflects the dream of a King, and the glory of a people who marched and bled so that their children might be judged by their character's content. And behind me, watching over the union he saved, sits the man who in so many ways made this day possible.

And yet, as I stand here tonight, what gives me the greatest hope of all is not the stone and marble that surrounds us today, but what fills the spaces in between. It is you - Americans of every race and region and station who came here because you believe in what this country can be and because you want to help us get there.

It is the same thing that gave me hope from the day we began this campaign for the presidency nearly two years ago; a belief that if we could just recognize ourselves in one another and bring everyone together - Democrats, Republicans, and Independents; Latino, Asian, and Native American; black and white, gay and straight, disabled and not - then not only would we restore hope and opportunity in places that yearned for both, but maybe, just maybe, we might perfect our union in the process.

This is what I believed, but you made this belief real. You proved once more that people who love this country can change it. And as I prepare to assume the presidency, yours are the voices I will take with me every day I walk into that Oval Office - the voices of men and women who have different stories but hold common hopes; who ask only for what was promised us as Americans - that we might make of our lives what we will and see our children climb higher than we did.

It is this thread that binds us together in common effort; that runs through every memorial on this mall; that connects us to all those who struggled and sacrificed and stood here before.
It is how this nation has overcome the greatest differences and the longest odds - because there is no obstacle that can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change.

That is the belief with which we began this campaign, and that is how we will overcome what ails us now. There is no doubt that our road will be long. That our climb will be steep. But never forget that the true character of our nation is revealed not during times of comfort and ease, but by the right we do when the moment is hard. I ask you to help me reveal that character once more, and together, we can carry forward as one nation, and one people, the legacy of our forefathers that we celebrate today.

AND... when Beyonce performed at the end - All I could think of was "Single Ladies - Put a Ring On it (thank you "That Chick" - see the end of her January 17th post)

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr ....

I have come downstairs to catch up on blogs. And I even contemplated posting something. My computer is in the basement and it's just too damn cold down here - the temps outside are 7 degrees (and that's not factoring in the wind chill). Maybe tomorrow - if the sun decides to come out.

History in the Making

The inauguration is one week from today. I live about 25 miles from DC. I would love to be a part of it - in person ...

The local newspaper is reporting that I-95 North could be backed up as far south as Richmond on January 20th. The Metro (subway) is opening up at 4AM. The security checkpoints will be opening up at 7 AM. All the bridges going into DC from Virginia are being closed to traffic. All traffic will be diverted around the Beltway at the Mixing Bowl (Springfield). Various close-in Metro stations will be closed so the chartered buses have a place to park. Dulles Airport is shutting down one of their runways so that private jets have a place to park. The media is telling everyone to walk to the Mall or the Capitol or the parade route - driving will be impossible. And once you get there, stay put or you will most definitely lose your spot. It's absolutely CRAZY!

The swearing in ceremony doesn't even start till 11:30. The parade starts at 2:00. And the weather is supposed to be in the 20's. And we could have snow flurries !

There won't be a million and one cars on the road that morning ... because the "one" is staying parked in her parking spot.

I am taking the day off from work.

And I will witness this historical inauguration - from the comfort of my home, on my couch, in front of the TV with all the modern conveniences - like a bathroom and food and drink. And best of all, I WILL BE ABLE TO SEE EVERYTHING without losing my spot.

The Best of Surprises ...

Any plans that I had for this evening ... quickly went by the wayside !

My daughter-in-law called me late this afternoon asking what time I would be home from work. She told me she wanted to stop by to pick up a gift I had exchanged for her, because she would be in the area.

About 7:00, the doorbell rang and in came my daughter-in-law and the 3 grandchildren.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang again ...

I turned to her with a puzzled look then opened the door ...



There stood my son -

MY SON IS HOME !

HE IS BACK ON AMERICAN SOIL !

I CAN ONCE AGAIN WATCH THE NEWS AND READ THE NEWSPAPER WITHOUT WORRYING ...

I need to go to bed because I have to work tomorrow. The first day back to work after an extended weekend is always a killer ... I am so tired.

BUT I CAN'T SLEEP !

I AM SO EXCITED (AND RELIEVED).

MY SON IS SAFELY HOME !

The answer to every mother's prayer.

Happy New Year