2007 is Going to Rock

Every year I swear that I am going to finally get in shape. I mean REALLY in shape. Not skinny, just so when people look at me they think, “Wow, she is so healthy looking!” And it never happens. In fact, last year I went in the exact opposite direction. Anyhoo, while it’s definitely on my list again this year, here are some other things I’d like to accomplish in 2007

I am going to each yogurt every day. I’ve heard it’s healthy and I’m not quite sure what it does for a body, but I’m going to do it.

I’m going to be a better dog owner. This dude here...


...doesn’t get any exercise and it’s starting to show…just like on me.

I’m going to wish more people a happy birthday. I almost never recognize people’s birthdays just out of pure laziness.

Read more. Year 2006 was a real slacker for me as far as reading goes. I’ve got a big ‘ole stack of investments books I’ve purchased. I started one yesterday that is awesome. I’m such a nerd.

Play more with the kids. I tend to say “Not now” and “In Awhile” much too often. Either that or they just ask me too often, because I really am a playful parent. In fact, I spent an hour this morning playing football on PS2. And I almost had 3 beat until he got a touchdown at the last minute.

I’m going to work hard to get this baby paid off.




Cause once I do, I’ve a whole different project to do – except this project will increase my net worth rather than keep my busy washing swimsuits and towels.

May each of you have a wonderful 2007!

What I DID NOT Get for Christmas

So everyone else in blog world is saying what a nice Christmas they had, it was so nice to see family, they ate too much, their house is a mess now, blah blah blah. But I'm going to tell you something that I DID NOT get for Christmas.

I did not get a gift certificate for a face lift. No, I didn't ask for one. And I probably don't need one quite yet. AND let's hope I never decide to have one. Because facelifts, my friends, turn perfectly normal looking people...




Into ghastly looking beings with eyes that turn up on the ends. Not normal.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, my blogging buddies.

Have a great time with your family and friends!

green3

Did You Know?

Here are your answers?

1. Ok, there's no way I'm going to put the "M" word on my blog. Do you know creeps you would hang out here? Anyhoo, this activity may make you go blind.

2. Chess. Isn't that exciting?

3. Chili was right. Paul McCartney wrote it for Julian Lennon when his parents were divorcing.

4. This is about a promiscuous cheerleader who leads a schoolboy through his first se*ual experience.

5. Lead singer Rob Thomas wrote this about the time he spent caring for his mother when she was sick with cancer. Thomas was 12 years old when she got the disease, and she was given 6 months to live. She beat it, and by the time Rob was 17, she was healthy and he left home to set out on his own.

6. As the album title suggests, many of the songs on it are about Jane, who is lead singer Adam Levine's ex-girlfriend. This song, however, is not about Jane. It's about their record label, and how they put pressure on the band to make certain songs and put a record out. Levine thought the label was smothering them.

If you found these two posts interesting, which I highly doubt, you can see more song facts here. http://www.songfacts.com/

You May Think You Know...

Do you know what these songs are REALLY about? You may think you do, my guess is that you don’t. Post your guesses in my comments! Answers will be here tomorrow (or maybe later tonight).

1. She Bop by Cyndi Lauper
2. One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head
3. Hey Jude by The Beatles
4. Walk This Way by Aerosmith
5. 3AM by Matchbox Twenty
6. Harder to Breathe by Maroon 5

Now it's REALLY Back to Reality

Monday I go back out into the real world. This body has been used to staying home, covered in sweatpants and sweatshirts, and wrapped up in fleece blanket. There is definate tuning that needs to be done this weekend: fingernails filed and painted, eyebrows plucked, make sure my jeans still fit me (this is the one that worries me the most!), etc.

I'll miss you sweatpants. See you next weekend.

Fun Friday

Today is Fun Friday, according to first-grader Green. So I’m going to make a point of trying to find the fun in some things that are not so fun.

Christmas Cards
I submitted a professionally-taken portrait of family to Kodak so I could get some quality cards. Came back crappy. It’s due to their “Kodak Quality Automatic Processing” or whatever and I should have noticed that when I ordered them, if I would have done the online test. Ok, let’s see about the fun part. I think it’s FUN to wait 24 hours to get an initial response from Kodak, only to be told that I should have called rather than emailed, even though right on the order it tells me to email my question. And then I think it’s FUN to sit on the phone going through 10 minutes of options before being told that I’m SOL. Now I think it will be FUN to send out crappy Christmas pics. At least it will say Kodak on the back of them. Evil laughing…

Laundry
I think it’s FUN that a bunch of clean laundry has been sitting in my library for two weeks now waiting to be put away. And now it’s been walked on, haired up from the animals and so on. This is the kind of sheet that happens when mom is laid up for two weeks. I think it will be FUN to wash it all again today and then fold it and put it away tonight. By myself.

Being at Home
I think it’s FUN to be stuck at home recovering from this while everyone else is out enjoying the Christmas holiday.

Kitchen
I think it’s FUN to have white linoleum on my kitchen floor. It’s constantly dirty, and obviously purchased pre-children and animals.

I've been wanting to participate in BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes. I'll try to get some pics taken over my lunch hour today to share with y'all. (You have to say y'all when talking with all those people that Chili hangs with.)

Introducing ME

My cousin recently introduced me to one of her friends, via email. Here’s how it went down:

Green3 is smart and likes NASCAR. I understand that those two things don't usually go together, but I think you'll find she's not your average woman.

Sooooo, that about sums me up, right? I’m smart and I like NASCAR. I’m sure Chili’s friend is picturing something like this…

Or this…

Yep, that’s me. Green 3. Thinkin' big thoughts, lovin’ NASCAR and dressing slutty.

WFMW: Online Discounts

We're all looking to save a few bucks, right? Here are two websites were you can locate hundreds of online discounts.

FABU

Naughty Codes

Head over to Rocks in my Dryer for more helpful tips. Also check out the banner on her website. Isn't that awesome??

You, Too, Can Dream It

Some of us have to work, you know, so I don't have time to post a real entry until later tonight. So here's a quote for you to ponder in the meantime.

When I was a child, I was told that anybody could become President; I'm beginning to believe it.

--Clarence Darrow

Christmas Ornament Exchange

Mignon is hosting a Christmas ornament exchange. I'm in, and if any of you other bloggers want to get in on the action you better email her asap. Today's the last day you can sign up for it.


Never get into fights with ugly people because they have nothing to lose. --Unknown

Noted.

I'm a Winner!!!

I know that may surprise some of you...

Thank you, Jennifer!!

Back to Life, Back to Reality

So tomorrow I head back to work. Well, kind of. I'll be working from my home office, aka kitchen table. But it will be a full day. And can I tell you something? Excellent, thanks. Being off your feet for a weeks TRASHES your body. Have you any idea how fast your body loses its energy? I wrapped 10 presents today and was so exhausted I spent the rest of the night on the couch. Thank goodness it was "family movie night". So now I've got things to recover: my foot and the rest of my body.

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who called, stopped by to visit, or stopped by just to "look at me" (now THAT takes a great friend, Kajer), came in my house and witnessed my crawling across the floor (man, you were there a lot last week Kajer), offered to bring food, called, emailed, hauled my boys to their activities, and all that jazz. When you're down, you really find out who your friends are and I definately know who my friends are. That includes family, too. Mom and Dad were awesome. You're all treasures and I love every one of you!

And a special note to DH and the boys. All three of you have been amazing over the past week and I feel very special to have had you with me. You babied me, called the doctor to tell him I was barfing my guts out, took my throw up bowl to the bathroom to empty it, crawled under the couch for my boot when it got stuck under the legs, fetched me Diet Mt. Dew, held my hand as I walked down the stairs, helped get my leg propped up when I couldn't reach the pillow, and whatnot. I love you three, and I couldn't have done it without you.

JB Update: much to my disappointment, the experts are sending him home tomorrow to "deal" with his brain blood clots. He's been given a full license to drive, the works. And hopefully he's also been given a healthy dose of painkillers to go along with his intense pain. And a bunch of moola as an advance on his malpractice suit. But hey...what do I know?

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

We just arrived back home from Grandma I-I's funeral. It was an awesome weekend full of family memories, laughs, and a few tears here and there. Everyone one of her grandchildren were there, and all but two great-grandchildren were present. As I looked around the room, I got a chuckle out of the new generation of names in families these days. Boy have names changed. Here are some of Burdette and Evelyn's grandchildren's names: Arden, Aiden, Elise, Tucker, Brecken, Kailyn, Elias, Jakin, Trey, Lysha, Jade, Jake, just to name a few. VERY different from Burdette and Evelyn.

THE GOOD

• Family, of course. We had a great time visiting with everyone.
• Awesome hotel accommodations, with a slide even in the pool. Kids were in HEAVEN!
• My kids were excellent, and were not at all scared about being in the same room with a casket with their Grandma I-I in view. They seemed somewhat interested in the whole thing.
  
• Lots of good food. YUM!
  

THE BAD

• I couldn't find any lip balm last night before we went to bed last night at the hotel room, so DH ran to Target for me. Awwwwwww, ain't that sweet.
  
• My post-surgery foot took a beating today. But I hung in there and took one for the team.
  
• The boys hated all the food that was provided this weekend. But that's ok, but I certainly don't exect people to cater to their picky needs. Thank heavens that there was always a McDonalds within a few miles of where we were.
  
• Something that must remain between me and my husband. We ranted about it all the way home, but alas, it must remain between us. Ya know, just in case this blogs gets into the wrong hands...

THE UGLY

Inpatience

When it comes to the Internets, I'm severely impatient.

Click, click, click, DAMMIT. Jump over to FireFox, does it work there? YES, then back to IE. Still not working there. But FireFox tells me it will be NaN minutes for my download to complete. Nan? Is this download coming from Texas, or worse yet, Oklahoma? If I was on IE it wouldn't have to download it.

Click, click, click, click. STOP. REFRESH. Click. SOB! Damn Internet. DH, go reboot the router. I'll reboot the laptop. Waiting, waiting, waiting, clicking to early, waiting. Let's just shut the whole house down and start everything up again. DAMN. Throw laptop out the window. Stand there like I'm lost. Run out and get it, thinking surely it's online by now. Crap.

Get it back online. Now I'm waiting NaN minutes.

Christmas Meme

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
I love hot chocolate when those machines in restaurants make it. I also like egg nog, but can only drink like ½ cup at a time. And I can’t think about it, cause then I get grossed out.

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
He does both, mostly because his “elves” can’t agree on what do to. The mommy elf prefers that they be left unwrapped, while the daddy elf prefers that they all be wrapped. So we do some of each.

Colored lights on tree/house or white?
I prefer white, but I also have all red lights. I don’t use the mult-colored lights. I like them on other people’s homes, just not for me.

Do you hang mistletoe? No

When do you put your decorations up?
At the first hint of Christmas, the day after Thanksgiving. I LOVE Christmas.

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Mashed potatoes and gravy with turkey

Favorite Holiday memory as a child
The ornaments and how special mom and dad made Christmas. Each year we would get an ornament that had something to do with something we did that year. And I also remember the “angel” we had on top of our tree. We always made fun of it, but it’s very special to me now. I kind of wish I had it on my tree, but I don’t think DH and green3 would “get” it.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I wish I could remember this, but I don’t. I suspect 3 knows. He’s a rational kid, and he knows the whole Santa deal just doesn’t make sense.

Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve?
We do somewhere. We’ve got so many Christmasas going on, it’s crazy. Our Christmas Craze begins on Xmas Eve and then we go hard until the 26th. Lots of Christmases, lots of families. We do our own on Christmas morning, though.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Which tree? I have 6 of them! Our main tree is red lights, with red and silver balls. Our second main tree is a frosted one with blue and silver balls. The boys each have their own with their own decorations. And our other ones are just plain right now, but they usually have white lights on them.

Snow: Love it or Dread it?
I love it for Christmas. I hate it the rest of the time.

Can you ice skate?
Why yes I can!

Do you remember your favorite gift?
Atari or my big purple bike. And I know my family probably could not afford these things back then, which makes them even more special to me now.

What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Being with family, the holiday baking, get togethers with friends

What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Frosted sugar cookies

What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Decorating our house, baking Christmas food, and spending time with friends and family.

What tops your tree?
Ummm…the top of the tree.

Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
Giving is so much more fun that receiving. And I’m not just saying that because I’m supposed to say that! I could not get anything for Christmas and be ok with it, as long as I was able to give fun gifts to everyone else.

What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Baby, It’s Cold Outside
Holly, Jolly Christmas

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
YUCK!! But I’ll still eat one every year because it’s kind of like the law.

And my own questions: What do you want for Christmas?
My new blog design. I ordered it a few months ago and still don't have it.

I tag Jennifer, Iowa Mom, Mom of 4 and Nek&EaksMom.

One of these days I'm going to come up with a meme for the blogging spouses to do. Wouldn't that be awesome to find out what THEY think???? Help me come up with some questions!!

TGIF

It's been a heck of a week. First I had THIS done. Then I spent the rest of the week suffering from the effects of THIS, until I threw up so much that I just couldn't throw up any more. Then I switched to THIS, which made me so jittery and jumpy and sleepy that I had a hard time telling if I was recovering from surgery or recovering from the pain medication. So thanks to my good friend, Dr. KP (well, ok, she's a receptionist at a dentist office but that's close enough for me) she said 4 ibuprofen are prescription strength, without the dillusional side effects. So I'm sticking with that for now. Today is the best day so far this week. I'm up and walking, I'm not freaking out from the effects of meds, and the pain is somewhat gone.

Tonight we're headed to Iowa City to say hello to JB, who is hospitalized down there. The latest on him - he still has double vision and they said if they can relieve the pressure in the next day or so, they will save his eyesight. If they can't relieve it soon, well, then it's bad news. Two days ago they put a tube in his ear - WITHOUT PAIN MEDICATION!! Seriously, my little foot problem doesn't seem so bad. Today they will attempt to withdraw brain fluid out via the ear tube. Good Times.

We are also going to IC to say goodbye to DH's grandmother. Yes, the funeral has not been held yet. There were grandchildren spread all over the globe, out doing good deeds like missionary work. Takes awhile to get all those schedules arranged.

"My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income." --Errol Flynn

Have a great weekend!

The Wilson Six: Wanna win some Toile Notecards??

The Wilson Six: Wanna win some Toile Notecards??

Another Card Contest!

Jennifer is having another contest for a set of cards! Take a moment to view her products. They are awesome.

Click here to participate in her contest

Click here to view her J Designs blog

Me and My New Book

Things are looking up.

• I washed my hair this morning, a feat that has not been done since Sunday night.
  
• I took my second bath post-surgery.
• I'm able to get through the day on mere Tylenol. I still take the power meds at night, but mostly just so I know I'll get a good night's sleep. I may try only Tyl tonight, though.
  
• I think I'll be able to manage the trip to Iowa City tomorrow.
  

And I bought a new book: The 2,548 Best Things Anybody Ever Said. So I'll regularly be posting awesome quotes, whether I know what they mean or not. Like this one:

"Show me a poet and I'll show you a shit." -- A.J. Liebling

See, I have no idea what that means.

Day 3

I was really expecting my week of post-surgery to be a bit cushy. Watch a few movies, get a few books read, catch up on my blog reading, buy some last minute gifts online, and what not.

But cushy it ain’t.

The pain is more than I thought it would be. The Vicodin made me so sick yesterday I had to call DH and beg him to come home from work. The new painkiller knocks me out like no other. (So mom, yes I know you called this morning but I was nowhere near coherent enough to answer the phone.)

And in only 2 days I have to make a trip across the state to attend a funeral.

Oh no, cushy it ain’t.

eh

Pain

Vomiting

Headache

Missing Remote Control

Throbbing

Good Times

Post-Operative Report

I'm home. Loopy and in quite a bit of pain, but home.

It's been a very long day, starting at 4:45 this morning.

A JB update: He was transferred to Iowa City this morning. No news other than that. We'll touch base with him tonight to see if there are any new developments.

100 Things!

1. I love Washington D.C. I think it has a “magical” feel to it.
2. I’m interested in White House/Presidential history. I’ve always been interested in JFK and the facts surrounding his assassination.
3. It was always a goal of mine to write a book about JFK’s assassination. But I’m not so interested any more. I’ve got more important things to do now.
4. I’m horrible at writing thank you notes and sending birthday cards. Every year I tell myself that I will do a better job.
5. I love the Internet.
6. I used to be extremely shy as a child. Or at least that how I remember it.
7. I’m not shy anymore. In fact, not many people intimidate me anymore.
8. I wasn’t a fan of my 20s. I think I was just too busy with a new marriage, new career and babies, so it went by in a blur.
9. I love being in my 30s.
10. My son, Green, has freckles on his nose that make me melt. He calls them his “rainbow of freckles”. He hates them.
11. I also hate my freckles. But freckles are better than pimples.
12. My son, 3, has a huge heart. He’s so gentle and kind. He especially loves to play with toddlers and babies.
13. I have a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, with an emphasis in Advertising.
14. My passion is real estate investing, even though I’m not too involved in it right now.
15. I’m pretty sure the good friends that I have right now are the ones I’ll grow old with. Or at least I hope so. I love them all!
16. I’m addicted to caffeine. Esp Diet Mt. Dew.
17. I hate coffee.
18. I’m a meat and potatoes girl.
19. I have two younger brothers and I think they are both awesome. The older we get, the better friends we become.
20. I had an awesome childhood.
21. Christmas is my favorite holiday. SANTA RULES at our house!
22. I’ve never read the Bible, but it’s on my to-do list.
23. I have my own library in my house, thanks to my mom and grandparents. They surprised me one day with a “While You Were Out” deal!
24. I read mostly non-fiction. I’m trying to learn to enjoy fiction.
25. My fingernails grow amazingly fast. I can cut them off one week and have long fingernails the next.
26. I can turn my eyelids inside out.
27. My husband and I were high school sweethearts.
28. I hate sitting around doing nothing. I always have to be doing something.
29. If I’m interested in something, I research it to death. And that drives me crazy.
30. I don’t always answer the telephone when it rings. If I don’t recognize the number, or if I know that person is not calling for me, I don’t answer it.
31. I am on the school board. My husband is on the city council.
32. I think Longeberger baskets are a waste of money.
    
33. I love the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm. But I don’t have HBO so that stinks.
34. I have a dog and a cat. And they match in color. And I planned it that way.
35. Cause I’m a stickler about matching. You’ll never see me or my kids in outfits that don’t match. When my husband doesn’t match, I don’t claim him.
36. I’m starting to become a good cook. I used to be horrible.
37. I rarely buy clothes at full price. I head straight for the sale signs.
    
38. I love to stay up late. My husband loves to go to bed early.
39. I’ve only left the country twice. Once on my honeymoon to the Bahamas and the once to Niagara Falls.
40. I thought Niagara Falls and the Bahamas were both trashy places and probably will not go back to either of them.
41. I can snow ski and water ski. I used to be able to slalom water ski in my pre-kid days.
42. I consider myself a hard worker. And it really pisses me off when I see people not working hard and then whining about how they don’t have enough money, enough friends, enough of this, enough of that, blah blah blah.
43. My sons’ baby books are pretty much empty.
44. I hate laundry.
45. I prefer silver to gold.
46. I plan to be really rich someday.
47. I thought I would be sad not having a daughter, but I’m not.
48. My husband and I have considered adoption in the past. But it’s not going to happen now.
49. I think everyone should volunteer their time to a local organization. Money is good, but actually getting your hands dirty is important as well. And it makes you feel good!
50. Did I mention how much I hate laundry.
51. I love my animals. But I hate their hair all over my house.
52. My “to be read” pile of books is getting pretty tall and is starting to lean to the left. Which is much better than leaning to the right…
53. I hope you "got" that item above.
    
54. I wish I had more patience with my boys.
55. My kids had great childcare while growing up and for that I’ll be forever grateful.
56. I wish I could have been a stay-at-home mom, but it was financially not meant to be. And that’s ok.
57. My first son’s talent is in the classroom.
58. My second son’s talent is on the field/court.
59. And I love that they are so different.
60. I love my “alone” time, just being in my house, by myself. It re-energizes me.
61. My parents are awesome.
62. My grandparents are awesome.
63. I’m very lucky to have all 4 grandparents still living and still active. My husband has no living grandparents.
64. I’m a stickler for the rules. And 3 is exactly the same way. Green is very much that way too, as long as the rules are not Mom and Dad's.
    
65. I remember not having much money when I was a child. And I’m glad. I think it helps me work harder.
66. I try to make my kids understand how fortunate they are. We regularly donate to the food pantry and donate items to help the needy. And they both know how that helps people.
67. I consider myself just of average intelligence. But my brothers are both very smart, so maybe I’m smarter than I think I am.
68. I had to work my ass off my last year of high school in order to get the gold cords at graduation. Throughout high school I did not, as they say, “apply myself.”
69. I didn’t “apply myself” in college either, and I do regret that.
70. I love Desperate Housewives. It’s the only show I can’t miss each week.
71. I have an in-ground pool at my house.
72. My husband and I used to own an inflatable company. We now own a pool and spa maintenance/cleaning company.
73. We also both work at full-time jobs.
74. I hate exercising. But I really need to.
75. I need to be drinking something at all times. I usually have Propel, Life Water, or Smart Water with me at all times.
76. I look really bad without makeup.
77. I have a lot of freckles. But people tell me they don’t notice them anymore.
78. My favorite movies are The Office, Grease, Napoleon Dynamite, and Rain Man. I’m sure there are other favorites but I can’t think of them right now.
79. I think Hillary Clinton would make an awesome President.
80. I think Bill Clinton (minus his personal problems) was a good President.
81. I have a hard time keeping my house clean.
82. I’m not very good at making my boys do chores.
83. I think it’s damn hard to come up with 100 things about myself.
84. I’ve never done illegal drugs. I’ve only tried smoking once.
85. I’ve never had a cavity.
86. I’ve never had a speeding ticket, but I rarely drive the speed limit.
87. I love it when it blizzards outside and we’re stuck at home.
88. I wish I had a real fireplace.
89. I’m going to have house paid off in about 11 years, and that rocks.
90. I’ve worn braces twice – once as a teenager and again just last year. This last time was only on the bottom teeth.
91. I’ve been in a car accident where someone was killed.
92. I wear contacts/glasses. I don’t qualify for laser surgery. That sucks.
93. I love NASCAR. Jimmie Johnson ROCKS.
94. We have season tickets to the Kansas Speedway.
95. I don’t have any tattoos. And I never will.
96. I’m trying to enjoy sports more since my boys are so into it.
97. I wonder what impression people have of me.
98. The walls in my house are mostly rustic colors.
99. This took me a month to come up with this list of 100 things.
100. Since I’ve put all this time into it, the least you can do is tell me which things on this list surprised you!

Whatever

I've been around blog world, you just haven't seen my. I've been reading my blogs, but to be honest, I just don't have time to post comments or post my own blog entries. Mostly I haven't been posting comments due to a technicality between blogger, blogger beta, and IE. But I digress.

Here are a few tidbits I'll pass along.

1. JB is not doing much better. They may be transferring him to Iowa City or Rochester early next week. His brain has started to swell and he started seeing double vision late yesterday. His doctors are at a loss, so it really is time for him to move on. Problem is, that will cause us to start making roadtrips. Which of course is minor compared to what he's dealing with.

2. If you have a bunch of time to waste, you need to get over to Atomic Humor. His young wife got very ill in November and passed away. This post will make you appreciate your health and your family. Start reading his blog here: http://www.atomictumor.com/2006/11/01/

3. I've switched to Blogger Beta, and it sucks. Like above, I couldn't hyperlink that thing. Sorry 'bout that. Hey, I can't post any pics either. Where the heck are all my buttons?

4. I'm having bunion surgery on Monday. I'm looking forward to the Vicodin.

5. I'm close to having my "100 Things About Me" done. I'll try to get that posted before I'm under the influence of Vicodin.

6. I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new blog design. This one sucks.

7. It's boardgame time. Gotta run.