Afterward.....

After my son shoveled things up a bit, we will be getting in and out with ease. Note the snowmobile tracks across my driveway. They've been having a ball out there. Brrrrrr!

Oh the weather outside is.....

This is what we woke up to and I guess we’ll be getting more of this glorious stuff all day long today. The wind is very brisk and its just bitterly cold. These pictures can’t do it justice….on how miserable it is outside …..unless you’re into snow sports…then I guess you’d be happier than all get out. Hope your Sunday is a good one. I’m going to snuggle in and read my book.

Home at Last.....

Lord have mercy! When I got home this evening I wanted to kiss the kitchen floor. Talk about a jungle out there! People are absolutely INSANE. They are driving like idiots, honking and squealing tires, cutting people off, slamming on brakes at the last minute. I had one guy miss me by INCHES…he had drifted over into my lane. I still can’t figure out how he missed ripping off my mirror on the side. Then I almost rear-ended someone because they stood on their brakes to turn into a store at the last minute. Good thing I keep a good distance back. Traveling on today’s roads is not for the meek, that’s for sure.

I came in my house, threw off my coat, thanked God for seeing me home safely and promptly made myself a stiff drink. I still need a few things at the store but I’m honestly afraid to venture out tonight….so I will wait until Monday morning. I conveniently have that day off so I’ll make the most of it.

Yes, I’m planning another family night tomorrow. We will watch the newest Harry Potter and Shrek III. I’m fixing a ham with baked beans and au gratin potatoes. I may even make the holiday meatballs too. Can’t think of a good dessert yet (its got to be easy). I’ll come up with something…maybe pumpkin bars.

In the meantime, I’m now in my jammies and have finished a drink so I’m feeling much calmer. Hope you all have a happy Friday…Oops…my weather alarm just went off and we have a “Winter storm watch” in effect. Possibly up to 8 inches of the S-word by Sunday night. Good heavens……pour me another drink.

Holiday Meatballs

Just in time for the holidays, I have a recipe for you that is so simple and so delicious that your friends and/or co-workers will think you are a god or goddess, whichever the case may be. This recipe was given to me by my boss (a man) just before I retired. He brought it in to work every year for our Christmas party and everyone loved it. So, here it is:

Holiday Meatballs

2 12 oz. Jars Heinz chili sauce

1 1 lb. Jar of grape jelly

2 medium pkgs. (60 to 70 meatballs total) Frozen Armour meatballs

In a crockpot, blend chili sauce and grape jelly. When jelly has melted into the chili sauce, add the meatballs. Cover and cook in crockpot on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 5-6 hours.

Enjoy!

With a song in my heart......

The other night I went to bed with my mp3 player. I must have close to 200 songs on it and each one holds a memory. Isn’t that really what songs are all about? I probably listened for over an hour before I got so sleepy I knew I’d better shut it off. The songs today just can’t hold a candle to those songs of my youth and herein defines the generation gap.

I can remember my mom thinking that Elvis was really a dirty boy and that his song, “Hound Dog” was just awful. His hip gyrations were considered to be too sexual. How can you listen to such garbage, she would say. Sound familiar? I have said that to my children in reference to some of their songs and now I’m saying it to my grandson, who is 17. Oh my Lord, what would my mom say about the language in songs now, not to mention the language and scenes on regular television?

In remembering back, I know I listened to those songs because I truly LIKED them….not because I wanted to rebel against my parents. I still think the 60’s had the best music ever, even though a good song will come along now here and there. I have always tried to be objective and therefore think to myself that my grandson listens to these songs because he likes them, not because we DON’T. But, unfortunately, I find nothing to like about some of this music, if you want to call it that……unless we’re talking about Country, of course. Country music never seems to change….its real life set to music. Some of it so hurtful you can’t bear to listen because, its YOUR LIFE they are singing about.

Like they are supposed to do, I guess….they evoke emotions…some songs make me sad, while others make me happy. A song that has never let me down as far as making me happy is “Low Rider”….don’t know why, but it just puts me in a damn good mood. So, I’ll bogie out of here to the tune of Low Rider, feelin’ happy for all my blessings and not letting other thoughts creep in………like how I’d like to kick the a$$ of the guy who honestly RAN to beat me to the ATM machine. (what a putz). I keep visualizing how funny it would have been if he would have tripped and fallen as he was running to get ahead of me. Aren’t I sadistic? (evil snicker)

Poked, probed and x-rayed......

This morning it was freezing rain and foggy and….OF COURSE….I had to go out in it. I had a doctor’s appointment and his office is approximately 5 miles away. I got there without any trouble and was surprised that I didn’t have to wait long….maybe they had some cancellations. Anyway, I had a new nurse this time. I love that because as she stopped at the scale I said…”I don’t want to do that, I’m not in the mood” and…..I got away with it! Wahoo! I HATE weighing in. It always puts me in a rotten mood….and with a new nurse you can usually get away with intimidation…at least once.

Well, after checking my x-rays, my arthritis is worse and now he wants me to see an orthopedic surgeon for my hip. Even though he says I don’t have to do this immediately, we are talking surgery here and I’m not pleased about that. He is also going to try a new medication and see if that helps; and is doubling up on my pain pills. I can’t believe that I once used to jump up on a horse and ride bareback at a full gallop. Oh well….at least I’m glad I was able to have that experience in my lifetime. Those are sure happy memories.

To soothe my nerves, as soon as I got out of the doctor’s office, I swung by Dunkin’ and got a coffee and some coffee cake muffins. Oh my…if you’ve never had those muffins, try one. They are great. (now you know why I skip the weighing in).

I’m also concerned about my friend, Jamie, who is having surgery today. I know they have had a horrible ice storm in her neck of the woods and I sure hope that everything went ok in spite of that. I’ve been thinking about her all day. If you get a chance, stop by and wish her well.

I had a great time at the party that Anonymous Boxer had last weekend. I visited a lot of blogs and had a lot of party-goers visit me. AB, if I didn’t already do this….thank you for the invite….sorry I didn’t stick around to help you clean up.

The movies we watched last weekend at my family night get together were pretty good. There was a slight change and we watched Spiderman 3 instead of Shrek III. It was very good…lots of action and a pretty good plot. The other movie, TRANSFORMERS….was pretty good too. Its definitely a “male” movie. My grandson was in seventh heaven. I have a couple complaints about it…one, it was pretty long at 2 ½ hours and two, I sometimes had a hard time telling the good guys from the bad ones. But lots of action and the graphics were impressive. The plot was a bit shallow but they threw in some comedy to make up for that. All in all…not a bad movie.

Family night was a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10. If my son hadn’t decided to have ten one too many beers, it would have been a 9 or 10 for sure. We are still going to have family nights even if I have to pull hair to make them do it. Sigh ~ its not easy being mom.

We still have weather advisories up and I sure hope we don’t get what Iowa got. In the meantime, I’m gonna snuggle in with a good book. I’m reading Dean Koontz’s last one: The Darkest Evening of the Year.

Welcome......

Welcome, all of you from Anonymous Boxer's party. Come in and sit a while, make yourself at home......the bar is alongside that far wall over there. Make your own drink......however strong you want it. For those of you who don't drink alcohol, I have soft drinks in the fridge or a fresh pot of coffee on the kitchen counter. Help yourself. There is also freshly baked lasagna and garlic bread, should you wish to indulge. I'm a firm believer of drinking on a full stomach. Sorry you had to walk through all this snow to get here but that's what you get when you live in snow country. I'm not too fond of it myself. Leave me a note that you were here.......or not. Bathroom is down the hall and to the right. Enjoy yourself and stop by again. Nice meetin' you.

Snow is Another Four Letter Word......

This morning as I was plucking my chin hairs, I decided that if your mood depends upon your state of mind, then I'm changing my state of mind. It may be cold and icy and snowy in my neighbor's yards, but in mine its balmy, the palm trees slowly swaying in the breeze as the fragrance of night blooming jasmine lulls my senses into a peaceful sense of well-being.

AHA.......what have I been smoking you say? Why nothing. I'm just tired of the cold ALREADY. I need a warmer climate. I need to move. To think that we have at least 4 more full months of this crap gives me heart palpitations. I read about people who crave snow........who would give anything to have it. Well, let me tell you, they certainly would have a BIG change of heart if they knew just what it was all about. Slippin' and slidin' everywhere you go. Shoveling the walks, only to have to do it again a few hours later. Shoveling your driveway and then having the county snow plow go past your house and make a berm of snow across the entire width of your drive that will ensure you getting stuck when you pull in or out. It's a mess, I tell you......and every person who lives in snow country knows I speak the truth.

There is no getting the mail without putting on snow boots and a heavy coat. Usually the snow will go over the tops of the boots anyway and manage to get your feet wet. With me being so short, its common for the snow to be knee deep for me. I keep asking myself this same question every single year.......why do I stay here? Roots. A simple one-word answer......roots.

Sigh ~ why didn't grand-daddy decide to settle in the South.......or maybe Hawaii? You know we always want what we don't have. I imagine if I never saw snow I would be complaining about THAT.

Anyway........God Bless the UPS man......my packages are coming in every day.

Tomorrow night is family night......both my kids plus the grandkids will be here.......we are making a huge pot of chili, chips and dip on the side......then settling in to watch not one, but TWO movies. Number one is TRANSFORMERS and the other one is SHREK III. I'll let you know my opinion of them in a future post. Oh yeah.......and I'll let you know what I think of the movies too. LOL

Rude is a four letter word.....

People are truly crazy this time of year. This is supposed to be the season of caring.......HA!

I had to take my granddaughter to school yesterday. OMG........my daughter did not warn me about the MESS in the parking lot. No parking spots to be found unless they are nearly a block away. If you're LUCKY, you may snag one just as someone else is leaving. I figured I would try for that.

I was sitting there with my turn signal on, waiting for this guy who left the building and entered his vehicle. He was taking his time, obviously. Just as his brake lights came on, this WENCH pulled into the lot from the opposite way and also saw the brake lights, stopped and sat there with HER turn signal on. WHAT? I'M CHOPPED LIVER? She can't see me sitting there? Instantly......my blood pressure went up 150 points. Amazing how fast something like this can make you FURIOUS. His back-up lights go on........she's still sitting there. I am fuming. The only thing that saved me was that he had to pull out and come my way because there is no exit the other way and she actually had to BACK UP in order for him to get out. As he backed out, I immediately whipped into the spot he had vacated.

I was happy it turned out like it did because it was justice. I HAD been waiting for a while .......way before she even entered the lot. What I have a hard time believing is that she actually was going to try and steal that spot from me. She had young children in her vehicle too.......the same as me. What kind of behavior was she promoting to her children? SHAME on her. Even though it turned out in my favor, I'm still mad over it. Peace on earth........good will toward men. I guess no one listens or comprehends that anymore.

Dare I say it......

I think I’m done. Yep, I think I have finished my shopping. All I need to get is wrapping paper and ribbon and, of course, the food for our Christmas feast. I even have the gifts for our ‘Secret Santa” exchange at work. And I remembered to order more ink for my printer so I can print out the pictures I will take this Christmas...…got a rebate on that too. Of course…I don’t have them in hand……but they are all ordered and confirmed and supposedly on their way. I received two boxes today already and I just ordered from that store on Sunday. I managed to get free shipping from every place except one and that was only $5.99 so I don’t feel bad at all. I saved twice that much in gas.

I can’t say enough about online ordering. I’ve been doing it for years now and have found the best buys and received everything in time and in good condition. Of course you can’t wait until the day before Christmas Eve to order and expect to receive it in time. No battling the crowds, the heavy traffic…..no looking for a parking spot and waiting in lines to cash out and then having to walk through snow to my car and unload everything. No worrying about getting mugged on my way to the car. This is just too easy. I may even……shudder….begin to like shopping again. I did like it once….when I was young and had plenty of energy and no children to lug around. Add the fact that I did it all in my jammies while sipping on a cup of coffee or a mixed drink….depending on the time of day it was…to the above attributes and this is just about a win-win situation here. I guess I am, indeed, a walking advertisement.

But I have been in the trenches. Oh yes I have. Stood in lines until I thought my back would break, had rude people try and take cuts in front of me….they were lucky they lived after THAT encounter. I may be short and mild looking…but I’m like a lioness protecting her cubs when it comes to taking cuts in front of me. Had people hit my heels with their shopping carts, over and over…...even had people take stuff out of my cart when I wasn’t looking when I found a good deal on something and there were no more left. Oh yes….shoppers are an evil bunch…ruthless I tell you.

The best time I ever had shopping was when I went with a girlfriend who was in a wheelchair because of knee surgery. Her guyfriend had driven us there, dropped us off and parked the vehicle so we didn’t have to walk far. We were (she and I) half in the bag from an earlier Christmas party and we had so much fun that time. I guess it was because we just really didn’t care if we found stuff or not and because of that, we had pretty good luck. The only bad thing was that we had to wait in line for over an hour. She almost fainted (for real) because the store was so hot. She had taken off every article of clothing she could take off without getting in trouble and she still got overheated. It was memorable and it was fun. When I got into their van, I went to sit down and sat between the captain chair seats in the back and landed on the floor on my butt. We all laughed like fools and then went out for breakfast to sober up. We were laughing so hard we even had all the waitresses laughing. Ahhhh…the good old days……..such good memories. I'm so lucky.

Things That Go Crash in the Night.....

I was awakened with a start during the night by the sound of something crashing. I think I went straight up....like they do in cartoons.....off my bed. My dog went tearing out of the bedroom to check it out. My son was also running to check it out; he thought at first I had fallen down the stairs.

Come to find out a shelf I have on the wall in the downstairs landing had broken its supports and fallen to the floor, taking numerous canned goods with it. Thank goodness my basement stairs are carpeted or I think I would have had a terrible mess. Four glass jars of spaghetti sauce were among the things on the floor. Out of the four, only one had its cap loosened but not enough to spill the contents. I will have to use it within a couple days now.

It always makes me wonder about what it is that causes that last little bit of a nudge to cause something to fall over or to break like that. I've heard a lot of things go bump in the night. When I had a cat, I used to blame her. Sometimes I investigate.....sometimes I wait and see if I hear anything more before I check it out. What causes those little bumps in the night after long periods of a house being dark and quiet? GRAVITATIONAL PULL...... That's it. The same damn thing that's the cause of my double chin, drooping breasts and baggy buttocks. Sigh ~ its one thing to attack me personally, but a whole 'nother ball game when it starts messin' up my house! You just can never get ahead anymore.......its always SOMETHING!

Leaf me alone.....

Friday at work was a bit stressful for a lot of folks. The weather that we've had here this fall has somehow encouraged the leaves to hang on to the branches for dear life. Not many have fallen to the ground except for the past 3 days or so........and it hasn't been good leaf raking weather or circumstances. One of those days we had winds gusting to 45 mph.

At work, I was getting a lot of phone calls complaining about the garbage company, who also pick up yard waste. Seems as though the cut-off date for yard waste is November 30. People want an extension and, of course, took it out on me when told that probably wouldn't happen. Its not the township's fault, its not even the garbage company's fault. You see, the compost site where this stuff has to be dumped closes on November 30, so after that there is no place to take the leaves and such. Boy.......people were angry! I'm in the same predicament as they are, but that is forgotten when they're talking to me.......or should I say YELLING at me. Only thing you can do is just rake them into a pile off to the side of your yard somewhere and wait until spring, unless you know someone who wants to dump them in their garden. Burning leaves has been prohibited for several years now.

Everyone is just so stressed out that they use every little opportunity as an excuse to rant and rave. Frankly, I can't see coming unglued because of a bunch of leaves, but you know what they say........different strokes for different folks.

Our big snowstorm was impressive during the night last night, but now it has warmed up and its raining so the snow is rapidly melting. We have dense fog advisories out right now.

I'm making meatloaf, baked beans, mashed potatoes and cornbread muffins for dinner today. Nothing like some good old comfort food to take your cares away........or at least shove them on the back burner for a while. Hope everyone has a restful Sunday. I'm curling up with a good book.

Not too bright.....

The ignorance of some people totally amazes me. You would think that criminals would give their anticipated crime some…..thought. You know, wear non-descript clothing, drive an ordinary looking vehicle…..in other words….BLEND.

The other day, at work, just before quitting time I heard a broadcast being put out by one of our dispatchers. Seems as though three people had made off with a bunch of DVD’s from one of the area stores. They made their getaway in a pick up truck completely painted in camouflage patterns of green and brown, duel rear wheels, with a rack on the roof consisting of three sets of lights. This vehicle probably has no duplicates within the tri-state area so it was a no-brainer that an officer spotted it only seconds after the broadcast.

I passed the patrol cars with the truck pulled over alongside the highway on my way home. Shaking my head, I remember thinking to myself that these people would most likely be spending the night in custody. What with all the technical advances that the stores have done in loss prevention, people still try to get away with it. Granted, a lot of them do manage to pull it off but it’s only a matter of time before they get too brave and reckless and then they get caught.

Remember back some years ago when those sneakers first came out with those red lights in the soles? A kid wearing those broke into a house and the police were on the scene so quickly that he had to leave his loot and take off running through the woods in the dark. He was eventually caught, which was easy since he was wearing those lighted sneakers and all the officers had to do was follow the lights. Talk about a screw up! Not the sharpest knife in the drawer for sure.

I hope no one I know becomes a victim of a crime, and that includes myself. You have to be ever-vigilant these days. Unfortunately, some people would rather steal than work and that all boils down to our unethical society and the morals, or lack of, created by that. Sure wish I knew of a cure for that. I’m sure Big Al knows of one.

A Green Tree Hugger.....

Well, not quite that bad maybe. After Tuesday's post and my ranting about all my mail.....fiwa was nice enough to suggest a place she's thinking of trying and its called Green Dimes. For $16 total, they will eliminate 90% of your junk mail and catalogs, plus they will plant 10 trees for you. This sounds good to me. I checked it out and joined it. Thank you Fiwa!

I knew my mail was getting out of hand, but this was ridiculous. Right off the bat, I listed 13 catalogs I did not want to receive. That only covers about a third of what I get. I will have to go back in and add more as time goes on. They even eliminate the 'occupant' ones too.

When I got up this morning I was thinking that maybe paying out money to have my mail reduced was a little overkill......until I went to the mailbox. I received 11 catalogs today in addition to my regular bill type mail and personal letters. Now, I'm glad I did it and can't wait for the results, which can take 2 to 3 months, they say.

Like Jamie, I do almost all my shopping online. Its wonderful.......especially for a crabby bitch like me who hates going into stores and hates dealing with lines and cashiers. Don't get me wrong, I'm never mean, unless you try and take cuts in front of me... (grrrrr snarl).....but I often wait in line doing a 'slow burn' just cause I have to wait a long time.

Online, I wait until the store either offers Free Shipping or I have a promo code (currentcodes.com) for it. Like Soul, I hate paying for shipping and just won't do it. More and more stores are figuring this out as a lot of them are offering free shipping a lot more often. Sure, there is a catch......you may have to buy $50 or more to get it, but if you're doing your Christmas shopping, that's easily met.

In the meantime, there are just SOME things you have to venture into WackyMart to get. Invariably the four things you want are at the opposite four corners of the store. I think they do this purposely to keep you in there as long as possible so you will be tempted to pick up extra stuff. Now......let me tell ya, I hop on one of those electric carts and zoom my way through the store. Good thing they don't have speed limits in there cause I have the throttle all the way back. Not only is this fun, but its FAST. Plus that, you're not tempted to buy things you can't see.......as you're whizzing by the shelves so fast. I don't feel bad about this because I really am handicapped in a way.......I have a bad knee and also a bad hip. So it takes me a long time to walk that whole store, not to mention the PAIN! My daughter says I should apply for a handicapped sticker on my car but I can't quite do it.......I keep thinking that there are so many others more deserving of that handicapped parking spot than me. As long as I can get fairly close, I'm ok.