My Peculiar Aristocratic Title

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Entirely Miss Reverend Lady Jaj the Blue of Chignall Smeally Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Thanks to Richmond for this fun find.

So what is everybody else's title? Do share!

Countdown to Thumbelina - 1

Well, this is it my friends. We are down to our last day in our Countdown to Thumbelina. But it ain't gonna happen today. And I'm okay with that. Mostly. Somewhat. So today, I'm not really sure what to countdown about so let's just call this one What I Wish For My Children:

So many things I wish for them, but I think the #1 thing is that they'll be friends. Not just because Mom said but because they really want to be friends. My wish is that they will discover about each other the great little things that make each one of them unique. And really, truly appreciate it about the other person.

Zoomer has a friend over until tomorrow and Shaggy seems to be the odd man out. And while I understand that Zoomer and his friend don't want to be bothered with little brothers, it breaks my heart that the friend is constantly insulting and putting down Shaggy. Because Zoomer does it. So Zoomer had a little talking to last night and was told that he needs to be nicer to his brother and if his friends can't be nice, then they won't be able to come over anymore, because it's not just this particular friend that treats Shaggy so, it's all of Zoomer's friends.. So today has been better, and they've been including Shaggy, and Shaggy seems to be behaving and in a good mood. Shag tends to get moody and sometimes doesn't know when enough is enough. And everybody gets along with Tigger; Tigger would be content to sit on my lap all day and read books.

So I don't know if any of this is making sense or not, and once little Thumbelina is added into the mix, I just hope it draws everybody closer together. I know that Zoomer and Shaggy will both be vying for her attention - I just hope it doesn't turn into the She likes me better; no she likes me better argument.

Oh, and today is my One Year Blog-aversary! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to figure out how to post a link to that particular day since it seems to have been archived in bloggerland, so if you're interested, you can just click on December 2005 to see what fun and excitement we were up to a year ago.

Countdown to Thumbelina - 2

Can you believe we are at 2??? Wow. Yesterday's rumor was that referrals weren't going to arrive until after the New Year, and I'm kind of thinking that's what will happen. Also, supposedly the CCAA will be working through the weekend and taking 2-3 days off for New Year's so maybe this weekend they will be doing a last minute crunch to finish off as many matchings as they can before they mail everything off. One can only hope. But regardless, we're still down to 2 in our Countdown to Thumbelina. So without further ado, I present to you The Two Christmas Presents That Brought Me to Tears:

I know!!! Can you believe it??? This was my gift from Husband. We were looking at new vehicles in the summer but decided to wait another year and stick it out awhile longer with the van. But Husband surprised me! It's a 2003 Chevy Envoy, seats 7, and has so many cool gadgets and gizmos it will take me awhile to figure everything out. I did find out how to save my seat setting. The owner before me must have been super tall because everytime I got into my truck I felt like a little old granny, just peeking over the steering wheel.

And this was the other present that brought me to tears. I know it's not a very good picture, but isn't she just the sweetest little baby doll you've ever seen? Husband's sister Allie and her husband Lewis gave it to me. I just love her and love to stare at her. Sigh. So special.

And lest you think I'm not thankful for my other gifts, I truly am. Husband and I got a Trivial Pursuit game of the 80's, and I'm dying to play it. I got a lot of Creative Memories products and I'm anxious to put them all to good use. We had a really wonderful, relaxing Christmas.

Allie & Lewis:


Trouble:


Zoomer and Uncle Lewis playing a trumpet duet:

Zoomer has a friend coming to stay with us a for a few days; I didn't actually find out about it until yesterday when said friend called. I knew they were planning something, but all Zoomer would say was 'we're just going to get together over Christmas'. And apparently Zoomer asked me if friend could sleep over at some point and apparently I said maybe. Sounds like something I'd say, but I just don't actually recall at what point we had this conversation.

Buddy, the idiot dog, got loose this morning and was running amok. All over. And was headed toward the road as I'm running behind him calling his name. Yes, running. And now I can't walk. The dog was chasing cars. On the road. With his chain dragging behind him. His chain somehow came apart where it hooks onto his dog house, so nothing was broken and I was able to secure it a bit better. I hope. I can't bring him inside just yet, because our cleaning lady is here today moving dust around and she brought her kids with her and Buddy doesn't like other people's kids. He tolerates the boys. I'm not worried about when Thumbelina comes home though, because Buddy seems to be taking his anger issues out on Molly - which is actually quite comical to watch because Molly will sit and stare intently at Buddy and it drives him crazy - and you can see the playfulness in her eyes as she's doing it. She's a little pot-stirrer, that one.

Have a good rest of the week everybody! And I hope your Christmas was a special as mine was.

Countdown to Thumbelina - 7

It's been a busy few days here at The Funny Farm. Wednesday night was the boys' Christmas program from school:



Everyone had a Tigger-ific good time:


And then on Thursday night we had our company Christmas party at a swanky restaurant. Unfortunately, Melvin made an appearance. I don't know how he found us...but here he is with Zoomer:

We felt sorry for him so we let him stay for the meal, even though he isn't an employee. And the meal was divine. Turkey and all the fixin's, perch, and the restaurant included complimentary sweet & sour shrimp. And the celery bread. I think if we had a meal of just celery bread, everyone would have been content. So much food. So much laughter. Good times, good times.

Yesterday Husband had to take Our Pal to the airport because his family is out west. Remember, Our Pal replaced E! as a manager and is working out wonderfully, except he lives out west. He's coming back January 2 indefinitely, and I'm not sure how the logistics will work out with his family. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. So I went with Husband to take Our Pal back to the airport and we did some last minute shopping in the city...not exactly in the city, but at malls with more than one level and more than 5 stores. Heaven. I came away with way more purchases than Husband. And Husband only has one person on his list. Me, silly. So unless he bought me something small that he could hide in his coat pocket, I think it's going to be a meager Christmas this year gift wise. And I'm not about the presents...I'm really not...but Husband might probably have to work on Christmas...depends if the idiots scheduled that day show up for their shift - which they volunteered for - even though they again didn't yesterday but I don't want to go into it right now. I'll save that for another post. But Our Pal is drafting up a warning letter and the two of them (the idiots) are hanging by a very thin thread.

So let's do our Countdown to Thumbelina, shall we? Today we'll do 7 Things I Need To Do Today To Get Ready For Christmas:

1. Wrap presents
2. Finish Scrapbooking Muther's and Millie's Christmas presents
3. Go to M&M's and buy nanaimo bars and other squares to make Christmas goodie plates for the boys' Sunday School teachers because I didn't get any baking done this week.
4. Do laundry
5. Iron
6. Buy dog food because Buddy is almost out
7. Watch a Christmas movie or two

Exciting, huh. I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday with lots of laughter and warm fuzzy feelings.

Countdown to Thumbelina - 10

Yay! 10! Can you believe it? We might see Thumbelina's picture in 10 days!!! There is a rumor going around that referrals might be here before Christmas, but I really don't believe it. So I'm sticking with my 10 days.

So today's countdown in our Countdown to Thumbelina is Phrases in Chinese That I Should Learn Before We Go to China Because They Could Be Helpful:

1. Hello - Ni hao (knee how)

2. Goodbye - Zai jian (zie jiah)

3. Thank You - Xie xie (she-h she-h (short e sound))

4. Good Morning! - Zao shang hao (zow shung how)

5. Fantastic - Ban ji le (bung key la)

6. I come from Canada - Wo lai zi jia na da (whu lie ph jah nah dah)

7. I promise I will never be late again - Wo bao zheng zai ye bu hui chi dao le (whu bow zhone zie ya boy hoy cha dow la)

8. Wow! - Wa (wa)

9. This restaurant is nice and I like it very much - Zhe jia can ting hen bu cuo Wo hen xi huan (zho ja tung ting hung bo twa Wa hung zhe wan)

10. It looks like he hasn't had enough sleep today - Ta jin tian xiang mei shui xing shi de (ta jing ting shou may shway szeo shuh da)

I have no idea if my pronunciations in the brackets are correct, but it's the closest I could come up. And I'm still looking for a translation for {gack} Coffee {gack} Please {gack} Although I do know that coffee is ka-fay, so maybe I'll be okay after all.

Countdown to Thumbelina - 12

We're getting there, aren't we! Yay for 12!

Today, in leiu of a countdown, I thought I'd fill you in on more Office Drama. Because I know you're all dying to hear the latest installment of As the Stomach Turns. So. Where did we leave off...oh yes...

Remember the new guy? Ryan? He liked the job and the job liked him? Except he missed his first weekend working because he was in jail. Good, you remember. And then last Monday he didn't show up but it was just a misunderstang...he didn't realize he was supposed to come in. And then this past Saturday, he didn't show up. Again. And nobody could get ahold of him. BUT, he did come to work yesterday...with a broken nose...BECAUSE HE MOONLIGHTS AS A BOUNCER!!! I promise you, I couldn't make all this up even if I tried. So he was good enough to come in today, even though it was his day off. Because he missed Saturday.

And now there's a newer new guy - Jay. He's a friend of Ryan's. Last week was his first week, and while he's not as good with the pigs as Ryan is, he's working out just fine. Except he didn't show up for work yesterday. And just Saturday, Husband had a talk with Jay and Jay said how much Ryan screwed up everybody else's day because he didn't show up. But he's at work today. Seems that yesterday his dad woke him up from sleeping...AT NOON!

And Friday was E!'s last day and now we have Our Pal. Our Pal has a sense of humor, unlike E! and Our Pal is easy to get along with. Again, unlike E! (and it's not a coincidence that ! succeeds E each time I type it). So Our Pal called Husband this morning and said, I have a problem - everybody showed up for work and I don't know what to do. See? A sense of humor.

So hopefully 12 days until we see Thumbelina's picture; 7 days until Christmas; 3 days until the boys are done school. AND, I'm almost completely finished with my Christmas shopping!!! Yay!!!

Which Reindeer Are You?

You Are Rudolph

Sweet and shy, you tend to be happiest when you're making someone else happy. Why You're Naughty: You sometimes stick that nose where it doesn't belong Why You're Nice: Christmas would be a sad affair without you!

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

http://www.blogthings.com/whichofsantasreindeerareyouquiz/outcome.php

Countdown to Thumbelina - 15

In today's Countdown to Thumbelina the topic will be The Top 15 Shows On TV When I Was 15 Years Old. So here goes (and these are listed in order according to the ratings system for that television season):

1. Dynasty - didn't watch
2. Dallas - didn't watch - I did watch Falcon Crest for awhile though...I think my Grandma got me watching into that show
3. The Cosby Show - watched it and loved it
4. 6o Minutes - didn't watch
5. Family Ties - watched it and loved it
6. The A-Team - my brother watched it; I found it annoying
7. Simon & Simon - watched it and loved it and had the biggest crush on Jameson Parker
8. Murder, She Wrote - didn't watch
9. Knots Landing - didn't watch
10. Falcon Crest - did watch - see #2
10. Crazy Like a Fox - didn't watch
10. Cheers - watched it and loved it...except for Diane...it was much better when Rebecca came on the show, and if you've been paying attention to the numbering, you'll notice that the last 3 shows were tied for tenth place
11. Riptide - watched a few shows...I remember cute actors...don't really remember the premise of the show
12. Magnum, PI - watched it and loved it and still love it
13. Newhart - watched it and loved it - I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl, this is my other brother Darryl - I was telling my boys about that show and while they laughed at Larry, they didn't quite find it as funny as it really was.
14. Kate & Allie - didn't watch
15. NBC Monday Night Movie - which was a different movie every Monday night, and I would love for them to bring this feature back.

Unfortunately, Night Court was only at #17 and thus didn't make the top 15 list. I thought it was hilarious. One of my favourite shows of all time.

So did you watch The Office last night? I had other things to do, so I taped it. Except due to the extreme wind, or something stupid like that, it didn't actually record on the DVR. Husband said it actually needs two signals to tape something while the TV is on, and the wind would have knocked one of the signals out. Or something lame like that. So if you watched it last night, please tell me all that happened. Husband said he's programmed the DVR to not ever record The Office. And I rolled my eyes at him. I told him it was like a train wreck - you know you shouldn't watch (because it's stupid and you have better things to do with your time), but you just can't help yourself and you watch anyway. So.

I'm feeling better today, thank you for asking; a bit of a scratchy throat, but the headache and achyness are gone. And I did cook supper last night, believe it or not, because I forgot I already had some pork chops out of the freezer and we needed to eat them.

In 2 weeks, Christmas will be over. Just thought I'd share that with you.

Countdown to Thumbelina - 16

Today we are at day 16 in our Countdown to Thumbelina. Unfortunately, there will be no countdown list today (I can feel your groans) because I think I am officially not feeling well. My head hurts, my nose is stuffy and runny at the same time, I'm sneezing and my body is starting to feel achy-ish. Husband said, Suck it up - you can do it. The compassion just oozes from his every orifice. So, I'm off to lay on the couch for a while and watch Days. And if I'm pathetic enough, maybe we can have take-out for supper tonight.

Countdown to Thumbelina - 17

In our Countdown to Thumbelina, we are at day 17. But today is also a special day. It is our 15 Month LID-Aversary! 15 months. Of waiting ever so patiently. Yes, patiently. Sometimes.

So our countdown today will be a bevy of Christmas-related questions. Fifteen. In honor of our 15 Month LID-Aversary (weren't you paying attention?) And I'm tagging you to answer all of these questions as well. If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged.

1. Are you a re-gifter? Yes, if the circumstances and gift warrant it.

2. What is your favourite Christmas Carol? Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer

3. What is your favourite Christmas special? You know, where it just wouldn't be Christmas without watching it at least once? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

4. Do you decorate the outside of your house? Usually. This year I'm still waiting for Mr. Toad to help me put up my new lighted garland...I thought I'd ask him instead of Husband because Husband is too busy...

5. What is your best Christmas memory? A few years ago we were over at Husband's parents for Christmas and his uncle didn't wrap any Christmas gifts that he was giving. So any time someone unwrapped a present, Uncle would ask for their wrapping, duck behind the couch and quickly wrap it around the gift he needed to give, sans tape of course because that would have taken too long, and then hand it to the person. Then he'd say, Careful with the wrapping, I need that back! You had to be there, but believe me, we were all in tears laughing so hard.

6. What is your favourite family tradition? Husband reads the Christmas story to us from Luke chapter 2 and then while Husband and I sip our coffee, we watch the boys dig in to their presents. And then we have Jaj's Famous Christmas Morning French Toast. We only have it on Christmas. It's really quite spectacular.

7. Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet? No

8. Have you started? Yes

9. Online shopping or malls? Mostly malls, but a couple of online gifts

10. When do you usually start your shopping? August or September, but this year not until November, although I did buy something last January...

11. Do you send out Christmas cards? Yes

12. Favourite thing to do during the season? Play games with the boys. We have a park in town that is famous for it's lights, so I guess maybe one of these days we should actually take the boys through the park to look at the lights.

13. How many Christmases will you be having? 3 - one Christmas Eve with my side of the family, Chrismas Day with Husband's side of the family, and then Boxing Day with our own little family. Yes, we'll be making the boys wait until Boxing Day to open their presents because Husband will most likely have to work most of Christmas Day. We used to have to do 3 Christmases all in one day, but once Zoomer was born it was just impossible to do, so we politely said Not ever are we doing this again!

14. What do you want for Christmas? So many things - Thumbelina's picture, a clean house, Husband not to have to work, happiness and peace...

15. Favourite Christmas recipe?

Out of This World Cookies:

1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup crushed cornflakes
1/2 cup chopped dates

Mix all ingredients together. Roll into balls. Put in freezer on a cookie sheet until they're hardened. Dip into melted semi-sweet chocolate (with a little piece of paraffin wax all melted together - the wax makes the chocolate smoother). Place on waxed paper to set.

Countdown to Thumbelina - 18

So. Didja miss me? Wonder where I was? I was off shopping with Muther all day. Christmas is coming, you know. Muther called yesterday and wanted me to go out to lunch with her, but I don't usually do lunch, especially when my stomach is full of butterflies because of upcoming cantatas, so I declined. She said she just wanted to spend some time with me, so I told her I needed to go Christmas shopping and she was welcome to come along if she wanted to. So she changed some appointments and said she could come. I wanted to be the good daughter for once...instead of my imaginary sister always getting to be the good daughter. And now I am! Got the boys all bought for, got a few things for Husband and few other relations and I'm not quite so panicked anymore.

The cantata? It went fine. Very fine. Really fine, even. At first it looked like Husband wouldn't be able to make it. I know! King of the Sound System not being there! Panic again. Because whats-his-face-new-guy didn't show up for work for the second Monday in a row. And Husband was going to cover the evening shift instead of going to the cantata, but when he got there, the new-guy was there. Turns out it was just a misunderstanding on the new-guys part. And this is so weird because before I published this post, the last 3 sentences were here, and then after I published it - they vamooshed. And now there's a whole lot missing that I'm re-typing. So anyway, Husband was able to make it and he saved the day.

And now I'm trying to remember what all I had written before because it actually was a little bit clever.

Oh, I know what it was - I received an awesome complement from a party-crasher guy. We always have a get-together for the choir members and their families (I think next year Mrs. Choir Director should clarify that family means spouses and children - not in-laws and out-laws and cousins by the dozens...see? Clever) Anyway, one of the party crashers asked me if I took voice from The Royal Conservatory of Music. Wow. Party crasher guy was critiquing me - Good vibrato, good breath control - totally made my day. I told him who my voice teacher was (when I was taking lessons) and party crasher guy knew of him. My voice teacher was actually at one time an adjudicator for the RCM and actually adjudicated for my sister-in-law when she took a piano exam there (Hi Allie ~~~~~I'm waving~~~~~). Small world, isn't it.

So there's not going to be a top 18 list today. Because I've talked your ear off already.

Oh, I did have a weird dream last night. I know, like my dreams are normal. All I remember is that all the girl names in the world were taken and I had nothing to name Thumbelina. Thumbelina is not going to be her real name; sorry to drop that bombshell on you. The only names left in the world were Amy and Ashlynn. And I don't want a name starting with A because Zoomer's name (AJ) starts with A. So I picked Amy because our pastor's daughter just had a baby last week and named her Ashlynn. BTW, I really like both names. But I was seriously in a panic in my dream because every name was gone. As in vanished. There was nothing left.

That's all.

Thank you for tuning in to another fascinating episode of Life on The Funny Farm.

Countdown to Thumbelina - 19

Woohoo! We're in the teen's in our Countdown to Thumbelina!

Before we get to that, I know you're all just dying to know how the performances have gone up til this point. Heh. Saturday went not so well. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. One song was terrible, but one out of 4 equals not so great. And this song that was terrible, I couldn't get my note and I ended up singing the song an octave lower. The first few notes were really quite terrible. Am I getting my point across with it being terrible? This particular song, while very short, has a quarter note as the introduction before I sing. One beat. Not enough time. And I start on a C, and then go up to an F and then down an octave to an F (C, C, F, F, F, octave lower F). I don't know what the composer was thinking when he wrote that song, so after Saturday's flub up, I decided to just stay on the C and then go down to the F (C, C, C, C, C, lower F). Went so much better last night. But you know you blew it when every single person in the choir pats you on the back after the performance telling you what a great job you did. Sympathy complements. But I'll take it. So. Only one more night to go.

I don't know what to countdown today. I haven't been thinking about what to blog, only about getting through the weekend. The last countdown was pretty fun; remembering the olden days. So let's do that again. Countdown to Thumbelina - 19 - 19 Things That Happened When I Was 19 Years Old. One thing that happend was that Husband put my picture in the newspaper for my 19th birthday. It was my Grade 1 picture. Turkey. Okay, the countdown: Give me a minute, I'm trying to remember what year that was. Okay, here we go:

1. 67 people were killed and 346 were injured in one of the worst air show disasters in history in Germany.

2. The first World Wrestling Federation Summer Slam main event was held at Madison Square Gardens featuring Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage (Hulkamania & Macho Man) against Andre the Giant & Ted DiBiase (Million Dollar Man). Who comes up with these names? Seriously. What's even worse is that I used to watch WWF/WWE on TV every Saturday. Soooo embarrassed by that. My favourite tag-team were the Killer Bees. Don't tell anyone.

3. Hurricane Gilbert devastated Jamaica and hit Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

4. The Summer Olympic Games were held in Seoul, South Korea.

5. NASA resumed space shuttle flights with Discovery. The first since the Challenger disaster.

6. In the Great White North, Brian Mulroney and the PC Party won a second majority government. My first election.

7. Pan Am Flight 103 is blow up by Libyan Terrorists over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people.

8. Roy Orbison died.

9. George H.W. Bush succeeded Ronald Reagan as the 41st President of the United States.

10. Serial killer Ted Bundy was executed in Florida's electric chair.

11. The first of 24 GPS satellites were placed into orbit.

12. The Dilbert comic strip was syndicated for the first time.

13. Students from Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, and Nanjing began protesting in Tiananmen Square, ultimately leading to the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

14. The Calgary Flames won the Stanley Cup.

15. The Skydome was opened in Toronto.

16. Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor was arrested in Beverly Hills for slapping a motorcycle cop.

17. Seinfeld premiered.

18. Mel Blanc died.

And last, but not least,
19. Nightmare on Elm Street 4 was #1 at the box office on my birthday.

So what was happening in the world when you were 19???

Panic!

Today is day 21 in our Countdown to Thumbelina. But unfortunately, I will not be doing a list. Sorry to disappoint. I'm having trouble focusing on anything for very long. Because panic has set in.

Pan-ic (pan'ik) n. A sudden, overpowering fear.

Thank you, Mr. Webster, for clearing that up for us.

I believe I mentioned to you that this weekend is our 20th Annual Living Christmas Tree at church. Where the choir sings the Christmas Story while standing in a 30 foot Christmas tree structure, with computerized lights in sync with the music. Pretty neat to see, actually.

So.

The Panic.

I have a solo. Which is not the reason for the panic. I'm comfortable with how it went at dress rehearsal last night. But it turns out that somebody who came last year to the performance was disappointed that I didn't have a solo last year, so the choir director made sure to give me one this year, just for this person to hear. But now? After last night? I have 4 solos. Well, more like little narrative blips than anything else. Mrs. Choir Director's husband had 3 little solos, but he is sick. Sick, sick, sick. He looked horrible last night and sounded even worse. Husband told me that Mrs. Choir Director and the sound crew had a meeting about what to do and voted me to sing his parts. Logistically for the tree it makes sense, because I am standing one row above him and the lighting guys (who happen to be the sound guys... aka Husband and his crew) will only have to move the spotlight up a smidge. And the other male soloists in the choir are not Tenors and really can't sing that high. Oh the pressure. I know all the words, but one of the blips is really quite high and out of my comfort zone. And sounds odd. And I don't want to practice too much today and over-extend my voice.

Plus I still need to find 3 more nursery workers for the weekend. Tonight is taken care of, but not all of tomorrow or Monday.

And then I was talking to Husband about Christmas and he might have to work on Christmas Day which would mean we would only see him for a few hours in the afternoon, and I broke down and started to cry. Today, it's too much to think about.

But I did find bandaids to cover my scabby-things on my nose. Nexcare. Awesome. Perfect size and they're clear around the edges. And I'm not wearing one on the one near my eye because my glasses camouflage it pretty well. So that's one less worry.

So I think I will savor my extra-large double-double and then practice a bit, maybe put out some more Christmas decorations, work on Christmas cards, do some laundry, and find other stuff to do to keep my mind off of tonight. And spend a lot of time prayer.

Countdown to Thumbelina - 22

22. Days. Maybe. Until we see her face. I hope so.

Do you remember when you were 22? I got engaged on my 22nd birthday. Husband and I were married 6 months later. So since this post seems to be brought by the number 22, I will hereby list 22 Things That Happened While I Was 22 Years Old, in our Countdown to Thumbelina:

1. The Soviet Union Collapsed and Mikhail Gorbachev was placed under house arrest. On my birthday.
2. Super Nintendo was released in the US.
3. Because of the collapse of the Soviet Union, many countries declared their independancy.
4. Governor Bill Clinton announced he would seek the Democratic nomination for President of the US.
5. The Minnesota Twins won the world series.
6. The last oil fire was put out in Kuwait.
7. Journalist Terry Anderson was released after being held hostage for 7 years in Lebanon.
8. Dr. Suess died.
9. As did Gene Roddenberry.
10. Boris Yeltsin announced that Russia would stop targeting the US with nuclear weapons.
11. Ross Perot announced on Larry King that he would run for President as an Independent.
12. Jay Leno started as host of The Tonight Show, which obviously means that Johnny Carson retired.
13. The Pittsburg Penguins win The Stanley Cup.
14. Vice-President Dan Quayle spelled potato wrong at a spelling bee.
15. Will Reeve, son of Christopher Reeve, was born.
16. The daytime version of Wheel of Fortune aired it's last episode after 17 years.
17. Home Improvement made it's premiere.
18. As did the Jerry Springer show.
19. As well as Dateline NBC.
20. And even Barney.
21. Night Court ended.

and last but not least:
22. Hurricane Bob was approaching the Rhode Island coastline. On my birthday.

So obviously these events are not just one calendar year, but the last half of one year with the first half of the next year. So what was happening when you were 22?

Countdown to Thumbelina - 23

I just got an e-mail from Blockbuster about new movies that are out, so that's today's topic in our Countdown to Thumbelina - Favourite Christmas/Seasonal/Holiday Movies:

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas
2. Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas
3. Frosty the Snowman
4. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
5. The Little Drummer Boy
6. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
7. Elf
8. Home Alone
9. Home Alone 2
10. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
11. Christmas With the Kranks
12. While You Were Sleeping
13. Planes, Trains & Automobiles
14. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
15. Forrest Gump - there's a Christmas scene in there so stop giving me grief!
16. Family Man
17. The Family Stone

And since 23 is a daunting number to fill, the following are movies I hope to see sometime this holiday season:

18. Santa Claus
19. Santa Claus 2
20. Santa Claus 3 (there is a 3rd one right?)
21. Nightmare Before Christmas
22. A Christmas Story
23. The Star of Christmas (Veggie Tales)

And no, I've never seen Miracle on 34th Street, nor have I seen It's a Wonderful Life. And no, they have not made my list because I've started to watch each of them and just couldn't make it past the first 10 minutes. Nothing against these movies, they're just not my thing.

So - share, share, share!

Countdown to Thumbelina - 24

Just for AB I took pictures of my face. But blogger was unable to complete my request of uploading them, so you're outta luck.

Shaggy and Tigger were making up a song this morning to the tune of O Holy Night (this site has music, so if you're at work you might want to turn down the speakers before you get into trouble for wasting company time reading blogs) - something about O Holy Night, I fell into the toilet....and then I tuned them out.

So today's Top 25 will be Favourite Christmas Songs/Carols:

1. Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer
2. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
3. I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
4. Jingle Bell Rock
5. Little Drummer Boy
6. O Little Town of Bethlehem
7. I'll Be Home for Christmas
8. It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
9. Silver Bells
10. What Child Is This
11. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
12. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
13. A Holly, Jolly Christmas
14. Here Comes Santa Claus
15. The First Noel
16. Go Tell It On the Mountain
17. Angels We Have Heard On High
18. O Holy Night
19. Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer
20. Twelve Days of Christmas
21. Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland
22. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...)
23. Silent Night, Holy Night
24. Joy to the World

So what Christmas songs make you sing along?

I'm Back

You know, from the surgeon. Sans moles. And they hurt. Or what used to be the moles hurt. Because the freezing is coming out. And my cheek feels weird. So. I have a giant bandaid across my nose and the other spot couldn't have a bandaid since it was close to my eye. So I have what looks like a cigarette burn and now my eye is starting to turn a lovely shade of dark. And the cigiarette burny looking thing will scab and I'm not to pick the scab. Scabs irritate me and I pick. Even in my sleep. I think I'll need to wear oven mitts to bed or something. Just thought you'd want an update. Because you care.

Countdown to Thumbelina - 25

No list today, I just like seeing the countdown! I'm off to the surgeon today to get my moles surged. Do you think they'll be healed up by the weekend? This weekend is our 20th Annual Living Christmas Tree in which the choir stands on different levels of a 30' christmas tree and we sing a cantata about the Christmas story all the while computerized lights are dancing throughout the tree. When I booked the surging 6 weeks ago I was thinking that the cantata was a week later than it is. And I have a solo, which means when Husband tapes it to air on TV, there's going to be a close-up shot of me singing. With scabs on my face. Because the surgeon is just going to scrape the moles off instead of cutting and sewing. So that's today's worry. All about the face.

Husband asked if I needed him to pick me up after my appointment...in case I was queezy or something. He asked that because we have a friend who refuses to drive in the snow (living in the Great White North isn't such a great choice for her then, is it) so yesterday when it started to snow, she wouldn't drive home from work and called her husband to come and get her. If we were a betting family, I would have won big time because I even said to him - How much you wanna bet that she won't drive home tonight. Anyway, we joke about it, but I really feel sorry for her - to live in that much worry and fear about the uknown and the what-ifs. Just enjoy today. Boy, I should really listen to myself - sometimes I even make sense! Good advice, Jaj, good advice. Oooo, I can just see some of you blinking at the screen going, Huh? Is she talking to herself or us? I'm just making sure you're still awake, don't worry. But, boy, I do sound kind of quirky, don't I?

And on that note, I'd like to leave you with a letter written by Amy Eldridge who is the founder of Love Without Boundaries, which happens to be one of my favourite charities. This letter was posted on one of my yahoo groups and it was asked that we post it on our blogs or personal spaces. So, here it is, a letter about disrupted adoptions and what to expect when you see your child for the first time:

I have been so saddened by this situation. I most definitely wish there was a way to educate ALL adoptive parents about the truths of institutional care, however I have come to realize in my daily work that there are just as many parents who are not online reading everything they can find on adoption as are.

There are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of parents out there who have no idea what life is like for a child in an orphanage, and who head overseas to pick up their "China doll" only to be handed a baby who is unresponsive, thin, unable to eat... and on and on and on. While adopting my son last month, I walked several times over to the White Swan to talk to parents, and over and over I spoke with moms and dads who had no clue whatsoever about the issues their kids were having. I heard so many times things like, "she won't eat solid foods" (oral aversion), "she has no muscle tone" (muscle atrophy from lying in a crib all day), "she won't smile" (pure grieving from being taken from her foster mom). I guess since I live China 24/7, I assume everyone adopting does, too, which is not the case.

I talked to at least a dozen parents who didn't even know their child's orphanage name, and while I gently said "you might want to memorize that for your child's sake", at the same time I was trying to process how many parents get all the way to China without ever reading about post-institutional issues. It was sobering to me.

Babies in the NSN (non special needs) as well as the SN (special needs) path can have issues with attachment, motor skills, emotional issues and more. I think all of us on the WCC (Waiting Children China) list acknowledge that, while also acknowledging that all children (whether bio or not) can have these same issues. Living in an orphanage of course increases the odds.

I think the easy out is to say that agencies have to do more, as well as social workers, but I do think that most of them do try to give information to the parents but often parents don't want to hear it or else think it won't happen to them. Again, I am often surprised to talk to parents leaving soon and to realize they are not prepared. One family was adopting from our foster care program, and when I told them that the child was DEEPLY attached to the mom, the father said, "guess she might cry for an hour or so then?" An hour or so? She had been in foster care for over a year! I tried to explain that this little girl was about ready to lose everything she had ever known, and that they should not expect her to be sunny, happy, and full of personality after an hour. I told them to please remember the 72 hour rule.......that after 72 hours they would probably see her spark, but that she would probably grieve for a long time after that as well.

I think for many adoptive parents, they just don't want to read the "bad stuff", and so I do think that ultimately it is the parents who are at fault for not doing more to educate themselves. There certainly are books galore out there about post-institutional issues. I equate this to when I was pregnant with my kids and I would read "What to Expect When Expecting", and I would get to the C-section part and always skip it. Each and every time I would jump to the next chapter as "that wasn't going to happen to me". Well, on my fifth baby, when they were rushing me in for an emergency C section, I sure was wishing I had read that section earlier! But at that point in the OR, while they were strapping my hands down to the table, it was too late, and so I felt complete panic when I could have been prepared.

I think adoption from China is very similar to giving birth...it is much more rosy to only read the happy stories on APC, but I now encourage every family I meet to read the harder ones as well, because if you are the family who is handed a child that is limp and listless and who looks autistic, what you have learned in the past will help you make the right decision for your family during those very emotional first few days.

I have been called many times in the last few years by parents in China worried about their children. I agree that having a support network to help you through the initial time is essential. Everyone should go to China with at least one phone number of someone they can call if they are panicked upon meeting their new child. I remember feeling so alone when I was handed my daughter and she was so tiny and limp. Because our foundation often helps with the kids who have been disrupted, I am aware that sometimes there are children who have much more serious issues than originally reported... and that is such a hard thing for a parent to get to China and then discover their child is truly autistic or has serious mental delays. I think everyone on both the China and international side would agree that it is absolutely wrong of an orphanage to not be honest in their reports, and no one would excuse that, but I also know without a doubt that the majority of kids who are disrupted are just suffering from institutional issues and would catch up quickly in a loving home.

It is always a very sad day for the orphanage and everyone involved when a child that they know is absolutely fine, but perhaps thin and grieving, is returned by their new parents for being "delayed".

I think far too many people believe their child's life is going to begin the moment they meet them. The truth is, and everyone must realize it... a child's life is going on RIGHT NOW in China, and all of their experiences are shaping who they are. The vast majority of aunties that I have met in China are such kind and caring people, but it absolutely is not the same as having a mom and dad at your beck and call. I have had new parents call and say "we didn't think living in an orphanage would affect her at all", and those statements truly puzzle me. How could they not contemplate life in an orphanage?

Walk through Babies R Us and you will see every gadget known to man to make our children's lives here as ideal as possible. Now Americans have two way video monitors, so that when baby awakens not only can mommy see when to immediately rush in and comfort him, but she can talk to baby so that he doesn't even have one single second where he feels alone. How many new parents would have a newborn and then put that baby in a crib 22 hours a day on their own? How many would only feed their baby, even if they were really crying hard, every 8 hours? Or prop the bottle in her crib and then not watch to see if she ever really ate?

Of course no one would do that...we feed newborns on demand, comfort on demand, love continuously... and whether people want to recognize it or not, that is NOT the life of an orphan in an institution. ...even when the aunties are as good as gold. I remember one night when I took some volunteers in for the night shift in an orphanage, when normally just a few aunties are working. One mom looked at me with tears in her eyes as she slowly realized that it was absolutely impossible with just two hands to feed every child, to comfort every child, to soothe every baby who was crying. She said her heart was aching to realize that her own daughter most likely had many, many times where she cried without someone to comfort her.....and she told me that for the first time she finally understood why her daughter had such a deep seated fear of being out of her mom's sight.

The aunties are trying their absolute best, but that doesn't equal mother/child care. I remember being in an orphanage in the north this past winter and the aunties were so proud of how they had 6-8 layers of clothes and blankets on every baby to keep them warm. They were swaddled so tight that they couldn't move, but it was freezing in the orphanage and so the aunties wanted the babies to stay as warm as possible. What alternative did they have? It really was freezing there..I was cold in my wool coat, so the babies couldn't be up and about with just 1-2 layers on, with the ability to move their arms and legs. To stay warm they had to be immobile, and so of course all of those kids have weak muscle tone. But the aunties were truly trying their best, and when a parent is given one of those beautiful children on adoption day, I am sure they will go back to their room with concern and say "she can't sit up by herself..she can't put weight on her legs". That is absolutely the truth, but she also survived 10 degree weather in a very cold province and she will catch up soon enough with parents to encourage her.

To not acknowledge that living in orphanage circumstances can cause lower body weights, low muscle tone, inability to make good eye contact is very sad to me. Can it be overcome? Most definitely! The one thing I have learned over and over again about the kids in China is that they are fighters and survivors. But for some reason, people seem to want to ignore these issues in public forums.

Recently, one of our medical babies that we had met several times in person was adopted, and we all knew that this child was a "spitfire". When the family arrived and spent a few days with her, they decided she was too much of a handful for them and they wanted to disrupt. She absolutely was not what they expected. When they called their agency, they were told they had two choices: adopt the child, bring her to the US, and change their expectations of what they were hoping for, or adopt the child, bring her to the US and the agency would have a family waiting at the airport to adopt her locally. Option three of leaving the child in China was never once given. I admire that agency so much, as they were thinking of the child and the child alone. The family followed through with the adoption and handed the little girl to a new family upon her arrival in the US. As horrible and tragic and emotional as it was for everyone involved...I still feel this was the right decisionfor the agency to make. It was done in the absolute best interest of the child, who had waited a long, long time for a family. I wish more agencies would advocate for the rights of the child, instead of always seeming to give in to the parents, especially in those cases when they know with absolute certainty that nothing is permanently wrong with the child. Recently with another disruption, the agency I spoke with told me that it was "easier" to just get the family a new baby.

Sometimes easier does not equal right. The first baby who was rejected has now been labelled "mentally challenged" even though the agency knew the child was really going to be okay.

I think all of us, who do realize that delays occur and that babies can usually overcome them, should be these children's advocates by continually trying to educate new parents on what to expect in China. By helping them be better prepared, we just might help stop a disruption in the future. I love Chinese adoption with my whole heart, and it is my life's work... but I also want every family who goes to get their baby to go with their eyes open and to be as emotionally prepared as possible, for the child's sake.

Amy Eldridge, Love Without Boundaries

Drat

I need to put on socks. It's snowing. Not drat about the snowing, just about the socks.

So are you ready for more office drama? Last week a guy started and he apparantly loved the job. And the job loved him. Win-win situation, right? Except he didn't show up for work on Saturday or Sunday and didn't return any calls. So we couldn't quite figure out why he 'quit' when everything was going swimmingly. He called a few minutes ago from a pay phone. Seems that between Friday night at 9:00 when Husband dropped him off at his house and Saturday morning at 7:00 when he was supposed to work again, he got in an argument with his girlfriend. And it got loud. And the neighbours called the cops. And he got mouthy with the cops. Which resulted in him spending the weekend in jail. And his only phone call was used called his dad. So. He's coming back to work tomorrow. I think.

Countdown to Thumbelina - 26

Yes, I know we skipped 27, but it was a busy day yesterday.

Today I awoke with a headache. And 30 minutes late. So it was an interesting morning but we got through it. Yesterday Miss Molly ate the container of goldfish food. On the couch. And she tore apart my back pillow that was filled with buckwheat seed. On the couch. It took me over 1/2 hour to vacuum it all up. Dog! When will all this chewing end???

I thought we all should explore China a little bit, so today's Top 26 will be interesting factoids about China:

1. China is one of the world's oldest civilizatons, dating back more than 6 millenia.
2. China is also the source of many of the world's great inventions, such as paper, gunpowder, the compass and printing.
3. China is one of the few countries to invent writing independently.
4. The Chinese language has over 80,000 characters.
5. Mainland China is known as the People's Republic of China (PRC) while Taiwan and surrounding islands is known as the Republic of China (ROC).
6. Both states are still officially claiming to be the sole legitimate ruler of all of China.
7. The PRC currently administers 22 provinces, but does not administer the 23rd province of Taiwan.
8. The largest province is Qinghai but has the smallest population of just over 5.3 million peopel.
9. China is the 3rd largest country in land mass, coming in after Russia and Canada.
10. The Himalayas border China on the Southwest, while the Altai Mountains border the Northwest.
11. The Mongolian Plateau lies to the north, with the Yin Mountains running through the centre.
12. To the east of China is the Yellow Sea and East China Sea.
13. To the south is the South China Sea.
14. The Great Wall of China is the largest man-made structure in the world.
15. It is 3,948 miles long.
16. It was built between the 5th century BC until the beginning of the 17th century.
17. It roughly delineates the border between North China and Inner Mongolia.
18. The Chinese built the Wall to protect their lands.
19. The Wall has more than 10,000 watch towers, which were used to store weapons, house troops and send smoke signals.
20. It is an urban legend that the Great Wall can be seen from the moon by the naked eye.
21. China's overall population exceeds 1.3 billion people, or roughly 1/5 the world's population.
22. There are over 100 different ethnic groups in China, but the PRC recognizes 56.
23. There are several major dialects within the Chinese Language, with Mandarin being spoken by 70% of the population.
24. The Chinese language is so complicated, children cannot fully read it until they are around 12 years old.
25. China's climate varies greatly, from Arctic cold in the winter and 30 degrees Celcius in the summer in the North; to the central zone being temperate with very hot summers and cold winters; to the south having a subtropical climate with very hot summers and mild winters.
26. Dust storms are normal in the spring and have even made their way to the west coast of the US.

And that my friends, is barely scratching the surface of all things China.

We had Chinese for lunch yesterday and I'm watching the clock for lunch time so that I can dig in to the leftovers. Enjoy your day!

Countdown to Thumbelina - 28

So I had this dream last night about a turkey sandwich. And now I want to cook a turkey so that I can make myself a turkey sandwich. Must be because I watched Spanglish last night (sorry, I can't link to it because for some reason my nav tool bar is missing, so you'll just have to google it). Loved the movie, and the sandwich that Adam Sandler made for himself looked soooooooo delicious...which is why I think I dreamt of a sandwich. Which brings us to today's Top 28 - Comfort Foods! And we could all use a little comfort this weekend...

1. Joe Louis
2. Toast and Peanut Butter
3. Cherry Cheesecake
4. Cake with lots and lots of Icing
5. Icing from the bowl
6. Cookie Dough
7. Cookie Dough Ice Cream
8. Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
9. Nachos and Salsa
10. Ruffles and Onion Dip
11. Corn Chips
12. Sour Cream & Onion Chips
13. Ketchup Chips
14. Party Mix
15. Popcorn
16. Any Flavoured Popcorn
17. Peanut Brittle
18. Brownies
19. Molton Lava Cake
20. Whip Cream
21. More Whip Cream
22. Chocolate Chip Cookies with Whip Cream in the middle
23. Smores
24. Cherry Pie-Irons (and I don't even go camping!)
25. Chocolate from Europe
26. Grilled Cheese with onions
27. Scrambled Eggs

and last but not least
28. Turkey Sandwich

Obviously these were in no particular order. Such a healthy eater I am. So what foods comfort you?

Countdown to Thumbelina - 29

Our Countdown to Thumbelina continues today, and since the weather forecast is as follows:

From Friday morning to Saturday morning we expect : Trace of snow and 20-30 mm of rain.

what better thing to list than What I Would Rather Be Doing Other Than Watching It Rain All Day. So without further ado, my list:

1. Shopping
2. Scrapbooking
3. Reading a book
4. Watching a chick-flick
5. Writing Christmas Cards
6. Finishing putting up Christmas Decorations
7. Shopping for fabric for Thumbelina's curtains because I keep changing my mind on what I want
8. Sewing said curtains
9. Christmas shopping (different than just general shopping)
10. Making Christmas cards
11. Wrapping presents
12. Watching DOOL (Days of our Lives)
13. Cleaning the basement
14. Getting rid of extra toys
15. Organizing toys to keep
16. Looking through Christmas magazines
17. Reading my latest issue of my Lasting Moments Magazine (from Creative Memories)
18. Reading blogs
19. Shopping for baby supplies
20. Lunching with girlfriends
21. Knitting
22. Finishing up the blanket for Thumbelina's crib
23. Finishing up the sweater for Thumbelina
24. Making the hat to match the sweater for Thumbelina
25. Finish sewing the dress started last summer for Thumbelina
26. Wandering around a mall
27. Watching a chick-flick while eating chips without gaining weight
28. Listening to Christmas music while sipping mint hot chocolate while doing Christmas baking

and last but not least

29. Looking at sunshine

So what would rather be doing on this horizontally-rainy day?

Today is a Better Day

All right, I've had my pity party. Sorry to put you through that emotional blubberish yesterday. I tell you, it's just a good thing I work at home by myself, because I was crying all day. Every few minutes a fresh batch of tears would come. But today I'm okay. Today is a new day. Even though I still really, really, really dislike homework.

So. The CCAA has changed their website and they've matched babies with families until September 8. Which is 5 days before our LID. And I'm oddly calm about the whole thing. I've been thinking about this, and if we were to have gotten our referral this month, can you imagine how crazy it would have been trying to pack and get everything organized and ready during the Christmas holidays? It's better this way. Plus, I've heard that everything will be closed in China from February 11 - 23 for Chinese New Year, which is February 18. So the people who are getting their referrals this month (Congratulations to you all!) probably won't be able to travel until after Chinese New Year. At least that's what one person's agency told her. So, another month we wait.

I feel like I'm living in a parrallel universe or something at the moment. All last week, I was on edge, my stomach was fluttery, and right now? Nothing. So unlike me.

So let's do a Countdown to Thumbelina - and since today is maybe probably 30 days away from her referral, let's do a Top Thirty Pet-Peeves:

1. When Molly chews my garbage
2. Thus getting little itty bitty bits of paper all over the floor under my desk
3. And then people walk in the office and wonder what's going on
4. Leaving with the impression that I never clean
5. Empty boxes in the cupboard
6. Empty milk jug in the fridge
7. Cupboard doors left open
8. Closet doors left open
9. Lightbulbs burning out after 3 months of use
10. Telemarketers
11. People on 4-wheelers who think that farmers fields are their own personal play space
12. Thus causing thousands of dollars of damage to the farmer's crops
13. By making trails through the corn
14. And the police are powerless to do anything about it
15. People who give unsolicited advice
16. Toys with batteries
17. The cost of batteries
18. Toys that break within 5 minutes of taking them out of their box
19. Paper cuts
20. Paper cuts from file folders
21. The cost of greeting cards
22. People who refuse to find the humor in situations
23. People who are constantly in a bad mood
24. People who have drastic mood swings
25. People who always have to be right
26. People who argue with you until you want to choke them
27. People who constantly complain (much like I'm doing right now)
28. The sound of the alarm clock in the morning
29. When the people at Tim's don't stir the sugar in my coffee
30. People who drive just under the speed limit

Well. That was pretty easy to come up with. I must have a lot of pent-up peeve issues. So please share your pet peeves, and tomorrow we'll do another Countdown to Thumbelina with 29 things. And please send your ideas of what we should countdown together.

Don't Feel Like Blogging

It's true. I don't feel like blogging today. I'm just feeling extremely sad. And I'm really tired so of course that makes everything seem worse than it is. And no, I don't want to talk about it. And no, it isn't adoption related. And no, I won't stop using and. Oh, I don't know, maybe I should just release it.

Okay, you talked me into it.

Report cards have come out. We had some good reports and some not so good reports, but nothing we weren't expecting. Except one of the teachers has a requested a meeting with us. Which has me feeling nausious. It never occured to me until I was talking with Lola last night as we were busy little beavers that the remarks on the back of the report card about each student should have a positive, a negative and a positive. Ours is just negative, negative, negative. Not even an I'm glad he's in my class. Or He has such a creative spirit. And it just makes me extremely sad because now I'm wondering if his teacher even likes him. And it's breaking my heart. I know that the teacher's aid in the room does not like him because she never has anything nice to say about him and she always rolls her eyes when she talks about him. So I avoid talking to her as much as I can. When he missed school a week or two ago because he was sick, he was absolutely devastated that his teacher didn't write him a note with his homework saying she missed him and hoped he felt better. Devastated. As in ran from the room crying devastated.

At times it just seems too much to bear. And it just makes me so sad to know that he isn't having good days and doesn't want to be at school. And then I get angry. And my defenses get up. And I'm waiting for a fight that never comes. I'm worn out and I am so tired of our lives revolving around one child's school issues.

A Blither of Miscellany

On Saturday, my helpers and I spent the morning making cookies:


A close-up of my helper:


Oooo, look at them all:


A weird shot of the finished product (notice the two missing? Husband):

I made 6 batches of the recipe and ended up with almost 10 dozen cookies. Good thing, because Muther actually invited 8 people and forgot about herself. So yesterday, I took all 8 dozen of my cookies for the exchange, just in case we were going to sample everybody's cookies right then and there. And everybody else brought 7 dozen, so Muther didn't get any cookies. I told her I'd share mine with her but she thought the other ladies would be bringing her an extra dozen. So the lesson is If you host a cookie exchange, don't forget to count yourself! The cookies I came home with look really tasty. AND, one lady doesn't like making cookies, so she made butter tarts. Her butter tarts are the best in the world (really) so I was super excited about that.

Tonight, Lola and another friend, Trixie, are coming over to help me with my Christmas gifts for my nursery workers. They came last Tuesday as well:




Arent' they purty?


We ran out of supplies last week, so yesterday, Trixie and Sylive (my sil) and I went and bought some more. Except the store we went to didn't have the same kinds of things we had been using, so Sylvie was trying to explain how we need to do it with these new supplies. And it made sense in the store, but now going over it in my head again, I'm lost. So I hope Trixie has a better memory than I.

My son is mad at me because I'm trying to teach him responsibility. And I feel bad for him, but sometimes you have to learn things the hard way. I am always telling him not to give me memos from school as he's leaving to go to school the next day. He needs to show them to me the day he gets them. So this morning he's giving me memos and his report card and I wouldn't look at any of it because I didn't have time. So he was upset that Husband and I read his brothers' report cards and not his. And he will be missing out on pizza this Wednesday because I didn't get the memo until this morning. Which means I have to make a lunch for him, but he needs to learn this lesson.

His teacher said to me a few weeks ago, It's too bad we can't just lock them in a cage and then let them out when they're human again. I like his teacher.

Christmas Cookies

Interesting conversations happening on my last post...so let's just change the subject, shall we? But first some advice - AB, go buy JB a breakfast sandwich.

So tomorrow I will be spending the day making cookies. Not my favourite thing to do, especially with the boys around. Because they like to 'help'. And by 'help' I mean dump everything into the mixing bowl, and sneeze into the bowl while stirring. Doesn't happen every time, but it has happened before. Luckily it was just a pie for our own little family, and I didn't throw it out because I figured we're already breathing in the snot-covered germs, so why be wasteful. Anyway. Why do I have to make cookies? For a cookie exchange, silly! Muther is having one on Monday. It's kind of like a tea party with cookies. The plan is to make 8 dozen cookies because there will be 8 ladies there, and everybody exchanges one dozen cookies with each other so you end up with 8 dozen different cookies. And then you get to take them to your in-laws for Christmas. So the cookies I will be making are called Lemon Delights. I made them last year for the same thing and they were a big hit. Especially with Husband who got to eat all the broken ones. We both gained 5 pounds before Christmas even arrived. Nothing like eating lemon-flavoured butter and sugar!

I'm having a hard time thinking of Christmas gift ideas for some family members, so please, please share you Christmas gift ideas with me. What do you want? What do you hate? What do you need? I'm having trouble with Muther's Husband...as well as a few others...I never know what to get him and I never know if he likes my gifts or not. One year for Father's Day I made him a pumpkin pie. He only ate one piece of it. And the rest got thrown away. And no, it hadn't been sneezed in. So gifts stress me out. Last year I got him a portable snow shovel to keep in the trunk in case you're ever stuck in the snow. Looked neat in the store. Kinda sounds stupid now. Anyway, ideas are greatly appreciated. So share, share, share. Pretty please?

Happy Turkey Day...and other stuff

Happy Turkey Day to all those who are celebrating it today! And happy shopping tomorrow!!!

My van is back. I really don't know if the bird got out or not...I'll guess we'll find out in the next week or so...shudder. {{shudder}}

This morning the boys were all ready to eat breakfast, and I reminded them that they needed to say grace before they started. And of course they looked at me like I was crazy because we don't usually remember to say grace at breakfast, what with us being positively chirpy in the morning and all. That was sarcasm. Our goal is just to survive. So I said, Tigger, please say grace. He just kind of looked at me, bowed his head, and said very quietly, Grace. I know, I know, but I just wasn't expecting it.

Keep your fingers crossed - Husband is interviewing a potential employee right as I'm typing this. I have a good feeling about this guy. Maybe it's just hopeful desperation, but a good feeling nonetheless.

I've just finished eating the new breakfast sandwich from Tim's, and I must say it is really quite yummy. Have you tried it yet? No? You really must.

So The Office is on tonight. I'm enjoying the tension between Dwight and the new guy (can't remember his name). I lead such a pathetic life. Looking forward to a show that is nothing but a waste of time. Anyway. Have a good one.

Don't Know What to Talk About

So I haven't blogged yet today. Because I don't know what to talk about.

Husband was out of town for meetings all day, and that left me home alone.

The van is still at the shop because Husband hasn't taken me to pick it up yet. So I don't know if the bird escaped or not.

I got quite a bit of work done today.

We are having fish for supper tonight.

Someone googled Funny excuses to tell your teacher why your homework is not done and found my blog. On like the 10th page.

I've been trying to stay away from the RQ but today's rumor is just too juicy and keeps pulling me back for more. More! I need more!

So.

What's new with you?

Panic

Today I am full of panic. I feel ill-prepared for travelling half-way around the world to receive one small infant. Even though we won't be travelling yet for a few more months. Still, I have panic. I've been looking at packing lists. I think we'll need to take the maximum number of suitcases allowed just so we can evenly distribute everything and not be over the weight limits. I feel like the little sparrow that was trapped in my van earlier today. Wanting to take flight but not knowing where to go.

Yes, there was/is a bird in my van. Tigger forgot his backpack this morning, so I took it in to the school for him. And then I stopped for a few groceries. When I got home, I had the trunk open, because of unloading the groceries and all, and I left it open for awhile, hoping Husand would come home in the meantime and see the case of orange juice and bring it in to the house for me. Because I'm lazy like that. But he didn't come, and I got tired of looking at my van with the trunk open so I finally went out and closed it. And left the orange juice in the van because I was too lazy to carry it into the house.

So I had to take the van to the mechanics for it's quarterly tune-up and there's a bird in the front seat, desparately trying to break through the glass of the passengers window, but just banging its poor little body in desparation. So I left the driver's side open and went to the passengers side and opened it. But no bird. So I closed that door and opened the back door and the trunk, but still no bird. So I closed the doors and got in. Luckily I have a package of wipes in the van and I was able to wipe off all of the doo-doo. Poor bird must have been in the van for awhile.

I was really hoping the bird had escaped when I wasn't looking, so off I drove to the mechanics. All the while envisioning this tiny sparrow dive-bombing me and forcing me off the road or into on-coming traffic, thus resulting in an accident with hideous injuries and dismemberment of various body-parts. And if that happens, you just know we'll have to put the adoption on hold. But I experienced no attacks by any birds. Although once I got to the mechanics, I did hear some shuffling somewhere in the area of the backseat/trunk, so I opened the back windows in hope that the bird will escape. Husband thinks the bird will end up giving the mechanics a heart-attack.

I just hope it's gone by the time I have to go get the van.

So ya, I'm feeling panicky today. I need to be released out into the wild to do some retail therapy. Much retail therapy.

Tigger-isms

Kids crack me up with their sense of humor. They can find the hilarious in the silliest of things. Last night, Tigger, Shaggy and I were coming home from church - Zoomer was at an afterglow and Husband was at work. Normally he doesn't work on a Sunday - just in the afternoon - but since the Bad Seed got fired, Husband has to cover all of his shifts. And Husband was going to have Roy and Mason cover the Bad Seeds shifts, but Roy didn't show up for his first day of work (Husband called Roy's wife at 7:10 because Roy was supposed to start at 7 am and his wife said that Roy left home at 6:30. Two days later Husband finally got ahold of Roy - Husband used a cell phone that didn't display his name so Roy, being nosy, called the number that showed up on his phone. I don't think he was expecting it to be Husband. So Roy said he didn't show up for work because he had another interview. Right. At 7:00 in the morning.) And Mason called yesterday and said he couldn't come to work today (today would have been his first day) because he got called back to work. But at least he called. So all that to explain why Husband wasn't in church with us yesterday. So Tigger. All the way home he was saying, "Hello, this is Tigger Jaj and I'm calling on the telescope. I was wondering if you could bring me a telephone so that I could look at the stars." And he could barely get it out because of all the giggles. And then he'd say, "Hey mom, you get it? I'm saying everything backwards!" All the way home.

A week ago Sunday night, at church, Tigger lost his shoe. Lost. his. shoe. Off of his foot. I'm still trying to figure that one out. And we still haven't found it yet. The boys and I were all looking for it in the area where he said it fell off, but nothing. I told the Secretary and she was going to ask the Custodian to keep an eye out for it. And I mentioned it to one other guy who happened to see us looking and he was going to keep an eye out for it as well too. But you know, I didn't look in any of the potted plants. I wouldn't put it past one of the kids who were there to hide it on Tigger. So it's just a really good thing we have an over-abundance of shoes over here at the Funny Farm.

I had to buy some more lights for the Christmas tree because we had a couple of strands that quit working. Did you know that you can only get the LED lights now? At least in our sleepy, little town. Which is fine, but they come in strands of 70 instead of 100. And I use 100 lights for every foot of tree. Which means my tree is looking a little sparse for lights by the time we get to the top. And there aren't any green lights on the LED strands. I miss the green. I also bought 4 nine-foot lighted garlands that I want to hange from the roof part of our front porch. Except I haven't been able to figure out how to secure it. Ideas???

So that's all for now. Tigger tried to tell me last night that he wasn't feeling well and he didn't think he'd be able to go to school today. Shaggy missed two days of school last week due to illness and Tigger didn't think it was very fair that Shaggy got to stay home and he didn't. Tigger is very much a Momma's Boy.

Oh, one other Tigger-ism and then I'll let you get back to work. This morning, Zoomer was ironing his shirt for school (I'm trying to train him to be more independant) and as I was making lunches (yes, I'm a slacker and didn't do them last night) I asked Zoomer if Tigger was getting dressed (Tigger and Shaggy get dressed in the living room so that I can keep an eye on them and help them if need be) and Zoomer said, "No, he's just sitting there being cute." So I said, "Tigger, stop being cute." And Tigger said in a very sad (put-on) voice, "You don't want me to be cute anymore?" And I said, "Just stop being cute long enough to get dressed and then you can be cute again."

Tiggers.

Check This Out!

Yay! Yay! Yay! Tina from The Story of You has our homepage up!!! I started to cry when I saw the proof this morning. Yes, I'm a big sap. So make sure you bookmark it and follow along, although nothing will be happening until we actually go to China, but still. And the picture of us at the bottom is from 2 years ago. It was the nicest one I could find of the 5 of us.

The Office and Dreams

Did you all watch The Office last night? I only saw the first half-hour because last night was Husband's and mine Thursday Night Date Night where we always watch CSI together. So I have the rest of The Office recorded and I'll watch it later. So my favourite scene last night (as I'm thinking about all the laundry and ironing I should be doing) was when Jim was talking to Dwight but kept looking above his eyes. Funny. I have a brother-in-law who used to work at a grocery store and one night he decided whenever a customer talked to him or asked him a question, he was going to look to the left of their eyes (or to the right, I can't remember). And I remember this because I happened to be in said grocery store the night he was doing this. It really is frustrating when someone doesn't look you in the eye when you're talking to them.

I had the weirdest dream last night and woke up with a kink in my neck and now I have a headache. Plus Tigger was up too many times to count. So my dream. Was so weird. There were a bunch of us there, I know that Lola was one of the people there, and "there" was a clothing store. But is was very small and crowded, almost like a walk-in closet. And there were baby clothes as well. But I wanted a new outfit and they were horribly disgusting. Like 80's disgusting. You remember the 80's with the huge shoulder pads, wild coloured geometric shapes and different textures. ALL these outfits were like this. And I remember thinking to myself, Oh please no! No! Not the 80's again! But the funny thing is when I was a teenager, I LOVED the 80's and the styles. Remember balloon pants? And the big hair?

So in my dream, after I decided there was no way on earth I could bring myself to buy one of those outfits, someone walked in with referrals. REFERRALS! But all we got was a picture - very small and hard to make out what exactly our babies looked like - and piece of paper with the babies' Chinese name and weight. And then they were going to bring the babies in! Except I was panicking because I didn't know how to pronounce her Chinese name and what if they didn't give me my baby because I couldn't pronounce her Chinese name! So I don't really remember what happened after that; I know Lola went home with a puppy. Beyond Bizarre.

Let's Talk Christmas

Christmas is in 40 days. Are you ready for it?

I love Christmas. I love the Christmas story and the Reason for the Season. I love Christmas commercials on TV. I love the Christmas specials - Frosty, Rudolph, Olive the Other Reindeer - I love the nostalgia of it all. I love the decorations and the twinkling lights. I love getting together with family (no, really!) and laughing and laughing. Husband's side of the family gets a little goofy when everyone is together. They like to laugh. As in egg nog coming out of your nose laugh.

I had an idea for our group picture this year. Husband thinks it's the stupidest thing he's ever heard of, but the boys are all for it. I thought it would be fun to buy everybody a set of ugly teeth and we could all pose for the picture wearing our ugly teeth. Except not the ones at this link because they're too expensive. But I did pick up a few pairs during the Halloween season. And I did find someone selling them on e-bay, except it was a box of 100 and what am I going to do with 100 ugly teeth that are all identical? So. Stupid idea like Husband thinks, or fun like the boys and I think?

Do you have any Christmas traditions that you enjoy? I'm always looking for new ideas. One thing that we started a few years ago, is instead of an advent calendar, I wrap up 24 Christmas books. Starting December 1, the boys take turns picking a book and unwrapping it and we all read it together.

So share, share, share all your ideas.

Ironic

What American accent do you have? Your Result: North Central "North Central" is what professional linguists call the Minnesota accent. If you saw "Fargo" you probably didn't think the characters sounded very out of the ordinary. Outsiders probably mistake you for a Canadian a lot.
The West
The Midland
Boston
The Inland North
The South
Philadelphia
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

As a matter of fact, I DO get mistaken for a Canadian. Whatever.

***Okay, so beta-blogger said that my html codes were wrong...which is why the link isn't working for this quiz. So if you'd like to take the quiz, I found it over at Ragus Pug.

The Great One

So there's this older gentleman at church - retired professor who is very knowledgable in geology and has become Shaggy's 'Best Friend' since Shaggy is into rocks. 'Doc' has given Shaggy fossils and rocks that he's gotten from the North Country and is always giving me photocopies on the technical aspects of said rocks; half the words I can't even pronounce so I haven't passed the info on to Shaggy yet.

So one day Doc said to me, You know Wayne Gretzky? I can get his autograph for you if you'd like. I was a bit suprised, but who's going to turn down an autograph of the Great One, right? So I said, Sure, that'd be great! Apparently whenever The Great One is in the area, Doc goes to somebody's house who is a relative and leaves a list of people's names who would like autographs. If you knew Doc, you wouldn't be surprised at all.

A week ago, after the choir finished performing and we're all walking to our seats, I walked behind the back row of pews in church and there's Doc holding a manilla envelope out to me. So I took it. In it were more photocopies on rocks, of course, and 5 autographed pictures of The Great One. How cool is that?!?! So Husband and I have one, as do each of the boys and Millie & Fil. So totally awesome.