Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Off to Orange County We Go

Hi Ho, Hi Ho

Off to Orange County we go,

To see the Brother from S.L.O. Hi Ho Hi Ho!

Happy New Year, to You, and Your Loved Ones Too!

I know this is lame, and that's okay, Hi Ho, Hi Ho!

I am sorry too, for not only this, but slamming the snuggie was a Big No No, Hi Ho Hi Ho.

So be safe out there and lots of <3 from me to you!

Strange Presents I have known

I am so glad you got that fabulous present for the holidays, but what I really want to share about is The Clunker presents, like a Snuggie, which is really a backwards bathrobe and major fire and safety hazard. Thank goodness, no one I know has received or purchased one of these sartorial horrors. Or maybe they are just too embarrassed to admit it.

Some gifts I recently received include a desktop Leave Me Alone button - you push it and it has a whiny female voice that repeats, "Leave Me Alone" several times. Just what I've always wanted, Not ever!*

Another is a book titled, "Don't You Just Hate That? 738 Things That Annoy". Because I just don't have enough things in my life that annoy me, my friend wants to provide me with additional annoyances. Nice, verrry nice.

If it's the thought that counts, then maybe I need to figure out what this adds up to. How about you? What strange gifts have you received?

* Dis disclaimer- I do not disrespect,solicit, or requests gifts of my friends and I am truly appreciative of the kind gesture of friendship. Sometimes, I just wish folks weren't so kind.

Scrapbook Under Pressure

I can only scrapbook under pressure, like for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary or my Uncle's 80th birthday. I am in awe of people who scrapbook on a regular basis and I was intrigued with the Christmas Challenge hosted by the lovely Ruth of Everyday Life of a Suburban Mom who is a Scrapbooking Seamstress of Excellence. Literally, she has a sewing machine for her scrapbook. The gadgets, papers, and embellishments available are a little overwhelming, so for me, a little scrapbooking goes a long, long way. (After This One Page, I am now good for at least a year, maybe longer, unlike some of my neighbors who meet every Friday night to crop the hours away. That and imbibe blender drinks and California wine, hey, maybe There Is Something to this Hobby.)

So in appreciation and for consideration in this challenge, I present my entry featuring my family's Christmas card.

I loved the Leland Thomas quote that was a required element-

In the eyes of children
We find the joy of Christmas.
In their hearts
We find its meaning.

Please double click to embiggen. I had a lot of fun doing this and Thank you for sharing in our Holiday Greeting Card for this year.

Holidaze

Happy Holidays and I enjoyed Christmas with our family and friends very much with no major trauma, drama, or bloodshed, which is always a good thing. As my Dh pointed out, "Your mother didn't harp on you." See, we have Really lowered our Expectations around here for the holidays. Plus, she was just too Damn busy being neurotic about her dog and that my dog was eating her dog's food. (So this is what I have to look forward to when I am eighty years old? Oy vey.)

We changed up some things this year for the holiday that really helped make it much more fun and relaxing than the grind in years past.

We started decorating after Thanksgiving instead of waiting until mid December. Ugh, never again. No sooner do you put the garland and tree up, you are taking them down.

The boys, especially our youngest son, took charge of the outdoor decorating. They did a beautiful and inspiring job and used up every electrical extension cord we own and we regularly trip our circuit breaker, but Oh Such Christmas Spirit!

Instead of a sit down Christmas dinner slaved over by us, we hosted a Christmas pot luck for our friends and neighbors where everyone chipped in. Ah, Delight not to be cleaning the kitchen at midnight.

We also decided to trim our invitations to those folks who reciprocate friendship and hospitality instead of just the take, take, take side of the equation. Some of these families have been to our home for a meal, oh about a dozen times, and we've never seen the inside of their house, well, gee, that certainly sends a message doesn't it? Well, we got the message and acted on it and glad we did.

I love Christmas, but its preparations and expectations wear me out. I realized that I am a New Year's Eve kind of gal, even though I don't believe in New Year's resolutions and my disco ball and big hair celebrations at crowded nightclubs are decades in the past. Now I celebrate with a nice meal and a toast at 12 midnight NYC time with my family to welcome in the New Year which brings a sense of peace and calm that I extend to you and yours.

Please let me know how were your Holidays and how you feel about the New Year?? Thank you for dropping in and I always send my Best for a wonderful 2010.*


*Is the first decade of the 21st century over? Or does this happen next year? Or does it really matter because it's just a Julian calendar we follow versus an Aztec or Jewish?

A Pastiche of Pink for the Holidays

It's That Time Again...
Welcome to Pink Saturday, hosted by the gracious Beverly of How Sweet the Sound!

Please enjoy this Pink Greeting Card to all my friends near and far,

When Life Throws You a Curve,

Don't forget to take a moment and enjoy the Sweetness of the Season.

Blessings to you and yours and May All Your Christmases have a Touch of Pink!

(Photos taken at Serendipity Ice Cream Parlor and Bar, Las Vegas Strip, Nevada.)

It's Time to Motivate, not Obviate

It's that time again, time to for my weekly post at The Motivation Station! Please stop by and Thank you!

The Reason Why What Happens In Vegas...

The Reason Why What Happens In Vegas, Stays in Vegas is-

You're too dam tired to bring it home with you.

Some things will stay with me of course, like my wonderful time with Mr.and Mrs.Spit, who is a Girlfriend of the highest water from her rubbing my back when I got carsick from driving around a parking garage in the backseat, to being such a fun shopping, dining, and sightseeing companion. Her lovely Mr.Spit too, who was subjected to our two teen boys hopped up on sugar and new places and handled it with aplomb.

I totally don't "GET" gambling, and Mrs.Spit and I both agree that we want to walk away from spending money with some sense of value, (perhaps a pair of purple lace up shoes?), which is hard to do from a flashing, noisy machine that eats your money. (Including the Dance Dance Rev.olution game in the arcade, go figure.) Plus we can play flashing, noisy games at home for free without getting inundated with cigarette smoke, blech!!

Hoover Dam is an engineering marvel, worthy of its tag as one of the Seven Manmade Wonders of The World. As my Dh points out, Las Vegas would not exist without the Dam, which not only provides the liquid gold of the desert, water, but also cheap electricity.

Our family's weekend in Vegas wasn't only spent with the Spits, but also a herd of Cowboys in town for the National Rodeo Finals. I have never seen so many cowboy hats in my life. Ever. Also, there is an apparent fabric shortage in L.V., as many women were wearing next to nothing and you could practically see their "pupick" as my Grandma used to say. Another fashion trend is skintight black leggings either worn with boots or high heeled sandals. A highlight of the trip was sharing an elevator with one boogying, very curvaceous young lady who wore black sequined leggings accessorized by a wine glass, and Man, She Owned It!! If I was single and twenty years younger, I would so be her running buddy that night.

On our short flight home back to Los Angeles, I made my usual celebrity sighting as we shared our plane with Robin Antin, creater of The Pussycat Dolls musical group and their popular song, "Don't Cha".

Thank you so much for your visit and what have you been up to besides dodging cowboys and scantily clad women?