Lazy Winter Break

I have to admit I have been very lazy this week. The girls have been off from school, Christmas is over & I haven't felt like doing a THING! I haven't felt like blogging although I have been keeping up on my favorite blogs--of course! I haven't scrapped & haven't felt the urge to either which is weird. I blame that on 2Pea's changing their site AGAIN & now I lost practically everything that was in my BOS (favorite layouts for you non-scrappy people). I have been creating though. I finished my button tree (pic to follow later) & started another one that I'm practically done with & I'm hoping to start another one too! This way I'll be ready for Christmas next year!!

Another thing I've been doing that's been keeping me from scrapping is I've gotten hooked on reading the "Harry Potter" books. I never thought I'd be into them but I've seen some of the movies & the special effects were enough to make me want to read the books. My only problem is I've been getting the books from my favorite B-I-L & he doles out the books one at a time thinking it'll take me a long time to read them! Boy is he WRONG!! So now I have to hit him up for the next book & hear him complain to me that I bug him. Can't wait to finish the series because then I'm off to Barnes & Nobles to buy the Stephanie Meyer "Twilight" series. I gave out some not-so-subtle hints for Christmas but it must've been too late! And you can bet that I will be handing them out to my favorite B-I-L ONE AT A TIME!!

Welcome little one!!

I just found out my girlfriend Patrizia just had her baby girl last night! We've been friends since 7th grade & I can't tell you how excited I am to see her happily married & now with a precious little angel to love! So I just wanted to say....

WELCOME TO THE WORLD

SABRINA ALESSANDRA!!!

Christmas Review

After many sleepless nights to get all the wrapping done (even though I still had a little left to do) Christmas Eve was here!

My sister Chet took this pic of the girls at the beginning of the night. See how nice & pretty they posed for their aunt? Don't they look so sweet & innocent? Well they sorta do anyway!

Our tradition is Christmas Eve at our house. We exchange gifts with the kids & the grown ups do a Secret Santa. We open all the presents oooh & ahh over them. Soothe the kids that are upset because they got clothes instead of toys. Then after everyone leaves we stuff our gifts for the girls (& each other)under the tree from us & Santa & wait for morning.

Since we had to wait for the guys' movie to end to open presents we were trying to keep the kids occupied. After getting them to do some crafts we made 'em pose for pics. They came up with this on their own! Marissa is at the top then it's my niece Nikki, & Gianna has her head on my nephew Michael. My other nephew Tyler wasn't in the pic taking mood so he wasn't at the bottom of the totem pole.... Christmas morning!! Marissa woke me up at 9am & asked if she could go downstairs to open presents. Too cute that she still ASKS! They were so excited to open their presents!! Yes we went a little overboard & got them EVERYTHING!!

Here's our happy little family later at my sister Marie's house. I was SO tired after so many days of running around on little sleep that I took a nap on the couch after dinner. I would REALLY like to have it all done sooner so I could enjoy Christmas more. That might be my resolution for the new year...stop procrastinating & GET IT DONE!

Wishing you a...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Lovin' my hubby

I just want to gush about Joe right now. He knows I still have a TON of wrapping to do & has offered to keep the girls out of my hair today after he gets home from work. Not only THAT he offered to go do some food shopping (on his way home) that I couldn't do in advance for Christmas Eve that we're having at our house. Not only THAT he just took Marissa (Gianna didn't want to go) & went to BJ's for me with a pretty long list. He just ROCKS!!! I have THE BESTEST hubby!! Totally LOVE that man!! That's what I call romance! hehe!!

I'm a winner!

Today was another crazy day full of running around. So crazy in fact that at 11:30am I get a call from Marissa's school. It went something like this.....

School--"This is Marissa's school. She's standing here with her lunchbox but it only has a bottle of water & some pretzels in it."

Me-- "Oh my gosh (as I suck in a huge amount of oxygen & slap my forehead)!!!!! I forgot to tell her she was supposed to buy lunch today AND give her money!!! I can't believe I did that!! (yes I can)"

School--"Ok don't worry we understand. You're not a terrible parent. It's understandable this time of year & we'll make sure she gets something to eat."

Me--"Thank you so much!!!"

There I go again, just call me "Mother of the Year"!!! So later on I was due to go into her school for her class party & was expecting a "Mom how could YOU!?!" attitude from her but she smiled & laughed it off. WHEW! I truly felt terrible!!! Despite that we had a good time at the party & we even went out to eat tonight so everyone was happy.

When I got home I couldn't resist getting my email & blogs & found that I had won a RAK from Heather at Scrapbook Bakery on her blog Icing on the cake !! How terrifically COOL is THAT?!?! I've never won ANY sort of contest whatsoever! It was THE perfect ending to my day! Totally reversed my mood!! I had found her blog through my idol Laura's blog & SERIOUSLY demand that you all check her out!!! If not I will have to send you off to school with only some bread & water & make you suffer like I do my children! lol!!!

G's Christmas Party

Had a hectic day but all the extra running around was well worth it because today was Gianna's Christmas show/party at school. I had planned on getting there about 45 mins early to get a good parking spot & save seats for me & Joe BUT plans never work out as good as they sound. Luckily I have a wonderful & puncual husband who got there when he said he would & got us good seats.

Gianna went up with her class on stage & was smiling acting her usual sassy self. She sang the song BUT kept her head turned to the side. I was just happy that she did all the little movements & sang & didn't cry or scream like some kids did. She had a good time & had fun passing out presents to her teachers.

Seriously--I'm DONE!

Seriously. I have GOT to STOP the buying people!! I had to buy some disposable tupperware to ship some cookies out but what do I do FIRST?? I stop at the Hallmark store & buy a bunch more ornaments & other STUFF! It's an addiction! I buy the girls the Disney Hallmark ornaments every year. They each have their own HUGE container of ornaments & I plan on making them take them with them when they move out...which won't be for 40 or 50 years. But seriously I'm done shopping...seriously....

Sheetload of Cards

Check out this new website for when you're having trouble getting inspired to make cards. It's a free monthly e-zine that gives you a layout, the cutting dimensions and even sample cards to help. You can find it at... http://sheetload.blogspot.com/ .
Happy card making!!

NOW I'm REALLY done...

I went out today to return a few things & came back with LOTS of bags full of STUFF!! I could have SWORN I was DONE shopping!! NOW I've got even MORE things to wrap! Crap! I had to buy a frame for a gift for my F-I-L but when I went to put the pics in it I realized I bought the wrong size frame...CRAP! NOW I need to go back out there again...BUT I'm gonna have will power this time...partially due to spending all my money today!!

Tonight was Joe's company X-Mas party....at Hooter's. Why Hooter's you ask? Well being that he owns the company & he likes hot wings & there are no female employees--they have it at Hooter's! And not for nothing but I like hot wings too & we as a family actually go there for dinner...please don't judge...it's a night without cooking for me!!

So I took advantage of this hubby free night & put the girls to bed early & barricaded myself in our bedroom. I spent my time going through my purchases & started wrapping them. The reason for the barricading? Let me put it this way...the back of our house has lots of windows & they don't have any blinds or window treatments on them because it would take away the look of the windows. So that means when Joe's not home I get spooked TOO easily & hightail my butt upstairs. This way I don't get freaked out everytime some animal trips the motion sensor lights that are all over the back of the house. I'm a big chicken...but I'm not on the Hooter's menu!!

Christmas trees to button up....

Only 7 more days until CHRISTMAS EVE!!! I feel like I've got a lot done BUT I always seem to fall behind. So until every present is wrapped & I can sleep on Christmas Eve I'm keeping my fingers crossed & my big mouth SHUT!

I got some wrapping done today which I feel good about but I got sidetracked tonight after putting the girls to bed. I have been wanting to make these button trees I saw on Ali Edwards' blog & 2 Peas. They are so cute & I figure I can do this a lot better than the paper trees I attempted last year. I had ordered a bunch of buttons & today got the remainder of my order BUT I think I under bought so I placed ANOTHER order just now for MORE buttons. WHAT is WRONG with ME!??!?!?! I should really just finish the layout that's been waiting to be stuck together since THANKSGIVING & put that to bed before starting something else! It's the last birthday layout for Gianna's album & I can move on to another topic...say like CHRISTMAS!!

Over the weekend we had a Christmas party at another neighbor's house. We got my sister to come watch the girls early so we could go out to dinner first. We went to Chili's which was nice (& close). Then went to the party. We had intended to be home around 10pm due to the impending Nor'easter that was threatening the area BUT we were having a good time chatting & let's face it gossiping that the time got away from us. We had to get 2 phone calls from my sister telling us she wanted to leave, it's not her fault exactly but my mom had decided to come with her & didn't know that we would be out until late. So we got home around 1am & they bolted for the car. I can't blame them it was sleeting/hailing (don't see much of a difference!)

I was pretty buzzed from all the wine that was forced on me **wink**!! It's weird...after 33 years of being Italian BORN on the other side I'm FINALLY accuiring a taste for wine! Kinda funny if you know me...my dislike of cheese & Italian meats like salami & stuff...I'm the most un-Italian Italian EVER! Maybe in another 33+ years I'll acquire a taste for something like cheese, but then again let's not get wild & crazy we're gonna take this nice & slow--REAL slow!! LOL!!

I'm DONE!!

I had hoped to start wrapping presents today but realized that I'd rather go SHOPPING!!

So after I dropped Marissa off at school I went to Michael's. I was trying to find these music boxes that look like Christmas presents BUT they were sold out-FIGURES!! So I picked up some yarn to tempt my mother into knitting the girls some more ponchos but in colors that I chose because she has a habit of picking colors that aren't always--what's the word?? Oh yeah PRETTY!!

Then I went to Target & bought Joe his last X-mas present which I can't mention IN CASE he actually READS my blog. I also found the music box that I went to Michael's for!! How FANTASTICAL is THAT?? I would like to say that I am officially DONE with my Christmas shopping but I don't want to jinx myself!! YEAH!!!!!!

Oh the weather outside is FRIGHTFUL!

It really IS! Oh it looks pretty & innocent alright BUT it's a PAIN to drive in & shovel! Just for the record I DID help shovel... See my darling hubby? That's him shoveling BEFORE dinner!! Notice he's got his earpiece on? That's because the man can MULTI-TASK!!
This is my mountain climbing pioneer! She was so proud that she scaled the mountain! This is my jolly little elf. Her nose & cheeks were so rosy red!!
Here's a picturesque view of our house.

I'm playing with the camera settings & kinda like how this came out-even if it is a little yellow...

Have I ever mentioned how much I love snowmen?

The Fab Five at our front door

Christmas Cookies

I'm done with my baking!! In record time too! I made 6 varities of cookies in only 3 days!! WOO-HOO!! I was a whirlwind of flour, sugar & BUTTAH!!

Made 8 batches of Chocolate Chip. Each batch makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies which means there are.....A LOT of cookies!!

These are Honey Sand Balls. I made 5 batches of these. Each batch makes 3 dozen cookies. There was powered sugar flying EVERYWHERE!! They're Joe's FAVORITE cookie but since they are the most time consuming I only make them once a year...unless I need some FAVORS **wink**!!!

These tropical beauties are Coconut Macadamia nut cookies. They're made with coconut & macadamias--in case you're in cookie overload right now. Made 3 batches of these. Each batch yields 5 doz. cookies approx. Did I mention they're made with coconut & macadamia nuts?? No really they are!!

Here are some awfully RED Spritz cookies. They're not awful--just SUPER RED! I squeezed 2 batches of these suckers out of a press hurting my delicate hands (that's sarcasm people!!) & the girls flung sprinkles ALL over them! Literaly. Don't ask me how many cookies each batch makes because it's just too darn many to count since I can fit LOADS of them on a cookie sheet!!

More Spritz cookies...the only difference with these & the red ones are (do I REALLY have to say it?) these are GREEN!! Oh and a LITTLE overbaked...but don't go telling people a'right? I made 2 batches of these too but had to fling the sprinkles on myself because the girls DITCHED me to go & shovel the snow with Daddy. Where's the love...and the free labor???

Then I made these little pretties just for giggles. Well no actually because I'm crazy & signed up for cookie duty for Gianna's school party. Did I mention that I'm crazy?? I'm a crazy-cookie-baking-giggling-machine!!

Addicted!!

I am totally addicted to reading blogs!! As much as I've got to do with Christmas right around the corner here I am reading my daily list of blogs!! I plan on starting my Christmas cookies but instead I'm sitting here blogging! What is wrong with me people?? No don't answer that!! Really DON'T!! I mean it!!

In case you're wondering which blog I spend the most time reading here's the link Confessions of a Pioneer Woman . This lady is HYSTERICAL!! And to top it all off she's a FANTASTIC photographer! Now that I've confessed my addiction (one of many) I'm off to bake.....

Countdown to Christmas....

Just 16 days left until CHRISTMAS!!! Is that right??? Where has the time gone?? I'm not READY!! Or maybe I am I don't feel ready. I feel like I could go back to sleep!

Last night we hosted a Christmas exchange with my cousins & their families. We do a Secret Santa with the kids & they have a BLAST! It was nice hanging out with everyone since we don't get to see each other too often.

All the cousin's kids (my 2 are in red)

The cousins with the kids (I'm in the top left back wrestling with a tired maniac aka-Gianna)

I have been going nuts getting the house all decorated in time & cleaning & baking. Now I should rest right?? Nope not for this elf!! Now it's time to get the Christmas cards out & bake Christmas cookies! After that I have to sort out gifts to determine whether I'm done shopping nevermind WRAP them up! Oops I almost forgot--the girls' school parties I signed up to bake/participate in!! I've got my work cut out for me!! How much time do I have left again?????

Birthday Shout-Out

This is for my little sister Connie, whose real name is Maria Concetta (yeah I have 2 sisters named Maria--weird story--it's an Italian thing), but we call her Chet. It's her 29th birthday today...she's getting OLD!! I feel no guilt in saying that because she's always telling me & Marie how OLD we are--you know 'cause we've got 1 foot in the grave!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHET!!!

LOVE YOU!!

Mission Accomplished!

My mission (whether I liked it or not) was to get the Christmas card pic done. This was my grand plan...

• Pick up the girls from school.
• Get Marissa's homework done.
• Give Gianna a haircut.
• Give the girls' a bath.
• Take the bestest Christmas card EVAH!!

So after 69 pics, 114 empty threats & 4,589 dirty looks THIS is the result....

Not too bad if I do say so myself! Yeah I realize it looks like the same pic from the other day BUT it's not! The lighting came out more to my liking because you know how picky I can be! This was the 10th pic taken. I had it narrowed down to 5 pics then to 2 pics but Joe & I both agreed on this one. It's a winner! Now I'm gonna do the easy thing & get these printed by Costco (they have Disney backgrounds!!) & mail them out hopefully this weekend! WOO-HOO!!!

Almost Done!!

It's been awhile since my last post! Gotta tell ya I've been a busy gal! I've been DECORATING the house! One of my most favorite things to do (although this year not so much). The tree went up with all the lights working & with not much stress on my part as that is the job I like THE LEAST! It's now FULL of my favorite ornaments with not much room for anthing else! Most of the ornaments are from Disney and they have meaning to me. Over the weekend I attempted to take pics of the girls for the Christmas cards out of 77 pics this was the best...

I'm not thrilled with it...it's a little dark towards the top. I tried lightening it up but the colors look un natural. Guess we'll have to do a re-take!

Tonight we put the girls' trees in their rooms. They each have a little tabletop tree that has (mostly) non-breakable ornaments on it. I let them put the ornaments on themselves (with a little tweaking from me) & they had fun.

I'm hosting a family Christmas get together this Fri. We get together with my cousins & their kids & do a secret santa for the kids. It's a night to see each other & have fun. We switch hosting duties so it doesn't fall on the same person every year & this year was my turn. So I've got to get a move on & finish up the little decorating I have left! I'm ALMOST DONE!! WOO-HOO!!

I went out today despite feeling crappy (I woke up yesterday with a head cold/sinus infection) & did a little retail therapy & I've got to say it did WONDERS for my tired aching body! I'm ALMOST DONE with my Christmas shopping!! I'll know better after this weekend when I go through all the bags that have been accumulating in my bedroom. The presents I've been dreading to get the most are for the teachers! I never know what to get them! This year I think there are a lot more teachers to get for because Gianna has some teachers that rotate shifts **SIGH**. I'm thinking gift cards for those teachers but I'd like to make something even though I know cash would be better appreciated.

There you have it-my reasons for being a bad blogger....but I'm ALMOST DONE & will be back to a semi normal state of normal-ness!! Yeah ya know what I mean!!

Fa la la la la

Don't you just LOVE Christmas music? Turn up the volume on your computer & do the jingle bell rock!!

Yeah I know that was corny....

It's beginning to look a lot like....

CHRISTMAS!!!
I've FINALLY started decorating the house!! WOO-HOO!!! On Tues. I decorated the outside of the house & last night I started stringing the lights on the tree since that's the job I like the least I figured I'd tackle it first! I'm on a roll people WATCH OUT!!!

Black Friday

Kinda coming out of my Turkey Coma. I am so grateful that Thanksgiving is over. It was an enjoyable day. I did not have to resort to any "adult beverages" (well except for a 1/2 glass of wine-but WHO'S COUNTING??). Dinner was put together with no complication, the turkey was moist, the sweet potatoes YUMMY AND Joe's dad was tolerable! Who could ask for a better day??

The kids decorated a gingerbread house that I bought from LNT & had so much fun with it. They let loose & now we have this oddly decorated house. My sisters & I had to fight the urge not to take it away from them & make it all pretty like. We wanted to have fun too!

As much as I might be tempted to go on the great hunt of fantastically priced Christmas gifts I don't go out on Black Friday. USUALLY I stay home & start decorating the house for Christmas. USUALLY Joe sets up the tree on Thanksgiving after everyone leaves. USUALLY Joe brings all the boxes of decorations out from the crawl space that I absolutely REFUSE to go into. BUT NOT THIS YEAR. THIS YEAR my FAVORITE B-I-L (ie; my ONLY B-I-L) screwed up my computer by browsing some STUPID websites & later we found that my computer had a virus!!!! Joe spent the rest of the night trying to fix it for me. SO that screwed up all the after-Thanksgiving-pulling-out-all-the-X-mas-decorations-tradition!!! THEREFOR I spent today not doing much. Which I'm ok with despite knowing how long it's going to take me to catch up SINCE we've got a b-day party to go to tomorrow AND on Sun my Mother wants to FINALLY come over. Ok wait maybe I'm NOT ok with this after all.....

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Gobble till you wobble!

Can you believe it???

Tomorrow is THANKSGIVING!!!! I have warned Joe that I will be drinking. This is not something that I normally do but due to the fact that his Dad will be here to drive my stress level to the ROOF I will be drinking. Got that? For the past week Joe's told me that his dad has asked if he should bring any pastries & each time Joe tells him no. Now my F-I-L KNOWS I bake whether he knows that it's fun for me is another question but he KNOWS I bake. So today after I got home from doing a little shopping I check the machine & see that his dad called. Can ya GUESS WHY he called? Yep you did--He wanted to know if he should bring PASTRIES!!! Can you BELIEVE the man?? He DOES NOT LISTEN! THIS is WHY I'll be drinking!!!

On a different note. For about a week now I've had URGES. GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER!! No wait it's ok-it's true BUT that's not the point of this little story!!! You'll NEVER guess what those URGES are for either.... Not sure where the 1st urge came from exactly but the 2nd urge came last night flashing on my screen saver. I had the urge to have another BABY! I saw the cutest little pic of Gianna from when she was about 18 months old & it struck a motherly chord in me.

Now Joe would LOVE to add on to our family but I've said for awhile now that I'm done. The girls are both at the point when it's fun to go places without lugging a diaper bag among other reasons. Why does the urge still hit me when I'm thrilled with my 2 happy & HEALTHY girls?? Could you believe it's all the sweet little baby things that I've been keeping "just in case". Could you believe I'm one of those people that just aren't happy unless they have a baby attached to their hip?? hmmmmmm.... Maybe I'm an insane women that's escaped from a mental institution...could you believe THAT??

Let it SNOW!!!

We woke up this morning to soft flurries dusting the yard. It looked so pretty but luckily didn't stick & is now only a memory.

The weekend went by so fast. Didn't do much. We did go to the movies & saw "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium". It was GREAT! Such a feel-good movie! The girls both enjoyed it & we all agreed to buy the DVD when it comes out! So enough of my Siskel & Ebert review........The rest of the weekend went nothing like planned. We did not pull out the Christmas decorations & do the outside of the house nor did my Mother come over (although we tried). So I guess I can say the weekend was relaxing. Now it's crunchtime -- Thanksgiving is 3 days away!!! What am I doing sitting here blogging when I've got a turkey to defrost!!!

Party update

Last night's Silpada party went pretty well. The people that RSVP'd & said they were coming...came. The people I had hoped would just show up--didn't. Oh well we still had a nice night.

Incredibly enough the ladies bought a lot more jewelry than I expected (which means more for ME). I'm just glad that it helps Carolee in her quest for a future billion dollar empire! It was a small group of ladies & surprisingly enough most of the ladies were my neighbors! I have to admit my neighbors are pretty good people. I especially like the ones that came (& not because they were over) They were always the neighbors that I felt more comfortable with. So all in all it was a nice night, but I'm glad it's OVER! As much as I'd like to entertain I couldn't deal with the torture of wondering whose coming or not! My self esteem couldn't take another party like this! My girls were so well behaved during the party & even talked to the ladies here--normally they (ie-Marissa) are so shy they hide behind me. Marissa even played hostess a bit & took everyone's coats & brought them upstairs to my bedroom. Later when the guests were leaving she remembered whose coats were whose & brought them down to them! That chick amazes me daily!

For all my running around & stress it was worth it I suppose. The table was displayed beautifully--if I do say so myself (nope didn't take a single pic-DAMN)! I made a TON of food--which a lot of people didn't really eat-too bad for them it was YUMMY! And best of all by the end of the night when I was exhausted & in terrible back pain my DARLING hubby cleaned EVERYTHING up with the help of my wonderful sister Marie! How sweet is that?

Joe wants to take us to the movies to see "Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium" or "Bee" movie. I'm up for that. We also want to put up the outside Christmas decorations before the weather gets bad. AND to top the taking-it-easy-weekend my Mom wants to come over & see the kids. hmmmmm...so much for my wanting to veg-out this weekend......

Tagged!

Been having fun reading everyone's blogs & their fun facts about themselves. Can't believe I've been tagged---especially by my "idol" Laura! So here goes....

Here's the rules which must be posted on your blog if you are tagged. link to your tagger and post these rules. share 7 facts about yourself (some random, some weird). tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them). let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

1. I am very anal about organization & everything being in "it's" place however I don't keep up on things & put things away when I should.
2. My pantries (yes I have 2) are FULL of food because I ALWAYS over buy BUT there's nothing to eat in the fridge!
3. I would rather bake then cook anyday (the proof is on my hips) although I do like to cook just not the "usual" things.
4. I LOVE to entertain but stress over it WAY too much until it starts then wonder what I was so worried about. (see previous blog postings)
5. I have to keep myself from running to the mailbox everyday as soon as I see the mailperson so I don't seem so silly but I just want to see if there is any "happy mail".
6. I spend too much time online checking out other people's layouts THEN wonder WHY I'm so far behind in my own scrapping.
7. I buy things online because I HAVE to have it then don't use it as soon as I should (ie-scrap supplies...see #6 & #5)

So there you have it. My quirkiness unveiled for all to see. I think if I thought about it more I could've come up with more crazy facts but I don't want to scare anyone (who actually might be reading my blog) off!! I don't know anyone that blogs other than the people whose blogs I lurk on so I officially end the tag & not tag anyone back. My friends & family don't even know that I have a blog (except Joe but I haven't let him see it--too personal!!! LOL!!!) If I were to mention this to my sisters they would tell me I have "too much time on my hands" which is the same reply when I talk about my scrapping!! So if you're up for it & you are like me & "have too much time on your hands" then please feel free to share your quirkiness with me!

On a happy note...today was our parent-teacher conference with Marissa's teacher & it went so well!! She said Marissa was right where she should be in the class. She's very excited about learning new things. She's eager to learn & isn't a follower. She's a bit competitive but in a good way in that she wants to learn & get it right. Really a great meeting! Not to sound like my kid is perfect or anything but she does need to focus on her reading comprehension skills & pronoun use. Just in case you think my child is a child prodigy! LOL!!

Today was Gianna's school pictures.

She looked so friggin' CUTE! She said she smiled & demonstrates with this totally cheesy smile. Time will tell. I had to take pictures of her when we got home. She looked so different & I can't figure out why. BTW-last night she went to bed in her underwear--no pull-ups!! She did wonderful!! Tonight should be good too. I have to report there haven't been any accidents since the last time I posted about her having an accident so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I'm just about done cleaning for the party tomorrow night. I have a whopping 7 people (including me) coming & 2 maybes!! Oh well we'll still have fun! Now I'm off to slice up the brownies I baked & finish cleaning the bathroom...I would just like to skip the cleaning part & get to the baking & setting up the table/food part. It's times like these that make me want to get a cleaning service...but that would mean I would have to let go of my anal quirkiness (see #1)!

Thinking of You

13 years ago today my Dad died from lung cancer. I miss him sooooo much. I regret that he can't see us all grown up & that he has 6 beautiful & healthy grandkids that haven't met him. I know he's watching us from Heaven but I just miss my Daddy. I Love you Daddy!!

What the?????

I don't have a lot of time this week since I'm trying to get ready for this jewelry party that I'm hosting BUT I tried changing a few things here on my blog & it's NOT letting me! What the hell?? SOOOOO frustrating! I don't have TIME for THIS!!!

I can't believe it is TWO days away from this party that I'm having &
1. I'm still not done cleaning.
2. I'm STILL waiting for A LOT of responses.
3. I'm not sure what I was thinking when booking this-the WEEK before Thanksgiving!!
4. I'm STILL have to clean the house!
5. I swear I'll NEVER host another one of these parties--EVER!!!
6. People STILL haven't responded whether they're coming or not--RUDENESS!!!
7. I'm sitting here blogging when I should be CLEANING!
8. I'm feeling rejected while trying to make the most out of this.
9. I've got more ideas for desserts than appetizers (should've been a dessert party!!)
10 I'M STILL NOT DONE CLEANING!!!!!

WHAT was I THINKING when I told Carolee I would support her & host a party at my house?? Oh YEAH that I would support her like the friend that I am! DUH! And seriously WHY don't people RSVP when the invite SAYS to RSVP???? If the invite doesn't say anything then I would understand BUT it DOESN'T!! I am having a MAJOR inferiority complex ever since I booked this!! I'm normally a confident person although a little shy but this has me going CRAZY! I know it shouldn't bother me so much but it is & it shouldn't. I know better but can't seem to help myself. I feel like I might have to cancel it but that would just add to my embarrasement that I'm feeling. Guess I'm not as confident as I thought. I keep saying that we'll make the most out of this & enjoy it with whoever does show up.....so THERE!!

Weekend Update

We had a relaxing sort of weekend finally. Marissa had off from school Thurs & Fri so she had a 4 day weekend but, I think we all took advantage of that. Fri night we went to my sister Marie's house for my B-I-L Danny's 41st birthday. As we drove up it started snowing! It wasn't by our house but she lives 30 mins north of us so that had a lot to do with it. She made dinner & we had cake & coffee. Afterwards we watched Spiderman 3 which looked pretty cool with the special effects even though I'm not into "Spidey" that much. It was nice...until little Miss Gianna had not 1 but 2 accidents in a row! AAARRGGGHH!!! What is with her these past few days????

Sat. we slept late & lounged in our pj's for most of the day UNTIL....my F-I-L called telling us he & Marlene were stopping by for a little while & would be here in 30 minutes! So much for the relaxing weekend!! We scrambled around getting showered & dressed. I took my time knowing that the longer I took the more of their visit I would miss!! When I came downstairs I said hello & Marlene started jabbering telling me all about her dieting & that she's on Weight Watchers now...blah blah blah. Luckily Marissa dug out some board games & challenged her to checkers. Love that little girl!! To keep busy I made a pot of sauce then went around doing things I should have done during the day but was being too lazy to do. FINALLY after 3 HOURS instead of the aforementioned "little while" they left. We ended the night by watching "Deck the Halls" which was an ok movie. I think the un-expected visit killed the mood.

Sun was a repeat of Sat. (without the intrusion) & after getting dressed we went to BJ's to do a little shopping. Then we went out to the diner to eat. After putting the girls to bed we watched Desparate Housewives then Brothers & Sisters & went to bed. Nothing exciting, but relaxing.

I had a dream about the jewelry party I'm throwing Fri night. I dreamt that only a few people came & Carolee didn't display her jewelry so no one bought anything. I REALLY want this to go well. I don't think I will ever host another party like this again!!

Speaking of hosting a party. It's been settled I'm doing Thanksgiving here again. **SIGH** I don't mind the cooking & all that, but it's the torture of listening to Joe's dad complain how "this country needs a depression" "everyone spends money they don't have" blah blah blah. WHY does he CARE???? It doesn't affect him at ALL so why does he bitch about it so damn much!! Sorry but as much as I love him he's gotten far too annoying for me & I think I'll be drinking heavily that day--you know 1 beer & I'm toast!! LOL!!!

No good deed.....

I've survived another Thursday night with my F-I-L. Luckily he was in a good mood tonight & Gianna kept him occupied for awhile so that's a plus. He's got this annoying habit that he'll tell you a story & then immediately after telling it he'll REPEAT it...SEVERAL times!!!! AAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!

Other than that it's been a nice day. Today & tomorrow the kids (Marissa) have no school. So Marissa got to go to work with Daddy & Gianna went to pre-school...that means Mommy went....SHOPPING!!! No nothing for myself unless you count that skin cream from Bath & Body Works but no I did a little Christmas shopping. Marissa also needed some jeans because around this time of year she gets a growth spurt & the jeans fit her around the waist fine BUT are TOO short. Hopefully the jeans will fit her fine for awhile or the poor kid will be wearing capri's during the winter!!! LOL!!

I did get a little happy mail today. I found this COOL bag on Shaunte's blog
http://www.joann.com/joann/shop/shop_tszoom.jsp?path=http://63.210.199.180/13/15/6/131564.jpg.fpx

I figure I can use it on vacation to carry my cameras & video cameras & paraphernalia around now that I don't need a diaper bag anymore. I can't wait to play with it & fill it up!!

Today was a weird kinda day with Gianna. I can officially say she's been potty trained for a couple of weeks now (I forgot to mention that in previous posts). She now does both #1 & #2 on the potty on her own. YEAH!!! HOWEVER....today when I picked her up from school I was told that she got up from her nap & went & sat herself in a chair & REFUSED to join in any activities or circle time or snack time. I also noticed that she didn't have any lunch...why? you ask...because today was the dreaded---FISH STICKS. YUCK! My daughter is stubborn beyond belief & will REFUSE to be coerced (sp?) into eating something she DOES NOT LIKE! When I questioned her in the car about her day I asked why she was in the chair by herself & she told me that she didn't want the other kids to take her Aurora dolly. That's the doll that I let her take to school to help her over me leaving her there. PLUS that's who she was for Halloween PLUS she's a possessive child PLUS I've noticed when I drop her off in the morning some of the kids kinda get in her face & annoy her. So I think I need to talk to the teachers & explain that she might be feeling a little bullied (if that's the right term). My heart just about broke when I realized that my little baby went practically all day without food! Nevermind that she had a rotten day! I told you that story because...... To make matters worse when we got home she had an accident & wet herself. She hasn't done that in ages but I changed her & moved on. Later as I'm cooking dinner she comes in & tells me she did "stinky" in her underwear. That's 2 accidents in 1 day!!! Is she regressing because of her rotten day today???? I feel horrible about it!!

Today is also my B-I-L Danny's birthday. He's my FAVORITE B-I-L but he's also my ONLY B-I-L!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANNY!

WARNING: A little venting.....
Earlier this week I booked a Silpada jewelry party with my girlfriend Carolee for the 16th. I started sending out invites but so far have gotten more declines than people coming. I'm really frustrated with this!! I feel like I have no friends!! I'm really trying to help Carolee out because the more parties she books the more commission she makes (I think that's how it works) so I REALLY hope I have a good turn out & not have to cancel the party! The venting part is I feel that my so-called friends are just "users" (I won't mention names). They use me because they know that I'm a SAHM & according to THEM I have LOTS of time to kill! I admit that I have a hard time saying no to people BUT I'm just trying to be a "good" person by treating people the way I would want to be treated. Is that so wrong?? This has been bothering me A LOT this week & really bummed me out (that's why I haven't posted in a while). I feel better now BUT I will be re-thinking how I respond to people from now on. Times like these I wish I could move & become a hermit!! Some people SUCK! As Joe says "No good deed goes un-punished" or that other saying "Mean people suck!" Yeah I'd have to apply both to this....

Recipes!!!!

I just got this e-mail from my girlfriend Carolee & had to share it right away!

This is remarkable! Even if you have no particular interest, please pass on to the bakers in your life. They'll appreciate it. Just click on the name of the cookie and bam the recipe is there. Good to keep handy 1-2-3 Cookies 7 Layer Cookies Allie Nelson's Famous Snickerdoodle Cookies Almond Crescent Shortbread Amish Sugar Cookies Andies Candies Cookies Angel Crisps Angenets Applesauce Cookies Apricot Fold-Overs Aunt Edy's Molasses Crinkles Auntie Linda's Ginger Gems Bakeless Dream Cookies Banana Drop Cookies Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World Biscotti Biscotti Blueberry Cookies Boiled Chocolate Oatmeal Drop Cookies Bronwnies Brown Sugar Shortbread Brownie Cookies Brownie Delight Brownies Buccaneer Snowballs Buried Cherry Cookies Butter Cookies Butter Nut Balls Butterballs Butterscotch Haystacks C.O.P. Cookies Candy Cane Cookies Candy Cookies Caramel Shortbread Cheesecake Brownies Cherry Buns Cherry Crowns Cherry Winks Chewies Chewy Noels Chinese Chews/Haystacks Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Chocolate Chip Cookies Chocolate Chip Meltaways Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies Chocolate Christmas Trees Chocolate Cream Cheese Squares Chocolate Crinkles Chocolate Mint Snow-Top Cookies Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (no bake) Chocolate Snowball Cookies Chocolate Streusel Bars Chocolate Sundae Cookies Chocolate Walnut Crumb Bars Choco-Scotch Crunchies Choose A Cookie Dough Recipe Christmas Crackers Christmas Crunch Bars Christmas Ginger Snaps Christmas Macaroons Christmas Mice Cookies Christmas Shaped Cookies Church Window Cookies Coconut Cookies Congo Squares Cookie in a Jar Corn Flakes Cookies Cornflake Christmas Wreaths Cowboy Cookies (oatmeal) Cream Cheese Cookies with Apricot Filling Crème De Menthe Chocolate Squares Crème Wafers Crescent Cookies Crispy Crunchies Date Nut Balls Date-nut Pinwheel Cookies Diabetic Peanut Butter Cookies Disgustingly Rich Brownies Doodles Double chocolate chip cookies Double-Chocolate Crinkles Eatmore Cookies Eggnog Cookies Elizabeth's Sugar Cookies<> Elves Quick Fudge Brownies Emily Dickinson's Gingerbread Cookie Recipe Emily's Best Brownies Famous Oatmeal Cookies Firemen Cookies Fluffy Shortbread Cookies Forgotten Cookies Frosted Peanut Butter Brownies Fruit Cake Cookies Fruitcake Squares Fry Pan Cookies Gems Ginger Cookies Ginger Crinkles Gingerbread Baby Gingerbread Cookies with Butter Cream Icing Gingerbread Men Gingerbread Men Ginny's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Glory's Golden Graham Squares Glory's Sugar Cookies Gramma Chapman's chocolate coconut drops Grandma Elsie's Zimt (cinnamon) Cookies Grandma J's Butter Cookies Grandma Olson's Parkay Cookies Great Grandmothers Sugar Cookies Gum Drop Cookies Gumdrop Gems Haystack Cookies Ho-Ho Bars Holiday Cereal Snaps Holiday Chocolate Butter Cookies Holiday Raisin Walnut Bars Holly Cookies Hungarian Cookies (Little Nut Rolls) Ice Box Cookies Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies Italian Cookie s Jacob's Peppermint Snowballs Jam Bars Jessica's Famous Brownies Jessie's Chocolate Chip Cookies Jubilee Jumbles Juliet's Peanut Butter Blossoms Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies Kentucky Colonels Kiefle (cream cheese cookies with jam filling) Kifflings < style="COLOR: #bf277e; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia">Kiss Cookies Lacy Swedish Almond Wafers Lemon Angel Bar Cookies Lemon Bars Lemon Cake Cookies Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies Lemon Squares Linzer Tarts Log Cabin Cookies Luscious Lemon Squares M&M Cookies Magic Cookie Bars Melt in Your Mouth Cutout Sugar Cookies Melting Shortbread Meme's Cream Cheese Cookies Milk Chocolate Florentine Cookies Mincemeat Cookies Mincemeat Goodies Molasses Cookies Molasses Forest Cookies Molasses Sugar Cookies Mom Mom's Crescent Cookies Mom-Mom's Ginger Cookies Mom's Nutmeg Sugar Cookies Mom's Old Fashion "Puffy" Sugar Cookies Monster Cookies Moravian Christmas Cookies Nana's Famous So ft Southern Cookies Nitey Nite Cookies No Bake Chocolate Cookies No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies No Bake Cookies No Bake Cookies No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies No-Bake Cookies Norwegian Sugar Cookies Nut Balls Oatmeal Bars Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Nut Cookies Oatmeal Coconut Crisps Oatmeal Cookies Oatmeal Scotchies Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies Ooey Gooey Caramel Chocolate Dunk Ooey Gooey Squares Orang e Slice Cookies Parking Lot Cookies Peanut Blossoms Peanut Butter Bars Peanut Butter Blossoms Peanut Butter Cereal Cookies Peanut Butter Chewies Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars Peanut Butter Cookies Peanut Butter Cookies Peanut butter fingers Peanut Butter Reindeer Peanut Butter Surprises Peanut Marshmallow Cookies Pecan Puff Cookies Peppermint Snowballs Peppernuts Persimmon Cookies Persimmon Cookies Petey's Yummy Spicy Almond Thins Pfeffernuesse Pffefferneuse Cookies Pineapple Filled Cookies Pizzelles Potato Chip Cookies Potato Flake Cookies Praline Cookies Praline Strips Pterodactyl Nests Pumpkin Bars Pumpkin Bars Pumpkin Chip Cookies Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Pumpkin Cookies Queen Biscuits Quick Cookies Raised Sugar Cookies Raisin Filled Oatmeal Bars Raspberry Meringue Bars Really Peanutty Butter Cookies Reese`s Brownies Reese's Peanut Butter Bars Rich Flavor Christmas Cookies Rich Lemon Bars Ricotta Cheese Cookies Royal Almond Christmas Bars Rudolph Cinnamon Cookies Russian Tea Cookies Russian Teacakes Samantha & Kelsey's Chocolate Chip Cookies Sand Art Brownies Santa Claus Cookie Pops Santa Claus Cookies Santa's Butterscotch Melts Santa's Shorts Santa's Special Squares Scotch Cakes Scotch Shortbread Scotcharoos Scotcheroos Seven Layer Cookie s Short Bread Cookies Shortbread Skor Squares Snicker Doodle Cookies Snickerdoodles Snickerdoodles Snow Balls Sour Cream Apple Squares Sour Cream Christmas Cookies Special K Cookies Spice Cookies Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Spritz Cookies Stained Glass Window Cookies Stir & Drop Sugar Cookies Sugar Cookies Sugar Cookies Sugar Cookies Swedish Pepparkakor (Pepper Cake) Cookies Swedish Sugar Cookies Sweet Marie's Swiss Treats Taralle (Italian Cookies) Tea Time Tassies Texas Brownies The Best Shortbread in The World Thumbprint Cookies Thumbprint Cookies Toffee Squares Traditional Christmas Sugar Cookies Traditional Gingerbread M en Cookies Triple-Chocolate Chip Cookies Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies Vanilla Waffer Balls Walnut Butter Cookies Walnut Crumb Bars White Chip Chocolate Cookies Wild Oatmeal Cookies Will's Famous Apple Jack Cookies Yummy Yummy Peanut Butter Blossoms