Oy - it's Saturday already?? The house is vacuumed, dusted amd set up (sorta) for company tomorrow. Moira even cleaned her room... well, after I asked her to do it. But, she did a great job and I am proud of her. ::smile:: I just put the pie in the oven about 10 minutes ago and my house smells yummy! All that apple pie goodness just wafting through the house. Anyone want some pie?

We did great food shopping. Moira was a big help. I picked out some sweet, delicious grapes and got a bunch of apples. I am going to make a pie for tomorrow's BBQ. I also will be making pasta salad. Yummy. All the food tomorrow (and Sunday) will be Olivia safe. Makes life SO much easier. Hell - if she can't be comfortable here, where can she?

Did some cleaning and laundry so far. I have to go do some food shopping in a little while. I am dictating my shopping list to Moira. She is writing everything. Such a smart girl! Will write more later - I have 2 BBQ's to organize!

(list snagged from the charming Mitch) 1. Living arrangement? Happily with Paul 2. What book are you reading now? I *just* finished "The Mole People" by Jennifer Toth 3. What's on your mouse pad? Optical mouse baby! 4. What's your favourite board game? Trivial Pursuit 5. What's your favourite magazine? Martha Stewart Living (stop laughing! LOL!) 6a. Favourite smells? rain 6b. Non-favourite smell? vomit, feces 7. Favourite sound? My girls laughing 8. Worst feeling in the world? Being alone 9. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning? Not again! 10. Favourite colour? Red 11. How many rings before you answer the phone? 2-3 12. Name of future child? HAHAHAHAHA - NO MORE 13. Most important thing in life? My girls 14. Favourite foods? Italian 15. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla Bryers 16. Do you like to drive fast? Oh yeah! 17. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? Does Paul count? 18. Storms? LOVE 'em 19. What type was your first car? Oh man - a 1982 Pontiac Phoenix - THANKS Dad! 20. If you could meet one person dead or alive, who would it be? 21. Favourite drink? Water 22. What is your zodiac sign? Gemini 23. Do you eat stems of broccoli? Yes 24. If you could have any job you wanted what would it be? None at all! 25. Have you ever been in love? Yes : - ) 26. Is the glass half full or half empty? Half full 27. Favourite movies? "Better Off Dead" "Gone With The Wind" "The King and I" "Star Wars" "Mystery Men" - so many more! 28. Do you type with your fingers on the correct keys? No - but I am getting better! 29. What's under your bed? Photo albums 30. Favourite song? "Wind Beneath My Wings" - Bette Midler 31. Favourite sport to watch? Football 32. Your favourite age in life so far? 26 33. Say one nice thing about the person who sent this. Mitch is just the sweetest! : - ) 34. Name a person who you will send this to and is most likely to respond. Hmm - well I think either Joan, Danielle, Kat or Shelley might do this 35. Name a person who is least likely to respond. Scott : - )

I'm baaack! LIke y'all missed me anyway ::grin:: The Girl Scout Service Unit meeting went well.. long but well. It was all paperwork and forms to be filled out. The troop got a ton of paperwork too. ACK! But, I am trying to learn a lot more about it, just in case Debbie (the leader) bails out. I don't think she's planning on it but it's better to be safe than sorry! I am off to read blogs. AND - I have been invited (thanks Joan) to join a group blog. Yay! I think..

A wonderful and charming friend of mine sent me the following link: KateExpectations Love you David! ::smooches::

Moira will be spending the day and early evening at a friend's house. In fact, Peggy (friend's Mom) will even pick Moira up from the reading program (friend is there too)! Woohoo! I have a Girl Scout service unit meeting tonight so I will pick up Moira after the meeting. Olivia is all sniffly, which explains why she was up most of the night and early morning Tuesday-Wednesday. ::sigh:: I think she is getting another ear infection. Poor kid. We were supposed to visit my Mom this afternoon but I cancelled the visit. I don't want her to land in the hospital again from Olivia's sniffles. For lunch, Olivia wanted crackers with butter. I tried a veggie wrap. Rice and Vegetable teriyaki. It was ok. Kinda. I had to drink a lot of water with it.. to wash it down. Heehee!

(link snagged via Heather) Wedding Enjoyed by No One But Bride

Morning everyone! Wow - it feels weird not to have blogged for a while... all 16 hours of it ::grin:: I want to say thank you to Joie, Joan, Danielle, Shelley and Kat for your kind comments. I just had to get away for a little while. The news stories about the children being kidnapped/missing just really struck me, somewhere deep in my heart. See, when I shop with the girls, I load the stuff in the car while Moira climbs into her seat. I usually put Olivia in her seat, buckle her, close the car doors and put the cart back. I try to park by the cart storage areas. What happened to the Chavez family could have happened to me, although the woman who snatched little Nancy was looking specifically for an infant. It almost happened to Joie. She encountered a situation which is a lot scarier than my "what if" situation. I can't understand WHY people do things like this. It boggles the mind - at least mine. The Amber Plan should be implemented in all 50 states. There is NO doubt in my mind that, due to the enormous publicity of the missing girls (Nancy Chavez and Jessica Cortez), it has played a huge role in retrieving those girls, safe and alive. The Amber Plan states: "The AMBER Plan was created in 1996 as a powerful legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, a bright little girl who was kidnapped and brutally murdered while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas. The tragedy shocked and outraged the entire community. Residents contacted radio stations in the Dallas area and suggested they broadcast special “alerts” over the airwaves so that they could help prevent such incidents in the future. In response to the community’s concern for the safety of local children, the Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Radio Managers teamed up with local law-enforcement agencies in northern Texas and developed this innovative early warning system to help find abducted children. Statistics show that, when abducted, a child’s greatest enemy is time."

QUANAH, Texas — A woman with a baby has been detained in this town about 125 miles north of Abilene, and police say the child may be Nancy Crystal Chavez, the 1-month-old girl snatched from a Wal-Mart parking lot Tuesday. I will try to blog later... I am not up to chatting right now...

ABILENE, Texas — A woman snatched a month-old baby from a van in a store parking lot Tuesday and drove away as the child's horrified mother held on desperately to the getaway vehicle. The mother was dragged more than 30 feet as the car sped away. She was later treated for cuts and bruises, police Sgt. Kim Vickers said. The abduction occurred about 4:30 p.m. at a Super Wal-Mart. The mother, whom police did not identify, had just placed her three children, including a 2- and a 6-year-old, into the family's van and was returning a shopping cart to a storage area about 10 feet away. She then saw her infant girl taken from the van and placed into a car. "The woman started screaming and trying to get the lady to stop," Vickers said. "The mom got there in time to grab onto the car and was drug about 30 to 40 feet." I can't even begin to comment.. my head is spinning..

Thank God.. oh thank God she is safe

Happy Birthday Allison!

Joan aka Da Goddess kindly answered my questions about the Cocodile Hunter. When and where did you meet the Irwins? I met the Irwins back on May 20, 1999. I was badgering the producer of a morning radio show about getting me in and he got me in! What were they like? Bindi was only 9 months old at the time. Sweet baby! Steve and Terri are just 100% real. Tell me about the fan club. I found the JeffMajor.com site that had a report of Steve's demise......wrote to Jeff and told him that was untrue....because I'd just met the Irwins and he put my letter up on the site. People started writing me. One lady had a Yahoo club. I joined. Then, I started my own. Fluke.....mine has more members. Actually, mine is the largest on the Net. I think the fact that I met them and that I really stand behind their message of conservation has helped propel the group forward When did your group start fundraising? When Steve's mom died, our group raised money ($400+) to donate to her Trust. I have a plaque hanging on the wall in my house now. Also, while this was going on, I was introduced to Pat, who runs Wildlife Protection Association of Australia. Tell me about WPAA and Pat. Pat's group was sponsored by the Irwins. Pat and I got to be friends and exchanged a lot of ideas on what we could do if our club joined up in his efforts. Unfortunately, just after that, his wife was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Somehow or another, Pat and I became very close. I was one of the only people he could confide in during the ordeal. He's a class act all the way. He would clean, feed, comfort his wife throughout her last months. He stayed by her side. Only I knew how bad it was. Sometimes, we'd exchange emails 20 times a day. In the end, he held her as she died. He's the most loving person I've ever come to know. I am sorry to hear about the death of Pat's wife. What happened after that? Following his wife's death, Pat sold his farm. The Irwins used the money from the merchandising and such to support, 100%, WPAA. They offered Pat a house at the zoo. That's where he now lives. I have a standing invite to stay with him. Pat has sponsored a kangaroo for the kids, sent presents....and we've sent him a million and one things as well. What about the events leading up to the movie release?(click here for the official site) So, the Croc Hunter movie release was approaching. A reporter joined my group. Asked a couple of questions. I emailed her back and next thing you know, I'd loaned her almost my entire collection of Croc Hunter stuff. Magazines, articles, photos, videos......you name it. Spenser, your son, is really into the Irwins. What did he give the reporter? My son also handed her a little stuffed croc for Bindi with a note asking her to marry him. (He gave up being Steve just before he turned 5.) Did the Irwins remember you? When the reporter met with Steve and Terri to interview them for the movie, they remembered my group and the donation. Then, they were FLOORED by Spenser's proposal. Our story ended up in the local paper and I'm sure we'll be getting a package from the Irwins sometime soon. Is that all? That's it. Weird stuff, eh?

Decided to run up to the mall (again!) tonight. The kids wanted McNasty's for dinner. Paul and the girls grabbed a table and I stood in line to order. While I was waiting to place my order, I was lucky enough to stand behind a young couple. The girl couldn't have been older than 15 but was dressed like most young girls - midriff baring shirt, hip hugger jeans and on her feet were weird looking platform sandals, complete with toe ring. Her suitor was approximately 5'10-6' tall, 17 years old and dressed in loose fitting jeans and a T-shirt. They looked like they could have stepped out of an American Eagle advertisement. The young girl resembled Sarah Michelle Gellar - blonde hair, pointy chin and nose and she REALLY looked like she needed to eat something. I was watching her constantly touch her date by either hugging him, rubbing him or leaning on him. Her constant need to touch him was pretty disturbing pathetic. At times, she would lean into him and he would respond by putting his hands on her ASS! WTF is THAT?? Thank God the kids were with Paul at the table. This was something I didn't want to explain yet. The most disturbing part - they KNEW I was standing right behind them. Like *I* want to watch her ASS get rubbed! Geez - we are standing in line at a food court, not taping Real (Underage) Sex! (Boy - Google will have a field day with that) I was almost hyperventilating I was so angry. I think I will work on building up my girls' self worth a LOT more. God help anyone who touches their ass. Paul and the girls went for a ride on the carousel while I returned (more) stuff to Old Navy. They met me in the store and I let Moira pick out a shirt for school. Out of a selection of at least 10 rugby shirts, she actually picked the very one I disliked (the colors were ugly) the most. ::sigh:: Oh well, she has to wear it. I asked her several times (in desperation) if she was sure she liked it. "I LOVE it Mom. It has my favorite colors!" Ack! Well, at least I can control all her other clothes. No pants that have images or words written on the ass. No backless shirts. No halter tops. No SHORT shorts or mini skirts. It makes me SO sick to see clothes for such little girls that are just not appropriate. There were plenty of examples in the mall tonight. Lordy I must be getting old. I can't take this. We didn't leave the mall until almost 9pm. The ride home was fun. The girls were playing some kind of game and were making each other crack up. I mean, they were laughing so hard they were snorting! LOL! They demanded to hear Bare Naked Ladies and we all sang along to "1,000,000" and "Pinch Me" and a few other songs on the cd. They finally got to bed by 1045pm. Oy - what a night.

I should get some work done around here. I just don't feeeel like it! ::grin::

The girls LOVE listening to this

Mornin' gang.. I crashed out last night. Lordy I was tired. Olivia has developed the habit of waking up in the morning and coming into my room. I can hear her doing this over the baby monitor. She stands by my side of the bed and watches me. When I open my eyes and look at her, she gives me a huge grin and says "Good morning Mommy". Now, isn't that the nicest way to wake up?

Moira has been in and out of bed for the past 3 hours. The last trip out, we took pity on her. She was coughing and sniffling quite a bit. So, she got to stay up for about 30 minutes and chugged a shot of Tylenol due to a sore throat. I just tucked her back in with a warning for her *not* to emerge until morning. I hope it works!

Acidman has now decided I am "a fine figure of a woman, despite living in New Jersey." Whatta hunk of man ::sigh:: Not bad for a southern boy.

Man - I can't believe the weekend is over. The bureau is almost finished. I can't wait to put my STUFF in it! Arrgghh! We have STUFF all over the place until it is complete. My shelves are up and just need a little bit of touch up paint. YAY! Then I can put more of my SHIT away.

I am burning a cd for myself. This will be the first audio cd I have created so I hope it turns out! Anyone have a particular CD burner program they like? I have NTI CDMaker. It came with the CD-RW drive. It's a bit of a pain in the ass to use. Moira's hard drive on her computer crapped out ::sigh:: Paul replaced the drive and is working on it now. How weird is it that we just happened to have a hard drive hanging around? I don't want to replace her computer... at least, not yet.

Dad and Millie just left a little while ago. It was so much fun. The girls adore them. I saw the new Lexus. VERY VERY nice. They got the Coach edition. It smell yummy inside - all leather!

Trading Spaces! Woohoo!

Taking a break right now. Paul and I have done a lot of work today. My brackets are all primed and painted. So are my shelves. I have some priming and painting to do in the bedroom. We are going to do that tonight. We just finished a fine quality meal of Sabrett hot dogs and tater tots. At least I had some broccoli out to even out the meal. The girls are sniffly today, poor kids. Olivia started wheezing so she is getting a nebulizer treatment. Ahh - nothing like an albuterol high! Wheeeee! She's outside now with an ice pop. She's like a freakin junkie with those damn ice pops. I think I have a ganglion cyst in my left wrist. It husts. Of course, now I have been bumping it constantly. I suppose I should get to the doctor and get it checked out. I'll update more later.. time for some coffee!

I an watching Crocodile Hunter on Animal Planet right now. Mary, a *really* old croc (over 100 years old) died. Here's an excerpt from Discovery.com: "And Steve suffers a huge emotional loss when Australia Zoo's matriarch crocodile, Mary, suddenly dies." Steve is bawling. He actually said he loved Mary like he loved Terry, his wife. Okayyyy... right.

The charming and lovable Rich has finally posted a picture of himself. Go post some sweet nothings in his comments.

I feel a little better. Moira is at a friend's house. Olivia ran around out front while I mowed the lawn. After that, I turned on the sprinkler and she had a blast going through that. I was able to clean out my garden, which looks like total shit this year. I have a lot of work to do to clean it up for next year. Dinner tonight will be BBQ chicken drums, pasta salad and fresh corn on the cob. Yummy!

Tough morning with the kidlets ::sigh:: They just kept driving me crazy. Moira is so darn whiny. I just want to scream! In fact, I hollered at them and now I feel like a turd. ::big sigh:: I can't get anything accomplished today.

(link snagged from the Captain)

Disorder	Rating
Paranoid:	Low
Schizoid:	Low
Schizotypal:	Low
Antisocial:	Low
Borderline:	Low
Histrionic:	Low
Narcissistic:	Low
Avoidant:	Low
Dependent:	Low
Obsessive-Compulsive:	Low
-- Click Here To Take The Test --

Geez - I am so bland!

Must. Sleep. Now.

Wow! I was the 3rd person to post up at Friday Five! Woohoo!

Friday Five baby! 1. Do you have a car? If so, what kind of car is it? I drive a 5 speed 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe (LOVE it!) and Paul drives a 1996 Saturn 2. Do you drive very often? All the time. I prefer to drive 3. What's your dream car? Hmm - a car, possibly a Volvo C40 convertible, top of the line Mercedes or BMW 4. Have you ever received a ticket? BAHahahahahaha! Heeeeeeeeeeee! Oh boy ::wiping eyes:: That's a funny one. The answer:yes. Several. 5. Have you ever been in an accident? Yes. The accident happened about 2 years ago at 1245am while I was driving home from my computer sales job on the Garden State Parkway. I was rear ended (I was doing 70) by a 2000 Corvette (who was doing 95+). He and his buddy, who was driving a white BMW, were racing. The BMW zipped around me and cut me off. The Vette, well... didn't. He smashed me into the concrete barriers dividing the north and southbound lanes. We were apparently connected from the impact, according to witnesses. We hit something and it spun me back across 3 lanes, breaking me and the other car apart, into the guard rail. I was driving a compact car (Plymouth Sundance) at the time. It was totalled as well as the asshole's vette. It was all over in about 10-15 seconds. I remember the airbags blowing up in my face. I remember screaming at the top of my lungs "Oh my God, Oh my God", over and over again. But, when the car stopped moving, I was able to open the driver's side door and get out. I thought the car would explode or something. Thank GOD there was hardly any traffic or I probably would have been killed. I had minor injuries, a few scrapes and a couple burns from the airbag. The asshole asked me, "Are you ok?" I started screaming at him. "Are you fucking joking? LOOK at my car! You fucking idiot!" He looked like Headwound Harry. I don't know if he had his belt on or not. Idiot.

Paul got home around 1030 tonight. He and his Dad ended up having pizza and chatting for a little while. Must be nice! The girls and I want to KMart and picked up a couple things. I found a nice deal on Martha Stewart sheets so I snagged 2 sets. YAY! I ordered my new quilt, bed pillow and shams. The quilt is on backorder (shit!) but should be coming soon! PLEASE PLEASE don't sell out! I decided on this one.

Arrrggghhh! I *need* my archives! Where the hell are they? Why can't I reference them?? ::rant over::

I finally sent off a cd that I burned for my girlfriend. It had pictures of her wedding. From February.

Go check out Danielle! Welcome to the wonderful world of blogging.

I love the fact that people are doing the smell association with fellow bloggers. Very cool! The 3 that mentioned me (Joan, Rich and Erin) were pretty much on the money. Thanks guys, you are all DA BOMB! :::smooches::: I managed to get a few errands done today. I stopped at Bruno's, with Olivia, to pick up our weekly deli order. As we walk in, music by Frank Sinatra is playing over the sound system, "Luck be a Lady". Olivia immediately starts clapping and dancing. It was adorable. I also grabbed a loaf of fresh Italian bread.. ohhh... it was so good! We also stopped at the little roadside stand and picked up some more fresh corn, peaches and apples. Paul will be stopping at his parents place tonight to help his Dad hook up to the well. His Dad called last night to ask if Paul was able to "Come over and play" on Thursday. Too funny. Of course, it was fine with me. My only condition was that they feed Paul dinner! The girls and I will go do something after dinner tonight. Well - off to tinker with my blog and then I suppose I should take care of the kidlets! Look for some new pictures coming very soon.

NEW YORK - Former Tyco International chief executive Dennis Kozlowski used millions in company money to indulge his lavish tastes — including a $6,000 shower curtain (a gold-and-burgundy, floral-patterned shower curtain) — and few of the transactions were reported to shareholders, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. Now, will someone please enlighten me and tell me where the FUCK can one purchase a $6,000 shower curtain? Is it lined with mink? Crusted with diamonds? Corporate bastard.

"If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale, and gave all my money to the church, would I get into heaven?" I asked the children in my Sunday school class. "NO!" all the children answered. "If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would I get into heaven?" Again the answer was, "NO!" "Well," I continued, "then how can I get to heaven?" A five-year-old boy shouted, "You gotta be dead!"

Other than the stats problem.. I had a pretty nice day today. Donna never made it over.. her appointment ran late so we postponed for another time. Hopefully, the baby will still be a baby when I see her ::grin:: Moira was playing with a buddy down the street before and after dinner tonight. Olivia ate ice pops and played on the swings. Ahh - the life!

Ok - My stats site is *way* the fuck off! It says I only had 24 visitors today! 24! ::sigh:: Oh well. It's a free stat site. Anyone else use Extreme?

Check out Joan's post. She associated food/candy with the bloggers that she reads... this is mine: Kate is Bubblicious! Sweet and lasts all day.. Love ya Joan! ::smooch::

My friend Donna is stopping by in about 45 minutes with her new daughter, Haley. Can't wait to meet her! I also dumped blog chalk.. it screwed up my blog. Thanks Erin, for letting me know.

Oh - Mom cancelled for today - her throat is sore.. she's not sure if it was from the endoscopy last week or if she was coming down with a cold.. but my Dad is coming down this Sunday for a visit! YAY! I get to see the new car - A Lexus SUV! Woohoo! Go Dad and Millie!

The girls LOVE this song from Mob Hits - "Eh Cumpari" by Julius La Rosa Turn on the speakers and play it loud! There are some great songs from Mob Hits - "That's Amore" - Dean Martin (love him::sigh::) "Al-Di-La" - Jerry Vale "Volare" - Dean Martin "Mambo Italiano" - Rosemary Clooney and a bunch of song by Louis Prima... awesome..

NYC to light Eternal Flame on 9/11

Luuuuucy! I'm hoooooome! ::giggle:: We had a great time at my sis in law's place. My niece got along well with the girls for a while. Until she got tired and cranky, that is. We made it back home around 545pm and I whipped up a quick and easy dinner for the family... Mom is coming down tomorrow for a little visit.. should be fun.

Just caught the Staples commercial with the song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of Year". LOVE it!

Good morning! Moira has her reading program today and then we will be heading out to my sis in law's place again. It will be fun to see my niece - she is just so adorable! Catch ya'll later!

Susan is back home! YAY!

Is anyone else having problems with their stats? I use Extreme Tracking and it seems WAY off base, especially if I compare it to previous Mondays. Werid.

Nice to see you back Chris! ::smile::

::sigh:: Olivia got hold of some stamp pads and a paintbrush. The palm and 3 fingers of her left hand are bright pink. It's also on both legs, in assorted spots. Oh, yeah.. and my freakin couch too! Good thing I have slipcovers! I couldn't get the ink off her fingers so I don't know if it will come off my slipcover.

Wow - thanks for all the nice comments about my "new face". :::warm fuzzies::

(link snagged from Amy) This is so funny. Make sure your speakers are on.

Only a total of 10 minutes. Not bad for a Monday. The girls and I are going to BJ's Warehouse Club for much needed supplies. Shampoo, conditioner, paper towels, you know.. the essentials!

Let's see just HOW long NJ Blue Cross Blue Shield keeps me on hold.. so far.. 5 minutes..

A Vern Yip Fan Club! A great Vern article. Ty fans? Check this out! One more cool Trading Spaces fanpage AND lastly, Scott, this link is for you! Hehehe!

Oh - I think I lost some links when I dumped Blogrolling. If I misplaced anyone's, please let me know in the comments!

I just watched the first 20 minutes of the Anna Nicole show on the E channel. Oh my God. What the hell happened to her? She was such a beautiful woman. Now, she's .. well.. pathetic. So she's fat, she is still gorgeous. I think even Ozzy must have watched this show and said "Damn, she's messed up!"

Moira's home! YAY!

Oh! "Hungry Heart" by Bruce is being played right now. I love this song

Ugh - 106 I am a dope!

(link snagged from Joan) I took the 5 minute times test and scored 133! Woohoo! I be smart! I wonder what my score will be on the Verbal IQ test.

Paul left a little while ago to pick up our eldest child. He is picking her up at the rest area off the NJ Turnpike. Bleech! But, it beats driving all the way out to PA! Olivia and I are having shells and sauce. She is on her 3rd bowl! A hungry little girl. She must be going through a growth spurt. She's getting a treat tonight and is watching Toy Story. I preferred TS 2 but I can deal with this. She is zoned out, watching the movie. Heehee! I have to figure out where I want the new wall uplights placed. They will be over the brass headboard so each one of us will have a light for reading. Paul has to wire them and attach a thumbswitch. We are disagreeing on the cord cover. The lights will be mounted on the wall and the cords will be hanging straight down. I want to cover the cord with a brass strip (headboard is also brass) and he wants white. The walls, if you lovely readers recall, are lavender. What do you think? White or brass wire covers?

Well - I decided to lose the blogrolling... it never seemed to work for me. I rearranged Olivia's bedroom. It looks better. She has SO much stuff that it was hard for her to play in there. Ack - I need a bigger house to hold all my stuff!

I am having problems with trying to link my archives! Arrgghhh!

Hrm. I will fix this later..Any suggestions would be appreciated! Bye!

Not bad...

hmm - is it working?

Good morning everyone! Today is National Kids Day. American sumo wrestler Emanuel Yarbrough is 6-foot-7 and 730 pounds. He's also in a bit of a bind - he's living in his parents' basement in New Jersey. More work to be done around the house... will write more later!

SUCH a busy day... The 3 of us went to Home Depot and I managed to spend about $200. Paint, supplies, wall anchors and other hardware to hang the wall lighting. We have so many projects to work on around here. She had a blast, as usual. We grilled steaks (yummy!) and I made mashed potatoes, which Olivia loves. Oh - happy day for her. She dropped some on the floor and was quietly grinding them into the carpet. ACK! Paul took Olivia into the pool tonight and then we watched both episodes of Trading Spaces. I really loved what Lori did in the bedroom of the 1st house. I cannot believe the wife's reaction when she saw her bedroom. What a snot. I wanted to smack the ungrateful bitch. The next episode was the home with the hay on the walls. Unreal. Absolutely unbelievable. Oh - and I also folded about 3 loads of laundry. Paul is zonked out. Woofuckinhoo. So much for my glamorous Saturday night. So, now I am watching Me, Myself and Irene on HBO. God - I love this movie. I crack up every damn time I watch this movie. Renee Zellwiger is adorable and Jim Carey (whom I normally don't like) ROCKED! Well .. time to surf around and check out my fellow bloggers. G'nite!

We had a kickass storm last night! Thunder, lightening.. it was sooo cool! I love storms. Unfortunately, I was driving through most of it ::grin:: Olivia and I were at the mall for a couple hours and then we headed over to my Mom's place. We had McD's for dinner and just hung around for a while. The wind was really picking up by the time we left (9pm). Once we were in the car, about 15 minutes into the trip, the skies OPENED up. Whooosh! Rain everywhere. Olivia and I were watching lightening strikes. The sky was turning green and blue during some of the strikes. It was amazing... just beautiful. Of course, I was extremely thankful I wasn't too close to the lightening strikes. We didn't get home until 10pm. I hustled Miss Olivia into bed after her teethbrushing. I had to sing the usual 3 songs (Mary had a Little Lamb. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and You are My Sunshine) before she would even go to sleep. She pretty much zonked out. Paul didn't get home from PA until 1045pm. He also got stuck in the storm. I wasn't able to log on last night because of the storm so I was able to watch Dennis Miller (love him!). I ended up watching TV in the bedroom and watched "Real World" on MTV. :::shamefaced::: I don't know why I have been watching it - they are all a bunch of idiots. Whiny little shits.. but still I watch. It should be called "Unreal World".

Well - we are leaving in a couple minutes.. Olivia and I are off to Freehold Mall. Wheee! Shopping! I'll update later! Tata!

Good morning.. Moira will be spending the weekend at my sis in law's place. YAY! Paul and I have so much work to finish up around here. I will be driving Moira to Paul's office. This way it will save him the commute ride back home to get Moira and THEN head out to PA. Olivia and I will be going to the mall after this. I have to exchange some things from our last mall trip. Then, I am going to take her to McD's! She loves the happy meal toys. We might stop to see my Mom, if she's up to it. She had an endoscopy done on Tuesday.. the following is from Mom's email: "Was down in the workshop - Minding my own business, mind you - when Dr. G***, the GI Doc, called...He advised that the location of the ulcer he found is very rare (in keeping with my uniqueness, I guess) & he had heard back from the pathologist today regarding the biopsy of it he took yesterday...The path guy said the sample is odd, & too hard (as in the nature of the sample) to determine with that sample whether or not it is benign or malignant...He said the location makes it 1,000 times more risky than if it were located anywhere else...Thus, Guss wants to do it again in 4 weeks & take another sample...In the meantime, he said the ulcer may be caused by all the celebrex & now vioxx I've taken for the knee pain & I was to stop it immediately, along with any aspirin-containing stuff that could irritate the ulcer...He advised that it could easily become a bleeding ulcer & that if that occurred he would have to give me that drug that reverses the coumadin - in the hospital - which would probably cause another blood clot...He did suggest another new pain med on the market that might work better for the knee & at least not risk the other problems, but I need to discuss it further with M****,(cancer dr) with whom I've an appointment in the morning...I asked if this meant we would cancel Friday & he said - HA HA - no, it was even more imperative now to check the "other end"... I just got off the phone with my Mom.. she's already home from her colonoscopy. No polyps! She's feeling a little.. uhh... sore... right now. Poor Mommy.

The pool is SO nice. Olivia finally had enough and asked to get out ::grin::

Moira is now at another friend's house for a couple of hours. I think Olivia and I will go swimming. It it *so* hot and humid today. Ick.

Did you ever have a song bring back some really fond memories? I was driving Moira to her reading program when I heard "Why Can't This Be Love?" by Van Halen (with Sammy Hagar). Instantly, I flash back to the summer of 1986 and the guy I was dating/seeing at the time. CJ was a sweetie. He didn't have the greatest home life - His parents were divorced and his Dad wasn't around. His Mom was a bit of a nutcase, according to him. He would never let me meet her. He was from Manasquan, the sworn rival of my hometown of Wall Township. He used to bike over to my house during the summer. I distinctly remember listening to Van Halen's "5150" tape. Our song was "Love Walks In". ::smile:: We dated through the summer and a bit into the fall. Things happened, we broke up. I hated him, as only a broken hearted 16 year old can hate someone. Time passed.. One Saturday, I bumped into him one day on Main Street in Manasquan. He was thrilled to see me. I was thrilled to see him too (not that I let him know that!). We hugged and chatted for a minute. CJ said he would give me a call tomorrow and we would get together and hang out. I had to go since I was with my Mom, doing errands. We hugged again and he cycled off. He never did call me on Sunday. I was so mad at him for not calling. I never called his house because his Mom would freak out and start screaming at him and whoever else was on the phone with him. I really think she had some psychological problems. Monday, I'm at school. My best friend came up to me and was asking me if I was ok. "Sure", I replied. "Why?" As long as I live, I will never forget Christine turning white. "What?" I ask, getting nervous. "WHAT?" CJ was hit by a car Sunday evening, around 9pm while biking towards his home. The driver didn't stop. A Wall Township police officer had found him on the side of the road. The fuckwad that hit CJ just left him there, like a pile of garbage. I didn't know. I was angry that he hadn't called me and now he won't ever be calling me. I remember shaking my head and crying "No... NO! He was going to call me! He can't be dead" Kids in the hallway were staring at me. Christine knew about the accident because her dad was on the First Aid squad. They took him to Jersey Shore Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Sunday, February 20, 1988. The police department did catch the shitbag that killed CJ. He LIVED on the same road where CJ was killed. New Bedford Road. A patrolman spotted the car, which was completely totalled, in the guy's yard. He hit CJ so hard that CJ went through the windshield. Joseph Harney stopped the car long enough to push CJ back out on the road, before taking off again. Harney was later arrested and indicted. I think of CJ quite often. He was the first person that I *really* knew who died. We had so much fun together. Hanging out at the beach, the boardwalk, biking all around. I visited his grave several times. His Mom never got a headstone for him. But - even though I cry when I hear any song from that particular Van Halen album, I still smile. Because it makes me think of him.

Gonna try to list some things on ebay. I found some of my Duran Duran stuff (ok, stop laughing! LOL!) and I think I can sell some of it off. Extra cash is always good!

Oooh! This is the bedspread/quilt pattern that I like. And, the best part, it's ON SALE!

AND - I want these curtains for Moira's room. They are so pretty. Pottery Barn is expensive!

I am already starting my Christmas shopping. I found a TON of stuff for the girls for great prices at ABC Distributing.

The pool is about 90 degrees and gorgeous! :::::::ahh::::::::

We're back from the reading program.. Moira really liked it. I got the dates mixed up - I thought it was going to be Wed-Fri. It was Tues-Thurs. Whoops!

Ok ok - I caved in as well.. Check out my Hot or Not link and VOTE for me! Geez, do I sound pathetic enough? heehee!

The response when I clicked that I was a woman - "REALLY? You know, for every question, we track very carefully what each gender answers. This allows us to guess with the utmost accuracy what you are. And in the rare case where we guess incorrectly (like now), we have the opportunity to learn from nature's mistake. You. People like you, who walk the scary line between man and woman, are *very* helpful in understanding exactly what it means to be human. Thanks, and good luck." Nature's mistake? Jerks

(link via Jason) The Spark Gender Test Well - they are SO freakin wrong - they said I was definitely a MAN, based on my answers! "How do we know? Well, deep down, your gender affects everything about you, from your favorite number to your views on Canada. Many men who took the test think and act just like you, as you can see from the clusters above.(80%) Statistically speaking, you are a dude." I don't know if I should be flattered or offended. ::snicker::

We had a great time at my sis in law's house today. My niece is just so adorable :::proud auntie::: Right before we left, she decided to play in the dirt. She got absolutely filthy within 5 minutes. It was pretty funny. My sis in law is HUGE (for a skinny pregnant chick). She is due in about 3 weeks. It's a boy! I can't wait to meet him! Moira is starting her reading program tomorrow. Olivia and I will be going to the butcher while Moira is at the program. Then, around 2-ish, one of her buddy's will be coming over to go swimming and will be staying over for dinner. It should be fun. The pool is nice and warm again!

Hmm - is blogrolling down? I am pooped. I stayed up too late, again. I was playing around with my new lamps, setting them up. I bought a couple little things for my niece and the baby. I truly think I could shop in Ikea all the time ::grin:: as long as I was ALONE! LOL! The kids were so tired. Paul and I were the parents who kept their kids out too late. Bad parents. But, there were things we needed and I had to have his opinion on some of those things. The kids weren't too bad - just kinda cranky. I did keep them awake the entire ride home. We were singing all kinds of songs. It was fun.

It seems that Mike has had his blog come up in some strange Google searches.

HAHA! Found this at Jennifer's blog - warning - strong language

Dara listed me for person of the week on her blog. Go visit her now and say hello! ::smile::

We're back. Oh my GAWD - I don't want to repeat that trip again. I don't know who was worse, the kids or Paul! LOL! We bought these really cool looking beech colored wall uplights. These are some storage boxes that I bought. I want this chair - it's SO comfortable and you certainly can't beat the price! This garbage can and just so much more. The kids didn't get to bed until 1115! Poor lil munchkins. We will be visiting my sis in law (the pregnant one) and her daughter tomorrow. It should be lots of fun! ::yawn:: I am pooped! G'night!

Bloggin' from Mom's place... I found my phone. I had packed it in the diaper bag (Duh) and it shut off, due to low battery. I am SO happy I found it. I just bought the damn thing a month ago! LOL! Well - we are all heading out in a little while.. will update later! Bye!

Hrm - I lost my cell phone. I tried calling myself but only get my voice mail. Crap.

Good morning! Olivia is practicing the potty. We do this by stripping her down and putting the potty chair in front of the TV. It's like a recliner! ::smile:: While this was going on, I was able to make plans with my stepsister to get together in the next couple weeks. It should be fun! I have a bunch of things to do today. Paul and I decided to stop at Target first before heading up to Ikea. I am going to pack dinner in the car. I told the kids we will be having a "Car Picnic" tonight. They are thrilled! LOL! I figure we will meet at my Mom's place. Paul can leave his car there and then we will drive to Target. After Target, we will drive up to Ikea and have our "picnic" on the way. Gosh - I am soclever!

Lordy - I think I am all caught up on my reads! I'm heading to bed.