I HAVE THE PERFECT SHIRT

It's a brand-new-with-tags, greenish-brown, ugly as sin, oversized t-shirt. On the front is a picture of Charlie Brown and the words "Sick and tired of everything." I bought it last March during all the family bullshit following Tnk's accident. I've never worn it, but that's about to change.

You all know about all the stuff that's going on in my family right now. Yesterday I told my sdad and one sister about my brother's impending divorce. I then called Tnk to let her know so that she wouldn't feel out of the loop, so to speak. She responded with a gruff "well, that's too bad, but I'm not surprised" and other things that we've all been thinking but have not voiced.

Today she called and said she was sorry she couldn't talk yesterday, but there were people around. I told her that I understood, and that I just wanted to let her know what was going on, as communication has been a big problem in our family in the past, and I am really trying to keep things open. She proceeds to gripe about our brother not calling her and her not having his cell phone number. "I have never had his cell phone number!" was one comment - and one which I seriously doubt, by the way. I told her I could email it to her if she wanted, but that I don't know it by heart. Which is true, because with my new cell phone I just press Talk and say "Brother" and it dials him (I may never know anyone's number again, heh). She responded that it didn't matter because they never talk anyway.

Then she starts asking me questions about his kids and visitation and such. I told her that I didn't think that was going to be a problem as the divorce seems amicable, but that I don't honestly remember all the details because this past week has been a very emotional one and I didn't retain much of the conversation. I said, "You know, this has been a very bad year so far. I guess I just didn't and don't want to hear about anything bad for awhile."

I can't believe she responded with a short, "Well, bad things are going to continue to happen! You'll just have to ... "

I cut her off with "okaaaay, I'm sorry, but I just can't continue this way. So much has happened...right now all I really want to hear are positive things and optimistic views."

She said fine and hung up. That surprised the heck out of me. It would have been more like her to say that she was sorry and that things were going to be okay. Even if she was lying, that would have been better than what she did. I didn't think I could be even more down than I have been, but she made that happen.

Thanks, Tnk. You just inspired me to expand my wardrobe... :(

EDIT: She just emailed me and said "Umm...All I was trying to say was: I guarantee there will be more bad things, but we're tough and we'll handle them." That makes sense, and I know she's right, but sometimes all you want is sympathy, you know? Because I sure don't feel tough right now.

TODAY WE SHOULD KNOW MORE

MIL sent a long email to her primary doctor last Friday. In it, she told him that she'd gotten two recommendations for neurologists and asked him to contact her about submitting referrals. She said, "I know that Mondays are busy for you, so I won't expect a call first thing. If I don't hear from you by lunchtime, I'll contact you."

Wow, does this woman have patience. I am not sure I'd be so nice were I in her shoes. He's already blown her off once; there should be no second chance. How can you tell someone they've got a brain tumor and then ignore them for three days?

Good grief.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. They mean the world to our family.

TONIGHT I'M GONNA GET DRUNK. WHO'S WITH ME?

Well, despite my optimism about 2007 being better than 2006, this year - all six days of it so far - are in the crapper.

Thursday we find out that my mother-in-law has a brain tumor. I SO cannot tell the kids, but with all the skirting the subject that's been going on around here, they're bound to be suspicious by now. Top that off with this: her doctor not only didn't set up her appointment with the neurosurgeon, (as he'd promised he'd immediately do); he didn't even bother to let her know he didn't do it. In the words of my sister-in-law, "he's SO fired!"

Friday, the day after we found out about MIL's tumor, the aforementioned sister-in-law's husband got laid off from work. While he was on a business trip in San Francisco. Before he even got back to Texas. His company let him close two business deals - then fired him the same day. Asswipes.

Today I called my brother in Oklahoma to see how he and the wife and kids were doing. He informed me that he had a new address. Of his very own. I can't believe it...he's getting a divorce. The funny thing is, we always told him that if he ever left his wife, we'd keep her. But now that it's a reality, I just hope we can keep all of them.

Man, this sucks. This, 2007, was going to be the GOOD year. I just knew that nothing could top last year for general suckitude, but these first six days have been a bitch.

I'm off to make the title a reality.

SOMETHING ON HER MIND

I got an email yesterday from my mom-in-law, which said:

"I don’t know if you know that I have been having problems with dizziness and sometimes have a ringing in my head. I went to the doctor yesterday and my blood pressure was very high. So today I had an MRI—it was hard to lie there that long without moving! I quoted Scripture and had to start over because it took so long. Of course my whole body would itch and I could not scratch. All in all not bad though. I am to go in tomorrow to find out the results."

High blood pressure is not uncommon for her, but the MRI worried me. Today my brother-in-law and I (the in-laws referred to below) received this email:

"I tried to call you, but you did not answer so I thought I would email you. I am doing a rotten trick on the in-laws—I just got back from hearing the results of the MRI that I had yesterday, and hate to tell M [dh] and A [my sil] how it is over the phone so I am going to make you guys break the news. I have a tumor in the back of my head. It is in the part of my head that can affect my balance. They are not certain if it is benign or not; it could go either way. There was something the radiologist did not like about it, but the doctor did not have the full report yet. He is making an appointment for me, hopefully next week, to get more insight. [Several years ago] my sister had a tumor in the back of her head and it was benign so I am hopeful this is too. I get a little weepy when I talk about it, but I really am not upset about it or scared. I feel fairly peaceful. I know God is in control of my life and He will work everything out for the good of all.
Sorry to put this burden on you, but think it is best."

Long story short, mom has a brain tumor. Hubby and I have decided not to say anything to the kids yet, as we don't know anything definite and don't want them to worry. What I *do* know is that I'll be awake half the night alternating between tears and prayers. Dear Lord, please watch over mom. I ... don't know what else to say. Amen.

I GOT A NEW TOY

Ever since hubby's new employer supplied him with a Blackberry of his very own (going on three months now), I've been saying that I was going to downgrade our cellular service. No need to pay for an extra phone and minutes you don't use, right? Well, today was the big day! I decided to go with Sprint because they have a family plan wherein you can call other Sprint customers for free. The vast majority of my family uses Sprint, so with all that "free" time, I was able to get the cheapest plan with the fewest minutes, saving us somewhere around 40 bucks a month.

My new phone is very cool, if I do say so myself. First of all, it was free - no mail-in rebate or anything. Can't beat that. It has voice dialing, which I didn't have before and will be using constantly until the novelty wears off, lol. It's a flip phone, which I like because I've never had a phone that could cover up the number pad and I was always accidentally dialing someone. Yes, I knew how to lock the keys, but I didn't always remember to do so.

But my very favorite feature of my new phone? It rings. It doesn't play "SexyBack" or "Doncha" or "Copacabana" (although it could). It just rings, kinda like old-timey non-portable phones used to. One ringey-dingey...two ringey-dingey. Whee!

Tomorrow's plan: contacting Vonage or Skype to cut down on our landline costs. Anyone use either of those (Pez?)? Suggestions would be welcomed. And thanks in advance!

TO HELLOS, GOODBYES, AND FRIENDS MADE IN BETWEEN

First, let's bid a fond farewell to 2006. In particular, farewell to last March:

1. Farewell to K's broken ulna and the painful surgery and recuperation that ensued.
2. Farewell to the drunk driver who nearly killed my sister, and who is currently behind bars for the next seven years.
3. Farewell to half-forgotten birthdays; Ry, I think we owe you a do-over of your 10th birthday. I'm so sorry, son.
4. Farewell to toxic family members. Forever.
5. Farewell to family trauma, and here's to the ever-growing maturity level in this family.
6. Farewell to losing beloved family members and those who just felt like family, too.
7. Farewell to hubby's old job and the crappy way in which they laid people off just.like.that.

And with that, I hereby bury last March.

In 2007, I hereby resolve to:

1. Be less critical.
2. Write a book, or at least a short story, about my childhood experiences. It doesn't have to be published, but it needs to be said.
3. Eat at least five salads a week.
4. Clean out the garage.
5. Clean out my closet.
6. Have a garage sale.
7. Stay current on the laundry.
8. Play at least one game a week with the kids.
9. Get a passport.
10. Take a family vacation.
11. Accomplish something just for me.
12. Help hubby accomplish something just for him.
13. Make more resolutions as I see fit.

The one I'm most likely to break is number seven. I'm already pitifully behind. Maybe number 14 should be "Teach the kids to do their own laundry." Ooh, yeah, I like that one!

ORTHOPEDICS, REVISITED

Yesterday I took K to the surgeon (Dr. J; but not the hoopster) who'd repaired his ulna earlier this year. X-rays were taken, and the doctor said that more surgery would be necessary in order to remove the steel plate from K's arm.

K is not happy.

Had he been 15 years old instead of 12 when he broke his arm, the plate could just stay put. But the doctor said that the textbook recommends prepubescent kids with screws and plates have them removed before the growing process is complete. Dr. J went on to tease K about having to buy shirts with one long arm and one short arm.

Fortunately, since hubby changed jobs, we seem to have better insurance now. The deductible is half of what it used to be, the insurance company will pay 90% instead of 80% this time, and the office visits are $15 instead of $30. Hopefully this will all add up to a cheaper surgery - the last one really knocked us for a loop.

The scheduler will be calling on Tuesday to set up a time for the second operation. Hey, why does K suddenly feel like my baby instead of my teenager...?

THAT WAS FAST

I can't believe how quickly the holiday season passed. I started decorating early this year on purpose, so that the festivities would (seemingly) last longer. I guess it's true that the older you get, the faster time flies.

Christmas was great. I received lots of excellent gifts, but was even happier to see the recipients of my gifts open theirs. Hubby's big gift from me this year was a collection of our family movies on DVD. I've spent the last two months at T & J's house transferring them all from VHS - and not a moment too soon, from the sad shape of some of those tapes. It has been a long process, and we're only halfway done! Eight years down; eight years to go. In other words, I'll be spending lots of time at T & J's house in early 2007, too.

As for me, I received the following:

From K - Phase 10 Anniversary Edition, at my request
From Ry - tall vanilla-scented candle, which I always welcome
From Pey - a sweater cap and gloves/mittens (they have a flap that opens up so that the tips of your fingers are exposed, in case you need to grip something; or the flap can stay closed in warm-mitten fashion), which I'd actually requested from Ry...boy was he disappointed. Pey got to go shopping with Daddy first. Poor Ry.

From DH - Two beautiful, soft sweaters; a large cake carrier; scrapbooking die-cuts; an adapter so I can play my IPod in the car (WAY cool); a purse; socks; pajamas; a pair of sexy panties, which he threw in with the pj's, lol.

From SIL and BIL (and partially MIL and FIL, too) - tickets to see "Spamalot" next June.

From MIL and FIL - A silver serving fork, which was labeled "To Pley and DH," so I have to share. And a funky purse which I call my wooly mammoth, as it really does look like someone went back in time, skinned a wooly mammoth, and made a purse out of him. I like it because it's different and roomy, but by spring I'll be switching over to the purse DH got me. Somehow wooly things don't really go with sunny weather. Maybe it's just me.
-----------------------
Now for something totally different. This is from Fishie's blog: Today's assignment: make a list of what people you may have to buy for next year. Then jot down what they received this year. It may help jog your memory next fall. Or it will give you a direction to go in. Get ten names down on paper and some things they received or spoke about wanting. We can do that much!

Here we go:

DH - family videos to DVD; portable DVD player; new DVD player (notice a theme here?)
K - IPod Shuffle; MP3 speaker/pillow; guitar tab paper; guitar picks
RY - IPod Shuffle; Star Wars "Build Your Own Lightsaber" kit
PEY - IPod Shuffle; FLYpen computer
SIL - plush robe; BBW soaps and lotions
BIL - egg separator (SO gross, but SO funny - check it out here)
MIL - bracelet; History of Christianity book
FIL - flashlights; Maps of the Civil War book
J - BBW pedicure kit
T - Tootsie Rolls; homemade white chocolate fudge
TNK - goodie bag: magazines, BBW lotions and soaps; other health & beauty items
EMTsis - see TNK
ECS - magnetized memo board for her room

Thanks, Fish, for getting me on track. Now I'll know next year that FIL doesn't need any more flashlights. I'm sure that's getting old. :)

LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Tonight we went out to dinner with the in-laws, as is our tradition. We'd called ahead to make sure that the restaurant, Los Compadres, would be open. They told us they'd be open until 7:00 p.m.

We got there just after 5:00. As it turns out, we were the only ones in the entire place. For once, our table for seven had plenty of leg room. We were there for about an hour, ate our wonderful dinner, then paid and left at 6:00. As we walked out, the restaurant - which still had no other diners - turned out the lights and closed up an hour early.

Merry Christmas, Los Compadres, and thank you for the delicious tamales.

After dinner, we went to church for the Christmas Eve service. Our church is in transition, meaning the old building has been sold and we're waiting for the new construction to be completed. So in the meantime, the entire church is meeting in a local junior high school. The.place.was.packed. There were at least two hundred people in this service (the church had had another service prior to this one). The majority of the service was singing, which is my hands-down favorite part of church at Christmas, so I enjoyed myself very much.

The only drawback to the service was that we weren't allowed to use candles this year. Typically, everyone holds a small candle and we pass the flame from person to person. But the school district does not allow open flames on its campuses, so our pastor came up with a rather ingenious (and kind of weird) solution: glow sticks. Everyone took a glow stick from the basket, and we all cracked them at the same time. You'd think, as I did, that this would be cheesy, but somehow it worked. All the congregants' faces were lit by a soft glow, and really, it didn't matter that the light did not come from a flame.

Oh Holy Night. Happy Birthday, Jesus. You ARE the reason for the season. Amen.

FRIDAY

I am never, ever going to finish wrapping presents.

It would help if I were not such a procrastinator, but that's not gonna change anytime soon. (Heh, I crack myself up.) As I said before, though, I *am* a successful procrastinator, so I guess I bring it all on myself.

The kids and I spent the day lazing around and watching movies. Today's fare: "The Wild" (an animated flick) and "The Pacifier." The latter starred Vin Diesel, whom I'm not typically a fan of, but this movie really wasn't that bad. It was a tad predictable, but I have to admit that I didn't see everything coming. Vin's commanding officer in the movie? He, I knew from the start, had ulterior motives. Oh, and watching Brad Garrett play a jerkwad who eventually gets his butt kicked was just FUN to watch. Hee!

Last night the family watched "Superman Returns." Again, not a bad flick. Ry kept saying "COOL!" at all the special effects, so I guess kids would give it a thumbs-up. The scene where Superman lands the plane on the baseball field was neat. Okay, it was more than that. Ry was right - COOL!

I also caught up on six days worth of Rachael Ray which I've been DVRing. I love having the option to fast-forward the show, as some of the celebrity guests are SO obviously there to push their latest charity, and not actually there to visit with Rachael. Wow, I guess I have a soft spot for her after all.

Looks like I watched a boatload of TV today. And now I sit here blogging. Wonder why those gifts aren't wrapped yet?

THURSDAY

Today the kids and I went back to T & J's because Pey had left her Christmas gift from them at their house. That, and I had gifts for them that I needed to deliver because they're leaving town in a few days and I may not see them again before Christmas. That, and I just enjoy spending time with them because I haven't always had - nor will I always have - that opportunity.

This was brought home to me this morning while we were driving to their house. Sara MacLachlan's song "Angel" came on the radio, and I just about lost it. That song was released the year my mom died, and it always makes me think about her. Particularly the part where it says, "You're in the arms of the angel...may you find some comfort here."

That was hard to type.

I know I've complained about my mother in the past, and goodness knows we didn't always get along. But she was my mom, and despite the fact that we didn't always see eye to eye (who does, really?), I loved her very much. I know she suffered at the end - the excruciating headache, the loss of the ability to see and understand, the knowledge that you can no longer control yourself, the eventual rupture of the aneurysm in her brain that relieved her pain - and took her life. That makes me ache for her. There's nothing like seeing someone you love lying on a hospital bed, unresponsive and vulnerable, to make you realize how much they mean to you. How silly your spats were. How ridiculous it was that you argued with and hung up on her during your very last phone call.

That...is hard to live with.

Then, as the beginning strains of "Angel" came through the speakers, I drove past a white Chevy Impala. That is the same kind of car Tnk was driving the night the drunk hit her. It's the same car that slammed her up against the truck she'd pulled over. It's the same car that very nearly took her life.

All those memories came rushing back - the 2:00 a.m. phone call that told us she'd been LifeFlighted to the hospital. How hurt she was. How scared we were, and how scared she was. How vulnerable and small she looked in that hospital bed. How close - thisclose, thisdamnedclose - we came to losing her. I felt the tears flowing freely down my face, and I prayed at the same time that the kids wouldn't notice mommy crying.

As I am, again, now.

WEDNESDAY

Today was the kids' first day off school for Christmas break. (The district calls it "Holiday Break"; I call that "BS.") Anyway, we spent the day at T (a.k.a. SDad) & J's watching movies and hanging out. I took J to Walgreen's because there was something she wanted to buy for T. I was sad that I didn't have my handy-dandy coupon organizer with me, because I saw some GREAT stuff on sale. Walgreen's even has Bionicle figures on sale for 3/$11.98. That's less than four bucks each, which is about half the price Target charges for the same toys. The kids heard about that and now they want me to take them to Walgreen's in the morning. Darn, another trip to Walgreen's...however shall I survive?

Tonight I made Robin's Peppermint Bark. Oh. My. Gosh. That stuff is SO good and addicting! I will definitely be breaking it up and portioning it out to give to other people so that I don't eat the whole thing! Robin, promise me you won't give me your mint cookie recipe. Promise!

Right now, hubby is playing Metroid 2 (an XBox game that I totally don't understand); the boys are upstairs playing Bionicle; Pey is watching hubby play the game; and I'm on the computer (duh). I still have what feels like twenty seven thousand gifts to wrap, but I'm a successful procrastinator. It'll get done. I just hope it happens before Christmas Eve.

TUESDAY

Today I spent the day running errands and getting hubby's Christmas gifts ready. Unfortunately, I cannot say more about that right now because hubby reads my blog and would definitely figure out what I've gotten for him.

Tonight we watched "Hitch," starring Will Smith. It was a fun movie, and I do recommend it to anyone who wants something mindless and entertaining to watch. Hubby even enjoyed it, which is rare since he's not a mindless-comedy kind of guy.

Next on our list of movies to watch include: Pirates of the Caribbean II, Superman Returns, The Pacifier, Surviving Christmas, and Walk the Line. All of which I've borrowed from SDad and J's (his girlfriend/significant other) stash. They own almost any movie you can think of, and every Tuesday you can find them at Wal-Mart buying the new releases. And they are more than happy to loan them out to us for free. Better than Netflix! Which we dropped earlier this month, anyway.

What movies are on your watch list?

MONDAY

Today I ran a bunch of errands, including my very least favorite: going to the post office. (Fish, there's more than one reason I jumped the coupon train... :)

I stood in line for about half an hour at the post office just to use the scale. I didn't need a "real" worker; just the scale. Some numbnuts decided they'd take the easy way out and brought their 57 packages to mail - on the scale. The scale can only handle one item at a time, and it slowly prints everything out, then it slowly scans your credit card (apparently credit card systems are on nuclear overload this time of year)... Aggravating.

Then this genius beyotch comes up to mail a large package. She crammed it into the mail slot, raised the handle - and got it stuck. The slot wouldn't open again despite the heroic efforts of two civilians and three postal employees. One of the workers finally had to go to the back and bring out a rolling cart for the rest of us to put our packages in. I just hope they kept an eye on it constantly so that some other numbnut wouldn't be able to walk in and steal something.

My hat is off to you, USPS. I sure as hell wouldn't want your job this time of year. Or ever. Merry Christmas!

IT FEELS LIKE JUNE

This weather is nuts. At my house today, the thermometer hit eighty-three freaking degrees. It's December, for goodness sake. Where is my snow? Heck, at this point, I'd settle for "where is my cool breeze?" Pez, I feel for you and the Arctic temps you've recently encountered...want to send some of it my way?

Last night was K's guitar recital. He played "Time of Your Life" by Green Day, and "Carol of the Bells" by ... um, I dunno. K did a fantastic job on both songs, and I honestly could not be prouder. Oh, and the programs (done by moi) were also a hit. Although not so much a hit as the musicians, but I'll get there one day.

Today the family went to see "Eragon." The Houston Chronicle panned the flick, but it was actually pretty good. Even I enjoyed it, and I'm not much of a fantasy-movie type girl. ("Willow" and "Star Wars" the lone exceptions.) The only part that was kind of grisly was when the evil sorcerer was made up to look uber-gross, but if you point out that it's like a Halloween mask, most kids will get over it. Or you could do like hubby and say, "Boy, he needs some Chapstick!" That made me laugh and forget that the dude looked like Satan - I actually started feeling bad for the actor because it really did look like his lips had just spent an hour exposed to the cold air while he was skiing in Colorado.

Everyone is telling me they're hungry, so I guess I'll sign off for now. Wishing you all a good week and plenty of Chapstick. Ciao!

BUSY BUSY BUSY

Lots to do today...

1. Type up the program for K's guitar recital tomorrow night. I volunteered for this job because the programs from the last recital were very sad. Picture this - an 8 1/2 x 11" piece of white paper, all names typed in a rather large Times New Roman font, several misspelled names ("Go Tell Aunt Rhody" does not have an "e" in Rhody), misaligned tab stops (ooh, that is a pet peeve of mine), and the crowning touch: an old piece of clip art, which had been cut out of something else and taped onto the first draft before the copies were made. It was very 1982, let me tell you. I'm bringing the guitar programs into the new millenium. What a trendsetter I am! Who knew?

2. Take said programs to Office Depot and have 30 copies made. I really want to do color copies, but we shall see how much that costs first.

3. Use my Bath & Body Works coupon before it expires tomorrow. This is a "buy anything, get something free" coupon, so I plan to purchase a little gift bag for two bucks and get a $12 bottle of lotion for free to put in it. I love me a good coupon.

4. Mount Laundry, which will soon erupt if I do not get my bohonkus in there and shovel it down a bit.

5. Look up spelling of "bohonkus."

6. Continue wrapping Christmas gifts, but make sure to note what I've bought already before I wrap it. I've been shopping for months, and as such I'm sure there's some stuff in there that I've forgotten about.

7. Touch base with Tnk. Since her partner quit, I am constantly worried about her. I just need to make sure she made it home safely.

8. Go to the store and buy some bread already! Geez, we've been out all week.

9. Get off the computer and get busy.

SECOND ROUND

That's how far Pey made it in the spelling bee yesterday. She ended up in about 11th place out of the whole school, which is pretty darn good for a 3rd grader if you ask me. I might be biased, being her mom and all, but I think she did a fantastic job.

The word that got her - which she will never, ever forget; trust me - was "panic." She spelled it correctly, but then put a "k" on the end. Had the word been "panicking," she'd have been on the right track.

She was a very good sport about the whole thing, and I couldn't be prouder of her.

Way to go, Pey. I love you, babe.

COULD YOU USE THAT IN A SENTENCE?

The legacy lives on...

Like her mom before her (not to brag, but I was spelling bee champion ten out of 12 years through school - this might explain my anal retentiveness in the spelling department, lol), today Pey is competing in the school spelling bee. Not to be cliché, but in this case, it is an honor to even be nominated. She was selected as one of the top seven spellers in the whole 3rd grade, and as such is eligible to compete in the school-wide bee.

I am so proud.

The competition starts at 9:00 a.m. CST, so y'all send a plethora of good thoughts this way, okay?

CHILLIN'

Actually, that should say "Illin'" because I have been really sick. Fortunately, I'm getting better now - still congested and coughy (coffee? lol, I crack myself up) but at least I have more energy.

Last Thursday, as I was getting ready for the Christmas party, I was so fatigued that every activity caused me to have to lie down and rest. Even painting my nails wore me out - I had to stop and close my eyes after each hand. Even after my bath, which should by definition be relaxing, I had to flop down on the sofa to try and make the world stop spinning. No fun, lemme tell ya.

The party itself was nice. It was held on the 43rd floor of a downtown Houston office building. The views were spectacular, the decor was elegant, the bar was open (!), and the food was delicious. Or so I was told. With all the congestion running amok in my head, I have not tasted a thing since last Wednesday.

Hubby and I got to the party at 7:00, and left at 8:45. We are so lame. Actually, we're not that lame, but I was not feeling well. Plus, since dh had to work the next day (who gives a big party on a THURSDAY???), we thought it would be a good time to go. My MIL, who was babysitting, was quite surprised to see us walk in the door so early. I barely made it to bed before passing out.

But as usual when one is sick, one does not sleep the whole night through. I have not gotten more than 4 hours of sleep at any one time in nearly a week, and I am exhausted. It's like having a newborn baby all over again, only without the good-smelling cuddles.

Eh, I can't smell anything anyway.

YEP, I'M SICK

I woke up at 2:17 this morning with a very sore throat. My nose was also "stucked up" (as little Pey used to call it), but the throat burned on all cylinders. Ouch.

I wearily made my way downstairs, took some Sudafed, and popped a throat lozenge - then realized it would probably be dangerous to go back to bed with a quarter-size blob in my mouth. So I propped up on the sofa and turned on the TV. Middle of the night is the best time to catch old movies on American Movie Classics, by the way, especially if you're hoping to fall asleep. The reason for this is that AMC doesn't have commercial breaks, so the volume stays pretty consistent. I saw most of two movies: one 1940s flick with Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, and one painfully boring movie with Lucille Ball, which was apparently made before she found her comedic niche.

Unfortunately, I never did fall asleep. The Sudafed unclogged my nose all right - then made me start sneezing. It's very hard to doze off with a constant stream of - uh, you know - heading out your nasal passages.

So here I sit, almost 13 hours later. I'm still congested and/or sneezy, but my throat doesn't hurt much. That is a blessing in itself. I'm all dressed up for tonight already, with the exception of my house slippers, which are currently warming my cold feet. Later I'll change into my hot-mama heels, but for now, I am incredibly cozy.

I just hope I can stay awake long enough to enjoy the party. Wish me luck.

GOOD TIMING

Tomorrow night is hubby's company Christmas party (yes, Thursday; yes, weird), complete with free food and an open bar. Naturally, I'm coming down with a darned cold today. How am I supposed to look all hot and sexy with a runny nose and watery eyes?

Despite the fact that all I want to do is snuggle up on the sofa in front of the fire with a hot cup of tea, I have actually gotten some stuff accomplished today: I cleaned up the kitchen, complete with sweeping and mopping and dusting and polishing the cherry-wood table. Of course I do all this every day [ahem, cough cough], so really, no biggie.

Oh, I have also finished cooking dinner already. I made Heinz 57 Soup*, which is hearty and delicious. I'm pretty sure it will make my stuffed-up self feel much better. I do have to make some cornbread to go along with it, but that should be pretty easy.

I also put the finishing touches on the Christmas decorations. Last weekend, my MIL gave us a cute little metal scrollwork tree, about two feet tall. Today I covered it with shiny and matte gold balls and three bunches of silk poinsettias. It looked good, but I decided it needed a skirt. Not having any extra Christmas tree skirts on hand, I went to the drawers of my china cabinet and pulled out several green placemats. I spread them around and set the tree on top, and voila! The tree is now fully dressed. And it looks nice, too, if I do say so myself.

Last night the family watched "Miracle on 34th Street" (the original version with young Natalie Wood). That may be my favorite Christmas movie of all time. Wait, actually I think it's tied with "A Christmas Story," which I also love. Rudolph and Frosty and all those are good, too, but give me a good live-action holiday movie and I'm a happy girl.

So what are your favorite Christmas movies? I need to know if I'm missing any good ones!
---
*Recipe for super-easy Heinz 57 soup:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 large (family-size) can vegetable soup
1 can Ranch Style Beans (optional)
1 bottle Heinz 57 sauce

Brown beef, then add rest of ingredients and heat through. Serve with jalapeno pepper slices, if you like it spicy (I will definitely be doing this!).

AN OLD SONG ONCE SAID...

"...you can't please everyone, so you gotta please yourself."

I'd like to know just how you do that. I am having an impossible time of trying to please anyone, much less myself. Whom, I might add, perpetually remains at the bottom of my "trying to please" list.

K came home from school in a pissy mood today. Attempts at finding out what was wrong or trying to help were met with grunts. Yes, this is common with teens. No, it doesn't make it any less frustrating.

And...well, I just typed out a bunch of stuff, but it makes me sound bad, so I deleted it. Plus, it did not need to be on the innernet in perpetuity. That wouldn't have been pleasing to anyone.

And so it goes.

Q & A

Today I thought I'd do a little catch-up on other posts and also on some of the comments I've received. Onward!

To Robin regarding The Grocery Game: You should DEFINITELY give GG another chance. It only costs $1.00 for the first four weeks, and I promise you you'll more than get your money back. Start here: www.thegrocerygame.com. And kiss generics goodbye! ;)

To Pez regarding the Cranium coupon: Go to Target and purchase a 10-pack of Minute Maid Kids orange juice boxes. On the outside of the package it says something like "Cranium Savings Inside." Inside the package are two $5.00-off Cranium coupons. One of them is very specific; the other says "Save $5.00 on any Cranium product (except Ziggity)." That's the one I used.

In other news:

Tnk's friend's son Trey, who was hit by a car, has been released from the hospital and sent home! He has months of rehab ahead of him, but he will survive. God is truly good.

K has still not asked Ashley for her phone number. He is incredibly shy. I just hope she doesn't break his heart without knowing she's doing it. lol

Pey is definitely over whatever bug she had the other day. As her mommy and clean-up crew, I am very thankful for that.

Ry misspelled "layette" in the school spelling bee. This is a child who could spell "acknowledgement" at four years old. I felt really bad for him. But hubby, three children later, didn't even know what a layette was, so Ry is actually ahead of the game.

Tree is loving his new police job. His hours at the moment are 6:00a to 2:00p Monday through Friday. We've all told him to forget about that - he's a rookie, and as such will soon be relegated to chasing perps in the crappiest part of town in the middle of the night and every weekend. But as his worried big sister, I like his current hours much better.

Tnk is about as fully recovered as she will ever get. Her right thumb will never bend again, and she has nerve damage on her left hand that will forever keep it from bending fully. But she is back at work and doing a great job, and I could not be prouder of her.

EMTsis also continues to impress me. On Thanksgiving Day, when we were all at my great-grandmother's house celebrating her birthday, my aunt D fell ill. EMTsis grabbed her medic bag and checked her out, then immediately recommended that aunt D go to the ER. She went with her, and as soon as they got to the hospital, the physician put aunt D on medication to regulate her heart. She will likely have to stay on that medication for the rest of her life. EMTsis's quick action may have saved aunt D's life.
-----
I'm stopping there because once again I'm starting to feel like a failure. (I am not posting this for sympathy; I am just documenting my thoughts.) The other night at Tree's graduation, Tnk was in her police uniform, Tree was in his, and EMTsis was in her EMT uniform. Tnk's partner even came to the graduation, and he too was in uniform. I stick out like a sore thumb in all the pictures. The other night I told hubby I'd start looking for a job to bring in some extra money, but even that feels like I'm failing my children and my family. At 39 years old, it's time I found purpose and direction for my life. So far, I have accomplished what feels like nothing.

Okay, I'm stopping there. I mean it this time. :)

HELLO, DECEMBER

And greetings, winter weather. I have missed you so.

This morning I bundled up in my warmest jacket and braved the crowds at Tarjay to do some grocery shopping. Bonus: I met a fellow Grocery Gamer today! Her name is Erin and we met over the Kraft mac & cheese aisle. That was cool.

Anyway, typically Kroger is much cheaper on groceries, particularly because they double and triple coupons. However, from time to time Target.com has excellent, stackable coupons on their website, so I was able to score lots of good food (and a Christmas gift, too) for a really low price.

Here's a breakdown:

• Cranium Cadoo game (originally $14.99; on sale for $7.49; I had $5.00-off coupon) = $2.49
• 4 packages of Nestle chocolate chips (originally $1.99; I had two stacked coupons for each one equalling 90-cents off each) = $1.09 x 4
• 5 boxes of Kraft mac & cheese (originally .82/box; on sale for .60/box; I had coupons for .50 off each) = $.10 x 5
• 2 containers of Daisy sour cream (originally .92/container; I had coupons for .50 off each) = $.42 x 2
• 2 packages of dairy-sliced cheese - Monterey jack & provolone (1/4 lb. at $1.25 and $1.35 respectively; I had coupons for $1.00 off each) = $.25 + $.35
• 2 packages beef steaks, 6 per package (each just over $5; $2.00 coupon on package, plus $2.00 coupon from website) = approx. $1.00 per package
• 2 lbs. 93/7 lean ground beef ($3.49/lb.; I had two coupons for $1.25 off each pound) = $2.24 x 2
• 1 package taco shells (1.29; I had coupons for $1.00 off each) = $.29
• 2 packages flour tortillas (1.49; I had coupons for $1.00 off each) = $.49 x 2
• 1 package frozen waffles ($1.52; I had coupon for .50 off) = $1.02
• 1 package frozen meatballs ($5.99; I had no coupon, but these are a dollar cheaper than at Kroger - does that count?) = $5.99
• 5 cans diced tomatoes (.49/can; I had coupons for $1.00 off each) = they paid ME $.51 x 5
• 2 cans Mexican-style tomatoes (.89/can; I had coupons for $1.00 off each) = they paid ME $.11 x 2
  

Grand total before coupons: $56.29
Grand total after coupons: $21.19

I bought thirty items and paid just over $21 - which includes the game. And as we all know, games are typically really expensive.

My coupon savings equaled $35.10 ... Even the cashier was impressed. heehee

The Cadoo game is going to be a Christmas gift. I love getting good gifts so inexpensively. And needless to say, I am also loving Target! :)

How's your December shopping coming along?

END OF THE LINE

This is my last post for November 2006. Wow, that sounds final. I can't believe I made it through the entire month and posted every single day. That's quite an accomplishment...maybe next year I'll actually shoot for NaNoWriMo. But don't hold me to that.

Thanks for letting me know what you guys had for dinner last night. As it turns out, beef was not for dinner here at the Pley household. I'd been feeling a little lightheaded all day yesterday, but around 4:00, nausea hit. Fortunately (?), I never did throw up, but I felt bad enough that I skipped dinner altogether. The rest of the family had to fend for themselves:

K - raviolis & Doritos (I am so not winning Mother of the Year this year)
Ry - cereal with milk
Pey - leftover chicken spaghetti
Hubby - tacos and an egg roll from Jack in the Box

Today I am feeling really lightheaded, but a little better overall. But this morning I got a call from the elementary school nurse, who told me that Pey was in her office with a severe headache and nausea. I picked Pey up from school and brought her home, where she promptly threw up not once but twice. The second time was apparently the charm, as ever since that time she has been eating like a horse. I told her to take it slow, which she has been trying to do (poor baby is hungry!), and we've been fortunate that the vomiting has apparently abated. We're now at hour three of non-pukage, so I think things are looking up.

And with that nauseating paragraph, I say "happy November." Have a great day, everyone, and try to stay well!

BEEF. IT'S WHAT'S FOR DINNER.

I couldn't think of anything earth-shattering to write about today, so I thought I'd let everyone know what we're having for dinner tonight:

Mexican food.

I'm defrosting two steaks that I plan to cut up and make fajita-type foodstuffs out of. To go with it, I've got a boatload of salsa, chips, cheese, and jalapenos (thank you, SuperTarget coupons). I do not have guacamole fixings, so we shall have to do without the green stuff, unless I get a hankering to drive down to the local taqueria and buy some. I could make my own, which is super delicious, if I do say so myself, but I'm feeling lazy today.

Why am I going to the trouble of making fajitas if I'm feeling lazy? Because I've got a ton of food thanks to www.thegrocerygame.com, and no good excuse to spend money on going out to dinner.

What's on the menu at your house tonight?

WHAT ARE PENNIES MADE OF

Answer: "dirty copper." That's what hubby always used to say whenever we'd pass a police car sitting on the side of the road. LOL

Tonight, after six months of intense training, my baby brother graduates and becomes a real-life police officer. The ceremony is being held at the Houston Police Academy, where the actual, real-life Houston mayor will be speaking. And thanks to Mr. Mayor, we now have to arrive about two hours early to the ceremony if we want to find a parking place for either our cars or our tushes.

(I hate waiting. Tree owes me one.)

I am pretty sure I'll be teary-eyed at the sight of him all grown up and in uniform; in my mind, he's still the adorable little four-year-old who couldn't stand to be away from my side. But I couldn't be prouder - or more scared. My police officer prayer list continues to grow: it includes Tnk, her partner, and now Tree.

Lord, protect those who protect us. Amen.

MONDAY MONDAY

...really sucks.

I like having everyone home, so the end of this Thanksgiving holiday is a real bummer for me. The whole family staying up late and watching movies together is one of life's good things. I am sure hubby and the kids would agree with me...that is, if they weren't all at school or work right now. Phooey.

The only caveat to this thought process is that K, now that he's a teenager, has other interests at school aside from schoolwork. I'm not naming names, but her initials are "Ashley." I'm actually really okay with this (wow!), so long as K keeps his grades up. It helps that Ash is a very good student - K's Language Arts grade has actually gone up recently (he sits right behind her in that class).

All that to say this: K can't wait to get to school today. He was actually depressed last Tuesday after school because he knew it would be five l-o-n-g days until he got to see her again. We were able to distract him with things like video games and turkey dinners and family time, but I know that in the back of his mind he was thinking about her.

Puppy love is so cute. I just hope I still feel that way when he actually starts dating. Three more years - yikes!

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Yesterday hubby and I (but mostly hubby) finally hung a new ceiling fan in our bedroom. Installation took a long time, but it looks great and is a vast improvement over the undersized white one we used to have in there.

The white one, by the way, is going to be hung in the breakfast room soon. And by "soon," I mean "hopefully before Easter." That's just the way things work around the Pley household. Best laid plans and all that...

I've been on a Christmas decorating spree since last week. Most of the indoor stuff is done, including hanging a stocking for the pooch, as this is her first Christmas with the family. I just hope Santa remembers pack some bones in his sack. Doggie toys do not go over well around here, as our furbaby immediately destroys any that pass through our doorway. She has even eaten a tire. What a goober.

Yesterday I hung the outdoor wreath and put lights on two bushes that sit on either side of the front porch. It's simple, but looks really nice. I am not a fan of the big inflatable stuff; I'm all about pine garland and plaid bows and the like. Although I did see a VERY cute "ice cube snowman" at Lowe's this morning. If it wasn't forty bucks, it might have found its way into my cart.

Today my mission is to finish setting up the Christmas stuff, then clean and vacuum the house a bit. All the beautiful decor seems a little out of place when I put it on dusty furniture. I think my Dyson needs to come out of the closet and enjoy the scenery for awhile.

Ho ho ho, y'all!

PLEY'S 2nd ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BAKING DAY
Sent this email to dad, his S.O., and my siblings this morning. Man, do I love the holidays!

Hey, everyone! It's about that time again, and here's the plan for this year:

DATE - Tuesday, December 12th
TIME - 9:00 a.m. (or however early you want to get here) until whenever
PLACE - Pley's kitchen
ACTIVITY - Baking Christmas goodies

Feel free to bring your own recipes, or you can use some of mine. I've got a ton of cookbooks, from Better Homes & Gardens to Grandma Deanie's old family cookbook.

I also have a brand-new KitchenAid stand mixer that I'm dying to use. And yes, I'll share. I have two baking sheets but four oven racks (two ovens), so if you want to bring an extra baking sheet, that would be fine.

I have lots of mixing bowls and spoons.

I also have plenty of brown sugar and white sugar, and will be purchasing more baking soda and baking powder, so if your recipes call for those, please save your money. What I do recommend you bring is something on which to take your goodies home. Since I switched over to the stack-n-store system, I'm no longer overrun with extra Tupperware! ;)

We'll have Christmas music on the stereo, the tree will be lit, and of course there will be coffee and/or hot chocolate to drink. Hope to see you all here!

Love,
Pley

NOT THANKFUL

My beloved Longhorns lost today in a suckass game against the Aggies. Way to let us down, UT.

I AM THANKFUL FOR...

1. The good health of my family (knock on wood)
2. Mom's old Home Interiors nativity scene, even though it no longer has its original sheep
3. The replacement sheep I bought on ebay (after K broke the original one), which arrived with a broken ear but still fits in nicely with the rest of the set
4. The Saturn, which continues to chug along after almost a dozen years
5. The red sweater I'm wearing today, which my mother-in-law gave me as a hand-me-down
6. Our digital camera, which was one of the better purchases I've ever made
7. My sister Tnk, whose recovery continues to amaze me and make me cry at the same time
8. My EMT-sis, whose knowledge of emergency medicine is impressive and strangely comforting
9. My brother Tree, who graduates from the police academy next week and about whom I am already worrying
10. My brother in Oklahoma, who is going through marital problems right now but continues to be an incredible dad to his two sons
11. My in-laws, who graciously gave up our Thanksgiving Day celebration this year so that we could celebrate my great-grandmother's 98th birthday with her today
12. My friend Mary, who despite losing her 4-year-old son a dozen years ago, has somehow gone on with her life and prospered
13. My friend Jenn, whom I love like a sister and I don't get to see nearly enough of
14. All my scrapbooking buddies, who make me laugh while helping me get things accomplished at the same time
15. And last but certainly not least, my wonderful husband of 16+ years, without whom I would not be the person I am today. I love you, M.

DECORATING DAY

The kids are out of school for the holiday, so today we decided to get a jump start on Christmas decorating. The tree is up and lit, the stockings are hung, two nativity scenes and a village have been put out, and the bathroom towels have holly and/or Santa on them now.

Still lots more to do - for example, I've gotta get garland around all the banisters, STAT - but we've made a great start.

Tomorrow we're heading to my great-grandmother's house for Thanksgiving. It's also her 98th birthday...and I just realized I have no gift for her. Dang.

Gotta run.

THE ONE FOR EVIL AMY

Let me preface this post by saying that in my 39 years of living, I have encountered only ONE intelligent female radio personality. Her name was Shelby Sweeney, and Houston lost a really good one when she left us. In my experience, most female DJs rely on their perky personalities and ability to laugh at every.single.thing their male counterparts say in order to keep their jobs. Honestly, I would prefer listening to trash-talking males than to bubble-headed bleach blondes in the morning.

So this morning, a local radio station was having a Battle of the Sexes contest, in which a man and woman answer questions for prizes.

The bobblehead female DJ, when introducing the contestants, says "Today's female contestant is Maria, who is a stay-at-home mom. Maria has a part-time job working with computers, so she's one of the smart ones."

The male DJ, to his great credit, replies "But she is at home with three children, so her full-time job is not an easy one."

Bobblehead responds, "Yes, but at least she doesn't have to report to a boss."

You ignorant bitch. Do you honestly think that at-home moms with small children have it easy? I don't know a single sahm who hasn't wanted, at least once, the chance to dress up and go to work and get paid and have lunch with grownups.

And what does "she's one of the smart ones" mean? If you're implying that most at-home moms are stupid, here's a newsflash for you: Some of the stupidest people I know have college degrees and jobs. I think you know who I'm talking about.

THE ANSWER IS: ANN-MARGRET

The Ann-Margret reference in my previous post is from the 90's TV show "Wings" which starred Tim Daly, Steven Weber, and Crystal Bernard.

A recap of the episode entitled "Sports and Leisure": After a fishing trip is ruined by Roy, the gang uninvites him to the Trivial Pursuit party at Helen's. Angry at them initially, he nevertheless accepts their re-invitation to the party and decides to be nice and try to fit in. But his new resolve is foiled by his game partner, Lowell. Lowell has played Trivial Pursuit once before, and his only memory of it is that one of the answers is "Ann-Margret." Therefore, he answers every single question with "Ann-Margret." Except for one - on the last question Lowell and Roy were posed with, the answer actually WAS Ann-Margret, but this time Lowell gave a different name.

Pez, is it what you were thinking? :)

FAMILY THANKSGIVING & GROCERIES

Today we (my side of the family, that is) had our annual Not-On-Thanksgiving-Day Thanksgiving dinner. Tnk hosted it at her house, which was really nice. As I suspected, I strongly felt Mom's presence throughout the afternoon, and I think Tnk did, too. She got choked up during the prayer. I completely understood.

My contribution to the dinner was pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and dump cake - all homemade. And root beer - not homemade - for the kids. All four were big hits amongst the diners.

When we finished eating, my dad decided to clear up Tnk's backyard a bit. He grabbed some old wood we'd stashed outside and started a bonfire. Fortunately for Tnk, her house is in a subdivision with no deed restrictions. Weird, definitely; against the law, nope. The fire grew with more and more wood, and eventually we even tossed the old patio furniture into the flames. Thirty years has that furniture existed, but it was high time it was put out to pasture. Burning the pieces was a little sad for me, though, as I have fond memories of hanging out on that furniture during childhood summers when we'd take breaks from the pool. (Tnk had the pool filled in last year, as the maintenance had become overwhelming.) So farewell, old and decrepit patio furniture. You won't be forgotten.

Moving on...

After bonfire, we played Trivial Pursuit, 90's Edition, which I had picked up for $4.98 at Target earlier this year. It was different from your usual Trivial Pursuit game, but still pretty difficult. We even had a couple of "Ann-Margret" guesses tossed in for good measure, even though that was never the correct answer. (If anyone doesn't get the Ann-Margret joke, let me know.) I won the game, with a little help from Tnk and hubby. Okay, a LOT of help. Hey, I told you the game was hard!

We left Tnk's just after 5:30, which is really REALLY early for one of our family gatherings to end. But it's Sunday and the kids have school and hubby has work tomorrow, so it's good that we came on home. We even had time to fit in a little America's Funniest Videos, which is a Sunday night guilty pleasure in this house.

---

Forgot to mention my trip to Kroger this morning. I purchased 55 items, including but not limited to: a frozen turkey, a bag of dog food, two dozen Eggsland's Best eggs, six cans of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, three cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls, four bags of Goldfish, five bags of pasta, two bags of Clementine oranges, and a bunch of other groceries. Shelf price was $93.02, but after my coupons, I paid only $34.38! MAN, I love the Grocery Game. :)

LET'S CALL THIS "THE ONE ABOUT TARGET"

Woke up this morning to the sound of the dog's collar jingling at 6:50 a.m. That's really too early to get up on a Saturday, but I did it since hubby is the one who gets up and lets her out about 99% of the time, and I figured I owed him one.

Turns out it was good that Bailey had awakened me early, as I had to make a run to Target to take advantage of their sales and coupons. If you ever shop Target, you should definitely avail yourselves of their coupons - go to www.target.com, then scroll down to the bottom of the page. There you'll find a link to their current coupon deals, which are typically fantastic. Keep in mind that you can stack coupons on many of the deals, too, which makes their prices even lower.

Quick "stacking" tip: Most stores will allow you to use two coupons on one item, provided that one of them is a manufacturer's coupon and the other is a store coupon. You can easily tell which is which by looking at the top of the coupon. Oh, and for the record, all the Target coupons on their website are store coupons, so if you happen to have a manufacturer's coupon for, say, Diet Coke, you can use both and get sodas really cheaply.

Today I purchased 18 items (including four 12-packs of soda, three packs of cheese, two bottles of salsa, three bags of chips, one set of Glade Trios candles, and several other items) and had 19 coupons (stacked two on the candles). The shelf price for everything I bought was $44.73. After my coupons, I paid $19.75.

Love me some Tarjay.

UNDER THE WIRE

Just woke up from a doze on the sofa and realized it's 11:33 p.m. CST, and I had not yet blogged today. Better hurry.

Today was Girl Scouts, where we worked on our Safety Patch. My EMTsis took good care of us and pretty much ran the meeting. She brought the local training ambulance to the house and went over safety measures. She also had a really cool machine that allowed the girls to "call" 911 and practice giving their names and addresses to a recorded-but-very-real-sounding voice. I wish I could remember what this machine is called...I'm going to find out and will post it here soon.

Part two of the meeting involved making fire escape maps. My sister had drawn up a simple floorplan of my house and had the girls draw colored lines to the nearest exits (of which my home has three). She even drew in a "fire" in the kitchen and told the girls to be sure and avoid it when they were drawing the lines. For example, they had to draw a red line from the breakfast nook to the nearest exit, a yellow line from the living room to the nearest exit, etc., but since they had to avoid the fire in the kitchen, it took a little more thought than simple A-to-B line drawing. Clever, sis.

The girls also made bookmarks that said "911 - Police, Fire, Ambulance" on them. I wish we'd had time for everyone to write down their addresses on the back, as several of the girls don't know theirs. Moms - please make sure your kids know their own addresses and phone numbers ASAP. You just never know when they will need that information.

Lastly, EMTsis took the girls outside and told them, "On the count of three, all of your clothes are on fire. Show me what you should do." On three, all eight girls hit the ground and did the right thing - Stop, Drop, and Roll. Yay for my troop!

After all the activities, the girls were allowed to tour the ambulance, where they could touch the oxygen masks, lie on the stretcher, and basically lay their hands on anything they saw (no drugs or needles are ever stocked on the training ambulance, so they were perfectly safe). In a big finale, EMTsis turned on the lights and sirens and gave the girls an earful. It was the perfect end to a really fun meeting!

HATH HELL FROZEN OVER?

Must be holiday time, because the car is in the shop again. Initial quote: $448. Plus tax. Plus some other charges, I'm sure, as I have not paid it yet, and we all know how car "estimates" go.

I'm tired of car repairs, particularly since the Saturn will be twelve years old in January, and currently has about 175,000 miles on it. We've been coasting by with no car payments for the past year or so, but reliable transportation is more important, so I predict car shopping soon.

---

Well, what do you know. The repair shop just called and said that since they didn't have to replace the fuel filter, the cost dropped to $370. That has never happened. I'm too stunned to keep typing...

THIS'LL BE SHORT AND SWEET

I am not feeling at all well this evening. I am experiencing intermittent stabbing pains in my right ear, and I am unbelievably tired. It's the I-can-barely-hold-my-eyes-open-as-I-type-this kind of tired. That's pretty serious for 7:39 p.m., especially since my normal bedtime is around 10:30 or 11:00 on weeknights.

Quick recap of the day:

Worked on Tnk's house today - we took up the nasty lineoleum in the den, finished painting the exterior of the closets and the new drywall around the French doors, and shopped for supplies at Lowe's. We were only moderately successful in our shopping trip, as the paint guy couldn't match the sample we brought him; the door guy could not find an appropriate threshold nor a ball bearing in all of the store; and the cashier didn't know how to look up UPC codes on unmarked items (namely the threshold, which was going to be too big anyway so Tnk told them to just keep it).

Tree was kind enough to bring us lunch from Wendy's. I had a cup of chili, which was really good since I was already starting to feel sick. Plus it was cold outside, so the warmth of the cup felt really good.

I told Tnk I'd help her again tomorrow, but I probably won't be able to. One, I am coming down with something, and two, it looks like the Saturn has one foot in the grave (again). Hubby called on his way home and said that he kept having to shift it into neutral so it wouldn't die at stoplights. Yay, happy fun car shopping.

Off to bed now. Nighty-night.

BACK TO WORK AT TNK'S PLACE

Today the siblings and I worked on Tnk's house for the first time since her accident back in March. I'd forgotten how intensive manual labor can be - what a workout!

Actually, it wasn't that bad. Today I painted the storage room and the closet walls and doors outside that room. It's amazing what a coat of paint can do for a grimy, fingerprinty door. We're nowhere near done with the work on that room, but between my paint job and her window cleaning, it already looks a hundred times better.

Tnk's handyman Mike was there today, too. His job was to cut a 4' x 7' hole in the wall between the living room and the den (formerly known as "the garage," which was enclosed sometime in the '70s). In the hole, Mike is installing French doors. I had to leave before he put the doors up, but even with a gaping rectangle where the wall used to be, both rooms look about twice as spacious as they did before.

The reason for all this work right now is that Tnk is hosting our family Thanksgiving feast at her house this Sunday. I think it will be a fun yet slightly melancholy day: Tnk's house is the same one we grew up in, and the one our mother was living in when she passed away. I know that her presence will be strongly felt.

Tomorrow I'm going back to help out a little more. I know Mom would love all the upgrades we've done on the house; just wish she could be here to see them.

NEW FORMAT

Hello, all! What do you think of the new digs? I miss you guys on my sidebar, but never fear - I will fix my blog up to be just as linky as ever.

Not much to report for today. I did have lunch with my youngest brother (Tree) and Tnk today. I almost never see Tree anymore, so it was a real pleasure to visit for awhile. He is about to graduate from the Houston Police Academy (what is it with my siblings and their law-enforcement yens?) so he and Tnk naturally had lots to talk about. While I love a good story - and they ARE good stories, LOL - I couldn't help but feel a little left out. I have zero excitement in my own life at the moment. Oh, who am I kidding? I have zero excitement in my own life pretty consistently.

Yes, the kids and hubby are great. But I can't top a story about an 80-year-old woman in a bikini being arrested for drunk driving. Not every day, anyway.

Better get dinner started. Whoo, hold me back.

THE MEN IN ORANGE

First of all, let's have a moment of silence for the men in burnt orange, the University of Texas Longhorns, who lost to Kansas State 45-42 last night in a nailbiter. K State injured our quarterback in the first drive, and with our inexperienced backup taking his place, UT had little chance to pull it out. [cue Taps playing softly in the background...]

In soccer news, today is the day! This afternoon the Houston Dynamo vie for the title of MLS Champions against the New England Revolution (Beth, Zach will totally know what I'm talking about :). Thousands of Houstonians have made the trek to the Frisco, Texas, Pizza Hut park to watch the game. We were almost among them, but decided to stay home and watch the game for free on TV. (Plug: ABC network, 2:30 p.m. CST. Tune in and cheer for the orange team!)

In order to send some good mojo their way, our family is having an "orange" party. We're all wearing Dynamo and/or orange shirts, we spread out an orange blanket to cover the couch, and we're partaking of orange foods and beverages. Among the latter:

Oranges
Carrots
Squash soup
Sweet potatoes
Grilled cheese sandwiches made with cheddar, which is closer to orange than American cheese
Cheetos
Nacho-flavor Goldfish
Chips and queso (close to orange, right?)
Orange Fanta for the kids
Diet Sunkist for the adults

Oops, game's about to start. Go Dynamo!

Edited at 5:34 p.m. CST - THEY DID IT! THE DYNAMO WON THE MLS CUP! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!