....Another Try...

How's this?

Dang, giving up for now!

A Blatant Excuse to Test My New Blog Signature!

Isn't this a beautiful sight?

This is my view out the window on the side of my house.

Enjoying the neighbors flaming trees

without being required to rake the leaves

is a delight that I take full advantage of!

Not so good, need to do it all over again! : /

What a Great Time of year!

I love setting up my Nativity Sets each year & I have been wondering about a blog post to tell you the deep & ridiculous things that go through my mind while I carefully unwrap them each November 26th (or there abouts) & figure out where to display them around my home.

Happily the perfect reason to indulge myself just came up! I was browsing through all the fun, funny & inspirational blogs out there today & came across this!

Jan Mary over at" Welcome to My World" has invited us all to post pictures of our own nativity sets for a Christmas Nativity Set Carnival on December 21, 2009! Yay, the way this usually works is that you post your post & then go to her site & get your name on a list that will send people to you & hundreds of others doing the same thing! Very fun! You get to meet others with same collection passion & they come see you too, every one wins!

"Jesus Loves Mac.........

yes I know......"

Don't Tell my Guys OK?

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Six Word Saturday!

6WS

Back to exercising, probably too late!

Six Word Saturday

Goofy & Stupid Gift Ideas....They Keep on Coming!

Gross, seems to be the main goal with these items, especially the EGG SEPARATOR ! Clever, but would you really want to eat anything that came out of that?

I actually received the POOPING REINDEER last year. I love chocolate but I'm pretty sure those candies are still in the box it came in. Guess I'm not as serious about my choc-addiction as some. I do have standards you know!

The slippers release the realistic sound of an old man farting with every step! What more could your loved one want on Christmas morning? Thankfully the ad said nothing about a realistic aroma as an added bonus!

I kind of like the NOSE PENCIL SHARPENER. Not sure why, it may have something to do with being the mother of boys. They get so creative in totally not pretty mediums.

The creepy Barbie depicting the famous Hitchcock movie "The Birds" has sentimental value to me because I grew up very near Bodega Bay, the beach town where this scene was filmed. But what little girl would be screaming with delight after opening this from under the tree?

I really love the dog mustache & here is why. Because of it's cleverness in design. You do not attach it to the dog at all. It is actually just a ball they fetch that has the funny disguise attached to it! Very funny! Not sure how long it could last, but pretty creative, don't you think?

By the way, if you are desperate enough to want to purchase these sweet & thoughtful gifts, you can google "Goofy Gifts" or go to stupidgifts.com & other sites it leads you to. Don't tell me if you make a purchase, it may keep me up at night.

A Gentle Warning!

Those of you who.......

have daughters & you are tired of........

all the pink princessy stuff. Be thankful!!

Otherwise your Memory Tree of the Future could look like this!

No Comprende'

Our area had crazy strong winds whipping through here the other night & still a bit this morning.

Want to know how crazy the wind was?

There was a basket ball hoop & it's backboard in the middle of the street &

it is still there (now moved to the gutter) after two whole days of wondering where in the world

it came from.

No one has claimed it!

Some tiles are missing off our roof.

Some random trees are down,

and this.......

Our huge back fence is laying almost on it's side.

I am dreading the difficult conversation this will require.

Our new neighbors just moved in & were very sweet when I welcomed them,

but they don't speak any english, just Spanish.

Gonna be interesting!

Change Is In the Air

What a wonderful & fun Thanksgiving we enjoyed yesterday & today! Who knew that adding one new person to the mix brings a whole new perspective & new jokes & stories!

Writer Son's sweet & adorable girlfriend joined us this year! Because I have made it abundantly clear that I hate to cook, we normally eat with our large group of friends on holidays, but because she traveled from out of state to be with my smitten son, I chose to use this as my chance to change our tradition & get back into the kitchen.

Plus, I do love to use my favorite dishes! It was really fun to share my kitchen with another woman. I had asked her to chose some favorite recipes to contribute & I bought the ingredients she sent ahead. We laughed & worked & discussed our families.

I'll say something right here that once again makes me thankful my family & "real life" friends don't read this blog: If He doesn't marry this cutie-pie my heart is going to be broken! I don't think Hubs or I could take it at all!

It is an interesting & exciting season we are entering. One son is in love & the other is moving out in 2 weeks. I think I'm going to like it!

Baby Boy is Moving Out.....

Bittersweet would be the overriding emotion that kept me up most of last night. There were some tears muffled into my pillow. Rocker Son told us he & two of his friends had found a cheap house in town that they would be moving into during the second week of December.

He is 23. I was happily married in my 23rd year. So it's not like he is too young. He is ready & even though he has a very low paying job, this will be the motivation he needs to look for something better. It's really all good.

So why does my heart hurt a bit? I love the idea of being alone with Hubs & turning Rocker Sons disgusting bathroom inside out to reclaim it! I like the thought of turning on the stereo without it blasting my eardrums. His bedroom will no longer be the hidden secret room of shame I could never let a guest look into.

But......

I don't know. It's the end

of something important. The end of an era isn't it? How often will we see him? He already appears to barely tolerate us sometimes. I am going to miss those puppy dog eyes. Even though they usually look slightly guilty. Rocker Son is our youngest of two sons & he has chosen a lifestyle completely opposite ours in so many ways. My love is unconditional & he knows it & clearly appreciates it. He says so often.

He is funny & the most loyal person I have ever met. He is also a completely self taught musician who has been the lead singer (screamer) & guitar player in a popular local band for 5 years. My Rocker Son is gentle even though he appears kinda scary on the outside. I am waiting for the day his outside appearance catches up with his insides. Not that I dislike how he looks, it's more the tough guy image that just is not real. (I know, typical mom talk huh?)

Three more weeks to live with my son. What more do I say to him? What more does he need from me before he leaves the nest? I'm thinking of writing him a letter, I do better that way. Save us both some embarrassment maybe.

But I will still get in as many hugs as I can, embarrassing or not! That is a mom's privilege.

Shop No More!

My group of gift ideas for you today are certain to please the most discriminating of relatives you need to shop for this year. The lovely young lady with rollerblades is demonstrating the new way to skate around town. Who wants to actually move

their legs

back & forth to get somewhere when you can just hold onto this motorized wheel? And I'm sure turning corners will be very interesting!
This ice cream hat is what every kid has always wanted right? Now you can finally tell your kids to stop begging for a mint chip hat! (If this young man is actually waiting for it to melt...well that just makes me sad.)

Um, speaking of sad young boys............I really have nothing more to say.