Hi Guys! Patti emailed me and said CHECK IN---so here I am! Sorry for being MIA. I probably won't be back until Tuesday or Wednesday. Everything is going haywire. The day the photographer was due, I went downstairs and my SubZero had died. Water all over the floor and all the food in there was garbage. I cancelled the shoot. Then the next night, all the power in the right side (bonus room and nursery went out, as well as the internet) The night after that, the master bedroom and bath went out. I called an electtrician and he replaced the breakers and we're back as of yesterday. New countertops arrived, but the plumber cancelled and now I've got to find a plumber before Saturday to hook my sink back up. And appliance guy can't hook up cooktop or dishwasher until next week. I have my open house this Saturday, so I am wound up tighter than a spring! I can't wait for next week to come!!! I noticed the massive lines of survey as I skimmed, so I thought I'd join in---a little respite from the stress, if you will...! 1. Where do you work? At home 2. What color socks are you wearing right now? none 3. What are you listening to right now? Computer fan. 4. What was the last thing that you ate? Handful of Fritos 5. Can you drive a stick shift? but of course 6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Periwinkle 7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? One of of my best girlfriends 8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes! 9. How old are you today? 45 (feels like 100) 10 Favorite drink? Coke 11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Olympic pairs ice skating and women's gymnastics:floor exercises 12. Have you ever dyed your hair? "Ever?" ALWAYS. 13. Pets? Not any more... 14. Favorite food? lemon cheesecake 15. What was the last movie you watched? Much Ado About Nothing 16. Favorite day of the year? December 31st 17. What do you do to vent anger? Longs Rants followed by Cleaning the house and b1thching the whole time. 18. What was your favorite toy as a child? Ricky doll (it actually wa sa Thumbelina with all the hair cut off. I wanted a boy doll) 19. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Spring!! 20. Hugs or kisses? Hugs 21. Cherries or blueberries? Neither. raspberries 22. Do you want your friends to email you back? 23. Who is most likely to respond? 24. Who is least likely to respond? 25. Living arrangement? Chaotic, DH p/t, 2 bio kids, 2 foster kids, and 2 on/off college-aged kids and whomever follows them home. 26. When was the last time you cried? Last week, about how much there is to do all the time. 27. What is on the floor of your closet? No, the question is, what ISN'T on the floor of my closet? 28. Who is the friend you have had the longest relationship that you are sending this to? 29. What did you do last night? Talked on the phone, resad the news, and went to bed reading "The House ALways Wins" 30. Favorite smells? Fresh cut grass, vanilla candles, Johnson & Johnson baby lotion 32. What are you afraid of? rodents and men with knifes 33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Double cheese with onions, ketchup, mustard, and hot pickles 34. Favorite dog breed? Rodesian Ridgeback or a Pharaoh Hound 35. Number of keys on your key ring? 4 or 5 36. How many years at your current job? Not too many ...yet. 37. Favorite day of the week? Tuesday 38. How many states/counties have you lived in? 2 states, 2 39. Favorite vacation? Cruising or driving combined with hiking 40. Have you driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? yes 41. Your middle name? Jo Enjoy the rest of the week. See you on Wednesday!!!!!

Susan, they make cameras for the computer and we use Skype? to talk to/see my dh's family in St. Louis. It is really fun and cameras are really cheap. We went to Reno yesterday for the whitewater kayak festival. We watched some great kayakers compete. My dh could have paddled with Eric Jackson (maker of Jackson kayaks) last weekend but passed to spend day with dd at her softball games. I could not believe he passed that chance. Oh well. Anyhoo, it was sunny with a bit of a breeze but not enough to ruin the day at all. There is this fun race and the runners dress up in funny costumes. There were Avatars, Kiss band, pregnant whitetrash, and one group was Tiger and Jesse James (they were funny). The winner was Sigfriend and Roy. They had hoolahoops and tossed these really big stuffed white tires through the loops. At end of race they have to run through this huge muddy area and get hosed off as they cross the finish line. We ate at Circus Circus buffet and played in the arcade. My dh and dd could not win a thing, little ds 9yr won everything he tried. Lots of fun. It was a great pre-mothers day for me. Today is kind overcast and I rather just do nothing, dh keeps wanting to buy me something but I don't want anything, really. So happy mothers day to each and every one of us. And also to anyone who is not a mom but mothers someone, even if a pup or kitten. And to those who have lost their mothers, they are only gone in body but never in spirit.

I love the Christmas season and all the decorations. Last year I made a big deal about Christmas because my sister had just been diagnosed with lung cancer and wanted to make it special for her so I went all out to make it extra special. We talked that day and she was going to call for a ride then she ended not showing up. I was a little upset to say the least and disappointed. She was not feeling ill at this time, she just decided she was going to stay home and not tell me or answer her phone. I had guests over and held off dinner for as long as I could until another family member contacted her and she said she was just going to stay home without letting me know. So this year, my sister is at my house, missed everything last year and this year now that she is here I can't do anything. No room to do any decorating so I can't make it special for her this year. I am so busy with her and her needs I won't have time to cook a special meal nor do I want to because I am just so exhausted haha and I certainly don't want to do a sink full of dishes and pots and pans from making a turkey dinner. She doesn't have the appetite anyway. And I am still a little peeved about last year. This may be her last Christmas, hopefully not but I just can't be bothered what with all that is going on right now. Here is a picture of how my living room is usually decorated and now which is full to the brim with hospital bed, oxygen tanks and all her medical equipment.

Was invited to a party with fellow musicians, but it's cold and blowing snow tonight. I didn't want to drive clear over there and up a winding steep hill to the house. The salt trucks have been going up and down the highway. So, I'll probably watch the ball drop on TV like I always do. Need to remember to plug in the crock pot with the pork loin and sauerkraut before I go to bed. It will be done in time for my lunch tomorrow. I like when the meat is falling apart. Happy New Year to everyone, be safe and see you next year! ETA: I didn't stay up to watch the ball drop, first time in many years. Went to bed with a crossword puzzle around 11:34pm., heard a couple of guns go off in the area at midnight.