OMG.......LOOK AT HER SITE.......IS THIS WHAT YOU DID AMY??? It's FREAKIN' BEAUTIFUL......gotta go look at Amy's site now.

She's been leaving little helpful comments in my blog. Thanks Shelagh. Lookin' forward to adding your blog to my list of reads.

WOOHOO, Kaye had her little baby!!! Emily Grace born on Aug 29th. Congrats to Kaye, Mike, and her big siblings!! I guessed that she would have the baby on Monday, Labor Day, LOL. I think the due date was August 30th. Not bad......

Anyone else have cfgwiz32.exe on their C:\Windows\System directory?

jish.nu | weblog (coming Sept.1.2001) I can't wait ;-)

Since you don't have any comments feature, LOL, I wanted you to know that a friend of mine and her sister, both, stopped selling HOL/CATW. What they did, with the extra stuff is sold them at auctions/craft shows for discounted prices. This way, they still got money for items that they were gonna trash.

I had this dream about Bono last night. Mmm, mmm, mmm it was so realistic.....I could swear to you that it really happened.....too bad it didn't :-(

I don't know why I am obsessing on him as of late, but I'll take it......

Added, revised, deleted my list of reads.

We spent the weekend partying, had a great time, drank just enough, ate a good amount, slept just enough. Actually, I attended my first beefsteak. It is a dinner where they serve little slabs of meat on pieces of Italian/French bread. What IS the difference between those two anyway.....LOL The steak was coated with just enough fat/seasoning that soaked into the bread and it was just so yummy. Everyone there was licking their fingers, so if you came in late, you did NOT get a handshake from me, LOL

I spent the night on the dance floor with my neighbor, her friend and her sister. It was a small party, but WE had a good time.

Today, after John woke up at 5:30 am to go golfing, we spent the day with our friends, and the families of the men he was golfing with. He is some kind of beverage distributor, and bought home the $700 blender to make real authentic drinks. We sampled the strawberry and mango margaritas (not mixed), banana coladas, and the strawberry daquiri as we watched the kids in the big pool from inside the jacuzzi. The only thing that stunk was while Tommy was playing GameBoy Advance and minding his own business, he was stung by a bee on the back of his ear :-( It swelled up a bit, but all is well. We were not sure he'd be okay, as my husband is allergic to bee stings, and this was Tommy's first experience. As soon as we got home, Steffi pulled her tooth out, as it was bleeding when she bit into a watermelon slice.

That's it for now......another busy week coming up, and then school starts next Wednesday. I wonder if my life is gonna get quieter, or keep building up like this?? LOL

LMAO......actual email I received......however, after last night, I'm thinking I could teach people a thing or two.....

Hi I am Tera!.
How do you think, would you enjoy me being your... hmm.. sex-instructor?
Come visit www.c758.com and check this out!.
I am waiting for you!
P.S. Don't forget to take your friends with you, honey!

Attention: If you are not interested in adult content or you are not 18 yet, please do not follow the link.

I somehow got to this page while doing a search. I can't read German, but just with the words; Clinton and Monica Lewinsky and the picture, I think I get the jist of it, LOL

Well, I only have two kids until tomorrow night. Johnny is staying the night with his grandparents before school starts just cuz they love him!!

I got into a way deep conversation with one of my friends, IRL, and we have the SAME exact background when it comes to men, and how our lives were formed and took shape, and where we are now. We are both kinda relieved that we are so much alike, and not that we are saying what we did in the past was totally right, but it seems that we got from point A to point B the same way, and we seem to be quite fine right now. Sorta neat.....

I keep putting off major tasks around here, because the kids will be in school, 2 weeks from yesterday. Getting some more fun time in with them, knowing that I can catch up like ::snap:: that with mundane activities around here.

Happy 2nd Birthday Blogger!!!

3 hours worth of soccer practices is a little much for my 3 yr. old to handle. Poor kid.....

At least I'm unwinding with a BIG bowl of Peanut Butter Twix Ice Cream from Edy's.

Boy that last post is not very interesting, but I hate when I check blogs and there is nothing new posted, so I filled my posting quota for the day......enjoy, LOL.

Okay.....continuing on from my post the other day. We attended the party at my friend's house with the kids from 5-11:30. We ate, drank, I reminisced with a bunch of guys I used to hang out with, the kids swam, my husband finally got integrated into a BUNCH of horseshoe games, we did some shots, my husband dunked the 3 children, who were now clothed, into the pool head first, and I brought up the rear, for the entertainment for the night. Yes, my husband dunked me as well, and I actually DIDN'T kick his ass...LOL.

Sunday morning, I got up at 10 am. I couldn't believe that I slept that long. John made pancakes and I finally had to get out of the house, and bring Steffi to a playdate, and get milk, bread and o.j. for the house. I came home and the two boys were sleeping and bedtime that night was the PITS for the boys. Of course they weren't tired. They NEVER take naps, and not 2 hour ones, to boot.

Monday, I watched a girlfriend's daughter, when she went to a girl scout's leader meeting and when she came back, after two hours, we went through our information and headed down to our council's shop and got the vest, patches, numbers, handbooks, etc......for the girls. After 6 hours, the kids had started getting on each other's nerves, and it's funny to see how an only child does NOT have the skills to work things out after a bit......I tend to let the children work things out, or at least, not have them complain to me for silly things, as I tend to ignore them. Nicole got to the point were she was *Mrs. B'hel* every 5 seconds, and I apologized to her mom, saying, *ya know, I'm not ignoring Nicole, nor doing this to be mean, but when my children are cranky and pestering each other, I ignore them and tune them out* She totally understood, which is cool.

Monday night I had a babysitting co-op meeting and I have to perform my first sit, on a Saturday for a 3yr old and a 1 yr old, at their house. This should be interesting.

I spent the day, today, at Basic Leader Training for Brownies, and am now versed on Girl Scout history, and how meetings SHOULD be run. There could be a potential problem with a parent that is getting her leadership qualifications through the backdoor, but I hope to put a lid on that, in my troop leader's meeting on Monday. Not worth blogging about, if it is something that I don't know is happening or not.......could just be my devious mind speculating the worse, cuz it's easier to think that people are evil, than give them the benefit of the doubt. hehe But, I really don't like this woman from dealings I had with her last year, so I think it is a mixture of her being evil and me having a devious mind, LOL.

Tomorrow, we just have two soccer practices, from 5-6:30 and 6:30-8 for the kids.....I think I'm also scheduling a power nap for myself sometime, as I'm beat.....

Oooh, I am so excited to see new subscribers, and I love the way her site is setup. Welcome Invisibilities Now, if only I could find the energy to blog. I had Brownie training from 9-4 today...... zzzzzzz, zzzzzzzz, zzzzzzz

Okay, here's what I did since Friday. 11am, we had a playgroup meeting, which was actually an outdoor pool party, so we hung out there for a couple of hours. Children swam and played with playdough and clay, and they all got along REALLY good. We got home and showered and then the kids were off to the Yankee/Mariner game and I went out and played Bunco. What a fun time I had.

I only have one small complaint. You mix 12 women and alcohol, and there is NO way you are gonna play a game and get done in 2 - 2 1/2 hours. We were supposed to gather at 7:30, start play at 8:00 and be done at 11. We actually started to gather at 7:30, started to play at 9:10, and I pulled in the driveway at 1:12 am. Other than that, I ended up knowing 1/2 of the women I played with. One lady was my son's CCD teacher, one lady's daughter was in that CCD class, I taught a dance class that another woman's daughter was in.....etc.....

So far, next school year, I will be 2nd VP in a women's club in town, a Brownie co-leader, and I am the chairperson for the snow chain. Whenever I am not out of the house, my phone has been ringing non stop.....guess school IS starting soon, LOL. But back to Bunco.....the president of the club was with me, and she thought that Bunco was a fun game, and has elected me to organize it for our club. Not a big deal, just something else to add to my list.

Saturday, I had to bring my daughter to soccer practice from 9-10:30. Then, my mother wanted to know if I wanted to hit the JCPenney's sale, so I took a quick nap while waiting for her to call, and then got down to her house by 1. We went shopping and I think we have 95% of the basics that the kids will need come September.

A friend of mine was also having a party, that started at 4, but this is the same friend that when it was her birthday, I blogged about whether or not I wanted to call her. I never did call her, and the next day, she called me to invite us for another party, but we were actually on our way out the door for our cruise, so I got back to her, about a week after we came home. Anyway...I called her at 3 and told her I was stopping by with the kids for a bit, even though the party wasn't officially started, because I probably wasn't coming to the party, but I wanted to see her house. I stayed for about an hour and really enjoyed my time. My kids really wanted to stay, and I told her that I wasn't *presentable* enough for the people that I knew were coming, and my kids didn't have their bathing suits, and John wasn't there, so I'd go home and see if he wanted to come back. RIGHT after I left her house, he called there to see if I wanted him to come down, but I needed to come home and change and such and we went back, got there at 5, and left at 11:30.

I'll continue the story later on.....gotta make some homemade sauce out of my garden tomatoes......stay tuned, LOL

Smurf Name Generator

Trusty Smurf here......found via Amy

Sucks when you find this in your list of referrals...... :-( for whoever has the need to search this out (((((HUGS)))))

I am SO glad that I am responsible for other people's health and well being. Case in point....John just left with the kids to go to the Yankee/Mariner game tonight. Tommy will be staying at my ILs and John will pick him up when they are done. I am left to do dinner for myself, so I finished a bag of Hanover Nibblers..Honey Mustard and Onion, and ate a package of Chocolate Chip PopTarts. Then in a bit, I will have drinks and munchies, while playing a game of Bunco, for my first time. Like I said.....good thing I am not on my own every night, LOL.

YES.....I finally earned enough points at My Points to get a $20 Toys 'R Us gift card.....now to build them back up again :-)

Got Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site from Jish. This looks pretty cool.....considering there is a cache about 4 miles from my house...

Yeesh, my phone has been ringing NON stop today. Bus passes came out. I even entertained outside all day, and my friend went home when my mail came to check her bus pass. Who does your kid have.....who else have you talked to? What a bunch of gabbin' women we are. My husband would have died today, laughing, had he seen me in action, LOL. On the other hand, it's nice to know that I'm in a circle of wonderful women who all act the same.

Bahahaha......Psychologists crack me up. On the Today show, Katie was talking to someone about shoes, and they got to talking about shoe fetishes. This was the explanation they gave as to why men have shoe fetishes, more often than women. When they are little boys and see their mothers naked, they realize that their mom is missing a part of her (no penis), so they focus downward towards the feet. WHAT???

Oh boy...I ate a WHOLE bag of Hanover Pretzel Nibblers, Garlic Bread flavored.....lemme just say, that I'm sure anyone in a 20 mile radius knows what I've eaten. My stomach is really not too pleased with my actions and my mouth is so gross. I brushed once already.....LOL

Okay....graphics are back up...pshew

Odd......the place I have my graphics uploaded to is having problems, thus no pretty stuff happening here.

Ya know......I don't mind swearing. Hell, even I do it, but doesn't it get annoying when in every sentence you hear out of someone's mouth it is colored with a swear word. Do they think they are cool? Is it an unconcious word flow? Aren't you the least bit embarrased, or does it just show your lack of class and judgement?

I remember when I was a teenager, college student, even, when I finally swore in front of my parents, and it was almost like accepted, because I was now a college student, out of my house a lot. It wasn't liked, but they didn't say anything, and I was shocked I said something like that in front of them. Now occasionally, my mom will swear on the phone with me, when discussing heavy duty things and her emotions get to her.

Now it seems more and more that it is just accepted, or people don't care what they are saying in front of who, or they are afraid to be offended by it.

In light of recent events on message boards I use, this post may seem like it stemmed from there. It really didn't, but as I think about, this post can pertain to certain things there as well.

According to Find Your Spot, my top spots are: Danbury, CT; Charleston, WV; Frederick, MD; Lewiston, ME; Fayetteville, AR; Cambridge, MA. Sounds like they really have me down.....

Pshew...I'm done.....tailing off of Lala

I see: The Simpsons on the big screen tv, on my right
I need: to put my kids to bed soon
I find: playing new video games with my children very entertaining
I want: a huge ice cream sundae
I have: a wonderful family that could not want for more
I wish: that I could live closer to some of you gals
I love: making great friendships in real life
I hate: when I lose touch with someone
I miss: hanging out as a twenty year old
I fear: my father's illness
I feel: bored
I hear: John and the kids playing DonkeyKong 64
I smell: Blackberry Pie candle and popcorn
I crave: cheddar cheese on Triscuits
I search: for Johnny's Pokemon Gold game
I wonder: how my father really feels about being sick
I regret: not doing more with my dance background

When was the last time you:
Smiled: Now
Laughed: A few seconds ago
Cried: Saturday
Bought something? Today, got ingredients for a homemade pizza
Danced: Friday
Were sarcastic: today
Kissed someone: today
Talked to an ex: Hmmm......3 years ago
Watched your favorite movie: A few months ago.
Had a nightmare: a month or so ago

Last book you read: A Painted House
Last movie you saw: Vertical Limit
Last song you heard: Your not the Boss of Me (Malcolm in the Middle)
Last thing you had to drink: Water
Last time you showered: this morning
Last thing you ate: shrimp cocktail and homemade pizza topped with shrimp

Smoke: in late June
Do drugs: before I got married
Have sex: yes
Sleep with stuffed animals: nope
Live in the moment: yeah.....
Had a dream that keeps coming back: I used to have one when I was preteen/teenage about a fire by my grandmother's
Play an instrument: I can play one handed piano/organ/keyboard
Believe there is life on other planets: I don't know...human, plant.....what?
Remember your first love? Yeah
Still love him? Oh, yes :-(
Read the newspaper? on Wednesdays and Sundays
Have any gay or lesbian friends? Yes
Believe in miracles: Yes
Believe it's possible to remain faithful forever? Yes
Consider yourself tolerant of others: Sometimes, if they are not annoying, LOL
Consider love a mistake? no
Like the taste of alcohol: it depends, SoCo, Rum, Amaretto.....yes Gin, Brandy, Whiskey.....no
Have a favorite candy? root beer barrels
Believe in astrology? not sure
Believe in God: yes
Believe in magic: like David Blaine stuff, yes
Pray: Yes.
Go to church: yes
Have any pets: A cockatiel named Smoky
Talk to strangers who IM you: nope
Wear hats: nope
Have any piercings? Ears, twice on the left, one on the right, although I only wear one pair.
Have any tattoos: nope
Hate yourself? no
Have an obsession: maybe I'm power hungry.....
Have a secret crush? sure
Collect anything? plates and waterglobes
Have a best friend: yep
Wish on stars? once
Like your handwriting: Yes.
Have any bad habits: who does't
Care about looks? on most days
Believe in witches? yes
Believe in Satan: yes
Believe in ghosts: Yes.

Forgot to update about my dad......YES.....he was able to start treatment on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday, he just had to have blood draws, and he repeats that this week coming up. He said *If there are such things as side effects, I'm not feeling any of them*. He was told he'd be tired after Day 2, and he claimed to me he wasn't, but my mom said he was. He looked tired this morning when I dropped my daughter off there, but my dad has always been on the lazy side of life, if given the chance. I guess I take after him that way, LOL, amongst others. He is still feeling good, basically, so again, reality still hasn't sunk in, although, while driving home from their house today, I was wondering where the after funeral gathering would be, since I live 30 minutes from my mom, I doubt it'd be here, my mom's house is too small.......would it be grandma's? or do we rent somewhere? a hall? a restaurant?

How quickly is he gonna go down when the time comes? or is it a slow decline?

Damn......my stomach continues to act up after eating out....... Thank goodness, that I was fine on our cruise, but I had monterey jack cheese with grilled chicken, in a flour tortilla, tonight, with black beans and rice, followed by a glass of wine, and am sitting here with a upset stomach. My friend suggested that I go see a GI doc......and that has been suggested several times in the past...I'm just so lazy healthwise, LOL. And, then, of course.......I think.....my dad sometimes had problems like this...and now he's battling cancer. My grandmother had stomach cancer, my great grandmother died from some kind of GI cancer, as did her son, my great-uncle.....not saying it's cancer related, but lots of troubled GI history.

This can have different meanings for some of you, but

I'm not guilty by association

LMAO

Cracks me up that when I was skeptical of certain posters, during a different time frame, I was told to *tone it down*, and I was right too.......what the fuck ever.......

FYI......this is not getting a big reaction, cuz it's over and done with and really not a big deal. She hasn't posted with us in a bit, and we just deal with supporting each other during our real crisises.

I met him today with the kids for lunch. Very nice man, and I hope we can all get together again, soon

So many thought going through my head the past couple of days. They are going to try to start the chemo trial with dad again this morning, if his bilirubin is low enough. Back in June, they said he had a month to play around, but after that chemo need to be started. It's now been 6 weeks. If his cancer was only 2 months old in June, and it had spread to be inoperable, I'm sure these past two months it's grown more. At this point, I'm thinking, if he is not ripe for the trial today, start the regular damn chemo!! I can't stand this any longer. Just cuz he looks and feels healthy does not mean that he is. How about if this progresses so fast and within the next month he is dead. Sure, he didn't suffer, but damn.......

This is not an issue that weighs on my head often because he does look and feel so good. I mean, I know he's sick, but it is so hard to prepare myself for the inevitable this way. I have no clue what is gonna happen, but I'm having a hard time trying to ponder the thought of that man not being around for much longer. Sure we fought really bad when I was a teenager, but damn, he was only doing his best. I know that now. His childhood was not all that bright and sunny, and he dealt with a lot, and I had it a hell of a lot easier than him.

I just can't take this.......

Then.....the issue of religion is coming into play. I always thought that you died and went to Heaven...do not pass Go, do not collect $200, just get to the Heavenly Reward. Now, John is talking about purgatory and the waiting period before you get to Heaven. How did I miss that one........If you do not do your suffering on this earth, you do it in purgatory, and then, when the time is right, you go to Heaven........My God, hopefully, my Dad is doing his suffering now.......but what about me??? Am I living the life that I should be?? This is now confusing and scaring me......

I thought that when I/you/we die.....our loved ones that have past are up there welcoming us in the moment our soul leaves........

I know......I shouldn't dwell on this, nor be scared.....just have faith, but right now......I wanna make sure that that happens.......

Hey Colleen, this is right up your alley.

FoodTV Recipe - THE PERFECT GIN & TONIC Bookmarking this......

Argh......why in the process of reorganizing my house, does it look more disorganized. I swear, instead of one area that collects stuff, I now have the whole living room floor that has about 30 different piles on it......things to file...for the garage.....in the kitchen, etc..... and then there is the stuff I save, and haven't looked through and is now useless. Gotta stop saving that kind of crap, LOL. Off to disorganize more.

The Secret Society of Happy People I'm happy, are you? Do you show it?

Does anyone else remember when this image scared my Tommy, LOL. There is a PSP Splash Screen contest going on and that is one of the entries, LOL.

::smackin' lips:: Then.....we made some delishus ribs for dinner!!! Cleaned the kitchen and then played Yahtzee with the kids. I never played Yahtzee until Johnny got it for his birthday in January. It's pretty fun, plus the whole spending time as a family is quite the bonus :-)

OMG......we just had the most awesomest kick-ass lunch. As I headed out to the store this morning, I saw that sausage was on sale. Lightbulb moment.....we have a new harvest of peppers that need to be used, so along with the stuff I went out for, I picked up a Vidalia onion, and rolls. John grilled the onions, peppers and sausage and we just feasted. Mmmmm.....

After I went to the store, I headed up to the high school parking lot to see how Steffi has progressed with her bike riding. I was very impressed. I think she is there, now that we adjusted the seat a bit. While John had the kids up there, the Jacksonville State University Marching Band was just finishing up a field practice. Why they were there, I don't know, but I do know that I would have loved to see their routine... :-( John even enjoyed it. The kids said they were loud. .....back to the bike..... She was doing great, still has trouble stopping without jumping off the bike everytime, but now that the seat is adjusted she can push herself off. Now maybe we can go bike riding as a family soon.

So, on Friday, John decided midday that we would come down to his office, sign some papers I needed to, then head up to the NJ State/Sussex County fair. We had a blast up there with the petting zoos, rides, food, beer, and general fair atmosphere. The kids, however, were BUSHED from walking for 6 hours.

Saturday, a friend and I were to go hiking with the children; 6 kids, 2 moms. I asked her if they hiked a lot, and she said a bit, which was a bit more than I had. I also inquired if she ever met any bears, like I did while horseback riding. She said no. Okay, fine....... So, there we are walking......got to a halfway point to turn around before the 3 year olds totally poop out on us, and we are maybe 1000 yards for the lean-to/shelter on the Appalachian Trail where we were going to eat, when all of a sudden, we hear a lot of movement in the wildlife and see a HUGE mama bear crossing our path, not more than 30 feet from where our first 3 kids were walking. I look up the mountain and see at least one cub waiting for mom. We freeze. We wait about 3 minutes, which felt like 30, and made sure that the bear carried on it's merry way. When I felt it was safe, I loudly whispered, *let's move, forget the shelter, get to the parking lot* So, we go, bear does NOT follow us, thank God and we eat our nice picnic lunch in a parking lot, LOL. I guess I was a little more concerned because it was a mother bear, but I am very thankful that we all got out unscathed. I will have to say that I carried Tommy the rest of the hike and was very sweaty and out of breath (I think that was mostly due to the bears though, LOL)

We then head to a playground and the kids start playing reverse hide n seek for a bit (One person hides and as they find the person, they hide as well, and the last one to find the hiding spot is the next hider) After 10 minutes, we hear thunder, then the skies open up about 3 minutes after that, we race into our vans, say goodbye and come home.

I start posting online and a lightening strike knocks out the cable. Then about 10 minutes later from that, power is totally knocked out. Come to find out, from John, who was trapped in town, that lightening started a fire in an underground transformer.

He gets home, we wait a bit, head out to Mass, followed by Chinese food dinner, watched BB2 and headed off to bed.

Today, will be a relaxing Sunday.....now off to make my coffee!!

Very touching post over at Blue Bus today. Probably will add her to my list of reads soon.

Why...why...why.....must I always have a day from hell each school year, LOL. Two years ago it was Wednesdays, last year it was Tuesdays, this year it'll be Wednesday again......

4:00 bus arrives home...dress kids for soccer practice, gather CCD materials and
4:20 leave for CCD
4:30 - 5:30 CCD (which I think I will also be babysitting for the teacher's children, so I must stay there)
(Steffi's soccer practice starts at 5, but....)
20 minute drive to soccer field (eat sandwiches, I guess.......)
5:50 - 6:30 Steffi's practice
(John's practice starts at 6:30, 10 minutes away, will have to figure that he's gonna be late as well, LOL)
6:30 - 8 John's practice

And Tommy gets dragged around from 4:20-8 in the car
:-(

At least I don't have to pick them up at school as well. The roughest stuff for me will be keeping the kids happy and occupied after CCD. I think Steffi's dancing school, which she's not even attending anymore, was the reason I switched from Tuesday CCD to Wednesday. But, to switch CCD back to Tuesday, would mean, that the children would not be in the classes with the friends that we all switched to Wednesdays, LOL.

Plus the soccer portion of the hell day ends around Halloween, so for 6 weeks, I think I can go crazy.......until basketball......then baseball........... :-)