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.

Oh - Paul and I are going to Ikea tomorrow. We couldn't decide on lighting for the bedroom but we did find a couple things in the Ikea catalog. Soooo, back we go! Cool! The girls will love seeing all the planes landing. Ikea is right by Newark Airport. I want to bring my StepMom up to Ikea - I know she would LOVE this place.

Another busy day. Geez, I think I need a vacation ::grin:: Paul got a lot of work done around here, including sanding and priming the back door and frame. Poor guy, I think he is happy that tomorrow is Monday. He can get some rest at work. Heehee! I got lazy with dinner tonight...meatloaf, fresh steamed broccoli and rice with onions. Oh, and a fresh apple pie for dessert! We were supposed to eat the pie yesterday at the BBQ. I forgot all about it. Oopsie! I am watching Emeril Live right now. I love this guy - he's so funny. I met him a few years ago at a book signing. I got to get my picture taken with him and his autograph. He was a very nice guy. I would love to get to see his show in NYC.

In response to a question left in my questbook, this is why they are called shoobies. Or, check out this link. For even more detailed info, click here and scroll about halfway down the page.

I am totally exhausted! Did the BBQ today - the weather was sucky. No rain but it was cloudy all freakin' afternoon. And the pool - oh my gosh, it was so cold. I don't know how the kids managed it. Brrr! I have tons of food leftover! I made 5 dozen small chocolate chip cookies. They are ALL gone! All the food at the BBQ was Olivia friendly with the exception of a small dish of potato salad. Right now I am watching Trading Spaces. It is my Saturday night ritual. This is the episode where the woman sobs off camera. ::hehehehe:: I love this episode.

I am getting things ready for a BBQ we are having tomorrow. It will be nice to spend some time with friends. Just burgers and hot dogs, salads, chips, dip, veggies, fruit and fresh corn. Some other munchies too. I was making pasta salad. I had it boiling on the stove. I was surfing ebay and the web, just messing around. All of a sudden, I realized that the pasta was *still* boiling. I leapt out of the chair and quickly drained the pasta. Ick - all smooshy. So, they got tossed into the garbage and I am on batch number 2. Paul managed to stuff a bunch of storage totes back into the attic. I think I have to buy a little smaller size so he is able to lift them comfortably. They are a bit awkward to handle. I am running more laundry ::sigh:: Our pool is foamy! I have no idea how or why or what happened. It looks like a giant beer with a head on it. LOL!

I swear to God - I don't ever want to let my girls out of the house. Freaks. I cannot even imagine how I could survive without my girls.

Houseguest Questioned in Connection With Missing Girl Oh God - not another abduction...

Friday Five baby! 1. How long have you had a weblog? I started mine December 10, 2001. 2. What was your first post about? The exact quote would be "Wow! I have a blog!" Hey - I am deep! ::grin:: 3. How many changes (name, location, etc.) of your weblog have there been, if more than one? I have changed my template around but the name KateSpot has remained. 4. What CMS (content management system) do you use? Do you like it or do you want to try something else? I use Blogger and I am pretty pleased with it. Eventually, I would like to purchase my own domain and use MT. 5. Do you read people who have both a journal and a weblog? Or do you prefer to read people who have all of their writing in one central place? Oh heck, I love to read all different blogs and journals. A few of my faves have multiple blogs. God bless 'em - I have a hard enough time keeping up just 1 blog!

Good morning - I have yet to go to bed. I have been trying to clean up this place. UGH! I need a wife!! LOL! Dinner was quite yummy. Olivia scarfed down 2 sausages and 2 meatballs! I guess she liked them ::grin:: Not too much else going on around here. I wish there was a supermarket in my area that allowed you to shop on the web. It would really make my life so much easier! I have to go food shopping tomorrow with the kidlets. I also have to run a few errands as well. It should be loads of fun being stuffed in the car with them all morning ::eyeroll:: Well, better hit the bed. I am pooped!

I scrubbed my kitchen cabinets and I am thoroughly disgusted. They were so nasty. Ew ew ew. We are not dirty people but you would never know it after looking at the cabinets. They look pretty nice now!

Oh - I know I have some new visitors according to my stats. C'mon, post a comment and say hello! I love comments!

The lawn guys showed up today. Hopefully, by next year, we will have a decent looking yard. The guy said we had so much crabgrass (in the back yard), if we killed it now, we wouldn't have anything back there at all! Dnner is already in the crockpot. Sauce, meatballs and sausage. The kids are THRILLED! They have been nagging me to make meatballs for a while. I just hate cooking stuff like that in the summer - too hot. But today, it is so gorgeous outside! I have all my windows open, ceiling fan on and I am getting a great cross breeze through the house. I have to clean today. I am having some friends and their kids over on Saturday for a BBQ. I hope the weather is nice. According to Weather.com, it is supposed to be partly cloudy 82/69 for the day. I can deal with that. The kids will all be in the pool anyway Well - gotta clean - see ya later!

After I said goodbye to Dara, I shopped!

Mom came down for lunch today. We never made it in the pool... too damn chilly and rainy. Ick. But, we need the rain. I will be getting ready for my trip to Ikea - can you tell I really love Ikea?? LOL! I have to jump in the shower and get ready. Plus, I have to get dinner all set for Paul and the kidlets. They are having fun right now. Unfortunately, there is Play-Doh all over my floor. Ack!

(link snagged from BarCodeKing)
Which Peanuts Character Are You Quiz

Oh my gosh! Totally forgot to mention this - :::Drumroll please::: Olivia used the potty last night! YAY!

It's pretty sad that the best time for me to color my hair (L'oreal Excellence Creme 6RB for my curious bloggerees) is 1245am. So, you may ask, why are you doing your hair *now? Well, I am WAY overdue. I have gray hairs at my temples ::sob:: Very noticable gray hair. ::sniffle:: Besides, I don't want to scare Dara into thinking she's meeting an old lady LOL! It should be fun - we will be meeting up tomorrow night at Ikea (LOVE that place!) around 615pm. We will do dinner and shopping! Wheeee! Girls night out!

Dinner was AWESOME! I can't get over just how good fresh corn can be! I just caught the season premiere of Sex and the City. I loved the scene when Brady's belly button came off and the cat snagged it! Bahahahaha! I also have to say that Steve is looking kinda cute. ::grin::

Olivia and I stopped at a farm market and got some beautiful tomatoes and luscious looking cherries. I also picked up 6 ears of corn and 4 cucumbers. So - dinner tonight will be grilled steaks, fresh corn and tomatoes and pasta salad. Well - off to cook!

We're baaaaaack! I spent $78 at Bruno's! I got a bunch of cold cuts and I bought some GREAT looking Del Monico steaks and 2 lbs of homemade sweet sausage. Paul is thrilled. He's been wanting a good steak for a while. Moira will be spending the later part of the afternoon with a buddy and she was also invited for dinner. After that, they are taking her to a kiddie amusement park for a couple hours. YAY! She's excited about it. Me too!

(story from Yahoo) Most Afghan boys are circumcised between the age of two and five by religious elders who say a prayer before removing the foreskin with a knife -- without anaesthetic. If the boys are lucky, they will be plunged into an icy stream before the ritual in order to numb any pain. But the Turkish operation -- while yielding to tradition -- was a strictly medical procedure with a local anaesthetic being applied before the foreskin was removed with a sort of soldering- iron gun that cuts through the flesh and seals the wound behind it at the same time. (it's good to be Turkish... at least you can get anaesthetic!)

Road Kill Koalas.

(link snagged from Erin) I think I am gonna barf... check out this headline.

Have tons of errands to do today.. bank, butcher, Shop Rite.. I will be signing Moira up for a summer reading program. It looks like a lot of fun!

G'night!

(link snagged from Colin) Extreme Survival Quiz. I scored 6 out of 17 "You are so dead! You never stood a chance. Do yourself a big favor and brush up on your survival skills." Sheesh!

Well - better late than never! Moira's party went extremely well. The kids had a blast, the pizza was excellent and the ice cream was awesome! YUMMY! I haven't had pizza (excluding a trip to Pizza Hut which was DISGUSTING) in over a year. It was soooooo good! LOL! Moira got some really nice presents. She was most excited about the Matchbox cars, racing set and the game of Operation. She did get some Barbies (ew) and some cool art and crafts stuff. Now, before I get bashed about Barbie, it's not that I don't like Barbie. We have too MANY Barbies! ::grin:: But - Moira enjoys playing with them from time to time, depending on her mood. My Mom *hates* Barbies.. says it gives girls a negative self image. C'mon. If my daughters think that they are supposed to look just like an adult version of Barbie when they grow up, then Paul and I haven't done our jobs as parents.

Ok - it's way too hot out. We're going in the pool. Wheeeeeee!

Moira's playdate is here. He is such a cutie.. I love this kid! He's so polite.

::yawn:: I stayed up way too late last night. I was reading A Cup of Comfort for Friends. It's very much like a Chicken Soup for the Soul type of book. Of course, I bawled through half the stories... Today is Moira's party. One of her buddies is coming over around noon for a playdate. Then, I will be taking the both of them to the party later today. I have someone coming to test out water. He'll be here between 10am and noon. I guess I should get cleaned up so I don't scare the crap out of him!

LOVELY day today! Did a lot of work around the house. I managed to get to the Dollar Store to buy crap for the goody bags. "Goody bags?", you may ask. Yes, goody bags. Moira is having her official birthday PARTY tomorrow night at the local pizza place. After I feed all 8 young hooligans (and their parent(s)), we will be walking next door and getting ice cream. Very easy. No clean up for me to worry about! YAY! I also got over to KMart and bought 10 more 21 gallon storage totes. Oy - too much work!

I just *love* Trading Spaces! Paul loves Amy Wynn.

Ahhh! A chance to sit down for a few minutes and have a drink ::getting comfortable:: One of my sis in laws was supposed to come over for a visit but she had to cancel at the last minutes. The kids were a bit disappointed but they managed to get over it. Paul and I were working in the bedroom, hanging a desk top (it folds down) and painting. Work called.. he has to go in. Now. Crap. So, while he was gone, I was repacking the kids clothes, storing them in Rubbermaid totes, to be put back up in the attic. Let me tell you, the girls have a LOT of clothes. I got rid of a lot of the smaller stuff but there are some that I just can't bear to part with. Olivia will be one well dressed little girl. Moira's clothes are in pretty good shape so I store them in the attic until Olivia can fit into them. I also cleaned out their closets (LOTS of clothes) and dressers. While up in the attic, I found some boxes of books. Titles like Little Women, my Riverdance program and book, a book about Disney villans, some Star Trek trivia books (in good shape too - maybe ebay?) and a bunch of others. I have to pick through them... in my spare time of course ::grin:: Well - time to get the pasta going - spaghetti for dinner tonight! Yummy!

I am getting attacked by a freakin FLY! It's DIVE bombing me! Ack!

Oh - we had a great time at the mall today. Moira got a bunch of clothes from Old Navy, JC Penney and the Disney Store (who are having a 50% off sale on kids clothes). She picked out some pretty nice stuff although I drew the line at fleece pants with the word "Angel" across the ass! Yes - they were for 5-7 year olds.. nice, huh? She just liked the pants. I freaked out (inwardly) and said to her,"Well, your Dad would freak out if we brought home pants with words across your butt!" The funny part, she agreed! By the time we left the mall, the traffic and weather were SO awful, we ended up going to my Mom's house and eating dinner there. She wasn't home. Dan, her partner, was getting his pacemaker put in today. He's doing great. My Mom came home around 715pm and was happy to see us. I think she needed to just have the kids around her, just all silliness and goofiness. They really make her so happy too. ::smile::

WAY to go Zannie and Allan! Little Packet is here - all 7lbs and 20.5 inches of him. ::sniffle:: I love babies! My other girlfriend had HER baby tonight! Little Haley! It's stormin' babies!

Did you guys hear about Sharon Osbourne? Oh man.. so sad. No one should EVER have to suffer from cancer.

Hmm - 2 kids, cloudy rainy day and no TV ( I won't turn it on - Moira is so mad! LOL!). I am thinking ROAD TRIP! Freehold Mall.. here we come!