Random Tuesday Thoughts: so not ready for grandkids edition

I'm so glad Stacy took over Random Tuesday Thoughts.  I enjoy reading what others have to say and sometimes it's fun to just put down lots of randomness on "paper" (so to speak).


My daughter's friend is visiting from Oregon (the real Oregon, not Vodkamom's Oregon).  With her 2 year old daughter.  It's been interesting, to say the least.  My house is not baby-proofed.  I haven't had to worry about that stuff for quite a few years now.  I guess it's good practice for when I have grandchildren of my own.  But this kid is driving me up the friggin' wall!  I think God makes kids really cute so you don't strangle them.


Three times I caught Lillian scooping all the dry cat food into the cats' water bowl.  The last time I threatened to make her eat it.  She was making cereal for the cats.  


She keeps taking my Longaberger baskets and trying to stand in them. If she breaks them, Mommy will be replacing them.   


She keeps finding Sharpie markers.  That alone scares the crap out of me!  I have no idea where she's finding them.  


She has eaten all of my yogurt. Tell Mommy to buy your own yogurt. 


I retaliated.  I ate her Apple Jacks.


Oh.  She did give me something, quite unselfishly, I might add.  She gave me her friggin' cold!  Mommy brought her here with full-blown bronchitis and a fever.  I've been hacking up lungs since Thursday and missed 2 days of work, so far.  And Mommy keeps taking my Dayquil/Nyquil because she's sick too.


I have no idea when they are leaving.  She hasn't made her reservations yet.  I hope it's soon.  


Hack, hack.  Ah-choo!  

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I haven't been here for some weeks now.  The desire to write about anything just hasn't been there.  Ah well.

Today is a big day for me!  It's shopping for my Mother Of The Bride dress with my daughter!  I hope we find something today.  I'm hoping to find a nice green dress.  Green is my favorite color.  So is red, but I think that would not be a good choice for a wedding.

The bridemaids' dresses are purple, the groomsmen are wearing grey suits.  Guess what color Maleficent chose? Yup.  Plum and grey.  That's OK.  She'll blend in.  **I** will stand out!  But I certainly will not outshine the bride!  She will look magnificent!

John and I went to Cabela's on Sunday.  It was like going to the zoo, only all the animals were very cooperative and posed very nicely for us!  Every shot was perfect!  

Polar bears and caribou!  

John bought socks with batteries in them to keep his poor always cold feet warm.  I bought fudge.  Probably should have skipped that since we have a wedding coming up in less than 4 months.

I kept losing John in the store.  There was so much camouflage in that store and he was wearing his BDU aka field jacket from his time in the army.  He blended right in!

This one is short and sweet because I'm short on time today!


Why not visit Keey at The Un-mom for more fun randomness?

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Keely  is the host for Random Tuesday Thoughts.  Go check her out at  The Un Mom for lots more fun Randomness!! 


We had Spring.... for 2 whole days.  Then, cold and snow and wind came back.  Yay us.


A friend from work gave me, GAVE ME, no charge, his old Droid!  He bought the Droid last year when it first came out (and I bought his 3 month old Blackberry from him).  He lost his Droid, so Verizon sent him another.  He used that one for a couple of months, then his boyfriend gave him the Droid X because Verizon had a BOGO sale.  When I mentioned that I really wanted to get a Droid, but I needed to wait until after my daughter's wedding to get it, he told me I could have his!!!  How cool is that!!!


I discovered that the Droid is soooo much faster and cooler than the Blackberry!  I'm having fun, learning my way around it and downloading free apps.  


I'm keeping my Blackberry for my audio books.  I listen to a lot of books in my car.


Maleficent has Facebook.  Great.


I do a check every now and then to see if she or the ex has Facebook.   She now does, he does not.  


I also (for fun) check on John's ex-wives.  Yes, I said Wives (plural).  He has 4 of them.  And you all wonder why I'm not chomping at the bit to marry him!  


Anyway, 3 of the 4 of them have Facebook.  We are NOT friends on Facebook.  I do, however, post really glowing things on his family members' pages.  I'm fun like that!


I've decided that my son shows up here every week or so for a few days, not to see me, but to catch up on all the shows he watches on Showtime.  They don't have that channel where he lives the rest of the time.  I'll take it though!  He also gets to do his laundry for free.  And I might even cook him a meal once in a while.


I think I'm randomed out.  Cya!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Keely  is the host for Random Tuesday Thoughts.  Go check her out at The Un Mom for lots more fun Randomness!! 

So my 20 year old daughter is in Las Vegas until Friday.  She's not even old enough to gamble OR drink!  How is this fair?  Yes, I'm jealous!  She's there for a Paul Mitchell Convention.  She goes to a Paul Mitchell Cosmetology School on the other side of Pennsylvania.  So it's a learning experience.  Yeah, right.


We're getting some precipitation right now and it's ... RAIN, not snow!!!  YAY!!! (I'm writing this on Monday evening)


I keep discovering new authors and of course, they have series of books, so now I want all of the books in the series!  I just downloaded 2 more books in Paul Levine's Jake Lassiter series.  I really liked the first one!  


I few people commented on my blog post about Reading and have suggested a few goodies.  So now I have MORE books to look out for!  Good thing my Kindle can hold up to 1500 books!

I'm trying to write here, but Cameron has other ideas.  Do you think he wants some attention?

So Christina Aguilera really messed up the National Anthem.  It's sad that so many people don't know it any more.  She looked like crap too.  Why can't "professional singers" just sing it like we learned it in school?    Look and listen, if you can stand it.     

Have you met Bill Balsamico?  He's the owner of a restaurant and lounge in North Versailles, PA, located in Western Pennsylvania.  He puts messages on his sign outside his place of business, Casa D'Ice.  I love this guy!  He does NOT know the meaning of the term "Politically Incorrect".  He takes shots at local government, the President, Illegal aliens, and more!  He's now on Facebook and has his own website, www.casadice.com. Check out his website and you can see all of his famous signs!  Here's an example.  This is the sign he has displayed this week.

That's it for me!  Now check out some other Random folks!  I bet you find stuff you like!

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Winter Winter Everywhere

Keely  is the host for Random Tuesday Thoughts.  Go check her out at The Un Mom for lots more fun Randomness!! 




One week later and I still have hot water!  Woo hoo!!  Only I could buy the one water heater at Lowe's  that was defective.  


We're expecting an ice storm today.  Got a bit of snow overnight.  I still have to go to work today (where no one will come in to eat because duh!  it's icy outside!)  If I wreck my car, my boss is paying the deductible to get it fixed.


For the record, I got to work just fine.  I waited on a grand total of 2 tables and made $12.50.  Luckily, tomorrow, when it REALLY gets bad, it's my normal day off.


Speaking of this bad weather, Mother Nature and Old Man Winter are wreaking havoc on my sex life and I don't like that one. little. bit.  Knock it off, you two!

Why do people with trucks and SUVs think because they have 4 wheel drive, they can drive as fast as they want and not be a danger to everyone around them when there is snow on the roads?  I will admit to a little chuckle when I see them stuck in a ditch.  I don't want them to be hurt.  I just want them majorly inconvenienced when they're stuck and can't get their vehicle out.


My niece is on a 9-night Caribbean cruise right now.  Lucky bitch.


How did it get to be February already?

(swiped from Candy's blog)

OK, that's it for me.  


Got random?

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I think I'm coming down with the dreaded cold.  My throat feels all crunky right now.  Time to get out the Zicam and Dayquil/Nyquil, and try to kill this beast before it takes over.  My health insurance is running out because our company got sold.  And I don't have $190 for the doctor.


My ride to work should be fun today.  It snowed last night, then turned to freezing rain.


I'm having lunch tomorrow with Martha from The Daily Grind and Martha's Photo Blog!!  We have met in real life, but only at her job when I stop by to buy stuff.  Can't wait!!  I'm sure there will be pictures.


I'm loving my Keurig!  So nice to come downstairs in the morning, hit the power button, boot up the computer and in no time I have a steaming cuppa joe and my computer is ready to roll!


I'm participating in a White Elephant Blog party tomorrow.  Participants were each given names and addresses and we mailed Christmas gifts that we had no use for.  I received a gift from Canada!  I'm hoping my gift reaches California in time (I"m a bit of a procrastinator)  I'll be blogging about it tomorrow.


There is a man (and I'm using that term VERY loosely) who has been commenting on blogs about boycotting American women because American women are, for the most part (his words, not mine) " most likely to cheat on you, to divorce you, to get fat, to steal half of your money in the divorce courts, don't know how to cook or clean, don't want to have children, etc. "  Do you think maybe he can't get a date?  To this gem of a "man" I say maybe if you lost that beer gut, took a shower, picked up your dirty underwear off the floor and treated women, no matter the nationality, with kindness and respect, perhaps you, too could find someone who would be willing to spend even a little time with you.  Frankly, I'd rather spend the rest of my life alone than spend even one minute with a douchebag like him.  AND he has his blog blocked so no one can respond!  Not only is he a douchebag, he's a coward! 


OK, I'm finished.  I'm going to work now.  I used up all the money I won in the divorce.


Keely  is the host for Random Tuesday Thoughts.  Go check her out at The Un Mom for lots more fun Randomness!! 

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Vacation Plans

I'm on vacation!!  Our work week goes from Tuesday to Monday, so today is the first day of my vacation!


My plans for vacations?  To do as little as possible!


I do have a few things I HAVE to do. 


I have to pick up my new glasses from Walmart so I can see clearly again.
I have to make a deposit at the bank (first thing on Tuesday)  so my Verizon Wireless payment doesn't bounce.
I have to go to John's and have sex and spend time with him.
I have to mail my daughter's retainers to her at school because she left them in my bathroom.
I have to try to sleep as late as possible every day.
I have to finish watching all the seasons of NCIS.  Then start on Northern Exposure.
I have to catch up on all my blog reading and commenting.


Speaking of work, I work at TGI Fridays.  Our restaurant is part of a 7 store franchise.  A company from California  is coming in and buying up 5 of the stores, ours included.  They are supposed to be taking over in mid-to-late January.  Which is why I'm on vacation this week.  I'm entitled to 3 weeks paid vacation.  My anniversary date is February 11. I still had 1 week of vacation coming to me.  I'll be working for the company for 8 years now.  I'm not sure if I'll still be getting 3 weeks paid vacation after they take over.  Could be new company, new rules.  I sure hope I don't lose my 8  years of seniority!!!  We all have to take our food tests again.  Since I'm the trainer and I give the test, I BETTER pass it!!  I'm sure there will be a few co-workers who might be out of a job once these tests are given!  The managers all had to submit resumes.  Their jobs are not automatically guaranteed!  Yikes!!


I really need to get back on my Nutrisystem plan.  I was doing really well for a while.  Then I got lazy about prepping my food every day.  And I stopped.  And I gained back the 15 pounds I lost.    I have 2 months of Nutrisystem food in my pantry.  I had a new shipment ready to be delivered on the 5th of January.  I called them and delayed it until March.


I've inherited my mother's restless leg syndrome.  Great.  My legs "wake up" as the rest of me gets tired.  Like right now.  I'm tired.  It's around midnight.  And now  I'm sitting here, jiggling my legs, trying to get the "crawlies" to stop inside my legs.  If anyone has any suggestions that don't require prescription meds, I'm all ears!

Okay, I'm adding a teeny little pet peeve here.  I understand using word verification to prevent spammers from clogging up our blogs.  I use word verification too.  What is beginning to tick me off are when I type my comment and click submit, it goes to the original blog page.  I click off the page because I'm finished with that blog for the time being and just as it's disappearing, the word verification pops up!  Then I have to go back in and re-type my comment!!!  It's not bad if it's just a few words, but sometimes one can get wordy and to have to retype a whole paragraph is annoying!  Ok, that's it. I've said my peace.   uh..... mine doesn't do that.... does it???


Keely  is the host for Random Tuesday Thoughts.  Go check her out at The Un Mom for lots more fun Randomness!! 

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Good news/bad news

Today is Tuesday, so let's get random!!


I'ts been an interesting week to say the least and I've had a good news/bad news kind of week, so I thought I'd share with all of you!  Aren't you lucky!


Good news
I had the good fortune to have Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and December 26, aka my youngest child's 20th birthday, off from work.


Bad news
My hot water heater decided that  December 22 was a good day to die.  I discovered this on December 23.  Just what I need, 2 days before Christmas!  And with a car insurance payment due Dec. 27 and my cell phone bill overdue, this is NOT a good thing. Oh!  And I have an appointment to get an eye exam and new glasses on Wednesday (it's been 5 years people... it's time!)


Good news
Because we were so busy at work and people have been, for the most part, generous with their tips, and because Rich at work told me I could find a HWH for $244 at Lowe's, it wasn't the disaster I thought it was going to be.  I thought a new HWH was going to be about $1000.  I bought a 40 gallon tank.  The one I have now is a 50 gallon tank, but I didn't think spending another $100 or more for 10 gallons was necessary.


Bad news
Lowe's wants $298 to install the water heater.  Seriously?  Basically all you need to do is unhook the old one, and hook up the new one!  Should take an hour!


Good news
My niece, Patty told me that her husband, Trey could install the HWH for me and I could give him whatever amount I wanted.  He likes helping family out!  Yes!!  I can give him $100 for doing it.  He makes some extra money, I save $200!  I like it!  The plan is for Trey to come here on Dec 26, in the evening, to install it.


Bad news
Big snowstorm coming up the east coast from Christmas night until the morning of December 26.  And Patty and Trey are visiting family in Virginia Beach.  So they were stuck there until last night, when they finally got home.  Now Trey is sick.


Good news
I should have hot water fairly soon!  And I'm gonna take a long hot shower when I do!!


More good news
One of my favorite authors is a friend on Facebook.  Her name is Sarah Pekkanen.  She was recommended by Jennifer Weiner, also a favorite author of mine!  Sarah has a book out called The Opposite Of Me which i read in under 3 days.  I could not put it down!  Last week, a short story of hers was available for Kindle on Amazon and she was doing a 5 day giveaway for folks who bought her short story.  Each day another gift was added to the pile (a signed copy of her newest book, due out in February for example)  I got word last night that I won Day 5!!  This is so awesome!  Day 5 is a signed copy of her newest book, Skipping A Beat, a signed copy of The Opposite Of Me, a signed copy of Jennifer Weiner's newest book , Fly Away Home, Godiva chocolates, a $50 donation to a homeless or animal shelter of my choice and a brand new eReader!!
I was so excited!!  Since I already have a Kindle and I bought one for my son for Christmas and my daughter, Gina got a Nook for her birthday this summer, I told Dani that she can have it for her birthday.  She's excited!!!  I should be hearing from Sarah soon to get my address and other fun info!  When the loot arrives, I'll do a blog post with pictures!


Keely  is the host for Random Tuesday Thoughts.  Go check her out at The Un Mom for lots more fun Randomness!! 

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Merry Christmas. sigh.

So, is it bad that I didn't bother to put my Christmas tree up this year?   Only one of my kids will be here and she's not arriving until Christmas night and will be gone before the New Year.  sigh.


I am ready for Christmas, sort of.  Got everything bought, but nothing is wrapped yet.   I have to exchange one thing for size.  If my son responded to my text while I was in the store on Sunday, I wouldn't have to do that.  sigh.


I need to be on the road by 7 am on Christmas morning to make it to my daughter's house in Delaware to go to Mass with my family (the kids are staying at Gina's on Christmas Eve, since they'll be at their dad's in NJ and won't have to drive an hour and a half to my house, only to have to turn around and drive nearly an hour and a half to Gina's the next day.  Gina lives maybe 30 minutes from her Dad's).  I hope I wake up in time!  Otherwise, I'll see them after Mass.


There's a possibility it will snow on Christmas.  sigh.  If it does, there's a good chance I won't be driving to Delaware on Christmas morning.  And if I do make it to Gina's and it snows, there's no way in hell I'm going to my ex-in-laws with them!    I'd rather be alone than do that!


I really need to stop buying stuff for myself right before Christmas.  John bought me a Keurig for Christmas (I was with him when he did) and I bought a coffee pod carousel to go with it.  Guess what Tim got me?  Yup!  A pod carousel!  Guess I'm stopping at Target today to return mine!  sigh.


So guess what is the ONLY receipt I can't find?  Yup.  The one for the pod carousel.  sigh.


UPDATE:  Found the receipt!!  Woo hoo!!  

Keely  is the host for Random Tuesday Thoughts.  Go check her out at The Un Mom for lots more fun Randomness!! 

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I saw this video and just had to share!  Jeff Dunham is so funny!





My daughter saw this tattoo and has decided she's going to get it. This is my favorite Van Gogh painting.  I'm kinda hoping she'll wait until after her sister's wedding because she'll be wearing a strapless dress. 

My favorite movie of all time is The Quiet Man with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.  Here's the trailer for you to watch, if you want.  I'll tell you a secret. I'll probably watch any John Wayne flick.  





Keely  is the host for Random Tuesday Thoughts.  Go check her out at The Un Mom for lots more fun Randomness!! 

Random Tuesday Thoughts: SCORE!!!

My daughter flew home from Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving.  She got body scanned in Pittsburgh.  When she arrived in Philadelphia, there were protesters outside the ARRIVALS, where there is no security.  All the security is at the DEPARTURES terminal.  DUH!


One of the protesters approached her, trying to give her info on refusing the scan.  She promptly said, "Nope!  I liked it!"   This kid cracks me up!


I had to drive her back to school, near Pittsburgh.  My only worry was hitting snow as I drove over the mountain near Altoona and points west.  We did see snow on one side of the mountain that isn't exposed to direct sunlight, but the day was sunny and we had no precipitation.  Score one for me!


I didn't have to do up and back in one day.  My ex got me a room at the Marriott in Altoona (about an hour from school).  He travels a lot for work and has about a bazillion Marriott points.  I had a nice room that even had a sofa.   I enjoyed a nice quiet evening.  Another score for me!


It would have been more special if I still had kids living at home.  I get solitary a lot of the time, so this was no big deal.


I want that bed though.  I woke up with no back ache for the first time in a while!  Score!


I had to take a day off work to do this but I discovered they weren't busy and spent the better part of the day decorating.  Score another for me!


I go back to work tomorrow, after having 2 days off in a row.  Then I get my regular day off.  Score!


I think I'm randomed out.


Keely  is the host for Random Tuesday Thoughts.  Go check her out at The Un Mom for lots more fun Randomness!!  

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Guess who!!

I did something I've never done before.  I wrote blog posts for the next 4 Mondays, for Monday's Music Moves Me and Musical Mondays. I downloaded songs from youtube, added lyrics (in case you are of the mind to sing along).  You see, the theme for the next for weeks is Christmas Carols!  I have a few favorites, so I wanted to make sure I had them all while they were fresh in my mind.   You will have to wait for the next 4 Mondays to find out what they are!  The only hints you get are I'm Catholic, and they're all hymns.  No holly jolly Christmas songs on my blog this year (although I did think about it).


I'm going to be making another road trip to western PA before the week is out.  My younger daughter is flying in from Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving (Daddy Dearest probably bought her a plane ticket)  Guess who gets to pick her up on Wednesday night from Philadelphia Airport?  Guess who gets to drive her to work before 11 pm  on Thanksgiving night (she works at an outlet mall and they're open ALL NIGHT LONG AND IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A PARKING SPACE).  Guess who gets to pick her up at 8 am or 9 am the next day, before she herself has to go to work and fight for a parking space at a different mall?  And guess who gets to drive her back to Pittsburgh on Sunday?


My ex travels a lot for work, as does Maleficent (they work together... how cute), so they get lots and lots of frequent flyer miles and Marriott points.  Guess who got her ex to get her a room at the Marriott for Sunday night so she doesn't have to drive to and from Pittsburgh on the same day?  Score!!


Our company is being sold.  The deal should be done by the end of January.  This is a long story that I"ll write about when it's a done deal and we know what's happening.  All of our jobs should be safe.  I'm just hoping I don't lose my seniority.   One thing I might lose is my 3 weeks paid vacation.  It's not much, but a lot of restaurants don't give their wait staff paid vacations.  My anniversary date is Feb. 11 and I have 1 week of vacation still coming to me.  Guess who's taking a week in January, just in case?


My Christmas shopping has been started.  I haven't started this early since my ex left. (my kids were lucky we had Christmas that year!  I was not in good shape for Christmas 2005.  Christmas 2004 was no picnic either.)  Anyway, the kids know my budget and are staying within it.  My son keeps telling me he doesn't want anything for Christmas.  Not gonna happen!!!  The girls?  They have no problem coming up with ideas for me!  To top it off, my youngest has a birthday on December 26.  Guess who won't have any teenagers starting on that date?  Hard to believe that Danielle will be 20!

Guess who is the host for Random Tuesday Thoughts?  That's right!  It's Keely!!  Go check her out  at The Un Mom for lots more fun Randomness!!  

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Glaciers, Aliens and Superheroes

I'm watching Sarah Palin's Alaska.  This is one place on the planet that I REALLY want to visit!  I'm afraid, though, if I ever get to Alaska, I might not want to come back here. John was stationed in Alaska for 4 years when he was in the Army, and he simply loved it!.  He promised to take me there one day.  Now if y'all don't like Sarah Palin, please keep it off my blog.  I keep my mouth shut on your blogs when you praise The Anointed One, and I'd appreciate the courtesy of a return favor.  And I mean that in the nicest way!

There are more twists and turns on The Event all the time.  Hal Holbrook's character, Dempsey, is terribly evil!  I can't tell whose side the assassin, Vicky Roberts is on.  She might actually have a heart!  We shall see.  This show might possibly be more confusing than Lost.  I don't see how it will go more than one season though.

We saw Iron Man 2 on DVD on Saturday night.  I thought it wasn't as good as the original Iron Man, but it was certainly entertaining!

I can't wait for the weekend to see the newest installment of the Harry Potter series, Part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!  And I'm not happy about having to wait for the summer to see Part 2!

And last but certainly not least,  this baby in the video sure knows how to get his groove on!!  I laugh out loud (literally!!) every time I see it!




Go see Keely at The Un Mom for lots more fun Randomness!!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

In keeping with NaBloPoMo, this is my 9th posting in 9 days!  Go me!!


Someone posted a comment on a previous post and it was an advertisement for a jacket from their own blog!  It's all in English (using a translator program, no doubt) because the profile stuff looks to be in Japanese.  Ironically, it's on the posting about the spam email I received.  Maybe this poster thinks I'm really going to be a millionaire!


I am hooked on Elin Hilderbrand's books!  She's written 9 books, with a 10th book coming out this summer.  I'm just beginning my 8th book (The Castaways).  I can't read them fast enough!  They all take place on Nantucket, and I wish I had the money to go there and stay at some of the places she has in her books!  AND Elin is Collegeville, PA born and bred!


John and I saw the movie, Red this past weekend.  Lots of stars in this one, including Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Richard Dreyfus, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Mary Louise Parker.  Funny, funny, funny!!!!  Go see it!


My daughter fell in love with a kitty at the Humane Society near where she goes to school.  I hope she doesn't bring him home.  I have 2 cats and my son moved home with a cat (my cats don't like his cat... sigh).  I think if she brings this one home, I will officially be considered a cat lady.


My older daughter's wedding plans are coming along nicely.  The Church is reserved, the organist is selected, the Cantor has been chosen,  the hotel booked, the menu selected, Daddy Dearest is paying for it, the wedding gown is ordered, the shoes are purchased, the DJ is booked.  I have yet to even think about a dress for myself.  I keep hoping, by some miracle, 50 or 60 pounds will disappear from my body before I have to shop for my dress.  Not gonna happen, I'm guessing.


This Thursday is Veteran's Day.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to our military, active and retired for your service to our great country!  This includes my brothers Michael Mack, Marty Mack and Jimmy Mack (retired US Marines, every one of them!), my brother-in-law, Jim Roach (retired Army), his son Steve Roach (active Army and former Marine), Jim's daughter, Marianne Roach Casserly (retired Army), my love, John Russo (retired Army), his son, Mark Russo (active Army).

OK, so Keely is really focused on Zombies today.  Hop on over to The Un Mom and check out her Zombie haikus she's writing on her fridge.