Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve.

Middle age is when you're forced to. ~Bill Vaughn

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in.

A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. ~Bill Vaughan

A New Year's resolution is something that

goes in one year and out the other. ~Author Unknown

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors,

and let each new year find you a better man. ~Benjamin Franklin

As you may or may not know, this has really been a tough year for us at my house. Don't get me wrong, we've had our good times, but it has been a trying year, nonetheless. I'm working on things I hadn't realized I needed to work on. I suppose that means I'm "growing"! :P

(And after 24 years of marriage, we are making it! It's been a long, (and sometimes very difficult) road on which to be, but Hubby still tries to make me happy. He still cooks for me. We still hold hands at the movies. That's definitely something for which to be thankful!)

But I can't leave out my friends for being here for me, too. And I would certainly be remiss if I didn't mention my blog friends. It's amazing how a bunch of "strangers" can be there for you, but I'm living proof that it does happen. My year has been made stronger by all my blog friends.
Thank you ALL!!

May 2008 be your best year EVER!!!!

Happy 24th Anniversary, Hubby!!!

I LOVE YOU!!

I would like to wish all my wonderful, amazing blog friends

a very Merry Christmas. May your day be filled

with warmth and wonder, joy and peace,

and everything you could ever wish for

during this family season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Wow... Time is flying.

I don't have a lot of things to buy for Christmas at this point. I don't really have a lot of people to buy for, and since son's been older, I haven't really spent a lot of time shopping for Christmas. "Things" haven't been high on my list in some time. I know it sounds strange, but it seems as if the last few years have taught me about the level of importance of things. "Things" and presents just aren't high on my list. Family and being there for each other, on the other hand, has come to be most important.

Granted, we have bought some things for son and for her, and I'm still trying to find something for hubby. (He's SO difficult to buy for! Truly!) I have my bike already and a couple more things on their way in the mail.

My mom and stepdad are also impossible for which to buy Christmas presents!! It reminds me of this Cathy comic quite a LOT! I've been sending them gift cards for things that they like the last couple of years. It actually seems to be working out very well for them. They seem to like it much better than more "knick knacks" and/or clothes and such. (And with my mom having COPD and other breathing disorders, even perfumes and bath oils, etc. are out of the question.)

And this time last year, we couldn't even get son to talk to us on the phone, let alone have him home for Christmas. We had to find him and take his present to him a couple of days after Christmas last year. That part is nice this year. It's nice to have him much closer to us this year.

Definitely.

Speaking of which, he now has a job. He's finished nearly a week there so far. He's very happy about that! And I have to say, so am I. They seriously need the money with a little one on the way. And to see that change in him from "I don't like this job so I think I'll quit" to "I really need this job so I'll do whatever it takes to keep it" has been an amazing change in him that I'm very happy to see. I'm very happy to see some sort of maturity in him.

OK. Now that I've bored you all to tears with the details of my boring life at this holiday season,

I'll leave you all with a very jolly,...

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL !!

...and have fun in the remaining days until the holidays are here!!

"Elf Yourself!"

OK. I finally gave in and "elfed" myself!!

I've seen this link on a few different blogs,

so I decided to go ahead and try it myself.

I did this last year, too...

>>>>>Here's my elf! <<<<<

Now you go along and make one!!

I'm thinking the weather here is going to be

completely whacky and crazy

the next couple of days.

It's 80 degrees today.

We're getting a cold spell tomorrow.

It's supposed to be a high of 51 tomorrow.

I'm pretty sure that's at midnight.

Within 24 hours we are, more than likely,

going from 80 degrees to 38 degrees

this time tomorrow. And we'll have

freezing rain this time tomorrow.

YIKES!!

**Edit -- As it turned out, we reached a high of 87 on Saturday. We had to have the air conditioning on. Within hours we had to turn the heat on when the temperature plunged to 34 degrees by the middle of Sunday -- not to get any warmer. One day shorts, the next day winter coats. Crazy Texas weather...! -- End Edit**

Insomnia...

What means this heaviness that hangs upon me?
This lethargy that creeps through all my senses?
Nature, oppress'd and harrass'd out with care,
Sinks down to rest.
- Joseph Addison, Cato (act V, sc. 1)

What probing deep
Has ever solved the mystery of sleep?
- Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Human Ignorance

But I, in the chilling twilight stand and wait
At the portcullis, at thy castle gate,
Longing to see the charmed door of dreams
Turn on its noiseless hinges, delicate sleep!
- Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Invocation to Sleep

He sleeps well who is not conscious that he sleeps ill.
- Francis Bacon

Can anyone tell me what this is?



**EDIT
(Oh, my!!! I'm sorry to give people the wrong idea!!
This isn't an ultrasound of mine - it's my grandchild.)
END EDIT **

Have fun shopping, cooking, and getting ready for the holiday season!!!

I did something "huge" today. Well, maybe not huge in the context that some of you would consider "huge," but for me, it was big.

I've been doing some Christmas shopping, as I'm sure all of you have done. But today, I shopped for her. In my heart, I didn't want to do anything of the sort. I received an email recently with some sort of "quotes" or sayings by which we were all supposed to live (as I'm sure we all have!!!) :P . I remember reading it quickly and in the same time frame, deleting it immediately. One saying stayed with me, though. I can't remember it exactly, but it said something regarding "learning lessons about life and love." Even though I threw it away, one thought stayed with me. It said something about "to learn about love, do something nice for someone you dislike." Well, sheesh, she fit that bill nicely!

Hubby and I stopped by a department store tonight and bought her some maternity clothes. I bought one pair of black pants (suitable for work) and a black maternity blouse and a darker red (burgundy colored) maternity blouse. I sincerely hope she likes them -- especially because son has said she has no real maternity clothes so far (she is about 14 weeks now). I'll be picking him up and bringing him home tomorrow so he and hubby can go play poker tomorrow night. I'll show them to him then to see what he thinks. ...to see if he thinks they will fit her and also if he thinks she will like them. If so, I'll wrap them up for her.

As much as I don't want to face it, it appears she is going to be the mother of my grandchild. I guess that means I must do what I must do to keep that baby in our lives. I suppose there are worse things....

Hoping you all have a happy holiday "prep" season!!

And the Cowboys WIN!!!

Cowboys beat the Packers

37 to 27!!!

(*I'm normally not this overboard with football, but I've been teasing a good friend of mine who is a die-hard Packers' fan!)

So half a week is about over, and I'm just beginning to get back into the swing of things. I'm a night owl by nature, so I start waking up as the night goes on. (Which I'm sure explains a lot of my sleeping troubles...) I do much better on some sort of "routine," though. ...getting up at the same time every day, trying to go to sleep about the same time every night. It doesn't always work, but I try. So given any amount of time off has a tendency to have me staying up until 3 a.m. or so and getting up around 9 or 10 a.m. (or later). Boy, it's sure hard to switch back to "normal" hours after that! I'm working on it, though...

Hubby got my combination recumbent/stationary bike put together. I really, really like it!! I have a couple of pics, but they seriously do not do it justice. It's much bigger and sturdier than it appears in the pics. The electronics are pretty cool, too. The metal looking triangles on the handlebars keep track of your heart rate when your hands are on them. And they measure all the usual things like speed, distance, calories burned, etc. The recumbent portion of the bike can be removed at any time, too, but I have to say I like it the best!

To avoid the "this is too hard" and "I don't want to be sore" phases that you get with other exercise equipment when you do to much all at once, I started off really slow -- only for a couple of minutes at a time for the first couple of days. I've barely been on it a few days and I've been doing a couple of miles or so on it at a time. It may seem like tiny little baby steps, but it keeps me motivated and really into it. That's what's most important to me. I don't like exercise at all, but if I'm sitting in front of the television watching my favorite shows anyway, it doesn't really seem like exercise at all! So that's what works for me.

And wouldn't you know that son came over after it had been put together a couple of days. He jumped right on it! He loves it, too! Made me nervous, but he said "Oh, this one's much better quality than the last one. I won't be able to hurt it at all!" ;P

Hmm... I sure hope not!!

This is my 2 year anniversary for my blog!!!

Wow.... Has it been 2 years already?

I've made many new friends and had a blast!!

Thank you all for listening to me whine,

Sharing my triumphs,

Listening to all my rants,

And staying with me even when the best I could do

Was to borrow a meme or

Or find some poetry or

Do a quick quiz.

Thank You!

XOXOXO

Well, Thanksgiving is over. Hubby and I had a very nice day together. We cooked the meal and enjoyed it tremendously. We took a turkey (two actually - one for the freezer) and many "fixin's" to son so he could have a nice Thanksgiving meal with his friends. That's what he wanted to do this year. We see him often, so it was okay that we didn't see him on that day. It was his very first Thanksgiving cooking his own meal for others. He really seemed to enjoy it, so that's what it's all about. I'm glad he enjoyed himself and was thoroughly happy with how it turned out for them.

We do have a lot for which to be thankful. Hubby is doing TONS better this week! (He has been sick for some time. After a doctor visit and a couple of prescriptions, he's finally feeling a lot better.) I've been fairly relaxed this "vacation" and have enjoyed being able to just sit around and only have to do what I feel like doing. Sitting around in pajamas and surfing and watching television is NOT overrated!! ;)

I've been trying to move things around in the living room a bit because my "early" Christmas present arrived! I know it sounds really silly, but I actually wanted a stationary bike. ...a good one. I had one years ago, but son, being hyperactive as he was, ended up breaking it! I fixed it once, but the second time was just too much for the poor thing. :P I really don't like exercising at all, but I've always enjoyed bike riding. I haven't much gotten into it this year, but I love a stationary bike! And I have to have it in the living room!! When it's in here, it motivates me because I see it all the time. I ride it much more often when it's right in front of the television, and I don't have to actually "think" about exercising! ;D So I finally found one I wanted. It's a combination stationary/recumbent bike. It has all kinds of cool electronic gadgets attached. I REALLY like it!! Hubby put it all together for me, but I had to make plenty of room for it in the living room so we could still get around and use it without it blocking off everything else. We still want to have use of the fireplace this winter, and also the computer. (We have a computer in the living room that we use, as well as all the lizards, etc. Ours is definitely a "living room." We certainly do live in here...

Anyway... I don't know how much decorating (if any) for Christmas I'll be doing this year. When son was younger and still at home, we decorated everything!! I have little setups that have been packed in boxes for a few years. (You know, the little Christmas trains and ferris wheels, musical boxes and such.) Son had his own 4 foot tree that was totally decked out with old wooden ornaments. It was beautiful. But we just haven't felt like it the last couple of years or so. Maybe once the baby comes, things may be different.

Oh, yeah. I suppose some of you don't know. I'm going to be a grandmother next June. I suppose I have to think about it more that she's now beginning her second trimester right now. I can't say I'm "happy" about it, but what can you do? The baby is a total innocent in all this mess. But I don't really want to think about it more right now. And that's all I have to say about that.

Though I'm not around my family at all (which makes me sad this time of year), they all seem to be doing well. ...which is good news. They (as well as we) have had a tough year, so it's good to know that we are all doing well.

And speaking of being thankful, though it seems petty, I'm even thankful for the weather! About a week before Thanksgiving, it was supposed to be 82* here. I wasn't looking forward to cooking all day with the air conditioner blowing constantly! ;P And you can imagine how glad I was that the high was only about 49!! It really "felt" like autumn and the holidays! While we were watching the Thanksgiving Cowboys game, I was totally surprised to see it SNOWING at Texas Stadium!!! Wow!! Very cool! Maybe it helped the Cowboys! Woo HOOO!!! Cowboys win again with a record breaking 10-1 season so far! I have a good friend who's a MAJOR Packer's fan, so next weeks game against the Packers should be awesome!! GO COWBOYS!!

It's been raining off and on since then. Though it's been a cold rain, I enjoy it just the same! It really, finally, feels like fall. Though the temps will be back up to 70+ this week, it was very, very nice to feel the autumn on Thanksgiving weekend.

Well, I've gone on long enough now!! (Wow, I'm longwinded today!! ;D)

So how are you guys doing?!

I hope you all found many reasons for which to be thankful this year. Any day that you wake up breathing is another chance -- another day for which to be thankful.

I wish many blessings to you all!!

Giving Thanks

For the hay and the corn and the wheat that is reaped,
For the labor well done, and the barns that are heaped,
For the sun and the dew and the sweet honeycomb,
For the rose and the song and the harvest brought home --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the trade and the skill and the wealth in our land,
For the cunning and strength of the workingman's hand,
For the good that our artists and poets have taught,
For the friendship that hope and affection have brought --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the homes that with purest affection are blest,
For the season of plenty and well-deserved rest,
For our country extending from sea unto sea;
The land that is known as the "Land of the Free" --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

Author Unknown

I am very thankful for all the blog friends I have made this last 2 years.

I wish you all peace and love and happiness --

And many, many reasons for which to be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Have a Nice Day!

I received this pic in my email today...
I don't think it's photoshopped, but it's hard to say.

Cute pic, though!

It was titled, "God's way of saying, 'Have a nice day!'"

Thanksgiving is coming up this week...

Wishing you a calm, happy, patient, wonderful week.

Hey, guys... Sorry I haven't posted in a bit. We've been sick here. Hubby, of course, seems to get things worse than I do. His immune system has taken a few shots the last couple of years, so he's not as strong as he used to be, but we're working on getting stronger every day!!

In the meantime...

Congrats COWBOYS!!!

Score 28 to 23!
____________________________________

In other news....

For the lastest pics of Zibby, go here!

I've just posted his 6.5 month pics. What a Zibby monster!

I'll post again soon, but for now, I hope you all have a great week!!

Please remember the men and women who

made/make sure that we all have the freedoms

that we are lucky enough to enjoy in this country.

I, for one, am very grateful.

Thank you soldiers from every

branch of the military, for

your bravery, courage, and willingness to

sacrifice all for us -- your family, your friends,

your neighbors, your countrymen.

How 'bout them Cowboys?!!!!

Woo HOOO!!

Score 31 to 20!

Nature

As a fond mother, when the day is o'er,
Leads by the hand her little child to bed,
Half willing, half reluctant to be led,
And leave his broken playthings on the floor,
Still gazing at them through the open door,
Nor wholly reassured and comforted
By promises of others in their stead,
Which, though more splendid, may not please him more;
So Nature deals with us, and takes away
Our playthings one by one, and by the hand
Leads us to rest so gently, that we go
Scarce knowing if we wished to go or stay,
Being too full of sleep to understand
How far the unknown transcends the what we know.

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

After the last post, Hallie left me a comment asking if I liked to play Texas Hold'em Poker. I thought I'd post my answer...

Well, Hallie, I've never really played Texas Hold'em. I grew up playing what I consider "basic" poker. (It's something I enjoyed doing with my family.) ;D

Both these guys are very mathematically oriented and love playing the "odds" and statistics of it all. It's like a game within a game for them. And they don't actually lose any money. They play "free poker", but if they win, the different venues offer small prizes, so it's harmless. They meet and make new friends, and it gives them a way to hang out with each other. (And sometimes it sounds like they're speaking a foreign language to me!) It's one of those things they enjoy doing together. I'm really glad they have something they like doing together!

Not a whole lot to blog about today, but I thought I'd give it a shot.

I can't believe it's November already. I mean really. I was honestly surprised as I turned over my calendar at work and it said November at the top. The year has gone so quickly. I heard a funny sometime back about life being like toilet paper. "...the faster you get to the end, the faster it goes!" I hate that thought, but it does seem like my life is in 'fast forward' sometimes. I was 18, then 21, 25, 30, and boom.... Here I sit at 41. I don't mean to whine, mind you. It just surprises me how fast life passes by sometimes. ...too fast sometimes.

Halloween went very well at my house. At first, we didn't think we were going to have any kids come by. We're used to having them start coming by around 5:30 or so. By 7, we still hadn't had anyone come by! (We decorate and all that fun stuff!) But believe me, when they started coming by at about 7:30, we were bombarded with witches, ghouls, goblins, and superheroes!! ;) Fun was had by all!!

And it's FINALLY cooling down in Texas!! The days are mostly in the 70's now. ...mostly sunny. This is one of my favorite times of the year here. We've now lived here officially 14 years. I fell in love with Texas my first Autumn here. It was getting icy up north (we moved from Illinois), but was so sunny and pleasant here! I would walk my (then) third grade son the 3-4 blocks to school every morning. I loved it!! I forget how much I love it until it's here again. I really should get out and enjoy more than I am, though...

As most of my blog friends know, hubby and son are avid Texas Hold'em Poker players. They love it! They play in a league at least 3 nights a week. A first finally happened for them last night! They are so excited! The guys ruled the house last night! They play two tournaments a night, and last night, hubby took first place in the first tournament, and son took first place in the second tournament!! Woo HOOO!! They both won 2 free dinners each! It isn't the prize they are playing for as much as the prestige!! ;D But they both won! And this isn't some rinky dink league, either. The venue where they play was owned (until just a week or so ago) by a World Series of Poker Tournament winner!! (He sold it because he's back on tour again and hasn't the time to run the place.) So it's some serious poker playin' going on in there!! They are getting to be quite good at it, too...

Well, Zibby (the Savannah Monitor) is getting absolutely freakin' huge!! He's still pretty young at only 6 months, but getting bigger all the time. Spud (the Bearded Dragon) went to sleep a few days ago. Right on cue, he went to sleep a few days before Halloween. We won't be seeing much from him until about Valentine's Day. The seven geckos (Leopard Geckos) seem to be doing well, too. It's so hard to believe that the oldest one will be 8 years old in a month or so. Wow...

Speaking of the next month or two, next month is my wedding anniversary. We will be married 24 years as of December 28. That's another 'wow' moment...

AND, it's FRIDAY!!!

So I think you are all caught up with me for a bit now. You guys have a great weekend and do something really fun!! ...just don't forget to set your clocks back this weekend! Daylight savings time starts again. (At least it's the one where we get back an hour!)

Halloween is about having FUN!!

How about some pumpkin carving?!!

Click here to carve your own pumpkin!

How about hangman?!

I looked at my blog posts from a year ago...

This is what I did about this time last year.

Cool...

Feel free to ask away!


"My friend, Tina, has this really great idea. I think I like it...

Ask me a question -- any question -- and I'll try to answer it to the best of my ability.
It can be personal, in general, or (as she says) totally out there crazy!!
You can ask right here on my blog, or you can email me. "

It's really hard to believe that Halloween is only a week away!!

Sheesh... It just barely cooled to below 90º for a high a few days ago.

The first holiday to begin the "holiday season" is upon us!

Where has the time gone?

...to my friend, Deirdre!!!

Go tell her Happy Birthday!!

I've been simpsonized!!

I even simpsonized hubby! :P
HA!! This was a fun site in which to play around!

Click here to simpsonize yourself!