Frost building on my Eyeballs

Sorry I’ve not updated my blog in awhile, what with Christmas preparations and all.
Sunday, NW Indiana was hit with biting cold weather and strong winds, knocking out our power. My house is pretty much an ice castle. Ok, that’s a stretch, it’s an ice- two story. With icy trees and ice covered driveway and icicles dripping off everything it could.

Our little Peanut granddaughter (now 10 months old) is in the hospital with bronchitis and respiratory problems. She’s not eating or drinking, so she’s got to have IV fluids to keep hydrated. We came home from visiting her in the hospital and our power was out! So, from about 3:00 p.m until 10:00 p.m. we shivered and shook under blankets huddled up to the fireplace with Casper stretched across our laps. DARN, it was cold! Today’s forecast is supposed to be a little bit warmer, although, seriously, I swear it feels colder to me.

The deep cold penetrates under your skin and through to your bones. It is very hard to stay warm when the temp is 25 degrees below zero, wind chill factor. It reminds me of all the homeless. With this economy, there are probably more homeless each day and probably less and less shelters that can house them. Let’s all do our best this season to think of those less fortunate than ourselves and contribute in anyway that we can.
Happy Holidays.

This Magic Moment

It happened that the tickets were purchased over a year ago. The original intent was that it be a Christmas present from my husband, for a magical night. He put a lot of thought and effort into bidding on the tickets on the internet, watching the price carefully. They weren’t some $50 tickets, these were good seats.

The concert was scheduled, unfortunately, for the same day as the nation was electing Barack Obama into the highest office in the country – a landmark day – one that warranted a huge celebration in the depth of the city that is Chicago. The same night as Celine Dion got a tickle in her throat? Hmmmmm.

So last evening, my husband and I took the day off work, wanting to spend the afternoon in Chicago shopping along the Mag Mile and grabbing a nice dinner in Little Italy, then attending the re-scheduled concert he so wanted to share with me.

And then it started to snow. We left our home at 2:00 p.m., for the trek which is normally 45 minutes to an hours’ drive. We skipped the shopping as the traffic was bumper to bumper in the blinding weather conditions, barely making the show time at 8:00 p.m. Whew! That Celine can put on a show when she’s not nursing a sore throat, let me tell you!

I have seen her before in concert, back in the “Power of Love” days…before the hit movie Titanic made her famous, or rather more famous if possible. She was terrific, and magical. Of course, it was an outdoor venue, with the soft summer’s night air blowing all around us, my daughter and I had a wonderful time, listening to this angel open her mouth and this wonderful sound waft out. It seemed almost effortless!

The arena last night didn’t have those same acoustics, and while it was fabulous, some of the magic of that first concert was lost. Either that or I was shell shocked from that magnificent travel time! Still, we were alive – and not stranded along the skyway! It was a good time – still a magical moment! Just hard on a semi-empty stomach (we had pizza at the United Center, not the best Chicago pizza either)
Honey, thank you for the magical evening, I love you!

Diet Pizza - A low cal Delight

Now that's something I've never seen in the grocery: FAT FREE pizza, low cal pizza pie, each piece just under 75 calories. I'd swoon. Course I'd eat 7 pieces of the fat free, low cal delight. And I would gain or maintain my adorable Santa belly.
Ho Ho Ho.

Trouble is, how will it look when I'm crammed into my bathing suit on the beach of Xtapa Mexico,(February 2009-stay tuned) sunning myself and beckonning to my cabana boy,
"OH boy!!! wrestle up another of those fruity things" said in my best Mrs. Thurston Howell, III voice.

I have a portion problem when it comes right down to the favorite foods I eat. I read where some of the thinner celebs have published a day of their diet menus. Thier snack is a glass of water. Thier meal is fish and asparagus spears.
Not three or four pieces of pizza.

Course if you set before me a steaming hot cheesy pie, I'll settle for three or four pieces. If you set before me a platter of cod, I could settle for a small portion. It's all in how you "plate it".
Pass me the water will you?

Monday Blues? Try this Negative Challenge!!!!

Not to be a pain, but… (or a pain in the butt -what Ev)
Well, here’s the gig. I get these yammy shammy emails asking me all kinds of questions and then you know, forward it to someone else – delete your answers then add theirs, yadda yadda..(You Know Who You Are, and I really do love them, STOP it, I mean, it GAH!) Most are the same questions, all very “cute”.

Yet, I read here and there on the blogs and people don’t write “cute”. There’s some angst out there! They rant, they exclaim - very loudly, about the things that bug them, or the things that get them down, that are unfair, that they would like to blow up with some huge internet bomb. Ka-Boom!
So, if you are so inclined, let’s all do a post on these – I triple dog dare you. Link me up to your comments – pass it around as you lurk and comment (say “pssssst, go to runswithscissorsjackeeg.blogspot.com and take on the Negative Challenge she’s posted about”.) Let’s see what comes of it you ranty ravers.

List Five T.V. shows that you will never watch – no, never.
1. Law and Order SVU or any Law and Order…Is it still on even?
2. The secret life of Zack and Cody.
3. Whatever is on opposite The Mentalist.
4. Divorce Court
5. Re-runs of the Family Guy
Five foods I HATE and refuse to eat.
1. Grits
2. Escargot
3. cooked liver with or without onions
4. oatmeal
5. creamed corn or most “creamed” vegetables
Five places I don’t have any interest in visiting.
1. Graceland
2. Prison
3. Jimmi Hendrix grave
4. Birthplace of Marilyn Monroe
5. Waco, Texas
Five things people at work/in my family do to annoy me.
1. Send me those lists of things to forward on.
2. Send me prayers – and claim I’m a bad person or less of a person for not sending them on.
3. co-workers who will not Own anything.
4. People who look the other way….(turning your head, goof, not looking like an alien)
5. Co-workers who leave the coffee pot on with about a ¼ inch of coffee burning at the bottom so that they don’t have to make another pot.
Five worst gifts you received. (oh, yeah…I did)
1. The Jack La Layne juicer – sorry babe.
2. A bathrobe that my X-mother in law got at a garage sale that had a few holes in it. Eww.
3. Blue Sad face earrings instead of Happy Faced earrings (circa 1969 or 1970)
4. I couldn’t even think of more, I love anything anyone buys me!
5. Oh, yeah, my X mom in law again – she was a re-gifter, and one year I got used pot holders she got the year before. Swear.

EEEEEE – the negative vibes, I feel ‘em! Kind of gets you worked up!
I wonder if I’ll get much of a response or reaction. Interesting. Everyone get on out there and let’s campaign for the “five icky things list”….just to see how it’s done.

Now that we’ve all got that out, let’s relax and smile and have more positive, fun, creative posts! Yippee! Happy Monday!

HO HO HO

So, My daughter had a post that talks about Christmas Wish List's if you could wish for anything you wanted - cost didn't matter...so, I thought, here goes.

My Wish List, by Jackee G
1. A shiny new car. any make, must have CD player and nice cup holder. God, I'm easy.
2. A class in Digital SLR photography. And then Photoshop.
3. A Cricut thing-a-ma-bob to make my own cut out letters for scrapbooking, and lots of font cartridges.
4. Aruba. nuff said.
5. A personal trainer. It could be Hugh Jackman, just a thought.
6. Black nice leather boots with a 3" inch heel only.

And if cost were not a factor,
7. A new house accross the street and down the road, a ranch with a open concept living room/kitchen/dining room and three bedrooms, two baths, full basement, walk-in closets and a seperart laundry room with a large walk-in pantry.

And beyond all that material stuff...
I wish all my children good health and prosperity in 2009. My brother to secure a better and more steady employment along with better health. My mother to lighten up and enjoy her life, such as it is.

Dog Gone It!

He's black. He's shiny. He's loyal and sweet.

Did I ever tell you about my Dawg? Maybe I did, but who's gonna read through all those archives? Not me, I dare you.

Anyways. Where was I? Oh, yep, my D A WWWG.

He's swell.

I really was through with pets. We'd just gotten rid of the family cats by dispersing them to the adult children as they moved out. The family dog I'd inherited with the blending of our families had suffered a few years of bad health and was finally laid to rest. (that's a term used when you put them to rest....never again, I just can't do it, I say, NEVER again, my pet will be on a heart and lung machine..)

So, when my husband brought home a stray from work, well, I said, NO, he can stay the night, sleep in the garage and he's going back in the morning. He didn't.

I came home from work, checked the back yard and since it was dark outside, I didn't see him sitting politely on the deck right up to the sliding glass door's dark screen. When I opened the door to get a better look, he came right into the house. Alarmed, I watched as he wagged his tail, but sniffed his way around the house. Sitting myself down gently into the recliner, I laid back, covering my legs with a warm afghan. He nibbled at the edge of the coverlet, and I yelled, "Hey stop it". He dropped to the ground, laid right by my feet. Sh*t, he's trained, I thought, I'm doomed. I thought about it, and kept glancing at him. He just laid there sweetly, waiting. My husband came home a little later, and when he opened the door, surprised to see the dog in the house after I'd created such a fuss, he called, "What's this?".

"His name is Casper, and he's a good boy" I replied.

And he's ours.

That was two years ago. He's spoiled and loved, but he gives us more affection than either of us can handle. He loves all the people that come into our house like long lost friends. He's 70 lbs. of lap dog...loves to snuggle. I took this picture on Thanksgiving of him settled in with us.

Still learning how to use my Wicked Cool birthday camera. Hadn't had the time to watch the DVD that came with it, so I'm winging it. Seems that portraits I take of people are too bright too much light. But the black dog, he came out pretty good. My former camera couldn't take a picture of that black dog for ANYthing. He was a shiny black blob.

Maybe Santa will give me photography lessons. Yeah, with Hugh Jackman as the instructor! In Austraila yet.

sorry, I got carried away. A girl can dream can't she?