Halloween

I must preface this with saying I don't remember exactly what year this was... I think 2001? Yes, I am fairly certain Halloween 2001 (possibly 2000). This is one of may favorite Halloween memories of all time - but then again, I don't think this was even Halloween night.

This was a great night of fun and I *adored* my costume. This is the BEST Halloween costume I ever had, and I probably should bust it out again in a future Halloween (of COURSE I saved it)

We went to a local bar we frequented back in the day before heading out to Hartford. The local alternative rock station had a Halloween party hosted by Dee Snider and featuring the Mighty Mighty Bostones.

My costume was a PAIN IN THE REAR to move around in and especially difficult to get in the car with - but I made it work. I sewed a hula-hoop into the bottom of it to keep the shape. I also had battery powered lights sewn into it!


James (yes, that is James under that pumpkin!!!) was the headless horseman. It was funny, people keeped calling him pumpkinhead and it annoyed the hell out of him. To this day I refer to his costume as pumpkin head just to poke fun. He's a tall guy as it is - but he had lifts on his boots which made him seem a million WAY tall. While we were at the party / show we schmoozed a little and got VIP passes. Before we know it our passes were being signed by Dicky Barret (lead singer of the Bostones) and Dee Snider. I still have my pass hanging up in my bedroom.

Every year I have dreaded New Years Eve. I put way too much focus on this one night. Some people cherish Valentines day, anniversaries, or whatever other special day. For me, NYE is that is the most special day. There is something romantic about closing out one year and beginning a new one with the one who is most important to you.

My evening started early. I went to my friend Demetri's wine shop to have a glass (supposedly.) After stopping three men dead in their tracks and three glasses of wine later it was time to move along to my next adventure.

My friend's Steve and Ellen had a party at their place. It was busy and there were a lot of people and food. I had some great conversations (one with a really cute guy!) and before I knew it, it was 9pm! Time to head on out!

I then went to (don't laugh!) James' local American Legion. He went there for a few beers and to hang out with a couple of friends. I was a bit over dressed for the location (considering the woman in pink sweatpants who INSISTED I dance with her! lol), but it was fun. We had a drink, chatted a bit and went back to his place.

It was a quiet night. We curled up on the couch and started to watch a movie, but tuned it off to watch the ball drop. We drank (lots of) champagne and enjoyed eachothers company. I also got a great New Years kiss.

At one point I started sending 'Happy New Years' messages via text, but half way through I was distracted and screw it! lol SO about 1/3 of my freinds got messages (all alpahbetically! lol) and this morning I saw that I had 12 messages waiting in return!

I'll spare you the sappy details, but it really was a wonderful night. Quite possibly the best New Years I've ever had :)

I got a lot done already today *and* there is a freaking blizzard going on out there!

I was not able to sleep due to Sir. Bitingtoes. Mady myself some cocoa (out of creamer for coffee) and got ready to do my schtuff.

I bought a tub of Christmas decorations down to my storage area and headed out. I went to my Aunt's apartment to grab a bunch of stuff for Goodwill and as much else I could fit into my Jeep. I'm taking her dresser, an older bedside table and a small shelf set. I took what would fit and I will go back for more (hopefully the rest) tomorrow.

Then I was off to Goodwill, the liquor store (three bottles of champagne!) got gas, had my emissions tested and headed back home.

I'm almost done packing the rest of my Christmas decorations. Afterwards I will rearrange my bedroom furniture so that I will have a home for the dresser... by that time it just might be time to start getting ready for tonight.

I sure hope my dress fits! I remember what weight I was when I wore this dress (10+ years ago) and I know what weight I am now. Theoretically it SHOULD fit. Let's just see how that goes.

If I don't have time to post again before tonight - Happy New Year to you all! Stay safe!

Buon Natale!

Feliz Navidad!

Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia!

OK. I'll stop that now. I am just a bit festive today. I look like a crazy lady, a green tee with a Christmas Tree on it... green bell earrings.... Santa hat.... red and green striped socks under my doc Mary Jane's'.

I told you! Crazy lady!

Anyway... got some time off coming up and some fun plans to go with them.

Today: Hoping to get out of work nice and early. Heading home to finish making my jalapeno peppers and wrap two remaining gifts. After that I will head to my aunt Cindy's house (Julie's Mom) to spend the afternoon / evening with the extended family.

Tomorrow: Christmas morning is always presents with Mom & Dad! I'll be making a fritata for them. I decided to go with a spinach infused chicken sausage as the meat. I'll be spending the entire day there - through dinner. I'll make sure to bring some more laundry over to save some more quarters!

Friday: Lunch with Sarah, the evening is still TBD.

Saturday: Heading into NY with Brenda and Cathy. Right now our plans consist of Rockefeller Center, hot toddies, lunch and an Edward fix.

Sunday: TBD / but I promised Mom I'd take her to Jo Ann's and Target for some post-Christmas sales.

Monday - Tuesday: work again. blah.

Wednesday: off for the rest of the year! I'm going to a party being hosted by Steve and Ellen. It would be nice to bring a certain someone with me - but he might be spending the night with his Mom - so it is up in the air.

The next couple of days are in the air. I will be driving down to DC to visit Jess and Olivier - but i am not sure if I am leaving on Thursday (the 1st) or Friday (the 2nd) and if I am returning on Sunday (the 4th) or Monday (the 5th) - That also depends a bit on James. He may be traveling down with me, so that he can see one of his brother's before he move to India (his bother, not him!)

Then back to work either Monday the 5th or Tuesday the 6th. Probably Monday I am guessing. But just dunno.

How about you? Whats going on in your life for the next few weeks?

I think I'll be in more of a Valentines mood when I get to see my Daniel tonight.

I guess that's about it.

I’m going to be alone for Valentines day… well, at least until around 10pm... and by then I’ll probably be in bed. Daniel has to fly back down to DC next week. He’ll be gone Tuesday through Thursday. It will be sad that we won’t really be spending our first Valentines Day together, but I guess it will have to do. He did reassure me that we will do something special during the weekend, but I don’t see how that will happen, considering we’re going out for diner with my parents on the 16th and are going to a family think on the 17th. Oh well, it’s just another day, right?

Here I am, that much closer to Thanksgiving. Daniel and I are having Thanksgiving dinner in Vermont, with his Mother and Step-Father. Me, having a new-found love for cooking and making things look nice... was desperately itching to host my own Thanksgiving dinner. A fair compromise was made - I am having my parents over the weekend after Thanksgiving, for our own celebration.Needless to say, I HAD to design a beautiful table for the dinner. Yesterday, Keri and I had a mission – to design my table.

I am impressed with our bargain shopping. I was able to complete the table without breaking the bank. In addition, many of these pieces can be used year-round.

I am excited to have these cool leaf bowls to serve my soup in! In addition… this beautiful gem from Sue La Table…. Oh I could have EASILY gotten myself into WAY too much trouble there. But I kept it under control.



So what do you think?
Yes… I know, I know… Once piece stands out. We all know which one that is. Needless to say, I am going to look for a platter this week.

Five… four… three… two…

I believe I officially have New Years Eve plans. I’ve been invited to a few parties, but nothing was really nipping at my calves. Jess and Olivier are having a party. I am sure that would be a lot of fun, but I really am not in the financial position for a trip that way right now. I need to focus on putting some bucks away for the up-coming trip to Vegas. I also *need* to pay off at least one credit card in the next three months. That is my goal, have one credit card paid off no later then the end of March.

Oh yea… New Years Eve. Melissa just called me. She and Gene do not have any plans as of yet. She mentioned a party at her sister’s house, but that would entail bringing the kids up to Bristol, and there is a forecast for wintry mix… not the best condition to be carting little ones around in.
So it looks like I will be driving the trek down to North Stonington to spend the night with them. We will most likely play games, watch movies, eat some snacks… whatever the night brings us.

Here are some pictures from Christmas eve. As you can see, we had a beautiful tree which was over-run by presents!

Once Julie and I began puling out and distributing presents, we got the assistance of two little elves, Grace and Emily. Don't they look adorible in their matching pjs??? I asked them to give Michael a present, and they each took one side and carried it together to him...

... you can imagine all the bulbs flashing at that moment.

You CANNOT tell me that they are not the two cutiest little girls EVER!

(...ok there are a few important others *VERY* close behind!)

It’s been a nice couple of days, and I was reminded about how spoiled I really am! My parents went overboard on Christmas presents, but of course I love everything I got! The BIG present was a 27 inch LCD HDTV with a built in DVD player. It’s HUGE! Unfortunately the coax cable in my bedroom was not long enough. On my way home today I am going to stop to pick up a new one. I literally needed only about 6 inches more! I did hook up the power and watch a few episodes of Family Guy, season 3 before I fell asleep. They also bought me a TON of scrapbooking stuff. Two leather albums. There was a large kit containing two velvet covered albums (one large, one medium sized). This kit had brads, eyelets, rubber stamps, frames, ribbon, fibers… pretty much anything you could imagine. Then I also received a box filled with miscellaneous embellishments. Lots of cute ones from “Jolees By You” and a WHOLE lot of eyelets and brads.

They also gave me a set of base layers for skiing, matching top and bottoms from “Hot Chilis.” They are moisture wicking, so they will draw the sweat away from my body. Two “Life is Good” long-sleeve tee shirts. One says “cup-o-joe to go” with a guy running with a mug of coffee and the other is “paydirt” and has a mountain biker on it. They also gave me a new pedometer. I am trying to get myself up to 10,000 steps a day. I know that I am currently NOWHERE close to that. Yesterday I barely hit 1,000. Today I am almost at 1,000. I am going to try to get to 5,000 steps today. I don’t care if that means I have to walk around the grocery store 15 times before leaving.

I was planning on hitting the gym here, at work. Unfortunately I forgot my clothes at home (work-out clothes, I am NOT sitting at my desk naked). My plan is to change when I get home and then hit the gym. Yes, silly me still has two gym memberships – but I only pay a total of $32 a month for BOTH. I also am going to pack up my clothes tonight so that I have no excuse and will work out here tomorrow. Maybe I’ll get up early and work out. I’m starting to toy with the idea of spinning again. They offer a spinning class here once a week in the AM…. But maybe I should hold off on that (it’s a pay class) until the next session starts (March) so that I get some of my cardiovascular strength back. I loose my breath SO quickly these days. It’s so depressing! OK this week is the test week. Starting tomorrow I am going to come in early and go to the gym before work!

Ahhhgh!

Holiday “this or that?”

Holiday: Christmas or New Years?
I’m going to have to say Christmas. I *love* New Years, but I always get depressed on it.

Cookies: Sugar or Gingerbread?
Gingerbread ALL THE WAY Decorations: Santa or Snowmen?Lots of little snowmen EVERYWHERE… kinda like an innocent Calvin and Hobbs cartoon.

Decorations: Reindeer or Elves?
OMG I thought it said “reindeer or ELVIS!” LOL I’m going to have to go with Reindeer, especially in memory of the two bestest kitties EVER…. Prancer and Dasher.

Colors: Red or Green?
no, I believe you said that wrong… it’s red AND green. Thanks!

Colors: Gold or Silver?
Depends on what it is matched with… red gets gold and blue gets silver. Didn’t you know that rule?

Tree Topper: Star or Angel?
This year, star. Our tree is too small to support my Tinkerbell Angel.

Stocking Stuffer: Fruit or Candy?
I’ll say fruit because I don’t want any candy.

Tree: Real or Artificial?
I prefer real… but we’ve been doing artificial lately. Easier and no mess.

Cartoons: Charlie Brown or Rudolph?
yes…

Movie: It's a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Carol?
Can you believe that I’ve actually *never* seen the original of EITHER????

Stocking Stuffer: Jewelry or Gift Card?
I’ll take both, thanks for asking.

Christmas List: Naughty or Nice?
Woooo hoooo! See, it’s PROOF! I’m a good girl!

Christmas Naughty or Nice List I am on the The Nice List After checking the North Pole database I had : 2,398 nice entries 658 naughty entries Check your name on the Christmas Naughty or Nice List at JokesUnlimited.com

Drink: Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Agein, both – thanks!

Holiday Ghost: Past, Present, or Future?
I’ll take future. Then if I don’t like what I see, I still have time to fix it.

Vacation Spot: North Pole or Winter Wonderland?
I’ll take the winter wonderland. It sounds nicer. Plus, it might be kinda odd being around all those “little people.”

Holiday Song: Jingle Bells or Silver Bells?
It’s the age-old question… bells versus bells…. I’ll go or BELLS!

Holiday Song: Silent Night or O' Holy Night?
Hmmm… I’ll go with Silent Night because I know it all off the top of my head.

More Fun: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
=

Lights: Clear or Multi-Colored?
Again, depends on the situation….

Ornaments: Bulbs or Bows?
I like them both.

Tree Decor: Ribbon, Popcorn, or Garland?
Popcorn and cranberry together! Or maybe nothing wrapping around the tree… I like just a lot of ornaments. I think garland and anything long and string-like looks kinda funny.

Gifts: Wrapping Paper or Gift Bags?
My family will force me to say gift bags. Everyone yells at me because I don’t like to tear wrapping paper… I take it apart. I don’t like the sound of ripping paper.

Better To: Give or Receive?
Hmmm…. Tough call. I LOVE giving presents, and I get so excited to do it…. But I have to say that I am also selfish and LOVE getting presents!

Holiday Spirit...

1. Which winter holidays do you celebrate, if any? Why?
Well, I celebrate the American Holiday of Christmas. I must admit I have not been the most devout RC in the past ten years or so. I wouldn’t be completely honest if I said I celebrated Christmas as it is supposed to be, the birth of Christ. But I do celebrate it as a time to think and care about others.

2. How do you like to celebrate those holidays?
I like to go out of my way to do things for people… whether it be a little act like leaving a candy cane on their desk – or something more extravagant. Christmas Eve is spent with the extended family on my father’s side. We used to go to my grandparents, now we go to my aunt’s. My cousins, their family and my grandparents are there. We usually have a buffet-type of dinner, hors de oveur, and a few beverages. We give presents in the evening… and there usually is a MOUNTAIN of presents! Christmas Day is spent with Mom and Dad… being lazy. Mom used to make these AWESOME omelets, but she doesn’t really do that all too much lately. Dad will make scrambled eggs (kielbasa and eggs preferably!). Then we open presents, and spend the day watching movies.

3. What is your favorite holiday carol or song?
I like a few of them, I like Santa Baby, and Baby it’s Cold Outside, because they are fun. I LOVE Feed the World, because it was the first of all those popular 80s all-star collaborations. Plus Bob Geldoff wrote it, and he is just cool. For religious songs, Violet in the Snow, is pretty… there are more that I like… I probably could go on and on recalling songs from my childhood…

4. Tell us about your favorite holiday tradition.
I already described it…. I like Christmas Eve with the extended family, and Christmas Day with the ‘rents. Oh.... but I sure do love Jen's family's eggnog!!!!!

5. If you could change one thing about the holiday season, what would it be?
To take all the grumpiness out of others! Too many people are miserable this time of year, if I could just make that all go away, I would be happy. Also, I think it is important to bring the meaning back into Christmas for a lot of people…. Me included.

all I want for Christmas is nude nylons and an orange peeler. Is that too much to ask for?