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!
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*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.
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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.