Hey all! Busy busy day....as usual. Skipped church today in favor of shopping and spending more money that I don't have at Home Depot and KMart. Picked up a new bedspread, sheets, pillowcases, and blankets. Of course, had to get new sheers for my windows... can't have mismatched bedding and curtains! Still feeling that motivation from yesterday so we got some more odds and ends taken care of today. Even my laundry pile.. my NEVERENDING pile of laundry got attacked today. A few more loads and I might even see the bottom of my hamper! Woooooooo! Does anyone remembers Barnum's Animal Crackers? The ones with the string handle in the little box? God - I love those things! Moira does too. Barnum's is celebrating it's 100th birthday! They will be adding a new animal to celebrate. Be sure to VOTE for the animal you would like to see added. I chose the koala. I got this link from Erika. In case I don't post tomorrow, everyone have a SAFE and Happy New Year!

After reading about Erin's closet challenge and Joe's computer nightmare (written by Eric), I became motivated today. I filed a TON of papers (dating back to August), ran laundry, tried to clean up in my kids' room (hahaha), and Paul combed through all our software, and the pile of unlabeled discs/disks. I even cleaned out my "junk" drawer and organized all the junk in it! Now I know where all my shoelaces, twist ties, clothespins (don't ask), and the 85 THOUSAND pens and pencils were hiding. Don't even get me started in on crayons - they are like coat hangers, multiplying in the cover of darkness.

Had a mellow evening tonight. Dinner was delicious (Meatballs....ummmmmmmmm, said in my best Homer voice). The girls were hysterical tonight - at one point, the 3 of us were rolling around on the floor, giggling madly. It was fun. I updated my AOL page if anyone wants to check it out! Looky Look It's a little cheesey but I put a few more pics up.

I loooooooove this new mouse! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Made it back from Best Buy without emptying my bank account. I ended up getting this Logitech mouse. It has a scroll wheel and 2 buttons instead of 4. No big deal to me plus I ended up saving about $20. Got hosed on printer ink though - I have a Lexmark Z52 and the high capacity color ink I buy is anywhere between $30-$37 bucks a pop! I won't use those refills - don't trust 'em. The black ink I manage to get at WalMart for about $28 bucks. I have been printing out a lot of pictures lately and I am on the final dregs of the color ink! Picked up a PS/2 mouse for Moira and got talked into a Scooby Doo mouse pad. I did treat myself to the new Bare Naked Ladies CD! It's really good! Now, I have to update my Amazon wishlist! My favorite song is "If I Had a $1000000" Moira and I were singing it while driving home. We almost got run off the road by some ASSHOLE in a BMW. Dickhead. He tailgated me before passing me on the left and then swerved back in front of me to avoid smashing into the car in the right lane. Grrrrrr!

Nothing says good morning like burning one's wrist with a spot of searing hot lava-like grease on one's wrist. Now, you may be asking, HOW did Kate burn herself? Well, I decided to get an early start on dinner. I whipped up a batch of meatballs (Ummmmm.. meatballs) and I planned on throwing them into the crockpot for all day cooking, while we went shopping today. Well, one big POP from the pan and I got torched. Lordy - it really hurts! Well, after I recover, we (the girls and I) are heading down to Best Buy to purchase my new mouse. I must have this one. But, I am also REALLY questing THIS too. What to do?? What to do?? Time to get dressed and go shopping! Wheeeeeee!

Why on earth am I still awake? Paul had run a virus scan on the computer and found some worm hiding out in my temporary Internet files. SHIT! I even remember downloading the stupid file too! But, it was contained, quarrantined, and now safely deleted! YAY! Thanks sweetie! {{{smooches}}} Will write more later when my eyes aren't glazing over.... Now - off to bed!

By the way guys - leave me a message in my guestbook. I know SOMEONE is reading this! : - D

Just got back from the bank. WHEW - it is windy out there today. And cold too! Brrrrrrrr! The kids conned me into stopping for McD's. Actually, they didn't have to con me too hard : - ) There are some GREAT shopping deals out there in cyberspace folks! Check out Gap and Old Navy. I plan on SHOPPING! Wooohoo! Plus, I bought 2 new lithium batteries, earpiece, internal antenna extender, and 2 radiation pieces for my Nokia for under $40.00 DELIVERED! Yeeha! I am such a bargain shopper! I have also been adding things to my ">Amazon wishlist too! I love to shop! It should be an Olympic event!

I am SO happy Christmas is over!! The girls got too much stuff, as usual. When my inlaws came down to dinner on 12/22, they brought the girls gifts with them. Also, we had an early Christmas at my Dad and StepMom's house (12/23) so the girls got stuff then. Then, Santa showed up at our house, of course. THEN, we visited my Mom's place, where there was....you guessed it - MORE presents!! Arrggghhh! I am drowning in STUFF! We visited my inlaws later on Christmas Day. It was really very nice. They really liked the things we got them. My MIL was really impressed with a couple of the gifts I had made (so was Millie - my StepMom). I felt really good about that! Plus, my MIL had forgottent to bring down a gift for me on Saturday. I opened it and it was a beautiful piece of Waterford crystal, a pillar candle holder. I love it! The day after Christmas, Paul had to go back to work. That left me and the girls home. alone, all day. YAY YAY YAY!! So, I deemed it "Pajama Day" and the girls were SO excited about that! No TV - they just played all day with their stuff. Moira got a lot of craft stuff so she played with that while Olivia napped. Dinner was very very lazy - pancakes, bacon, and fruit! Dessert was popcorn and the girls got to watch a Scooby Doo tape that Santa brought. Bed by 830 - extra late for them! I will update more later - have to get the lil monsters dressed!

Woohoo! BLOGGER IS BACK!!

Paul left a little while ago to get the girls Christmas presents from my Mom's house. I have 4 garbage bags full of wrapped toys. Yes - *4* bags - but some of those toys are big (size wise). Since I became a "Stay At Home Mom" (since April), I was able to shop early, knowing my unemployment would be running out in 6 months - October. We will have to smuggle the bags in around 11pm tonight. Fun fun! I want to wish everyone a very happy, safe, and of course MERRYChristmas! Hugs to you all!

Posted by Mike - this wonderful story - you must read it.

The Mighty Geek strikes again! Christmas Story Part II

Did I forget that the girls got MORE gifts?? :::sigh::: I can now probably go back and return about 1/2 of what they are getting from Santa...

Hi everyone! Did you all miss me? I know you did.... We slept in a little bit today - 830am. Woohoo - what a treat! Paul and I ran around to get stuff organized/packed/prepared since we were going to be spending the day with my Dad and StepMom, Step Sister and her Hubby (who is a designer at Newport News - big MAC head) and their 6 yr old daughter. I called my Dad to find out what time we were going to be eating dinner. He told me around 315 but he had a bunch of stuff for everyone to eat, like M&M's, Chex Mix. cookies, etc... Well - Paul and Olivia CANNOT eat those things. Paul and Olivia both have severe food allergies. They will have an anaphalactic reaction to peanuts... and also all dairy for Olivia. Paul got upset because my Dad doesn't GET it.. does not understand how bad and how fast a reaction can be. So, I told my Dad that WE would bring all the snacks that Paul and Olivia could eat without problems. Besides that, we all had a great time. Moira and Olivia has so much fun playing with Victoria. We got over to their place in Brielle around 1pm. We didn't get home until 830pm. The girls were toast and so was Paul. After we got the munchkins to bed, I decided to run out and finish the last of my shopping. I had a couple more people to buy for that I totally forgot - like my Father in law ::DUH:: I just got back about an hour ago. KMart was open 24 hours - it was perfect. Hardly anyone there. I even used the self checkout lanes - which I love to do. SO much faster then the usual rocket scientists who normally work the register. Heck - I've been there.. managed several retails stores and I don't want to do it again - EVER. I know bad customer service when I get it. That's why I HATE shopping at WalMart. I can feel my IQ dropping as soon as I enter the store. UGH!

Oh my God - another attempted hijacking. This is so scary. I will be heading to Toronto in February by plane. Things like this are freaking me out.

:::whew::: What a day!! Family got here around 345pm. Dinner was set up earlier and was simmering in the crockpot. MAN - did it smell good! J (ML) complimented me on the smell!! Dinner was delicious. J&D scarfed everything. Boy - I was running around like a maniac, making sure everything was ready on time. It was.. and it was good too! They brought the Christmas presents for the girls from all 3 of my sis in laws and themselves. The girls cleaned up quite nicely. One of my sis in laws decided it would be cute to buy Moira a BEAD kit - the make your own necklace, bracelets, etc kind of kit. Oh - I am so thrilled with that - NOT! They left around 8pm. It was a very nice visit. We will be stopping at their place on Christmas afternoon with their presents. We weren't expecting them to bring the presents for the girls - it was sweet of them to do so. Sometimes, they do surprise me.

The In-Laws are coming! The In-Laws are coming! J&D, my Mom and Dad inlaw, are coming to dinner tonight with 1 of my sis in laws and a niece. I have been trying to figure out WHAT the hell to make for dinner.... My MIL can make a WICKEDLY good roast. While I am a pretty damn good cook, I have a hard time with roasts. They never seem to turn out nearly as good as my MIL's roast. Maybe it's because she has had so much more cooking experience that I have. Because, she is older, you know :::MEOW::: I couldn't resist! Hahaha! I did decide, this morning, to make chicken cacciatore ::drool:: Wish me luck! It never fails, whenever my inlaws come over to eat, I inevitably dork something up with the meal. Christ - she makes me SO freakin nervous! A little about them - J (MIL) and D (FIL) have 4 children. My hubby (eldest and only male) and 3 daughters, 2 of which are married (each with 1 child). The 3rd daughter is in a long term relationship, in which she and her b-friend are quite comfortable. My MIL has 1 daughter in law (me) and 2 sons in law. She hates 1 of her son in laws and the other one she tolerates. Out of the 3 of us, I think I rank highest on the in-law scale I have known this woman for 12+ years and I am *still* uncomfortable around her. I have to watch what I say because it usually comes back to bite me in the ass. ::sigh::: She also bitches about some members of the family to the other members. I cannot believe some of the shit I have heard from her. I can only imagine what the hell she says about me and DH! I have no idea how my hubby turned out so decent. Must take after his Dad, whom I adore. Such a nice guy. Will write more later and fill you all in on the juicy details!

Moira will be on Christmas break from Saturday 12/22 through 1/1. YIKES! Now they will BOTH be home. 2 magic words can save me - PLAY DATES! WIll have to start calling potentials ASAP!

My MS Optical Mouse died on me yesterday - piece of crap. I don't think I have had it for a year. I had to go into Moira's room yesterday, crawl under her computer desk, while Olivia is poking me in the rear end, to steal... err.. BORROW her mouse. Moira, of course, wants a new mouse too. Now, HER mouse is just a 2 button MS mouse and I never liked that mouse when it was hooked to my Dell system (PIII/500mHz, 384MB, 10GB). Of course, it's ironic that my bells and whistles mouse is now a paperweight and I need to use this archaic piece of shit. Hopefully, Santa will bring me a wireless scroll mouse. I have been a good girl this year! I never realized how much I like that nifty little feature.... until it was gone :::sob:::

Busy day around them homestead today. The usual morning mess - kids up, dressed, bus stop... Then, I was lucky enough to bring Olivia food shopping with me. If I am lucky (and fast), she is pretty good. I have to marathon shop, within 30 minutes or less. Anything over that, she gets so bored and tried to do cart dives out of the shopping cart. The belts don't stop her. At the checkout, she was tired.. so she grabbed a bag of frozen broccoli and placed that on top of a large box of frozen chicken tenders (great stuff - I know) and rested her head... ON the frozen broccoli. The checker thought it was cute - until I had to wrestle the broccoli and chicken away from Olivia. She decided to express her displeasure by screaming at me. Cute..very cute. Just wait until you are older kid ::hehe:: Paybacks are a bitch. I have Boncos tonight. It's a dice game that involves drinking and lots of food. I missed last month - Mom was in the hospital (blood clots) again.Click here to learn more about Boncos. I couldn't believe there is a website for it!

Found the 2 snowball stories from The Mighty Geek Snowball Story #1 Snowball Story #2 Read these and weep. I had tears in my eyes, I was laughing so hard. GeekMan has a wonderful writing quality that I truly envy...

The Mighty Geek's "Little Blogger Boy" is GREAT! Check him out - he is a great storyteller. There are a couple snowball stories that had me crying... will surf for them and also link in the morning.. I am REALLY headed for bed now.

From Allan - The Castaway Quiz I am Maryann

The Castaway Quiz deems me:
	Mary Ann

Visited my Mom tonight. I get up to her place about once a week - no girls - no hubby. Nice to spend some time with her alone. She is in her 3rd week of chemotherapy. She has 3 more chemo treatments left and then she gets another test to see if the cancer has regressed. She was diagnosed with Stage IV NonHodgkins Lymphoma. My Mother has had many health problems within the past 10 years, including 2 hip replacements (10 years apart), shoulder problems (surgery required), knee and ankle problems, skin cancer (successful laser treatment), numerous blood clots, and I am sure there are a few that I have missed. Needless to say - it is pretty freaky to think that my MOM could die. Shit - she is only 53 years old. My Nana (Mom's Mom) died in May... the holidays remind me so much of her... This past year has pretty much sucked. When I was at Mom's tonight, she gave me a couple things that she didn't want to wait until Christmas to give me. One was a beautiful daughter plaque, another was a heart shaped Mother/Daughter charm that breaks into 2 pieces - I would have 1 and my Mom would have the other. So - I cried when I opened them.. she cried... But, all in all, the evening was quite productive. I wrapped more presents and then we worked on some Christmas ornaments to give as gifts.They turned out so nice! I will try to take a few pics tomorrow and upload them. Well - off to bed - I am pooped!

I read an interesting article in my local paper - the Asbury Park Press by Jan Denise. It was about how we give gifts because we expect them in return or we give only give because we have been given a gift - not giving from the heart. She writes : "There is no better example of attachment than offering a partner conditional love - I'll love you if you love me, or I'll love you if you live your life my way. When we offer a partner conditional love, holding on to whatever pleasure, or security, that offers us, we sacrifice the greater pleasure. The greater pleasure is unconditional love. When we withhold it from a partner, we also withhold it from ourselves and miss out on what we really want. Until we are known and loved for who we are without any conditions, we don't feel loved. So, in giving gifts, and in giving love, why not give what you really want: something from your heart with no strings - or anything else - attached."

This made me feel sad.

Welcome back! I did add more pictures to my album so please check it out again. PictureTrail. Let me know how it looks.. and of course you are also free to tell me just how gorgeous my children look! I have got to start going to bed before 1AM - it's killing me. I was up late last night. Made a couple more batches of chocolate chip cookies. Now, I think I have about 8 dozen cookies. I hope it's enough! We have 2 bus driver gifts to give as well as 2 teacher gifts. Plus, we are going to my Dad and StepMom's place on Sunday. I promised I would bring cookies and my homemade chocolates. I also made the STUPID suggestion to Paul about inviting his parents down for dinner on Saturday night. What kind of crackhead idea was THAT? So, not only are my Father and Mother in law (I adore my Father in Law) coming down, so is one of my Sis in Law and my adorable niece, Isobel. The 4 of us, plus 4 more! Arrgghh! I have a tiny little ranch type house - I don't think they will fit around my table! LOL! Oh well - I am sure I can muddle through. Have to clean the place up and plan a menu. Hmmm - if I make roast chicken, I can make homemade soup for Christmas Eve dinner (we will be home). I will be very busy on Friday!

Howdy hi gang! Sorry I haven't posted ALL day but I have been trying (and trying) to upload pictures so I can link them to my Blog. AOHell has been giving me so much grief today - I want to scream.:::::::DEEP BREATH:::::: Arrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Ok - I feel better. Nothing like a good cyber scream to clear one's head. I did manage to upload about 6 pictures so far - here's the link PictureTrail Check 'em out and let me know what ya'll think. Sign my guestbook - please! I am hoping to add comments back in soon so please be patient with me. I will have to sweet talk Mike into walking me through it. This is my other link for my Webshots pictures

From NJMike Colorgenics This is a little creepy to admit - but most of this is SO on the money. My Colours 1 3 5 6 2 0 7 4 (Blue, Red, Purple, Orange, Green, White, Black Yellow) You have always been on the move seeking affectionate, satisfying and harmonious relationships. Your ultimate goal has been the realisation of an intimate union in which there could be love, self-sacrifice and mutual trust. It has often been said that "True love is just around the corner"...and maybe... if you haven't found it as yet - you possibly soon will. You like the better things in life. You are sensuous and emotional. You are a follower of the Arts ... and you seek an environment that will give you the fulfilment to the senses that you need. You lack confidence and that is a great pity because deep down you are indeed a warm caring person. This lack of confidence is making you wary to be drawn into any open discussion or conflict and so you feel as if you should let matters lie ... and leave well alone ... but there may be a pleasant surprise in store for you. You are beginning to grow .. and very soon - sooner than you believed possible - this warm loving new you will be available for all to see and to appreciate.. Matters have not gone well for you. You are experiencing severe stress trying to guard yourself from further disappointments.It would seem that all of your hopes and dreams have not been realised .. and you are now beginning to doubt yourself. You no longer wish to be further advised by anyone and you insist on going it alone... to control your own destiny. Even though deep down you doubt whether things will get better in the future... you have one consolation - and that is that they couldn't possibly get worse. Unwilling to give up anything that you possess, you are looking for some sort of security as a protection against any further setback or loss of position and prestige. You are so negative that you tend to exaggerate your problems and refuse to accept any advice from so called well-meaning friends. Since in the recent past all of your hopes and aspirations gave been denied you, you are now convinced that the future will hold nothing but anxiety... so therefore... "why bother?" You would love to get away from it all, to escape from the trials and tribulations of this mundane existence and fall into a peaceful and harmonious relationship, which will protect you from the lack of appreciation and give you the chance to start afresh..

Take this quiz to find your Exotic Name I am "Busty Melanie Mischief" I like it! I had heard on a talk radio show that the way to create one's porn (or stripper) name is to use your street name and your middle name. So, using that formula, I am "Stormy Maryam". Not as good as Busty Melanie Mischief but I suppose it would work, in a pinch.

2 words that scare me silly - BUTTER COOKIES Yes - you read it right. BUTTER COOKIES. Before you think I have truly gone daft, I will explain: When I was in high school (circa 1984-1988), I decided that, during my Junior and Senior year, I was going to go to Vocational School. For Baking and Pastry Arts. I was going to be *THE* best baker around. Come September 1986, I am standing outside the cafeteria doors, with Wall Township's finest (finest WHAT, I am not too sure) for the bus to Voc (as us insiders called it). The bus turns the corner and it's the LITTLE bus. You all know the little bus. Usually for the Special Ed kids. Also known as the Tart Cart. "Grrrrrrreat" I am thinking. We all load on the bus and away we go. The driver's name was Mrs. Losch. I will never forget her ::::twitch:::: The bus drops off all the kids at Neptune VocTech. The girls who are taking the Hair and Beauty class. The guys who are taking Auto Shop and Marine Repair. I am the lone student left on the bus. I was driven to Asbury Park Vocation School for my class. Anyone reading this who is unfamiliar with these NJ towns, let me mention that Asbury Park is akin to Newark, NJ. Or perhaps Harlem, NY. NOT the nicest area around. And here I am, middle class little white girl, off to school. Thank God all the other Voc kids had arrived on their own town's version of the "Little Bus". The bus stops - I get off. Go inside and find my classroom aka bakery. Thank GOD the VoTech was not as scary as the rest of the town! The High School it was next to is another story! John Ratkowski was my teacher. The BEST teacher I have ever had. He was abrasive, loud, rude, and obnoxious. And - I loved him. Not in the "Lolita" or "American Beauty" way. I just idolized him. Mr. R was a baker who had owned his own shop and run it for many years. All in all, I am not too sure he came about to be a teacher for "Baking and Pastry Arts" I and II. But, my class didn't care. We all loved him. So, what about the butter cookies? Keep reading, oh faithful one... The Voc School had a working bakery and a restuarant. We (my class) would provide all the baked goods for the Dining Services program as well as stock our bakery. The prices were a steal - one could eat lunch and have dessert with coffee for about 7.50. Our bakery was very popular and inexpensive. We would have special orders for sheet cakes, cheesecakes, large batches of cookies.... Thanksgiving was a nightmare. We must have churned out several hundred pies. And at Christmas, we made butter cookies. LOTS of butter cookies... possibly even thousands butter cookies. The 1lb box of butter cookies would sell for $2.50. An excellent price. I seemed to be in charge of boxing the cookies most of the time. I think it was a punishment for talking too much. I would box and box and box cookies for 2-3 hrs. Still chatting with my fellow classmates. Mr. R got so infuriated with me one time that he brought me to an empty classroom with a cooling rack with 15-17 sheets of butter cookies and made me box all by myself. God - I remember being SO pissed at him. He, on the other hand, thought it was quite funny. He always come up with some outrageous ways to get us inder control. He didn't have to do it too much. I believe I must have packaged (between 2 yrs of Voc) about 250-300 boxes of cookies :::shiver::: I hate butter cookies.

GOOD MORNING class! :::grumble::: I hate mornings - they should be banned. I am such a night person, always have been. I still stay up until 1230-130am and have to get up by 7am. I am such a moron. "What the hell is she doing up that late at night?", you might be asking yourself. NOTHING. I am doing nothing... important anyway. I read message boards and surf really bad websites and blogs. Gee - how productive! Actually, there have been nights where I am folding laundry at 1am. Needless to say, by 1pm, I am pooped. Crash and burn. I snooze. Well, only after I put the little Princess down for a nap. Even now, I should be doing something productive but I cannot. I am addicted to blogging! I need to make more cookies...Paul was chowing down on a lot of them. So was Moira. How the hell can I say no?

Picked this up from a message board on AOL. Some really funny ones here... "Somebody said, 'What good will it do to kill Osama bin Laden?' I said, 'I don't know, let's find out.'" -Don Imus "CBS News finally received anthrax in the mail. As usual, we're number three." -David Letterman "The FBI is urging all Americans to beware of any letters or packages that have badly misspelled words. Man, this is going to be terrible news for the rap industry." -Jay Leno "Last night the Taliban offered to release eight Westerners if the U.S. promised not to attack. The State Department declined but thanked the Taliban for the offer, saying it really felt good to laugh again." -Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" "President Bush continues to have the highest popularity rating of any president ever, current rating 130 percent... In fact, Al Gore carries in his wallet a picture of him and Bush at the debates and says, 'Yeah, I know him. We used to hang out.'" -Jay Leno "Today President Bush urged all Americans to be patient with the war on terrorism. I think we're pretty patient. Election day took what, three months?" - Jay Leno "New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is lobbying now to stay in office another three months. And today Clinton said, 'You can do that?'" - Jay Leno "Today in New York, we had the primary elections for mayor. To improve their chances, all five candidates changed their name to Rudy Giuliani." -Conan O'Brien "People want to say there isn't racial profiling at the airport, but let's be honest. If you first name is Mohammed, and your last name isn't Ali, leave a little extra time." -Jay Leno "Do you remember the good ol' days when Congress was only unsafe if you were an intern." -David Letterman "The big question now is who will take power in Afghanistan once the Taliban is defeated. I was thinking, how about Al Gore? He's not doing anything, he needs a job, and he's already got the beard." -Jay Leno "Things have really changed here in Hollywood. Used to be people in this town couldn't wait to get an envelope full of white powder." - Jay Leno "Postal inspectors have been given advanced warning that Publishers Clearinghouse is sending packets of laundry detergent that could be mistaken for anthrax. Oh, good timing. What genius came up with this promotion? What's next - a ticking alarm clock? Let's put that in a box." - Jay Leno "More and more news coming out about this Osama bin Laden guy. He's 6'5" and has 42 children. Or, as the NBA calls him, a rookie." -Jay Leno "The Mirror interviewed one of Osama bin Laden's sons and said bin Laden has 42 children. That's going to happen when you sleep in a different cave every night." -Jay Leno "In Pakistan anti-American protesters set a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant on fire. The protesters mistakenly thought they were attacking high-ranking U.S. military official Colonel Sanders." -Jimmy Fallon on Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" "Security here in New York City is still very tight. Hookers in Time Square now are demanding two forms of fake ID." -David Letterman "President Bush has urged people to get back to normal and today Congress announced that they are accepting bribes again." -Jay Leno "Clinton and Dole are joining forces to raise $100 million in scholarship money for the families of the victims. But you know who also deserves a pat on the back, Elizabeth Dole. Her husband is on Viagra and he's gone on the road with Bill Clinton - that is one trusting woman." -Jay Leno "It's a tough time to do humor, but it's not the only tough time. There have been other tough stretches in comedy. Remember a couple of years ago when President Clinton stopped dating for a couple of weeks?" -Jay Leno "Now this really annoys me; all these people getting on the Internet and saying Nostradamus predicted this. If Nostradamus were alive today his name would be Miss Cleo and he'd be charging $2.99 a minute." -Jay Leno "People are being much, much nicer to each other in New York. And I have to be honest, it's kind of weird. The other night at Shea Stadium, instead of yelling 'You suck!' at the Braves, Mets fans were yelling, 'Others are better than you!'" -Conan O'Brien "This Osama bin Laden guy, spoiled rich kid worth $300M. I have three words for this guy: Anna Nicole Smith. We send her over there,she'll get his money, he'll be dead in a week." -Jay Leno

Found a neat link for you guys, right to the Dept of Defense. All the news transcripts, photos, press releases, and more. Of course, I checked out my main man Don I just love him! Must be that thing for the older guys...

Busy Saturday so far. Olivia kept waking up last night before we went to bed. Finally, brought her out in the living room to she could calm down for a little while. Talk about gas! The poor kid - kept SODs (Stepping on Ducks aka farting) BIG time (she takes after her father - what can I say?). Must have been the hot dogs and all the fresh veggies she had for dinner. Lovely. I get her tucked back in bed by 1215am. We crashed by 1245am. 1AM - Waaaaaaaaaah! I get up and get Miss O (again!), head back into the living room and plop down in the recliner to cuddle.You know, little kids are so darn snuggly and warm. Next thing I know, it's 315AM and she is still sound asleep in my arms! Tossed (not literally!) her back into bed and I crawl back into mine. Back up again at 8AM. My Dad and StepMom came down for a quick visit. The girls were thrilled to see Gampa and Nana Millie! They leave - the girls eat lunch. Olivia in for a nap. While she is napping, I made cookies - a LOT of cookies. I am now cooling off about 100 chocolate chip cookies on my dining room table. My house smells pretty darn yummy. Paul will be hanging the lights outside. Better him than me - it's *really* windy out there and cold to boot. 47 degrees. I don't know what the wind chill factor is but I am glad I am not hanging any stinkin lights!

Part II Little beasties fed. Dishes cleaned. Lights on the tree. Baths done. Bedtime FINALLY here. DH and I are beat. We had "help" with the tree tonight from the munchkins. I was going to decorate the tree after they went to bed but I promised Moira she could help me in the morning (Hahahaha). What the HELL was I thinking?? Oh well, at least I have more time to play online. Who the heck needs sleep anyway? I am pretty used to getting 5-7 hrs a night.

WHEW! What a loooong day. Up to get Mo Bear to the bus. Off to car dealer for my plates (thanks Lester Glenn) and then a quick run to a craft supply store - AC Moore. Always mobbed. I got there when they opened and zipped around with Miss Olivia. Checked out and as I get ready to go outside.. RAIN! Argh! I get Olivia all bundled up like Ralphie from "A Christmas Story" and we run to the car. Luckily, I was close to the door since I got there early. BUT (big but) some ASSHOLE parked SO close to the driver's side - I couldn't get in my door!!! I was SO pissed. I stuff Olivia in through the passenger side to her car seat, load the packages, and then I have to CLIMB over the passenger seat AND the gear shift (all conveniently connected!) to get into the driver's seat. I am SO lucky I didn't slip while climbing over! Talk about a BIG owie! We make it home in one piece, no thanks to the idiots on the Garden State Parkway. You know the type, the ones who drive FASTER when it's raining. Usually in their freakin' SUV's that are the size of my house (Navigators, Excursion)! Grrrrr!! Feed the lil beast, read a book, and stuff her in for nap. Wrap the gift for the gift exchange for the Daisy Holiday party (which is at 330pm). Spray paint a basket for another Secret Santa gift for a 14yr old girl.Packed the car with all the stuff for the Daisy party. Manage to jump in the shower and get dressed before Olivia woke up. As soon as Jackie arrived to baby-sit, VOOM! Out the door to the party I go. As I am turning the corner, I realized I forgot the gift for the Daisy party! CRAP! BACK home to get the gift and ZOOM! BACK out the door. I will skip most of the details about the party. Just imagine 13 hyped up 5-6 year old little girls who have just been fed cookies, juice, and candy. Nuff said. Lord - I am tired.

I have been messing with my page all night. Still can't get some of the lines straight. But -I have a Guestbook. START posting! Pretty please? I will attempt to work on my page tomorrow, hopefully when my eyes aren't drooping. I have a Daisy Scout holiday party to attend by 3PM. I also need to whip up a few dozen chocolate chip cookies and maybe make some chocolates too. Have been watching FoxNews all day and night. I have decided that Brit Hume looks like a Bassett Hound and I REALLY like Donald Rumsfeld. There's a special something about him.... perhaps the way he can make a reporter speechless in a matter of 3.2 seconds after asking some assinine question. My father in law has that same talent and I thoroughly enjoy watching him use this talent on really stupid people.

The Tape.The Transcript. Read it.

From Snorland Important Notice: All scripts that were running on Snorland are no long available due to them using large amounts of server resources - because of high levels of traffic. Sorry for any inconvenience, but I have no control over this matter. Shit

Got Moira off to school today with no problems. She did forget her bear for show and tell. Mrs. Flynn (her teacher) called me at home, asking me to bring it in since Moira was crying because she forgot it. Awwww. Olivia and I brought it to school and her teacher sent her to the office to get the bear from me. Life is good again.

Well - I emailed Snorland and I am currently at their mercy. I am ever so hopeful I will get a simple yet speedy answer. ::::praying::::

Hmmm - I am getting errors on my page - comments not working ::sigh:: I hate errors... If anyone would like to email me with some suggestions, I certainly wouldn't mind!

What's up with my blog? Damn AOL! GRRRRRR!!

Debbie, the Daisy Scout Troop Leader, just breezed in and out of here. I think she spent a total of 5 minutes with me. Grrrrr! It is so frustrating with her sometimes.I don't mind doing the paperwork and handling the money. I don't think she could manage that anyway - she seems like such a dip! I have this strange feeling that, come next year, I will be the new Brownie Leader. I don't think I would mind so much. Her daughter is such a pain in the ass. Doesn't listen at all. ::sigh:: Don't even get me going on her behavior in the CAR! No seat belts, no card seat... Arrgghh!

I just caught the video "Weapon of Choice" by Fat Boy Slim. I just love Chris Walken - he's so demented looking. Just watching him dance through the video cracks me up everytime. I have got to buy that CD. Anyone have it? Is it good?

Why does 7am come SO quickly?? Such an evil hour...

Hey kids - didja miss me? I want to thank Mike for a link on HIS blog! He's so sweet! Visited my Mom tonight. She lives up in Wall Township, about 35-40 minutes from me. Not difficult to get there at all. Finished wrapping the kidlets stocking stuffers and got Paul's gifts wrapped. Heck - all I have left to do is buy a tree and a wreath. If I am lucky, I might find one with all it's fricking needles still attached. It was so warm in NJ for the past 2 weeks, I am sure most trees left in the lots are pretty much crap. Tomorrow, the girls and I will go pick one out and I am hoping the little garden center will deliver it for us. We are only about 5 minutes away but I don't want the tree in my new car!

OH - forgot to mention - I got a new vehicle. 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe. It's a mini SUV. I LOVE LOVE it! SO much nicer than the Caravan Click here to see the one I purchased. Mine is in a gorgeous shade of Merlot with a 5 speed. Such fun to drive and it only cost me $15.00 to fill up the tank! Wheeeeeeeee!

Got the comments up and running - so please use them!! Thanks again to Erin for all your help!

Hmmm - have to get a guestbook and maybe even a comment section...

Aww - thanks for the welcome Erin! I loves her to death!

Some pictures of the girls -

I guess I should tell a little about myself. My name is Kate. I am 31 years old ::ack:: and I am married to hubby Paul for 8 years. We have 2 adorable children, Moira (5) and Olivia (2 on 12/30). We live in Ocean County, NJ. Right now, I am a Stay At Home Mom (don't kid yourself - I haven't worked this hard in years). I am also an Assistant Troop Leader for Moira's Daisy Scout Troop and I volunteer at my church as a Sunday School teacher every 3 out of 9 weeks. I had worked for MacWarehouse selling Apple computers and other hardware/software for about 3 1/2 years before I finally left. Best move I ever made. I am a web junkie - always looking for web deals and steals. Funtasia and FlamingoWorld are my current favorite coupon sites. Olivia, my little one, has severe food allergies so I belong to a Food Allergy Support group POFAK on Yahoo! Moira is currently attending Kindergarten and loves it. My Mom was recently diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL) Stage IV. It has been a nightmare for all of us, with constant misdiagnosis' from several doctors, especially from one in which she had put a lot of her faith and trust. Big disappointment. My beloved Nana passed away on May 19,2001. The holidays will really suck this year. But, I do have much to be thankful for so please forgive my grouching and moaning. Blogging seems to be quite cathardic!

AND of course - my pal Erin

Pretty cool Bitchquick

Hmmm - still getting the hang of this blogger thing - please forgive me if it seems quite basic. I am probably one of the many blog people who have NO education in HTML or Java or even web design. Now, I will try to figure out how to post pictures because I have the worlds cutest children.

Moira is off to school today. Went to the busstop this morning. Always lots of fun in the fun. Heck - nothing like dragging 2 and 5 year old munchkins around in foul weather. The busstop is only at the end of the street but it seems like a lot further when one is running late. So, needless to say, we drive a lot.I didn't post last night. I was busy with Christmas cards ::sigh:: One year, I will have the balls NOT to send any. It's the only time I even send mail to most of these people. Picture this, 1130pm and I am at my large kitchen table surrounded by cards, pens, stamps, various pictures of the girls, and a mess of address labels. That was the ONE smart thing I did this year - make labels! I HATE HATE addressing cards! I always make a mistake on a bunch of them and I have to waste the envelope. Again. Paul decided last night that he was going to hang Christmas lights. Always a project. Those gutter clips never seem to work for him so he uses tie wraps, the heavy duty plastic one that police officers use when they raid a place. He's on a ladder, mumbling to himself and Moira is out there "helping" him. He got about 2 strands done before he finally gave up for the night. Don't even ask how long that took!!

Forgot to mention - I am all done with Christmas shopping for the kidlets. Even all wrapped. Just have to wrap Paul's (hubby) stuff and a few pieces for other members of the family. Here are a few links in case anyone needs some ideas : Amazon and eBay Or, if you are interested in finding the best price around, check out this link PriceGrabber. Combine with an online coupon from Funtasia and you are all set! Happy Shopping!

Well, back from Sis in Law's place. The girls had a nice time. It's always fun to visit one of the Aunties who spoil the munchkins to death. Life is good. Olivia is napping now, thank goodness. I just want to have a big ole cup of coffee, kick back and relax. And I will, as soon as I clear off my kitchen table, start some more laundry and get dinner started Lord, I wish I was back to working nights sometimes! It didn't seem like I did so much work then!

Ugh. Monday Morning has arrived. Decided to keep my older daughter Moira out of school today. She's really sniffly and is wheezing a little as well. The joys of motherhood. I wouldn't trade them for anything!

My mind is spinning right now - must have sleep. Olivia, my soon to be 2 year old, and I will be visiting my sis in law. We are dropping off a birthday gift for my niece who just turned 1 on December 1. Such a cutie! Will post more later.

Many thanks to my pal Erin for getting me hooked on blogs

Wow! I have a blog! email