Random Thoughts Tuesday 12-28-10

Hey All.  I'm playing random along with Keely today.  Link up and play along!

Why is it that every year I say I'm not going to make any resolutions, yet in my own head I've made at least 10 of them?  I'm just lying to myself (and everyone else) out loud and only telling the truth inside.  I think it may be because I don't want anyone to see my total failure. :)

How to I let the kids talk me into buying them more stuff right after Christmas?  I mean, they did spend their own money, mostly, but still.  Do they really need one more $70 lego set?  G-ma only gave them $50 to spend (well, she really gave them $100, but I'm putting the other $50 in their savings accts), so they had to dig into their allowance.

I went across the street today to talk to a neighbor.  She invited me in.  She is so sweet and I like her a lot.  I just wouldn't want her to come to my house and hope to be invited in.  It's always a disaster while hers is always immaculate.  True her kids are grown mostly and mine are little (yells to kids "get those legos picked up in the living room!  and don't leave all those plastic bags on the floor!").  But I'm sure it's mostly because she is a good housekeeper and I am not.

We'll be trying the whole foods thing again this January (see last year's post about it here).  The kids are really excited about it. NOT!  We have got to get these kids eating real food once in a while.  I'm ashamed at the number of chemicals I feed those kids every day.  And these last two weeks it has been even worse.

Well, go see Keely and visit some of the other randomness available.  Thanks for stopping by!
Barb

Sassy Sunday on a Monday and Macro Monday 12-27-10

Hi Everyone, Sassy here.  I'm a day late on my post and Barb is sneaking in here with a Macro Monday photo too.
Here's Barb's photo.  Something called a Gingerbread House that the youngest human worked on very hard the other day.  You can find other Macro Monday shots here!

We had snow for Christmas!

Doesn't my black coat look lovely in the white snow?  That's what Barb says, anyway.  Ginger and Chili enjoyed the snow as well.

We've been spending a lot of time in the house by the fire.  I like the snow for a few minutes, but then it gets cold and wet on my feet and I'm ready to come in.

Chili found the warmest spot next to the fire the other day.  Right in Daddy's lap.  Don't they look cute?

We had Aunt Bambi and her brood here for Christmas dinner.  It was apparently really good, although all I got was a tiny taste of the ham.  That's ok.  I'm trying to keep my girlish figure, so I happily ate my diet dog food.  Santa left us new toys and chew bones in our stocking.  That was great!

Anyway, thanks for stopping by today.  Best wishes for the new year!
Sassy

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is a home.  Thank you.

Bonsai

Navy

Scruffy Girl

Soldier

Minnie

Mrs. Roper (Janet's mom)

Janet

These and other homeless pets can be seen at www.hoperescues.com or on petfinder.com

Random Thoughts Tuesday 12-21-10

Hey all!  I'm playing along with Keely over at the UnMom today.  Link up and play along, if you dare!

What has your child learned at school today?  Well, I'm so proud of my ninth-grader!  He's learned that if you get a pack of smarties and smash them up into powder, you can suck the power in through the end of the wrapper and blow it out like smoke.

Had a kid home sick for several days.  He ran a fever 5 days in a row.  Doc said it was just a virus and we'd have to wait it out.  If I get it, and if I run a fever for 5 days, I want to be waited on hand-and-foot and be allowed to lay around and whine the whole time.  Not that any of MY kids would do that.

The doc lives just down the street from us.  I try not to ever bother him at home.  But I was ready to let him have my feverish kid for a day or two over the weekend!

We also have an emergency room doc and an OBGYN in our neighborhood.  And a dentist.  No vet, though.  Hmmm.

I have got to get my Christmas shopping and wrapping done!  I'm not even sure what I have anymore.  That's one thing about having kids at Christmas.  They count presents.  And it doesn't matter if one kid gets a present worth more than a Rolex, while another one gets the Blue Light Special.  It's all about the numbers.  But I know how to get around that.  Just wrap two things together if you need to reduce the pile of one kid to match the piles of the others.  Or divide.  Wrap each sock separately.  :)

Speaking of socks, my oldest said, in his most disgusted tone, "Mom, don't be a geek and give us socks and underwear for Christmas again."  So guess what I got at Old Navy yesterday.  Yup.  You're so smart!

Are you a "theme" tree decorator?  My sister has a lovely tree at her house.  Huge, but lovely.  It has a theme of sorts.  Our tree, though very festive, has no theme.  It's mostly covered with ornaments the kids have made over the last few years, with a few from our childhood thrown in.  Maybe when the kids are grown I'll do a theme tree.  But for now the kids' ornaments are just fine.  And they are proud of them.

K.  That's enough random.  And I've got to get those boxers out of the car and get them wrapped up before any of the boys get home!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sassy Sunday - (12-19-10)

Chili and me with Santa

"Oh, the weather outside if frightful".  It's cold.  And there's new snow today on top of what's left of the ice from last week.  Just a dusting, but enough to hide the ice so I slip and slide out there.  But that's ok.  I'm an inside dog.  I'd rather be on the couch snoozin' anyway.  Unless there's a squirrel in the bird feeder.

The three of us, Ginger, Chili, and I, went to see Santa.  See someone missing in the pic?  Yup.  Ginger.  She would have nothing to do with getting her picture taken with Santa.  You see, Santa has a Y chromosome.  That makes him a man.  And Ginger doesn't like those Y-chromosome people until she's had a chance to warm up to them and make sure they are ok.  She's always been that way.  Even though she's been in this pack since she was 7 weeks old.  She did come with a wound on her leg that is now a scar.  So maybe a man was mean to her way back then.  Who knows.

We've got the house back to ourselves at the moment.  We had a bunch of company last week.  I couldn't tell you about it before because it was a surprise.  You see, my Aunt Bambi is about to turn 40.  (I won't make it that long)  So the family planned her a surprise party.  People that are kin to our pack came from all over!  One came from Ohio, two from Chicago, two from Michigan, and three from Nevada!  It was great fun to have all these people in the house to love on.  

Here I am listening to Uncle Joe tell me how wonderful I am.

And here's Aunt Bambi.  She was soooo surprised!

Well, the kids are all excited about Christmas coming this week.  And I have to say I've enjoyed all the hustle and bustle.  But now it's time for a nap.  Thanks for stopping by!
Sassy

22 Years Ago

22 years ago I was 22.
22 years ago I had finished my first semester of grad school.
22 years ago I was living in Reno.
22 years ago both my grandparents were alive and living in Reno too.
22 years ago I'd go to my grandparents' apartment every evening for happy hour (gin and pineapple juice).
22 years ago I'd go to my grandparents' apartment every evening to fix dinner.
22 years ago I had to blend grandma's food because of her esophageal cancer.
22 years ago I thought I was so grown up.

22 years ago I went to dress fittings.
22 years ago I talked with my mom and Jan about arrangements.
22 years ago I missed my bridal shower in Tennessee but my fiance went for me.
22 years ago I was excited about the new chapter in my life that was about to begin.

22 years ago today that chapter started.
And for 22 years I've been blessed with a wonderful husband, best friend, partner and soul-mate.

Happy Anniversary Hubby.
I love you.

Final exam

I'm giving my final exam today.  It started at 2:00.  It's 2:22 and a student has just turned hers in.  She's a good student.  And I'm sure she'll get an A.
There's one student I don't recognize at all.  I'm curious to see who she is.  With close to 50 students in each section (there are two sections), I can't expect to know all of the students.  And I know there are some that only come on exam day.  But at least I recognize them all.  Except for her.  Hmmm.

I have one student who came to the exam today.  He was supposed to take it Tuesday but didn't show.  Then I got an email from him saying that he thought the exam was Wednesday.  So I let him take it today.  He's a good kid and I believe he just made a mistake.  When I was in college most of my professors would have said "too bad.  you screwed up.  it's not my fault.  you lose."  But, well, I just can't be that mean.  It would be different if he wanted to take it next week or something.

There's another one that was supposed to take it Tuesday but had a big anatomy final the same day.  So I said she could take it today.  But I wonder what she is doing in an anatomy class.  This bio class if for non-science majors.

Now about half the class has finished.  It's 2:31.  They have an hour and 40 minutes.  And there are 100 multiple choice questions on the final.  So 31 minutes means they spent about 3 minutes on each question.  I guess that's about right.  You either know it or you don't.  I have 7 students left in here.  I know one of them will take a bit longer than the others.

The mystery girl has turned hers in.  She is in this class!  She only took 2 of the 4 exams.  And missed 6 of the 8 quizzes.  And hasn't turned in any of the assignments.  But she's here for the final?  Hmmmm.  I'm not thinking she'll pass.  But I'll wait until the finals are graded to see.

Does chewing on one's hoodie string help one to think?  I guess so.  We'll see.

I've really enjoyed this semester.  It's my first one back after a long, hard, grueling stint as a stay-at-home mom.  Don't get me wrong, I love my kids.  But it's hard work!  I'm not sure I'm cut out for it.  You'd probably think the same thing if you knew my kids!

And I guess I've done alright.  They've asked me back to teach next semester.  I'm just an adjunct.  Bottom of the heap.  And they only give me a semester by semester contract.  But I'm cool with that.  I'm not ready to jump back in full time.  My kids are unhappy that I'm working again.  They (the two little ones, anyway) want me to work at Subway if I'm going to work at all.  Otherwise, they want me at home.  Funny since my classes occur while they are in school.  So why would they care?  I don't teach at night or on the weekends?  Funny devils.

Well, I'm down to one student.  She's been the only one for about 10 minutes.  She still has 40 minutes until her time is up.  But I hope she doesn't take the whole time.  I'm ready to get these dropped off at testing services to be graded and get home.  The kids are there today.  It's a snow day.  And they (the two younger ones) hate it when I leave them with their big brother.  And they are staying with him tonight since hubby and I are going out.
Brotherly love.

Hope you are all having a great day!  And if you are a student, good luck on exams!

Firefighters, paramedics rescue dogs from St. Charles house fire

Yeah for Firefighters and Paramedics!  click the link to read the story.


Firefighters, paramedics rescue dogs from St. Charles house fire

Random Thoughts Tuesday 12-7-10

Hey Everyone!  Just gonna do a quickie random today 'cause I gotta write a final exam, go to physical therapy, take a friend to Sam's, figure out what's for dinner, plan a review for tomorrow, and try to meditate this headache away since the ibuprofen isn't touching it.
Oh, and I need to do some laundry and get the house cleaned up.  The dog walking will have to wait.
For more awesome Random Tuesday, check out the unmom!  

So I was gonna get rid of this one-eyed bear.  But the kids can't bear the thought of it (heehee, I made a funny) and Chili loves to sleep on it.  So I stuck him in the corner.  

Had a friend do the lecture in my class today.  It was the human reproduction and development lecture.  He's an OB/GYN.  So when he said he'd like to do a lecture, I gave him the sex one.  That way I didn't have to say penis and vagina in front of 100 undergraduates.  But they were all very well behaved.  Even asked questions!

Did I mention my head hurts?  I mentioned it to my loving hubby.  He told me he was tired of my bitching.  So I told him to go to hell.  Hope there weren't any students around.  'Cause we were totally joking around with each other.  At least he was. :)

The dogs keep messing with the Christmas tree skirt.  I guess I should check it for wet spots.  Chili will pee on any blanket, jacket, shirt, etc. that is left on the floor.  

Don't you hate it when you start to clean something like the blinds, then you start seeing all kinds of dust in the curtains, on the windowsill, etc., that has probably been there a long time but you never noticed?  So now you have to spend twice as much time trying to get all that dust than you meant to?  And you're supposed to be picking up so you can do the real cleaning later?  Me too.

Did I mention my head hurts.  OK.  I'll stop my bitching.  And I won't even tell you to go to hell.

I hope everyone has a great Tuesday.  Check out Keely at theunmom.com, link up and play along!

Macro Monday 12/6/10

One of my favorite Christmas ornaments

Hi All!  I'm playing along with Macro Monday today.  Check out Lisa's Chaos and play along!

Sassy Sunday - (12-05-10)

Hello, Everyone.  Welcome to another addition of Sassy Sunday!  Sorry I didn't post last week.  Barb was using her computer a lot and I just didn't get the chance!

So.  The humans have put a tree in the hearth room.  They do this from time to time.  It's annoying because they put it right in front of one of the doors I use to go in and out of the house.  I know there are plenty of other doors, but it is the principle of the thing.  The tree has a little piece of cloth around the bottom.  Chili thinks it's for her to chew on or sleep on.  (Uh-oh, if she thinks it's ok to sleep there, well, if you know Chili you know what I mean!)

Barb started to put some toys for us under the tree, then changed her mind and gave them to us.  Little skunks.  But with no stuffing!  She made some comment about how they would be a little less messy than our normal toys.  Doesn't she understand that the stuffing HAS to come out of the toys?  That's where the evil lurks.  That's why I do it.  First, I shake the critter to make sure it's dead.  Then I carefully make a hole and pull out all the stuffing and toss it around the room.  That way all the evil can dissipate into the air and float out of the house.  I'm only trying to protect my family.  And it doesn't take her that long to clean it all up.  Seems little to ask for the protection I'm providing.  Maybe some day I'll be appreciated.

I thought we were about to get another foster dog the other day.  Thank goodness she was just lost.  The neighbor asked Barb if she'd ever seen the little old dog that was wandering in circles around our cul-de-sac.  She hadn't so she went up to the little dog and saw that she had a collar with a tag (good humans! a tag is the best way for us to get home when we are lost!).  So Barb called the owners and they came right away and picked her up.  Poor old thing.  She's about deaf and apparently getting a bit confused sometimes.  K.  I don't want to think about that.  I'm only 5 or so.  

I guess that's all the bitching (well, I am a female and a dog) I'll do for today.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Sassy

Can You Tell Who This Is?

Can you tell?

Look closely.  These creatures are made out of Yu-Gi-Oh (or are they Pokemon?) cards.  A guy and his pet.  Give up?  He lives in a pineapple under the sea.  Got it now?  Yup.  My younger two kids made SpongeBob and Gary out of cards.  Pretty darn creative, huh?  And I'd say they did a pretty good job, too.
Here's a pic of the proud artists.

They were told to find something to do other than watch TV or play video games.  Does it count that they made TV characters out of the cards?  It's funny how they moan and cry and insist they have nothing to do if they can't watch TV.  Then when they are faced with the reality that they can't watch TV, they find something to do.
Recently, they were told they couldn't watch TV until their rooms were clean.  They were horrified.  But did they get up there and clean their rooms?  No.  They got out the nerf guns and had an epic battle in the upstairs hallway.  The battle scene included barricades made from pillows and blankets.  Even their big brother got into it.
So.  Is there a lesson here for me?  Oh, yeah.  If I don't let my kids veg in front of the TV, they will make a mess.  So I guess TV must be good for them!  As we speak (well, as I write and you read) they are watching SpongeBob.  They are not using their imaginations to make a mess out of the house.  They are not playing with the $40 nerf guns they insisted they had to have.  They are not riding their bikes or scooter outside (well, it's dark and cold out there at the moment. )  They are asking for ice cream (watching TV makes you fat?  whoever heard of such crazy talk).  Hmmm.

Well, I guess I'd better run up to Motomart after some ice cream.  Otherwise, they may get bored and decide to go clean up their rooms!