Friday Fill In ..

Fill in the lyrics...with the correct ones or ones of your own, right here on Friday Fill-Ins .. come play along!


1. Said the night wind to the little lamb, _do you hear what I hear?? Sounds like Mr. Wolf_.
2. The first Noel, the angel did say, _where the heck did the shepherd go??_.
3. _Tell it to the gnome_, Over the hills and everywhere.
4. It came upon the midnight clear, _who knew, 12 inches!_.
5. Have yourself a big glass of wine_, Let your heart be light.
6. And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing .. oh, please don't sing__.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _hanging with the kids, pizza ..__, tomorrow my plans include _clean the house .. perhaps a dump run (err.. transfer station) and maybe an evening out with bff J_ and Sunday, I want to _anticipate the big snow storm_!


Picture by Noah

Photo Story Friday ..

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Our first official snow storm .. we ended with about 5" of powder snow! Three years ago I was so ready to leave the winter behind .. and when we did, I missed the winters .. so secretly I get excited when we are told there is a "disturbance" heading our way .... Bring it on, baby!! This coming Sunday they are saying "A STRONG NOREASTER MAY DEVELOP THIS WEEKEND AND BRING HEAVY SNOW ACROSS THE WATCH AREA LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 10 INCHES OR GREATER ARE POSSIBLE." .. that is a direct quote from http://www.weather.com/ ... .hooowhooo!! Let me stock up the wood for the woodstove, make sure I have wine ... grab me a book .. and we are on our way!

Thursday 13 - #5

'Tis the Season ... it's my saying this week! Since it is the holidays ... a week before Christmas, and I am soooo in the spirit of things ... (NOT!) .. I decided to copy some of the T13 theme's and do my favorite Christmas songs ... yes .. despite my (un)-grinch-ness .. I still have favorite songs! They are not necessarily in any order ...

1. 12 Days of Christmas - John Denver and the Muppets

2. Happy Holidays - Andy Williams
3. Where Are you Christmas - Faith Hill
4. Last Christmas - Wham!
5. Baby It's Cold Out There - Margaret Whiting & Johnny Mercer
6. Santa Baby -
7. Last Christmas - Wham!
8. Please Come Home for Christmas - Eagles
9. Grown Up Christmas List - Amy Grant
10. All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
11. Silver Bells - Patti Page
12. Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley
13. O Holy Night - Josh Groban

Simply Kind Tuesday ..'Tis the season ..

Woo hoo ... I made it over a 100 blogs!!




So ... we are 9 days away from Christmas .. 8 more days of enduring the stress of the season .. often times we find ourselves so wrapped up in the whole making-sure-whatever-is-going-on-is-perfect that we tend to forget our manners. Mind you, I am talking about everyone else .. not me! ;)
(My mother would disown me if I forgot my manners! but then again, with all the wrinkles I have earned, perhaps ... oh, I digress) .. anyways ..
I just started a new job .. I work for a third party insurance administrator .. in short, we manage reimbursement accounts for companies who want to reimburse their employees on their health insurance deductibles. What sets us apart from other companies is that we guarantee a quick turnaround time on reimbursement checks ..sometimes as quick as 24 hours. We are just a few weeks short of the year coming to an end .. and suddenly everyone and their brother has realized that they haven't submitted their claims yet ... SO instead of receiving tricklings of claims, we are getting the full package .. months worth of receipts .. all folded and unkempt! (They need Tommie to show them a random act of kindness! Check out her blog, she created the word "organize")
ANYWAYS ... (sorry .. too much wine and Lindt Dark truffles .. I am rambling tonight, forgive me!) .. so with all these bundles of paper, tensions are high... especially from the employees that have sent them because ('Tis the season......) apparently it is OUR fault that they waited until NINE days before Christmas to send out their receipts (we are talking some serious money for some! Would you wait NINE days before Christmas .. knowing you have serious money sitting in that stack of unorganized papers ...??) to add to the fury ('Tis the season...).. when those big envelopes come in, it is our job to sort and organize so that we can acknowledge what is reimbursable and what is not .... COME ON NOW ... wouldn't you want to know how much you would be getting back, wouldn't you keep track?? Is it me .... or ..? oops ... I am meandering again .. So for my Simply Kind Tuesday post ... there is one lady in the office, she is married to the boss .. she doesn't consider herself an employee, yet she continuously walks around asking each one of us "what can I do for you, dear?" .. and in those harried moments, when you want the world to just stop, so that you can take a deep breath, her kindness is there .. like the fresh fall air .. reviving you, and giving you the extra ounce of patience to carry on! She is truly one of the kindest people I have met .. just genuine nice.

Manic Monday

Thanks to Fleur de Lisa for Manic Monday ..

Have you ever returned an item to a store for a refund after having used it?
Tempted .. but no, never. It's tempting when you buy your son a $20.00 hard cover, and three hours later he has finished it .. I should be happy that he loves to read!

You are going out for the evening. If your partner objects to what you are wearing, would you change your clothing?
OHH... trick question! I would like to know what the objection is .. because heaven help the man that says the wrong thing! LOL!

What item that you don’t currently possess would you most like to have in your home?
hmmm... I would like to possess a Canon Rebel ... does that count?

friday fill in...(late)

1. Friends , are my life-line!__.

2. _Take good care of your_ health; it's _ultimately the most important feature of your life____.

3. I'm ready for _winter____.

4. _Anything light smelling ____ is one of my favorite perfumes or aftershaves or smells.

5. The oldest ornament I have is _in a rubbermaid container in Texas :(____.

6. Take some _friends, margaritas at the SeaDog__, mix it all together and you have _fun____.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _watching a movie with the kids_, tomorrow my plans include _buying Christmas ornaments for the tree__ and Sunday, I want to _start a new book_!

Photo Story Friday ..

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

So we had our first official "winter storm" ..a big one .. sickly, I was excited .. this is what I left Texas for! Wasn't it? .. When we moved to Maine in 1998, we had 'missed' the big ice storm that had happened that January. I remember seeing the pictures, and hearing the stories.. so when the weather folks started predicted one inch of ice .. immediately my mind went into "oh, the pictures ..". We came out unscathed, but I know there are many homes without power and lots of tree damage.

Thursday 13 #5

So several weeks ago, I saw a post taking the songs from your Ipod to describe you. Well, wayyy to complicated for me! So instead I choose for T13 to do Thirteen phrases from my favorite running songs on my Shuffle .. (not necessarily in any order..).. at this moment in time. I usually change songs out every so many weeks .. depending on the mood and motivation. Right now "Shattered" is my favorite song ..

1. Stronger - Kanyea West-now that don't kill me, can only make me stronger
   
   
2. Fighter - Christine Aguilera - But in the end you'll see, YOU-WONT-STOP-ME.. I am a fighter and I ain't gonna stop ... {love those hills!}



3. B.Y.O.B - Systems of the Down- Everybody’s going to the party have a real good time.



4. Shattered - O.A.R.- How many times can I break till I shatter? Over the line can't define what I'm after I always turn the car around All that I feel is the realness I'm faking Taking my time but it's time that I'm wasting Always turn the car around



5. My Immortal - Evanescene - I'm so tired of being here



6. Big Girls Don't Cry - Fergie -It's time to be a big girl nowAnd big girls don't cry



7. Mr. Blue Sky - ELO -Sun is shinin' in the sky, There ain't a cloud in sight It's stopped rainin' Everybody's in a play And don't you know It's a beautiful new day.



8. Torn - Natalie Imbruglia -Im all out of faith, this is how I feel Im cold and I am shamed lying naked on the floor



9. Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield -Release your inhibitions Feel the rain on your skin No one else can feel it for you Only you can let it in No one else, no one else Can speak the words on your lips Drench yourself in words unspoken Live your life with arms wide open Today is where your book begins The rest is still unwritten


10. Some Days You Gotta Dance - Dixie Chicks - Some days you gotta dance Live it up when you get the chance 'Cause when the world doesn't make no sense And you're feeling just a little too tense Gotta loosen up those chains and dance
    


11. Not Ready to Make Nice - Dixie Chicks - I'm not ready to make nice I'm not ready to back down I'm still mad as hell and I don't have time to go round and round and round It's too late to make it right I probably wouldn't if I could 'Cause I'm mad as hell Can't bring myself to do what it is you think I should
    


12. Real World - Matchbox 20 -I wonder what it's like to be a super hero I wonder where I'd go if I could fly downtown
    


13. My Maria - Brooks and Dunn - You set my soul free like a ship sailing on the sea
    

    
    
    
    

Simply Kind Tuesdays

Thanks to Claudia .. for Simply Kind Tuesdays ... this is where I attempt to demonstrate a random act of kindness! Today was quite a crazy day .. I realized it was Tuesday .. and out loud I said to the teenagers that I needed to blog about a simple act of kindness .. they laughed and said "you can write that you didn't kill us today .. that was your act of kindness!" ... ha ha! So .. here go: This morning I told both children that I wanted everyone home, so that we could have dinner together .. so when I walked in, I was ready to get dinner started, and spend the evening home with my guys. Well ... upon my horror, on the kitchen counter I found a letter addressed to "the parents of Noah .." ... ugh .. my thoughts ran rampant! I hate these types of letters .. NEVER did my parents EVER have to see letters like that about me! So .. to prevent major embarrassment for Noah .. let's just say that he received a very stern talking to ... and I will be calling the school tomorrow ... *sigh!*

Once we were done with that conversation, my darling little girl came bounding into the kitchen at 5pm. "MOM!" she said ... "we need to go shopping .. I need tan pants .. I have a concert !!" [Deep breath..] "We don't need to go now, I want to make dinner .. when is your concert?" ... "Tonight! ...at 6:30!" ....*double exasperated sigh!*

So .. the good news .. I had a pair of pants that could hold her over .. I was able to make, and we all enjoyed dinner .. and we were out the door .. ON TIME!

So back to Simply Kind .. both Noah and Alet said that my act of kindness was the fact that I didn't "kill them"

Manic Monday

Thanks to Fleur de Lisa for Manic Monday!

What is the most expensive meal you've ever eaten?
ahhh ... that would a meal at Promises to Keep in Derry, New Hampshire.. honestly, I don't remember what I ate .. we were still dating, and we were being extremely lavish, for two people with very little income! This was our favorite restaurant, and wanted to get married here.

What is the fastest speed you've ever traveled in a car?
Ha, ha! That would be during our honeymoon, we had a Nissan 240 with the reflective speedometer on the windshield gadget .. I recall something crazy like 124?


What is the highest building you've ever been to the top floor of?
The first one that came to mind was The Furama Hotel, 30th floor, La Rotunda restaurant. It was a revolving restaurant .. the view was over looking the harbor in Hong Kong. Absolutely beautiful.. in doing some research, I just found out that the building was torn down eight years ago .. how sad! There are stories of that hotel .. possibly in another post!

Weekend Recap

So here is the weekend recap ... I forgot to play Fill In Friday, so we'll recap instead! Saturday we started with our first official snow day! It wasn't a lot of snow .. about 2 inches at the most.. but it was oh, so pretty! I had made a list of all the things that needed to get done the night before.. but the snow threw me for a loop. Instead we went for the Christmas tree shopping ...

I am not a big Christmas yippee skippy person .. I think some call it "grinch" .. .. I don't like to call it grinch-ness ... I think it is just one of those things where the excitement has been misplaced! Never the less, I still think it is important to get the Christmas tree .. and to go through the motion; perhaps the joy and excitement might rear it's little head ... hmmm, maybe. I really hope that my attitude hasn't rubbed off on to the kids. So, back to Saturday .. I called my bff J to talk about something completely different, and she invited me to go with her and her sd K to get a tree. Mind you, this place was almost an hour drive .. even though, one minute away from me was a temporary tree farm stand, selling perfectly good trees ... .. .. J explained that this is where her mom used to get their trees, and she has gone for years. Okay .. tradition, Christmas time .. oh yes.. so we all piled into the Texas truck, riding in snow. Luckily nothing exciting to report .. I was a little nervous, not sure how this truck handled in the snowy weather .. despite a truck full of teenage attitude, J and I survived! We both picked our tree .. I even bought a thing ... (not a wreath, not sure what to call it) for the entry door .. it is very pretty. Can that be the extend of my decorations, other than decorating the actual tree??
Today when I was making sure the tree was straight in the stand, Alet mentioned in her dry and sarcastic way .."we really didn't need to buy a tree .. we could've just had a cardboard cut out like on the show "Monk", and called it good". .... uh-oh!

Photo Hunt - Breakfast

Thanks to TNChick the photohunt theme is Breakfast!

Yahoo! .. breakfast is my favorite meal of the day .. it is so versatile! There are weekends that it could be pancakes .. blueberry pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes .. waffles with strawberry and cream ... eggs and bacon .. omelets, with mmmm feta, black olives and spinach .. or scrambled eggs with salsa .. (uhh, another story different day for that one!) ..almost every morning my ever growing son (he grew another inch since September, which puts him at 5ft8 now!) he asks for an egg sandwich .. bagel with egg, bacon and cheese .... I just LOVE breakfast! (of course a good cup of coffee goes without saying.) Of course not everyone in the family can agree on one particular combination, one wants chocolate chips in their pancakes, and the other wants blueberries .. HOWEVER .. Breakfast tacos is another story!

The whole family will agree on eating Breakfast Tacos: another Texas treat from neighbor A ... home made tortillas, scrabbled eggs .. cheese and bacon. Personally for myself I would do chorizo instead of bacon... yum, yum.

Being in Maine, we have searched high and low for fresh tortillas .. with no luck. Last week I was at the yellow smiley face store, and found whole wheat tortillas.. not the "raw" kind, but also not the generic "other" ready made tortillas .. so this morning we all decided to have breakfast tortillas .. YUM!! They came out pretty good, we decided that the tortillas were a "keeper" .. so PHEW!! we can have breakfast tortillas in Maine!!

Simply Kind Tuesday

So .. once again I borrow and steal from Tuesday Update, Tommie .. who joined Claudia from On A Limb with Claudia who started Simply Kind Tuesdays ... simply put, write about an act of kindness, just to remind us all that kindness does exist around us. (tonight I excel in the English language with my improper use of grammar and run on sentences!)

So, I sit here thinking of random acts of kindness .. contemplating what I have seen recently or in the past .. the ones that have come to mind the most, of which I would want to share. I thought it would be appropriate to write about the one act of kindness that has stood out in my mind for over a year .. and since I have been borrowing and stealing from Tommie .. I am going to mention Muffin Monday as a random act of kindness. While living in Texas, Tommie was my neighbor, and one day to pass her Monday afternoons, and to keep the kids preoccupied, she started this wonderful baking tradition .. Muffin Monday. Every Monday, Tommie and the kids would deliver half a dozen (or so) freshly baked, hot out of the oven, muffins .... she would make a batch, and disperse it amongst the privileged few ... it became so much of a tradition, that if per chance a Monday was skipped ... the privileged few would start gathering on the street, asking the other "did you get your muffins?" (we all have children that would answer the door, and if the adult of the house wasn't in ... sometimes the muffins would disappear before the adults could share in this moment of joy!) So first we needed to give Tommie the benefit of the doubt .. and hope that the kids ate the muffins, and not think that perhaps today would be the day that we would discover that Muffin Monday was over.. True to Tommie's word .. we never missed out .. there were times Muffin Monday would fall on a Tuesday because Monday wasn't meant to be for muffins due to whatever can happen when spouses are deployed, and you are the only caretaker of two young children ...

To bring it back to Random Acts of Kindness .. Tommie's Act of Kindness was yet another way to distract us from deployment .. it was also a form of adventure, because we never knew what type of muffin would stimulate our taste buds .. and best of all, it was just another way to know that we had all built friendships that will be treasured 4-ever!!

Manic Monday ..

Manic Monday thanks to Fleur de Lisa.


It's "Cyber Monday" today, the ceremonial kick-off of the holiday online shopping season in the United States. Do you do much online shopping, holiday or otherwise?
I am not a big online shopper .. it's my "fear-of-identity theft-they-are-going-to-take-all-my-money" thoughts .. I have ventured and trusted Paypal on Ebay and bought some odds and ends. I am a touchy-feely kind of gal, so as much as I stress about shopping, if I had to choose .. I would rather go out and shop rather than buy online. (phew .. long winded answer!)

Are you a Mac or a PC user? Why? I use PC all day long .. my kids swear by Mac because of school ... so perhaps a change may happen .... one day!

What website do you spend more time on than you care to admit?
ahhh ... can we say blog?? Actually, I just discovered Facebook, and that has me busy at times .. but I am not a big "stay in one spot" person.