PARTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!

The Food
(ok...it wasn't really about the food....lol)
The Gifts

The fun!!

The aftermath
My jaw about dropped to the floor when I came down this morning and saw the disaster I had to clean up...lol! It wasn't actually as bad as it looked. We had a blast so I didn't mind having to spend some time cleaning up this morning!

Gotta run....ANOTHER party today at the in-laws house!

OK...so now I REALLY should be cleaning

Yesterday pretty much SUCKED! Once Jessi was off to school, I dropped Sean off at his grandparents house and headed to the stores for some Christmas shopping. I knew I had to be a little more efficient than usual because the guy from the Dish Network was coming to install SUPPOSEDLY at noon (We switched to Dish Network upon discovering that it is WAY cheaper than cable and you get TWO DVRs! So now we have DVR in the livingroom AND in our bedroom so that we can record naughty Skinemax late night shows....lol ) Christmas being only 10 days away, I knew it would be busy out, but that usually doesn't bother me. I first went to Kmart to return a Bratz doll I had purchased because my mom got her the same one. I didn't bring the receipt, so they would only give me $15 for the $29.99 doll (ok...ok...YES...I only really PAID $15 for it because when I bought it they were buy one get one free...but they aren't anymore!) So instead I went to check if they had any different ones to just exchage it....no dice. I am really pissed off at this point because I am NOT letting them give me $15 for that doll and then go and put it on the shelf to sell for $30! So I argue with the woman (who was rude and snotty from the get-go BTW), tell her to just give me back the doll, she basically chucks it at me, gives me a sneer and says, "Have a nice day." I say, "Too late for that, bitch." and walk out. Ok...ok....I know....I was bad, but she was a beyotch from the second I walked in. So after being pissed off for a minute it occurs to me that I can just give the doll to Jessi's 'maybe-soon-to-be cousin' for xmas...problem solved. As I sit in the car I also feel a zit coming on and it dawns on me that my mood may not just be bratz doll related ;)

OH....before I even got to Kmart I spent the morning arguing with Rick about whether or not to get Sean a nintendo DS because we had already gotten Jessi one. I was against. He was for. He also armed his arguement with a $50 TRU gift card that he won, and a $10 off GC that he got from a friend. I knew it was a losing battle for me. So after Kmart I head over to TRU to get the DS and the other stuff I needed there. The shelves were full of the exalted 'Baby Alives' (DAMN that thing is HIDEOUS!) and the coveted fisher price digital cameras...but NO DS to be seen. (@#$%^&%#@$%^^&@#$%$#@#$^&*%$#). Finished up at TRU at 1115 (remember I have to be home by noon). I then hit Gamestop, Circuit City, Best Buy and Target in search of the DS with NO LUCK. It is now 1135 (Yes...I am that fast...lol...the fat girl can run damnit!). I knew Walmart would be a ZOO....so I called them instead after using the $2000 411 on my cell. The guy has ONE that just came off layaway and it's NOT PINK!!! I asked him to hold it for me since I was already in the parking lot and he agreed. YIPPEE!! SUCCESS at last!

I made it home at 12:04! I am sick of typing ...and I'm sure you are sick of reading...but the day got no better. The guy didn't show up til 4pm (!@#$%$#*^) COMPLETELY effing up my plans for the day. I was supposed to bring Jessi to her friends house in bangor so they could make the 4:00 showing of Eragon and instead had to call and beg the other mom to come get Jessi since I couldn't leave. I also had other errands to do that I will now have to do today sometime before my brother gets here at 3pm (so of course I am sitting on the couch blogging....duh...lol).

Anyway MUCHLY looking forward to our 'drunken xmas party' tonight!!

I should be cleaning

Today's project was to make a stocking hanger. We have no fireplace or doorway or any good place to hang the stockings, so I decided to make one :) I used a piece of scrap baseboard, paint, and cup hooks and VOILA...stocking hanger with a spot for each kid's stocking and a spot for Santa to leave things for the doggies and the kitty.





If part of the goal of our projects was to completely trash the craft room, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!! With the party on Saturday and my mother and brother coming...I should be cleaning...not messing the place up. But what fun is THAT??








Cleaning feels like a wasted effort right now anyway. Our land right now consists of about 1 acre of woods and 1 acre of MUD! I took that picture this afternoon and I mopped THIS MORNING!! Grrrrrr!! (Mom and Chris....here is another reminder to not wear good shoes when you come!!!) What is WITH this weather!!? It should be snot freezing cold right now. Instead it's so warm that Sean and I went for a walk in the woods today with only sweatshirts on and were perfectly comfortable! Rick said today that our Maine weathers just aren't what they used to be and wondered if our grandkids will even get to see snow!! I think they will....I think the climate just has cycles and right now we are in a warmish one.

Confession time...

Ok....I confess. Whenever I scrapbook Sean asks me if he can scrapbook with me and I always set him up with paper to cut up or paints or clay instead. Why...you ask? Well because I liken teaching him to scrapbook to buying him a barbie dreamhouse. I know...I know it's terrible. Sue me. Over the past couple weeks I have been examining our lives and came to the very simple conclusion that we are WAY too 'electronic dependent.' So...last friday morning after Jessi left for school, I told Sean to turn off all games...tv...etc... for while and just play with his toys. The boy had no clue what to do with himself. That the was nudge I needed to make a big change in our lives. As of Monday we are 'unplugged' from 9am til after dinner. That means me too. That would be pretty terrible to tell the kids no tv or computer as I sit on the couch with my laptop watching General Hospital. I was expecting a battle over the whole thing, but there hasn't been at ALL! Jessi even told me last night that she kinda liked it! Sean hasn't put up a fuss either. Every now and then during the day he'll say, "No games or TV....right?" and I just say "Yup...not til after dinner." and he's fine with it. The best part of all of this is that the kids are actually PLAYING WITH THEIR TOYS! I used to bitch all the time that they had a bazillion toys and never played with any of them and now I know why. They were too zoned out by the TV. No more!! Today we baked, we played train set, we went to the library, and we SCRAPBOOKED! And today....I even let Sean scrapbook too :) That's his page in the picture. He did such a great job!! The only thing I did was hand him the pieces of paper and tell him how to spell 'bugs' ...the rest was all him!! He's a natural...I'm sure there are lots of manly man scrappers out there....somewhere....right? ;)

Somebody needs to buy me this ;)

I LOVE this thing from ballard designs!! Of course I love MANY things from ballard designs...but right now, this is the focus of my adoration :) I saw it on Stacy Julians Blog, Love her blog...she always has great ideas, good 'finds' and I could just stare and drool over her scraproom (ok...she calls it a studio--which is a major pet peeve of mine...but since she is actually a professional scrapper...she can get away with it ;) ) ...and her scrap ISLAND!

She is one amazing woman with a fabulous sense of style!!

Yum Yum Fud

I am likin' this grocery game thing!! I saved $87 today at Shaw's!!!! That's HOT!!!!! ;) It also makes me MUCH more organized while I shop...and that can't be a bad thing! I got all the stuff to make the famous 2peas 'balls.' I love me some balls, ya know ;) ;) Here are the recipes:

Oreo balls...

Package of Oreos (reg or double stuff) in the food processor
Make sure they are ground down fine
Add 1 pkg, cream cheese
Be sure mixture is good and mixed.
Put in fridge til they are a little stiff
Roll into balls
Back in to fridge while you melt the chocolate.
I use 1/2 brick of almond bark
When chocolate is melted dip the balls into the it.
Let set and eat. ENJOY

CAKE BALLS (couldn't find a photo....sorry...but when I make 'em I'll take one :) )

1 cake mix - any flavor
1 tub of frosting - usually the same flavor as the cake
Almond bark (which I didn't know...but I guess is just white chocolate, or reg chocolate thick bars they sell in the baking aisle, or those little discs that come in white and colors (blue could be fun ROFL) ...not sure wth the 'almond' part is about???)

Bake cake in 9x13 pan according to directions. Once cake has cooked and cooled, crumble into a bowl. Add 2/3 of the frosting then roll into balls a little smaller than a golf ball. Lay on cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen dip in melted Almond Bark.


I am really looking forward to the cake ones! I am making them out of spice cake and white frosting with white chocolate coating and blue sprinkles. I probably won't even try the oreo ones. As most of you know....I am not a good 'tryer.' I am going to coat those in white chocolate also and then drizzle milk chocolate over the top like the ones in the photo. I can guarantee mine won't be as pretty as the ones in the photo...but they should taste pretty good :)

Call me when you're sober

Rick has always been a nice drunk....a happy drunk...a 'let's reminisce about the 80's drunk.' (ok...I could do without that last one...but it's better than the one that reared it's ugly head tonight) Tonight was his company Christmas Party. I had a feeling right from the start it wasn't going to be as much fun as last year when we couldn't even find a parking spot. Then we get in there and there are no seats left with the people we want to sit with...so we get stuck at a table with old people (fortunately more of the 'cool people' ;) arrived and sat with us and the old people left early....I think we scared em....lol). I was driving, so I kept it to 2 drinks right when we got there. The party is not NEARLY as fun when you are one of the VERY FEW sober people in the entire banquet hall. Winning the $50 GC to toys r us was pretty cool though!

So...Rick and all his buddies are already wasted and Al somehow finds someone that has cherries soaked in Everclear. That was the beginning of the end of our pleasant evening ;) Once those hit, Rick starts getting angry and ranting about this guy that works there that he hates and how he heard that he was talking shit about him earlier that guy...so of course Rick decides that he is going to kick his ass. Oh boy. Rick's shop buddies...and his boss... were NO help because they all hate this guy too and all vowed to make the guys life a living hell from now on...which just got Rick more wound up. So...I decided it was time to go. I did....however...make sure to give the guy a long dirty look as we left as I take my wifely duties very seriously and he was staring at me anyway ;) All the way home Rick ranted and raved about this guy and how he has no right to say anything bad about him and how dare him .....blah blah blah blah blah............................... I tried to explain that of course not everybody is going to like him and that HE doesn't like some people and he talks about THEM...so how is it such a big deal that this guy doesn't like him.... In one ear and out the other. I finally had to tell him to just SHUT UP and not even mention it again because I was DONE!!!

......Can 't wait til next years party......

Winter Wonderland

I woke up this morning to a world covered in white and 2 kids hopeful that school was cancelled. No such luck ;) It was really just enough to cover everything...not enough to cause havoc and mayhem....which is good because I have some SERIOUS Christmas shopping to do today!!! I also joined the Grocery Game this week and am doing my shopping today. So if you see a big geek out shopping with a binder full of flyers from Toys R' Us, K-mart, Office Depot, and a LOT of coupons...that's me :)

After school I am taking the kids to paint pottery, since we never made it there a couple weekends ago. They are really excited. I am thinking they are a little OVER excited to the point where the actual painting pottery part may be a bit of a let down...lol.

Tomorrow night is Rick's company Christmas Party which is a humongous drunk fest. Rick got my brother Tim a job at another trucking company that supplies parts for Rick's company and from what I hear, Tim's company used to have a similiar party but they stopped having it because it was such a drunk fest. I foresee that happening with this one too someday....lol. The party is at The Black Bear Inn and we were going to get a room, but now Rick has to work at 6am on Sunday...so he doesn't want to drink...so why waste money on a room, right? I am kinda glad Rick isn't drinking since it will be the last time he will be hanging out with his co-worker AJ and I had scary visions of Rick and AJ spending the evening crying into their beers together over AJ's transfer....:::::shudder:::: The guy is moving to AUBURN...like 1.5 hours away...you'd think he was going to Guam for cryin' out loud. Not-to-mention, Rick has to go down there at LEAST once a month to check on things down there. Buncha freaks.

Alrighty...gotta run...so that I have time to workout before I shower

...cuz I be up in the gym just a workin on my fitness...

ROFL

Our first real snow!

We have had some flurries, but this morning we had our first REAL snow :) The kids were already outside as they are EVERY morning first thing to crack all the ice that formed on our many puddles. They came FLYING into the house yelling, "IT'S SNOWING!! IT'S REALLY SNOWING!!!!" So outside we all went to have some snow fun :) We played outside for awhile...so long that we watched Jessi's school bus drive right by....lol! So I got to drive her to school this morning...which she had no complaints about ;)

Ho Ho Ho!!!

We just finished our yearly e-mails to Santa! Santa has a GREAT website where you can send him e-mails and he responds with a personal letter RIGHT AWAY!! Gotta love Santa!! The kids love e-mailing Santa because they have never been a big fan of going to the mall to sit on a strange (and usually smelly) old man's lap. And frankly...I am not too keen on it either. So we go STRAIGHT to the source!! :D

I can't NOT watch this video

Light a candle

https://www.lighttounite.org/

I {heart} Pampered Chef!!!

Well I left the pampered chef party wanting EVERYTHING....of course...lol! Numero uno on my list is the food chopper...that thing is slick!! LOVES it!! I have some serious narrowing down to do...but I have about a week to decide because we still have some orders out there. The party was so much fun...I was kinda feelin' yucky before I got there and not looking that forward to it., but once I got there (and the tylenol kicked in ;) ) we had a blast. I even TRIED and LOVED one of the dishes the consultant made.

Cool veggie pizza---Christmas Style :)

1 can crescent rolls -- (8 oz)

1/2 teaspoon mayo

1 8oz cream cheese-- softened

1 Tablespoon Pampered Chef Dill Mix (and I didn't think I LIKED dill!)

Open can of cresent rolls, do not unrool and cut off 1/2" slices, put on pan in xmas tree shape. Bake at 350oF until lightly browned. Blend remaining ingredients and spread on cooled crust. Top with finely chopped broccoli, slices of red pepper (to look like garland), carrot slices (ornaments), and a little finely chopped red onion.

The BESTEST part of the party was at the end when Liz asked me if I wanted to have ALL the free stuff and rewards if I wanted to in lieu of a Christmas gift from her.... WELL YEAH!!!!!!!!

Julie isn't feeling well so they are not coming over tonight. It would have been fun, but it will be nice to have a quiet evening at home too to finally watch "Click" that we have had from blockbuster online for over a week. Plus this is the only weekend this month that we CAN jsut veg out! Next week is Rick's company xmas party, the week after that is our "drunken xmas bash o' fun" (hee hee) AND the family party, the one after that mom and chris will be here and we are going to NH to visit Nana, and the one after THAT is Christmas!!! Phew....I am tired just thinking about it!

Off to study my catalog some more...lol!!

Blah

It's been kind of a "blah" week. My tooth has been bothering me all week, and giving me headaches as a bonus, and it feels like my entire life is centered around making sure to get all 4 doses of amoxicillin. I DREAD getting older and having to take medications all the time.

MIL and I are co-hosting a Pampered Chef party today at 130. That should be fun-ish ;) There is a bunch of stuff I want, so at least I will get a little shopping 'high.'...lol I just read Jerry's blog which led me to believe that Jerry and Julie are coming over tonight to hang out (Rick might have mentioned something about it...but I probably wasn't listening ;) ), so that will be fun too.

I still am 10 pages away from the 20 page goal for Nana's album. I haven't scrapped, or even had the urge to scrap, for over a week.

On the up side... I have gotten back into exercising and eating right again, so that feels good!! I just had to get over the competitive feeling that I was so far behind Rick and his weight loss that there was no point in even trying to keep up. I am so damn competitive! This week I finally am past that and realize that no...I am not going to lose weight like him....I am not HIM...I am me :)
Which reminds me of a poem I wrote in like 1st grade...

I am me
Not a flea
And not a bird
Isn't that absurd?

lol

So instead of being competitive with HIM...I need to challenge MYSELF...and look at him for inspiration (and eye candy....lol)!

Alrighty then! Busy day ahead...can't spend it here on the computer!

Reindeer Games

I got this from the fabulous Rebecca's blog. If you are reading this...consider yourself TAGGED (i.e. you now have to put these questions, and your own answers) on YOUR blog!!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg Nog

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa doesn't have time to WRAP GIFTS!!!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white ? on the tree I have both (I used to only have white, but I found the cutest colored lights at home depot that look like they are dipped in sugar and had to have them), only white on the house

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No

5. When do you put your decorations up? The weekend after Thanksgiving

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? LOBSTER!! Our Christmas tradition!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Getting THREE cabbage patch kids (one from santa, one from my aunt and one from ???) the year that all the moms were kickin' each others asses over them ;)

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I never had a 'moment' that I found out...or maybe I did...I don't remember. I have TERRIBLE long term memory.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? When I was growing up we got to open one present of my mothers choice on xmas eve. It was ALWAYS PJ's to wear that night. It took me forever to catch on that it was only going to be jammies. I do the same thing with my kids...and they caught on right away...lol.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Ummm...with my hands? And my eyes too...lol... When I do the lights I step a few steps back and squint so that I can see any bare spots ;)

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? LOVE IT!! And can't WAIT til it covers up our ugly yard o' mud

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Every year my gifts are my favorite!

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Frosted gingerbread cookies

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Getting up at the butt-crack of dawn to see what Santa brought and then be at my in-laws by 5ish. I act like I hate it...but I love it ;)

17. What tops your tree? A star/snowman thingy

18. What's your WORST holiday memory? Having to go down to my grandparents in Connecticut for the holidays the year my parents got divorced and seeing my mother having to pretend to be happy and in the holiday spirit.

19. What do you usually serve/eat for dinner Xmas day - a 'traditional' meal or something else??? Lobster!!!

20. What is your favorite holiday movie? The newer version of Miracle on 34th St

21. Do you dress up on Christmas for dinner, or do you have special holiday PJs? The kids get new holiday PJ's every year. We don't dress up for anything around here...lol

22. Do you exchange gifts with all your family? Just some? pick names? How do you do it in your family? We do a yankee swap for the extended family party on Rick's side of the family. My side of the family is really small...and my father is a little on the scroogey side ;) So when we get together with my fathers side, it's pretty much about gifts the kids. My mom always comes to stay with us for the holidays and we all exchange gifts with each other.

Oh Christmas tree...

Today we made paper chains for the tree when Sean got home from his regular Wednesday grandparents visit. I wasn't sure Sean would be able to do with without major assistance....turns out I underestimated the boy once again ;)


Other than that I didn't do a whole heck of a lot today. Vegged out while Sean was gone, played with Sean when he got home, picked Jessi up from school and then helped the kids clean their rooms--we are trying to keep the house clean throughout the holidays so that there is no 'freak-out cleaning' when we have company coming. I tried to hang the shelf/closet rod in Jessi's room...but the shelf was too long and the saw is in Rick's car....still. Right now I am researching this whole 'grocery game' thing and trying to figure out if it is worth trying out. People are saving some serious money using it...but I wonder if it's people that live in more metropolitan areas that can shop several different grocery stores to get the best deals?? And...I also find the whole 'stockpiling' thing a little 'Ruby Ridge-ish'...even though the intent is to save money, not to accumulate 'stuff' in the event of the Apocalypse. Anyway...I will probably give it a shot...it's only $1 to try it out for 4 weeks. But from what I have read on 2peas it's best to get a stockpile of coupons for a couple weeks before starting...and as we all know...the peas know best...lol.

I have been told in before that I have a 'radio voice'

I guess it's true ;)

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
Philadelphia
The West
Boston
The Northeast
The Inland North
The South
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Deck the halls...

...and the diningroom...
...and the livingroom...
....and the outdoors.


We are officially 'decked' :)

Bring on the holiday festivities!!!!

Oh what fun it is...

Rick got the lights up yesterday with only minimal drama. We had 3 strands to put up and when we opened the boxes we discovered that they weren't the kind of lights that hook together. So....we had to do some very creative things with extension cords :)

I FINALLY got a full nights sleep last night after a loooooooong weekend of sleepless nights thanks to an infected abscessed tooth that spread to the entire left half of my face :( Antibiotics on board now and doin' their duty!! Thank you antibiotics...and thank you MOM for that pogo subscription that kept me company on those long nights...lol!

I got a fun suprise last even when Nicole popped over with PRESENTS for me :) She picked up some hella cute trinkets for me at the Christmas Tree Shop on Black Friday! I had a suprise for her too! My fav scrappy site had a BOGO sale on all paper on Friday and I got us each packs of the new Basic Grey Fruitcake paper! I also finally used my contest winnings to get myself lots of new Bazzill Bling! It is GORGEOUS in person! OH...AND she also brought me her old phone since she didn't need it anymore since she got a new razr phone! I LOVE IT! It's just like my old phone that met it's fate after it's little 'vacation.' I REALLY missed that phone and HATED the crappy old flip phone my brother gave me. I wanted to buy another just like it, but they don't make them anymore....and NOW I HAVE ONE :) Happy Happy Joy JOY!

OK...feels like it's some for another round of motrin...

Tis the season!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!! I ALSO love that we have a fake tree! Rick and I were both raised on the 'real trees only' side of the fence and we agreed a couple years ago to defect over to the fake side ;) I love that the weekend after Thanksgiving is all about decorating!! With a real tree you have to wait to get it closer to Christmas because it will dry out, needles fall out, and it makes a big ole mess. The WORST thing about Christmas (ok...that and the trash and paper bag booby traps mom would set up outside my bedroom christmas eve so that I couldn't sneak out and peek...lol) when I was growing up was going to get the tree and then my parents making a wait a day to decorate it so that the branches could 'settle.'

And of course we have to put out the purple tree. The tree that was supposed to be kind of a joke has turned into a christmas tradition!

Cooper's new favorite resting spot is under the tree. He has also almost knocked it down twice. Dogs can't really stop on a dime on wood laminate floors, if ya know what I mean ;) I love how he always lays with his paws crossed...too cute! Rick thinks Cooper is going to unwrap and mess up the presents under the tree (he bases this on the fact that when we lock him in the bathroom when we go out, if the toilet paper is not put up...we come home to a REALLY big mess). I don't think he will bother them. I guess we'll see :)


Fake smiles all around :) I think these pictures are a riot because Sean and Cooper have the same expressions on their faces...lol! I guess people REALLY DO look like their dogs!

Better get back to decorating. There are still no ornaments on the tree, just lights and garland. Tomorrow Rick and I ...ok mostly Rick....lol... are going to hang the lights outside on the house! It is SO exciting to have my OWN house to decorate!!!

This is a very neat site

This is a very cool site! There is funny stuff...not-so-funny-stuff....and some pretty powerful stuff





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Thanksgiving...a pictorial review :)

On today's menu everyone wrote what they were thankful for. Apparently Sean is thankful for thunder...not sure what that's about?? On the board I wrote I was thankful for family and my home...but secretly I was thankful for Liz's kitchen sink being installed so that we could eat there ;)

The kids went over to B and Grampa's house early. B bought them some fun gingerbread houses to decorate.

Aunti Patti and Dad came to celebrate the holiday with us. Dad was going to spend the night and babysit the kids in the AM when I went shopping, but I decided not to go, so he headed home after dinner.


Once the turkey and my 'Potatoes Anna' (well they ended up being more like TIM'S 'potatoes anna' since I was giving Patti the house tour and he did all the work ;) ) were done, we all headed over to Liz and Jr's for dinner.

It's ALL about the football :) Rick was glad to have his brother there to watch football with him for once! I took the opportunity to lecture Scott about how lonely Rick is since Scott got himself 'whipped' and now stays home to watch football with his girlfriend (who was not there because she doesn't 'do' thanksgiving because it makes her sick to see people eating meat off bones....and no...she is not a vegetarian...oy.). Scott says he can't help it because she likes football too. I say that she is still in the 'acting like I like football'/'lets see just HOW much I can make you do and get away with it' phase of the relationship ...but whatever ;)

Liz and Jr were so proud to be able to entertain in their nice new house. It was very cute :)

Good meal....Good nap :)

We had a great day! I was a bit apprehensive about the 'mixing of the families.' The 2 families are VERY different! But it really was a very nice meal with great conversation. The only bummer of the day was not getting one of the special Amazon 'xbox360 for $100' deals....not that we expected to, but we had to give it a shot!

I always figure this is what my obituary would say....

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Jaded

Nicole and I were talking about the term 'jaded' yesterday and what it REALLY means. I didn't think I was jaded...just bitchy...lol. But just now as I was watching Law and Order:SVU, it hit me. I am totally jaded. The scene was a detective rescuing a terrified child from a dog cage. He reached his hand into the hand offering it to the child. Rather than be horrified and sad about the treatment of this child...my first thought was, "That kid is totally going to bite him." That's pretty bad, huh? I spent several years working with abused and mentally challenged children. Before I did this work, I felt sad for abused children and assumed that they were sad, little children that bounced right back once they were removed from the abuse. I learned quickly that is often not the case. The children I worked with turned the abuse they were given into abuse against others. They were highly dangerous to other children, adults and animals. Working with these kids got me spat on, kicked, bit, punched, head-butted, pinched, dug, and called things _I_ have never even said out loud. Reaching out to help these kids was sometimes akin to sticking your hand in an alligators mouth. It's really hard to feel badly and sympathetic to someone who would stab you with a pencil without a second thought. I actually quit my job earlier this year, partly because of very thing. It is such helpless, useless feeling to work with these kids day in and day out, creating a bond with them, only to have come within 2 inches of stabbing your eye out with a fork when you tell them that it's not 'ok' to throw food across the room. It just got old.



Wow...that was a fun blog, huh?

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"I wanna be like a cool dude with a mohawk when we go shopping."

This just makes me laugh and laugh....

Spreading my creative wings..... ROFL

I am just crankin' out the layouts for Nana's album!! You can see them here...or over on the left in that little photobar thingy :) I've got 10 done so far. I think I should have at least 20 in there...I think.... I am having fun with it because I am just 'having fun with it' Not trying to be perfect...using stuff I forgot I had or was chicken to try...and just playing will all my schtuff. I {heart} my schtuff...lol!!

OK OK....I will ADMIT IT! I had a lot of fun painting pottery yesterday! In fact, we had such a good time that we have already made plans to go again next weekend and bring all the kids. Jessi wanted to come along yesterday, but mean mommy said no ;) Every other Sunday is reserved for Nicole and I to get together and raise us some hell ...lol!! Our lives have changed so much over the past couple years. We used to see each other ALL the time, but now it's only once a week or sometimes once every 2 weeks. She is busy with her career...I am busy being a soccer mom with no kids that play soccer...plus we are way out here in the country now, so the 'pop-in' visits are a bit inconvenient :) Not that we still don't log in about 100 hours of phone time a week though ;) Can't wait til next weekend! It's going to be chaos and I love me some chaos...lol!!

FUN!: The Aftermath (alternate title... 'YES I finally got some batteries for my camera!')

Last night Jerry and Julie came over to play :) Last time that came over we never made it to a game as we had so much to chat about. This time we did play some Cranium Turbo...but it took FOREVER because between each turn we'd get chatting and then forget who's turn it was (don't know whether to blame that on the chatting or the libations ;) ) We talked a lot about the upcoming Christmas bash that Rick and I are hosting and there was lots of brainstorming about what gifts everyone is going to bring for the 'Dirty Santa/White elephant' game. I got a little scared when it occured to Jerry that he could buy $5 worth of molding clay and 'make something' <---use your dirty mind there..... Should be a great party!!





Today Nicole and I are going to the scrapbooking store to paint pottery. Yes....that is what I said. Definitely NOT my idea ....but who am I to turn down an invitation to do ANYTHING on football day? ;) I have a feeling I will be casting jealous glances across the room at the people who are actually SCRAPBOOKING at the SCRAPBOOKING store...lol! OK OK I Keed...I Keed :) I'm sure it will be fun and I am all for trying out something different! I used to LOVE painting pottery.... in the 6th grade......

Neat stuff I am discovering...

• it spellchecks everything you do as you type it...just puts a little red line under possibly misspelled stuff! NEAT!
• There are lots of fun themes!
• Is it just me or is it WAY faster?

OK...I have to stop this now...lol...I have a million things to do today and we have people coming over tonight!!



Must..................close.............computer....................

powered by performancing firefox

Trying out something new....

I decided to try out the Mozilla firefox browser as I know a few people that have it and seem to like it a lot. So I downloaded it just for kicks and opened up my blog in it. Wow....it looks way better. Me likey. So I have been playin' with it this morning while Sean sits in my lap watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (as an aside...who would have thought the turtles not only had TURTLE power....but also some SERIOUS STAYING power!! ;) )



Anyway...I am telling you all this because firefox has an add on that lets you blog right from the browser and I am trying it out.

powered by performancing firefox

Ruh-Roh <---insert Scooby Doo voice there ;)

I just talked to Liz (my mother-in-law) and it looks like we may be having thanksgiving dinner here! YIKES!! Her countertops and kitchen sink aren't installed yet...hopefully they will be by the weekend...but if not...there is gonna be a turkey on my table next Thursday. I guess my 'yikes' is really just for drama effect ;) My house is prepared for the holiday anyway since my family was coming over to visit before going over to Liz and Jrs for dinner anyway. My Aunt hasn't seen the house yet either...so I have been trying to make it EXTRA presentable ;) Also....I was already cooking the turkey for dinner (I make a DAMN good turkey if I do say so myself...lol) and Liz was making all the sides...so it would actually be EASIER for me to not haul a hot turkey to the in-laws.

Switched over to the 'New blogger' today...I have been to chicken to try it up until now. Gosh darnit I think I like it!

Blah Blah Blah

Haven't had much to say the past few days...and I still don't ...lol... but I am no blog slacker!!!

Been busy busy busy around the house working on my humungo list of projects. It hadn't really dawned on me that Thanksgiving is NEXT week...until a few days ago....so now I feel like I have to HUSTLE!!!! Yesterday I had to give BOTH dogs baths so that they are nice and clean for our company...and they were long overdue. Bathing those dogs is like a full-contact sport! But it was great to be able to cross it off my list :) I know there is no way I will have the list done by Thanksgiving...I am more concerned with having it done my the time my mom and brother get here. (And YES mom....putting up a closet rod WITH PLASTIC HANGERS in Jessi's room is #1 on the list ;) ) I am a little stalled out on the list because FIL has my drill and I NEED IT!!!

Also busy scrapbooking in between projects. Working on the album for my Nana and having a great time scrapping my fav pics! I am not doing any particular theme or anything, but a bunch of family pages with pictures I love! I'd upload...but my camera is sans batteries and Rick is sans brain and can't seem to remember to bring me home some for work (and if I BOUGHT some I'd hear..."I can't 'BELIVE you BOUGHT batteries!!! I TOLD you I'd get you some from work!!") I used to have a great battery charger and rechargeable batteries....but I haven't seen any of that stuff since pearl st.

Alrighty.... I MUST play a little Dice City Rollers for a minute before getting back to work...gotta earn that badge!

:::Jessi and I playfully arguing about how long she has been growing her bangs out::::

Me: WHAT----EVER!!! Talk to the hand, Missy!!
Jessi: (walking out of the room) WHAT EVER YOUSELF...Talk to the booty, cuz the hand's off duty!

Wow....am I in trouble over the next few years or what ;)

OK...this one has my kids in tears laughing

...so I had to share...lol.

I'm makin' lists and checkin 'em twice!

I have been a list makin' fool the past few days!! A sure sign that the holidays are upon us :) My mom AND my brother are coming to visit for Christmas and my father and my aunt are coming for Thanksgiving! So it's high time we get this house in shape!!! I made a HUGE list yesterday of stuff I need to do before the holidays and I made Rick a not-so-huge list of the 'man stuff' I need done :) Telling him to do stuff pretty much gets me nuthin'....but give that man a list and he'll do whatever you want!
Even Sean has caught the list making bug :) Right now the kids (and our overnight guest friend :) ) are upstairs making their Christmas lists. My MIL e-mailed last night and asked me to make an amazon dream wish list in case FIL hits it big at the slots...so I have been having fun with that!! I am not done, but I have gotten a good start on it ;) I always try to keep it current every few months anyway for the kids birthdays and stuff. Click here to buy me somethin...lol... I have also been working on my list of stuff to buy for others. Some of the black friday ads are out and I LOVE ME SOME BLACK FRIDAY!! My brother and I are making a tradition of it and heading out at the butt-crack of dawn again this year! I can't wait! (I say that now....but when I am standing an a 100 yard line at Best Buy for a $5 100 pack of CD's, I guarantee I'll be singing a different tune ...lol) Last year we mastered our plan-of-attack. I get right in line and Tim runs around and gets stuff! This year Christy (Tim's GF) is coming along and Tim and I decided today that since she is the 'new girl', her initiation will be being the runner ...lol!

Alright...enough typey....time to get to work on crossing stuff off my list!!!

More random ramblings...

...but no more dream talk...I promise...lol

As the say wore on yesterday I felt much better and thought 'hey! maybe I am NOT going to get the nasty cold after all!' However as I walked through Shaw's this morning struggling to push the cart that felt like it was full of bricks (when so far it only had carrots, sweet potatoes and soy sauce) with my head pounding and sweat pouring down my face like the Electronics Boutique guy (...inside joke for anyone who lives in the Bangor, Maine area)...I realized, 'Damn...I am sick.' Aren't I amazingly in tune with myself?...lol! I probably should have realized something wasnt right when I brought Sean to school at 830 this morning and was told that he didn't have school until 945 today...but that is something I would do even if I wasn't sick. Seriously...I do stupid crap like that all the time.

Speaking of school! Sean is there now and we have had NO TEARS ALL WEEK!!! I could have thrown a freaking party the other day when he woke up and asked 'Is it a school day?' and when I said yes, he said, 'YAY! I like my school now!!'

And Speaking of school. I watched the Dr. Keith Elbow....or whatever his name is... show yesterday and they talked to school kids about sex. most of the kids they talked to said their first sexual experiences were at 12!!?? And some said 10 and 11!?? WTF...SERIOUSLY...WTF!?? I have seen this information around a lot lately....it wasn't really news to me...I guess it just hit home hard yesterday watching that show. The trend for kids these days seems to be not having a steady boyfriend and just 'hooking up'....along with the trend of blow jobs being as common as kissing and girls wearing bracelets or trading cards to tell which sex acts they will, or have performed. I am seriously digusted by all this...and seriously terrified for Jessi. I realize I am saying seriously a lot...but SERIOUSLY...WHAT is wrong with kids right now!? I don't know what to do. I know that Jessi knows about sex, we have always been very 'matter-of-fact' about it...but I don't know if she knows about things like oral sex and stuff. Should I be telling her...warning her? I don't want to sit her down and tell her what a blow job is! She is ELEVEN for cryin' out loud. But so much information out there is saying that within the next year or so her friends (NOT HER DAMNIT) will be doing this stuff!!! :::deep breath::: We do talk often about this kind of stuff and she is very open with me. She told me the other day that one of her friends holds hands with her boyfriend, but that her mom doesn't know about it because "she doesn't talk to her mom like we talk" (awwwww :) ) This same girl has a category on her buddy list called "lovers." I asked Jessi if her parents knew about that and she said they did, that the computer is right in the room where her parents are. WTF? They are OK with that!? That is SO wrong. Which brings me to another question... If Jessi ever comes home and tells me that so-and-so did ---insert sex act here--- ....Do I call and tell the parents? I would want to know!! But I'm sure there are many out there that already know...or don't want to know?

If you are out there reading this...please don't take these questions rhetorically... I really would like to hear other's thoughts on this stuff!!

Off to go pick up my sweet, innocent 4 year old at preschool.... ;)

It STARTED like a normal blog post....

Damnit Damnit Damnit. I am getting sick. The whole family has taken turns with this nasty cold and I really thought I had somehow avoided it. I started feeling like shit last night and then I couldn't sleep because I was all stuffed up. So I just laid there in bed for what felt like HOURS thinking about my problems...other people's problems...the world's problems.... I finally fell asleep and had what seemed like one long dream all night long involving me running from 'something' driving my van all around with the kids, Cooper, and a puppy that Jessi found in a cage at the Goodwill store where we had to stop to buy blankets so that the kids could sleep in the van. Then I took a wrong turn and drove through several fields of various vegetables and mud, but I couldn't stop the car. I ended up at a farm where they told me how to properly drive through the fields without getting stuck and I KNEW they were lying. At some point the dream turned into a reality lifetime movie that I was watching...yet I was 'there' too...about a woman running from her abusive husband yet nobody believes her because she used to be a porn star and a prostitute. Throughout that part of the dream people kept saying "I think she is a pea (i.e. a member of the message board at twopeasinabucket.com). I know she used to be a pea before all this went down. She posted about it when it all started." So then I am trying to find her pea name and the threads that she posted...all of this WHILE still 'with her' running from this guy and various other obstacles.... one of which being she gets 'caught' in a porn movie theater watching a movie and they take pictures of her in there so that DHS will take away her kids.


WOW...what the hell is going on in MY head, huh? I have never even SEEN the inside, OR the outside for that matter, of a porn theater!? I highly doubt it's as clean and 'new looking' as my subconscious thinks it is...lol!

My laptop is home!!

They even gave me a new keyboard!

I can't believe how quickly they fixed it and got it back to me! It took me longer to try to explain what was wrong with the computer to the guy in India!

They called me yesterday to ask me how I felt about my interaction with their customer service department...and I could barely understand THAT GUY! LOL! Needless to say...I gave him an earful ;) He wanted me to rate my technician on a scale from 1 to 10 and I said, "I really don't feel comfortable doing that because if he was helping someone that spoke his language...he may be a GREAT technician...but since he didn't speak English very well and I don't speak...whatever... the whole experience was extremely frustrating and I will be thinking twice before buying another Dell." He said I will probably be hearing from another manager soon...BRING 'EM ON!!!

Wow....LOVING this new keyboard...not sure why they replaced it since it seemed fine to me...but I'll take it!

Chatted with Mom this morning....

I had to call her because my brother Tim called me ALL in a tizzy about whether or not Mom is coming to visit on Christmas because Chris (my other brother that lives in Nashville with my mother) told him over the phone last night that he was planning to come in January and "that is just stupid for them to come at different times...I can't take TWO vacations from work and YOU told me that Mom was coming at Christmas time so I was planning to take my vacation then and Chris said that he had never heard MOM say anything about that!!!??? So I really don't know what to do here!" Ok Tim...settle down psycho....me thinks maybe Uncle Tim accidentally sprinkled crack on his cereal this morning...lol! So...I offered to call Mom and find out the REAL scoop for him. She was driving home from her weekend trip to Atlanta and was eager to chat as it's a 3 hour drive :) She told me she isn't sure when she is coming....that it all depends on airfare...which is sky high (hee hee...I crack myself up) right now for a Christmas trip. She also is still waffling over meeting us at Disney for a few days...and whether she should do either, or....or both. So basically she gave me no information that I didn't already have...and I am SO not calling Tim back today...lol.

While we talked she suggested that I make an album for my Nana for Christmas because it has been a long time since I made her anything scrappy. My initial thought was "maybe we could have thought of this a month or 2 ago since the album I made for mom took me about 6 months" But then I got pretty excited because it means I can scrap some of my fav pics again :) I also LOVE the idea of making an album for Nana because she is one of the few people that look at my albums and REALLY get it. She not only studies the photos and journaling....but also runs her fingers over the embellishments and says things like "This is just gorgeous...this truly is artwork....you obviously put a lot of work into this" She looks at each page for like 5 minutes studying everything. I LOVE IT!! Everyone in my family loves to look through my books....but nobody really pours over them like my Nana does!! So I started on her album today...and that will probably be the only thing I'll be working on til Christmas ;)

Nice quiet weekend :)

Not too much to post about. We had a nice quiet weekend that involved a lot of cleaning, organizing and scrapbooking (click here to see the pages I did :) ) ...my kind of weekend!! Rick's vacation is over, and he spent the bulk of it sick with a nasty cold (and even nastier drama ;) )...so we didn't meet all our 'around the house' goals of the week since hunting pretty much took all the energy he could muster being deathly ill and all (I hope you are reading the ooooozing sarcasm there). We DID, however, get a GREAT start on the basement!! We got it completely cleaned and organized! Next step is MANY trips to the dump and power washing the floor. The floor is so yucky...it looks like it's a dirt floor and not a concrete one because of the basement flooding and rain/mud before the house was complete...so that is going to be a chore and a half.

We got some GREAT news Friday!!!! The hotel that we originally wanted to stay at opened up AND some new discount codes were released!! SO...we get to stay that our FAV hotel...with a WATER VIEW room AND upgraded passes for $250 LESS than we already paid!! SCHWEEET!! Small World Vacations has GOT to be the BEST travel agency for Disney trips EVER! I am SO excited for our vacation!! Disney is just a guaranteed great time for all!! And we are all EXTREMELY excited that Rick is coming along this time! The kids and I have been flying all over the country the past few years without him...it will be so great to have him along with us to join in the fun!!! When we first told the kids about the trip and that Daddy was coming too...I think Jessi was just as excited about that as she was about the trip itself!!

Bye Bye Bloggers

I had to remove some of my 'Bloggy people I Stalk' links today. The 'famous' scrappers are shutting down their blogs left and right. Why, you ask? Because people are nasty!! There are a few 'scrapbook critic' blogs out there where people discuss various scrapbook related things. These blogs are interesting to read because unlike the zillion message boards out there where people are friendly...and frankly a little (ok a lot) butt-kissey...on the blogs people can post anonymously and say what they are really feeling. Now...obviously I read them...so it may be hypocritical of me to bash them...but I don't care. I read them... and but I don't say things like "Ali Edwards (a famous scrapper for my non-scrappy readers ;) ) has a big fat butt and her layouts suck." Among the nasty, childish comments there is usually legitimate conversation.

I think that the creation of these blogs has turned the scrapbooking world on it's ear. They have taken an innocent, fun hobby and turned it into a dark, backstabbing world of jealousy and pettiness. Saying nasty, spiteful things about published scrapbookers is the main event at these blogs. Now...obviously those that are being slammed don't have to go read it, but honestly...Could YOU NOT go and read something when you know people are talking about you? I couldn't. And even if the 'celebs' DON'T go read it, the 'posting anonymous' thing has spilled over into people posting anonymous, RUDE and vicious comments right on the celebs blogs...which I think is really sad :(

One thing about scrapbookers is that we have all had "YOU MUST JOURNAL!!!!" driven into our heads....so writing interesting/fun/make you think stuff seems to come pretty naturally. I really enjoyed...and will miss reading many of the blogs that have shut down.

Yes...that is snow

I am so not ready for winter..well...mentally ready anyway ;) Had to take Jessi shopping after school for a new winter coat and GLOVES!! I can't believe it's time for GLOVES!!! We have a new LLBEan outlet nearby and it was TOTURE not shopping for other stuff ...I LOVE LL BEAN...BUT...we are on a debt diet (ugh...it makes me wanna puke to use an Oprah term...blaaaaaahhhhh) this month! We want to be completely caught up and maybe even AHEAD before Christmas and our Disney trip. They didn't have any coats that met my price and her fashion requirement there anyway...or at Kohls...or Old Navy...we finally met all our 'needs' at Target :) ALL those places and I bought ONLY her coat, gloves, and batteries. Damn I hate being responsible :-P

Happy Birthday Cooper!!!

Cooper is 1 year old today! To celebrate, I made him a party hat :) He wasn't a big fan of the party hat idea...lol...but he DID like the biscuit he got as a reward for cooperaing :) Today was going to be bath day for the dogs too, but I figured since it's his birthday I'd give him a repreive. But tomorrow...the bathin' is ON!!

Cooper update.... He is completely housebroken (FINALLY), he has mastered 'sit', giving his paw, 'speak,' 'come,' get down' and 'go' He also knows the boundaries of the yard and even knows where to stop and wait when I walk by the road to get the mail. He is ALMOST there with 'stay,' 'leave it,' and 'jump.' He loves to play fetch and we FINALLY have a dog that can CATCH! In the category of 'needs work' we have, chewing up the kids toys, TPing the bathroom, jumping up on people, and taking the whole 'watchdog' thing a LITTLE too seriously ;) He is so smart...I'm sure it will be no time before we can cross off the 'needs work' category altogether! 

As promised.....

I know you were waiting at the edge of your seats...lol!

On my desktop...

I am reduced to using my desktop...ugh

So as I sit here waiting to 'chat online' with Dell tech support (because there is no way in HELL I am calling them again!!), I installed picasa on this computer. I found all kinds of fun old photos some I didn't even know I had!

Of course I can't effing post them because not only does dell suck but BLOGGER DOES TOO!!!!!

Maybe later.....

Found this on the desktop ...lol

PROOF my family is a bunch of lunatics...

and Awwww....that was back when Sean was still using sippy cups and sitting in a high chair :::sniff sniff:::

Dude...I'm never again getting a Dell!!

Remember those commerials with the "Dude I'm gettin' a Dell" guy? I bet he has never had to deal with their tech support in pakistan, india, iraq....who KNOWS where!!?...but they definitely barley understand and English...and speak it even worse. ARGH!! My laptop is on it's way back to the factory to be fixed. The motherboard where the the power plugs in is loose and the cord keeps falling out...or I have to hold it at odd angles to keep it connected while I am trying to use it. That alone would not make me never want another Dell...things happen with every brand. But trying to get the people on the other end of the phone to UNDERSTAND the problem and TELL ME what they are going to do about was right up there with giving birth!!!!!! Not just that...but Dell laptops will ONLY work with DELL AC adapters! And Dell AC adapters SUCK...they are not at a right angle, so they stick out too far and I think THAT is the root of the motherboard coming loose (but god forbid you get THEM to admit that!! Trust me...I tried)!! So they get more money from you if you want another adapter....then they get even MORE money from you when the adapter breaks your motherboard. Pretty shady. Fortunately I am still under warrantee, so I am not losing any money...just my laptop for who knows how long :(

Looking forward to some peace and quiet!

After a crazy weekend we are going for a LAZY day :) This morning we were all in the scraproom (it really needs a new name since we use it for some much more than scrapping!) Jessi playing sudoku, Rick on the desktop, me on the laptop and Sean coming and going doing who-knows-what ;) The dogs were in there too until they thought it would be fun to playfight and bark and growl at each other...not conducive to our day of peace...so they got banished. They looked so pathetic sitting there at the invisible line they knew they couldn't cross, I HAD to snap a pic :)

OK...so much fun this weekend I couldn't choose which pics to blog...

But this one might be my fav...

Is this not just the cutest little witch EVER!!!?? I loved up that baby all afternoon :)

And here are the rest from Jessi's party and the Halloween party :)

As if we didn't have ENOUGH excitement around here...

We had a huge storm and the power went out last night.

Rick and I had already headed upstairs to watch TV as the girls had taken over the livingroom. We were right in the midst of 'The butterfly Effect' when the house house went black and 8 girls (and one boy) started screaming. Oh joy. So Rick went to sleep and I dragged my pillows and blankets down to the couch to protect the kids from the dark ;) We got some candles going, got out the flashlights (for ONCE I was actually PREPARED...I knew we were going to have a storm and bought a couple extra flashlights and candles and had them ready <---yeah....I rock...lol) and I prepared myself for the longest night of my life ;) Once I was down there the kids were able to enjoy the novelty of no power. They played with flashlights, did each others hair, and played those 'spook each other out' games. About an hour into thier fun the power came back and they were actually bummed out about it...lol! I took the opportunity to go back upstairs and to bed :) Thanks to daylight savings time, it is only 8am and I have been up for HOURS. It feels like it should be at LEAST 10am (the time when the parents start to arrive to take thier girlies...lol)! My day doesn't end then tho, we still have a halloween party to attend... a disaster of a 'post-party house to clean...and to rent the 'Butterfly Effect' because even though we have seen it before, neither of us remember the end and it's driving us crazy!

This is what happens when you let tweens take over

Turn your speakers up for the FULL effect ;)

WOO HOO!!!

Doin' the double digit dance for Disney!!!

99 days to go!!

Reunion of the crazies

...and yes...I am one of them...lol! A couple weeks ago a friend of mine that I hadn't chatted with in awhile called me to update me on her life and to invite me to a 'work reunion.' I used to work at a psych hospital on the children's unit and a bunch of us that all worked got together to catch up last night. Some are still there and made those of us that weren't there anymore VERY glad that our days at that place are long behind us!! Yikes! I can't even count how many times they lamented about how great it was when we were all there and how much it sucks now! We had so much fun working together! We all got caught up on the gossip of each others...and everyone elses (lol) lives. I can't believe how much has changed in the past 5 years!! Honestly, I was dreading going all day long and Nicole and I went back and forth about going all day long. Our kids have colds, I feel one starting, we haven't seen those people in ages (and there is a reason for that with some of them ;) ;) ), and worst of all it was at the Sea Dog. WHY must people choose that place to get together?? IT SUCKS!! The food is crappy, the drinks are small and also crappy and it's LOUD! At 530 we talked for the millionth time that day and since our kiddos were happy and content to be home with the men of the houses, we really had no good excuse not to go...plus we knew it would give us a good week of stuff to talk about ;) Within minutes I of arriving, I was glad I went! We had a blast and plans are already in the works to do it again...NOT at the Sea Dog!!