Bad Blogger - current ramblings

Somehow I imagined when I started to blog that I would just ramble on and on and on...how could I not since I have soooo many opinions about everything? Well it is much easier said than typed!!

So here I sit looking at the screen thinking and thinking and then mind wanders away...get back here!!

Okay, some general comments about what has been happening in the news:

I wish the writer's strike would be over soon (I watch too much TV, hmm, maybe this is the time to turn it off and find something else to do...wow, what a novel concept).

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My brother and mother watch Glenn Beck (mom thinks he's cute). I have to admit I have watched a couple of shows, usually when he has a guest. He did a delightful job of interviewing Michael Buble' and I watched his interview with Jon Huntsman Sr. and have a respect for Mr. Huntsman that I didn't before.

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I am disgusted with politics as they are. There needs to be an overhaul of the system, we need to get rid of the parties and make it a popular vote and the top two vote getters become President and Vice-President. Since there are more women than men right now, there should be more women in the politics. I would love to have a woman president, just not Hilliary. I think I would have loved to have seen Ann Richards there. I really just want someone in there that can balance a budget, can get along with congress and that has common sense! (I want a president like "Dave", the movie or one like whatever the TV show was that starred Geena Davis, guess it's easier to write good presidents than to be one). Yes, I also know that most of our problems are not the president's fault, it is congress. There also needs to be terms limits, 2 to 3 terms at most.

Electile Dysfunction : the inability to become aroused over any of the choices for president put forth by either party in the 2008 election year.

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It saddens me that our young "celebrities" can't deal with their own lives and that there have been several overdoses in this new year. And so much alcohol abuse...back to one of my previous blogs...if I had money do you think I would be driving myself...nope, hire me a good driver, preferrably handsome!!

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Well, that's it folks! Take care until next time!

It's a New Year!

I think my favorite holiday is New Year (just as Spring is my favorite season) because to me it represents a "new" beginning (again) to dream about the possibilities of the coming year. What do I want to accomplish this year? What is standing in my way besides myself? How can I make things happen? "They" say writing down your resolutions and/or goals makes it easier to keep them in mind...

1. To make sure that all my family and friends know that they are loved!! Because they are!!! And to keep them laughing.

2. To let go of the "clutter" in my home and my life.

3. To find my passion...whatever that might be: a new job, a new love, a new adventure, a new experience, to be open to whatever is placed before me.

Right now three looks good and reasonable!

Best wishes for a new year full of love and amazing possibilities!!!

New Year's Eve "Date"

Oh my gosh...my first ever New Year's Eve "date". I put the word date in parenthisis because I'm not sure it can be called a date?

He called me at 4:00 at work to see why I wasn't at home getting ready for the girlfriends that were (I thought) going to come watch videos with me, but those plans had fallen apart (which turned out to be a blessing...thanks ladies). So I asked him what he was doing and he said he might be asking me to a clambake. "And when might he know if he was asking me?"...when he found out what time it started.

I picked him up and drove us to his friend's house. They had soooooo much food...corn on the cob, potatoes, rolls, three sizes of shrimp, crabs, mussels, clams, lobster and prime rib (for some people who were coming that didn't like seafood and then weren't able to come). His friends were wonderful, very fun and accepting!

He decided at 10:50 that there is another party we need to go to in the Avenues, but turns out it got cancelled...so we drove around the same streets about 10 times before we found a place where we could see the valley and watch all the fire works! Then I dropped him off at his house and was home by 12:45.

It was a great evening with a nice guy!

Christmas 2007

I am so disappointed at how commercialized Christmas has become, especially when it begins on Halloween! Somehow the true meaning of Christmas has passed us by and it seems to be about presents and decorations. How many people go into debt each year to provide Christmas gifts and then spend all year paying it back to do it all over again?

I know that some of my friends are disappointed in me that I have asked that we not exchange gifts, but I honestly don't NEED more stuff. I want to celebrate birthdays and the birthday person one on one. One friend and I usually donate some time to the YWCA helping with whatever and then we have dinner together. We weren't able to do it this year due to many work commitments this year.

The coolest thing I got to do this Christmas was to do a last minute Sub for Santa. A friend of mine called me about 3:30 on Christmas Eve and told me about a family that she knew that wasn't going to have Christmas for their daughter because money was tight. We threw together stuff that we had that was new or gently used and wrapped it up and filled stockings with treats. It was such a good feeling to know that this child was going to have something to open on Christmas morning.

I just read a book called "The Christmas Jars" by Jason F. Wright. (Rising newspaper reporter Hope Jensen uncovers the secret behind the "Christmas Jars"--glass jars filled with coins and bills anonymously given to people in need. But Hope discovers much more than she bargained for when some unexpected news sets off a chain reaction of kindness and brings about a Christmas Eve wish come true.) It is going to be one of my new traditions for 2008.

I went to my Farnsworth Family Festivity on Christmas Eve and had a wonderful time dispite the snowstorm we had...I think a good time was had by all.

Christmas Day I had told my mom that I would cook a turkey dinner since I was away at Thanksgiving. So I got all the stuff and invited a couple of friends to join us. For years I have cooked BIG (25-30 pounds) turkeys when it was my turn to cook for Thanksgiving (we have now gotten smart and there are two smaller turkeys), but I haven't done a small one until now. It was just under 13 pounds. Got the stuffing made and the turkey in the ovening thinking about 4 hours to cook. Made the cranberry relish recipe that I got from the Heller side of my family. Check the turkey at 1:30, looked good.

Called the friends and said dinner would be at 2:30...oops turkey was done 15 minutes later and before I had had a chance to take off the roaster lid to brown it properly. Well the stuffing pan won't fit it with the turkey, darn, so I have to pull out the turkey and put it on the washer as I have no room in the kitchen. I'm now racing to start the mashed potatoes. After I have peeled them I am cutting them into small pieces so they will cook faster and I stab myself in the finger with the knife. OUCH!!! Managed not to bleed on anything until I get the bandage. OUCH!!! Next is the green beans with mushrooms and almond slivers in butter.

All in all it turned out okay and everyone thought it was pretty good (at least I think so?)...I even made homemade gravy for the first time all by myself (with a little telephone assistance from my aunt Linda). Mom went home and my friends and I watch "Little Miss Sunshine". I really enjoyed it!

I hope your Christmas was blessed with family, friends, food and fun!!

Okay folks, that's all for now!! I hope you all know how loved you are and how much you mean to me!

Oh, Sweet Charity -- "It's for the Children"

Every year the Primary Children's Medical Center has a fund raiser called The Festival of Trees. Trees of every size are decorated and donated to raise funds for the children. There are all sorts of wonderful things there, a gift boutique, centerpieces, gingerbread houses and wreaths.

I go every year on opening night because it's less crowded and you get to bid on things. I take my mom and we wander around. We both found things to bid on...she a centerpiece and I a small ceramic angel that started at $10. I made the first bid and came back a short while later and someone had bid $15, so I went to $20 and left. I came back and the bid was $25, so I bid $26 and left again. When I came back "she" was there raising the bid to $30, so I bid $31 and spoke with her telling her how much I liked the angel and it had blue in it which is my favorite color, etc. So she pats me on the arm and says I can have it and isn't wonderful what they do for the children. So I get it!

On December 10th, I was doing a little shopping to finish up what I needed for my sorority group party. I had run into the dollar store and what was the first thing I saw...a shelf filled with my precious angel..."It's for the children", I kept repeating as I called my friend and laughed hysterically. I can't believe someone donated something from the dollar store!!! And I paid $31 for it...