I'm back!

Actually, I've been back for a week but going away for almost 5 days makes it difficult to get into the swing of things. This past week has been just about surviving and making it to the weekend (thankfully it's a long weekend!)

Las Vegas is insane. Everything is HUGE! Larger than life. Completely overwhelming. And I loved everything minute of it. It was so much fun, and I was able to relax and really chill out like I have not done in years. I actually broke into tears and cried when I got home and told Jack how relaxing it was for me. It was like at that moment I realized the toll the chaos of my life has been taking on me. I don't know how I'm going to try to keep it check, or if I even can, but I know for sure I won't let it be so long again before I get away on a 'me-break.'

I took something like 150 pics, (gotta love the digital camera) but I'll leave you with just a few for now. I have a couple of fun stories to share, but those will have to wait for another day.


The bronze lion outside of the MGM Grand, where we stayed.


The view from the pool area.


Our drinks at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. Much fun!


The wall of M&M's at M&M WORLD.

4 floors of everything you can imagine with the M&M on it!

According to Blogger, in 2007 I posted 26 times. That's the most posts in a one year span since I started this blog 3 years ago or so. So if I can post just a few more times than that for 2008, I'll be ahead of the game.

Now to find something to post about thinking, thinking, thinking. Okay, that would be a big reason why there are not more posts here. I've got nothing to say. Seriously, I don't do very much; take the kids here, take the kids there, laundry, grocery shop, assist elderly parent, yell at kids, fail miserably at housekeeping...wash,rinse,repeat! Bet you're all jealous now, aren't ya?

Okay a few quick things: Christmas, New Year's Eve was great, fine, very family oriented and exhausting as these things tend to be. I spent waaaaaayyyyy too much money as I always do. And of course it's not all on gifts either. Because this year I decided after 16 years of marriage and numerous previous dinners held at my house, that this year I just had to have matching silverware. It never bothered me before but this year it did. Just like it never bothered me before that we only had plastic drinking glasses. This year I had to go out and buy a set of actual glass drinking glasses. And the scented candles, and the this and the that and new towels and accessories for the powder room. Did I mention that we repainted the powder room the week before Christmas? Yes, we did. Actually Jack did. I just picked the colour and directed from the sidelines. It had to be done. The kids had decided to peel the wallpaper border off that was left behind by the previous owner. Now to be fair, the purple pansy border and two tone walls were not exactly to my taste. But it all looked perfectly fine and would have been livable for another year if my children had not decided to get a head start on the redecorating. UGH!

So yeah, family and too much money spent. That pretty much sums up the holidays for me.

After the holidays, on my first day back to work I get called in to a meeting at just after 4pm and very nicely get told I no longer have a job. WTF? To say I was shocked would be stupid. I was blindsided really. It was the usual "new direction" "job redundant" crap that so many people get to hear. I wallowed in self-pity for about 4 days and let my self-esteem hit an extreme low. Luckily though something else came along, so I am (for the moment) employed again. All told I was out of work for a couple of days more than a week. So I'm not complaining (anymore!)

We've decided that in 2008 every spare nickel and dime we have is going into making the house the way we want it to be as opposed to the way the previous owners had it. We had already made a start with some painting but then we never continued. So, two weekends from now Jack and I will be laying some wood laminate flooring in the living room. It has to be laminate because A) We can't afford real hardwood and B) I have 4 kids and a dog!! Keep your fingers crossed. Jack and I don't normally do things like this together. For good reason. We tried to wallpaper a room once. Yeah! That was fun...NOT! It's probably mostly me, I'll admit. I'm a bit of a control freak and like to have things done my way because that's the right way. Even typing it out I recognize the ridiculous of that statement. I just can't help myself. If I think Jack is not doing it the way it should be done, I'll tell him. And if he still doesn't do it the way I think it should be done, I usually end up in tears and we have a big argument and it only gets worse from there. So hopefully my next post will not be about how lovely the floor looks and my impending divorce!!

That's it. That's all I've got!

I can't believe it!

It's December already! And I am so not ready. My "To Do" list is incredibly long, my motivation not to mention my funds are low. Somehow I forgot that last year I was working two jobs at this time which enabled us to shop a bit more freely. So now I'm left to juggle the finances and figure out how to buy gifts for my 4 kids, 4 nieces and nephews, some miscellaneous gifts and put on Christmas dinner for 16 people!

Jack is away at the moment until the end of the week which leaves me with all the parenting duties: homework, lunches, hockey practices and games, basketball practices and games, Scouts and Sparks, grocery shopping and laundry. And parent teacher interviews are this week as well! Yippee!

I knew I hadn't posted in a while but I was honestly surprised that it was August the last time I had anything to say. Okay, sometimes I do have things to say but no time to write them down. And few times I had time to write I couldn't remember what I wanted to say. Such is my life.

I'm still reading all my favourite blogs though, even if I don't comment. Again, most times I just don't have the words.

So as this will likely be my last post before the new year let wish everyone health and happiness. Enjoy time with your loved ones, take care of them and yourself.

A recent Saturday night found me cleaning my stove top. Not just wiping it clean. I mean, I pulled the whole thing apart, took out the burners, the catch things and the round chrome pieces. Wow, was I having fun!

What could be better than having grease and crime all over your hands, under your fingernails, not to mention the noxious smell of Easy Off cleaner making you want to retch. It does not get any better than this, I tell you!

In the end the stove does not work any better (it's 17 years new!) but it looks damn good. lol

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Summer is winding up around here. At least in my mind. The kids are in the midst of baseball playoffs, well not the girls; they only have one more T-ball game. YAY! If you ever want to try something that equals the pain of poking your eyes with hot pokers...try watching T-ball! Torture!

So the boys' teams are in the midst of playoffs, school is looming on the horizon (I'm delirious at the thought). Summer is basically done for me.

Our last vacation-type thing we did with the kids was to take a day trip to a family fun place. Rides, Imax films and water park were the order of the day. Fun was had by all. The pic below was taken at the end of the day, just before we left.

I got nothing

It'll be no surprise to anyone that I also have no motivation to blog and nothing to say. However the fact that I'm not in a blogging mood doesn't stop me from checking out my regular blogs every day and wondering why all of you aren't blogging!! Makes no sense, I know.

Summer is moving along here...baseball, unbearable heat and humidity, children already bored, parents wishing school was 12 months of the year!!

The BIG RED TURD is back and seems to be driving fairly well. Give me 9 months...that's all I ask...9 months...please, please, please!

That's it. As the title says "I got nothing!."