Nathaniel and I have decided to quit smoking...again. I know, I've tried it before and weaseled my way back into the addiction. This time there's a another incentive besides being able to breathe, etc. We did the math and figured up the cost of smoking per person per year....it came to about $2800. Nathaniel's health insurance costs more to cover smokers, I guess that's fairly standard practice, I've never had a job that offered insurance. That extra fee plus the price of cigarettes really takes a bite out of the ol' wallet. I could put $2800 to better use....like YARN!! I have 10 cigarettes left and once they're gone (sometime tomorrow) that's it for me. I'm serious this time. I've said that before too but I'm really tired of every year having a cold that leaves my lungs feeling like they're on fire, and it seems to get worse every season. I'll borrow a line from The little Engine That Could and use it as my mantra..."I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!"
Mention the name Johnny Depp and I'm transported back in time to a place where boys were a mystery, ripped jeans with safety pins were cool, and I was still a flower waiting to bloom. Yes, high school, circa late '90s. A lot has changed since then except for Mr. Depp. His characters continue to turn me on and totally creep me out. In his latest movie he has once again joined forces with the equally quirky Tim Burton in Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The first time I saw the trailer I didn't think too much of the movie until I decided to visit Sweeny Todd on Myspace and poke around a bit. I have to say I'm intrigued.
The movie is based on the British legend of Sweeny Todd. In the movie Benjamin Barker (played by Johnny Depp) is a normal guy with a lovely wife and baby who's sent away by a wicked judge. He returns as his alter ego, I guess, who goes by Sweeny Todd and he's set on revenge by ridding the world of all the people who have done him wrong. The cinematography in this movie is outstanding. The sets, costumes, and characters are quirky and the feel is very Gothic. There also seems to be a musical flair to the film which isn't really my bag, but the story sounds decent enough to ignore the musical breaks. Visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site to see the trailer for yourself.
The studio for this film has really pulled out all the stops to get the word out. If you go to Sweeny Todd's Confessional over at buzznet.com you can confess your own sins of revenge. It's almost like Post Secret only not as cool. I think the site is fairly new because there aren't very many confessions yet. I'm trying to think if I have any tales of revenge to confess...hmmm...ok, here's one. When Nathaniel had his vasectomy I not-so-secretly wished he'd get a nut infection! That was lame I know but it was the best I could do....besides I'm not willing to divulge any secrets that could get me in hot water! So in the spirit of things why not head on over and make your own Dashboard Confessional! And remember Sweeny Todd hits theaters this Christmas...nothing like a nice heart-warming tale of murderous revenge to make the holidays complete!
55% Looks like I'm not as prepared for the zombie apocalypse as I thought I was. Is this quiz trying to tell me that I'm only a little smarter than a walking dead person? I'm hurt! Click the box to test your own level of preparedness. I guess having a 45% chance of becoming a zombie wouldn't be all that bad though, right? I'd have a great Halloween costume and remember Thriller? Those zombies could really bust a move! I ♥ stupid quizzes!
It's time to starting thinking about sending out those Christmas cards again. Usually we buy the fairly inexpensive boxes of cards but this year I want something different. We have a lot family members on both sides spread out all over the country. I was thinking that this year we'd send out photo cards. I ran across Vista Print while shopping around online pricing different services. Vista Print really stood out because of their reasonable pricing and you can request a free sample of their product, which I did this morning. I've heard a lot of positive reviews about them so I think I'll give it a shot. Another thing that's pretty awesome is that they not only print photo cards but invitations, notepads, stationary, and even t shirts. I actually got gift ideas for some hard-to-shop-for family members while looking around their site. Go check 'em out, seriously, there's a lot to peruse and they even offer some things for free as long as you pay the shipping and handling which is also reasonably priced.
WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS THE WORDS 'PUKE' & 'TOMATO SOUP'!!!
What's worse than puking in the shower? ... Puking up tomato soup while you're in the shower and then puking again after seeing the puke. Yeah. I hate being sick. Thanks for letting me share!
November 24, 2007 was the anniversary of my sister's death. She's been dead 2 days longer than she was alive. That was one of the roughest patches in my life and I have blocked a lot of it from memory. It's really hard to believe that enough time has past to relive it all again. 12 years. I think about her a lot and still talk to her, I miss her more and more as I get older. I don't think these things ever get easier, you just learn to ignore the pain and go on with life.
You know what's great about having some 'Mommy time'? Here, let me make a list!
* Going to the bathroom and not having an audience
* The almost eerie silence
* Actually being able to hear my own thoughts
* Not saying 'stop', 'no', and 'don't' 846,876,401 times a day
* Being able to step out of the shower and not worry about flashing the kiddo
* Playing my music as loud as I want
* Crocheting time
* Not watching anything on Disney Channel
* Not having to worry about providing a balanced diet for the kiddo
* Not answering a Bajillion questions
* Eating ice cream for breakfast
* Being able to read a book chapters at a time instead of sentences
* Getting chores done without any 'help'
* Getting some online Christmas browsing done
* Purposely burping or farting without guilt
* Knowing that the kiddo is having a wonderful time too
You know what's not so great?
* Missing sloppy goodnight kisses
* Not getting little boy hugs that are almost too-tight
* Not hearing 'I love you, Mom'
* Not having my daily belly laugh session
* Not being able to kiss the kiddo's chubby little cheeks
...this list could go on and on and on.
Nathaniel is on vacation this week and he and Geof went up to Illinois for a few days to visit his parents. I got to stay home...alone! It's been great, really. I've gotten so much done that I've been putting off. The boys left early Sunday morning and will be back tomorrow afternoon. I'm ready to have them both back home...at least, I think so!
Nathaniel and I moved in together before we were married. Most of our belongings were and still are hand-me-downs. This was a great help to get our household started but everything together made for quite an eclectic mix. We've begun to replace some of the things we have with things that reflect more of our personality, design tastes, and needs. Our furniture is fine for now, so we've been focusing more of our attention on updating our older small kitchen appliances. We both enjoy cooking so we figured this was the best place to start. We've already replaced some pots and pans, and small kitchen gadgets, right down to the towels and dish cloths. Next on our list is our stand mixer. It came to us brand new and has worked out ok for small jobs, but it's a cheaper brand and the quality isn't very good. The "stand" for our mixer is a flimsy plastic contraption that has been used maybe once or twice. The good thing about it is that it's removable! Try making Divinity with that thing! Between watching things on the stove and mixing other ingredients it was a hazard. It gets a weird smell if it runs for too long at too high a speed, it's loud and with the stand it's very tipsy. Not fun to work with at all!
By the way here's my favorite recipe for Divinity. It came to me from my Grandmother when I got married. It's one of the hand-me-downs I'll never replace. The holidays just aren't the same without my Grandmother's Divinity. She makes it every year, I guess I'll be the one to carry on the tradition when she is no longer able.
To the recipe...
Divinity
2 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup 1/2 cup water 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 egg whites 1/2 cup chopped pecans or cherries (optional...my Grandma used cherries...yum!)
In a 2 quart saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt.
Cook to hardball stage, (260 degrees), stirring only until sugar dissolves.
Meanwhile, as temperature of syrup reaches 250 degrees, beat egg white till stiff peaks form.
When syrup reaches 260 degrees, very gradually add the syrup to egg whites, beating at high speed with electric mixer.
Add vanilla and beat until candy holds its shape, 4-5 minutes.
Stir in the chopped nuts or cherries, if desired.
Quickly drop candy from a teaspoon onto waxed paper, swirling the top of each piece.
Let cool.
My mouth is watering already!
Ok, back on topic...
I've been looking about online for a nice stand mixer and have been ogling a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer. This baby has 400 watts of power which is almost double the power of mine! It's quiet, comes with 3 attachments for mixing, and it has 12 mixing settings...again, double what mine has. It's also a lot sturdier which would make my job so much easier. The price is very reasonable too which is important to me. A friend of mine got a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer last year for her birthday and she really likes it and uses it. I love to bake but with the mixer I have I rarely do any because it's such a beast to work with.
Christmas is coming up so Santa, if you're reading this, all I want this year is an Eclectrics® Mixer in either "Apple" or "Pineapple", I'm not picky!
I'm ashamed to say that exact phrase came spilling out of my child's mouth. Last weekend Nathaniel drove us around downtown Charlotte because I'd never been in the heart of the city. We drove past an interesting piece of abstract sculptural art and I commented on it. That's when the verbal diarrhea came out. I cringe even thinking about it now. It was like fingernails on a chalk board. We live in the South and everyone knows about the stereotypical Southerner. Because of that Nathaniel and I have been vigilant in teaching Geof how to speak with proper grammar and a minimal accent if any at all. I'm proud of where I come from, but I also know how Southerners can be viewed. And no, we don't all live in trailer parks, fuck our cousins, or talk about the War of Northern Aggression...(see, I'm funny too!). In other words, I try not to be too obviously Southern. With that said, it was still funnier than hell!
I'm not a huge fan of horror flicks but I do enjoy the genre. Has anyone seen the new trailer for The Mist by Stephen King? Go check it out if you haven't, it will give you goosebumps! Anything that Stephen King is involved with is sure be great horror story telling.
The gist of The Mist is a group of people are trapped in a grocery store by a mist that settles over their town after a storm. Some people believe that the mist is natural, some believe super natural, and others believe that it is the end of days. This divides the group pitting them all against each other. The story revolves around two main characters; a man, David Drayton and his son, Billy. David is the first person to figure out that there are things out in the mist...monsters of some sort. Things only dreamed of. Survival depends on the people uniting and working together. As people lose all sense of reason in the face of fear and panic David begins to wonder if he fears more, the creatures veiled by the mist or the people in the store.Sounds like another great story by the legendary author! I remember watching Pet Cemetery and Misery back when they first came out.Images from both movies still haunt me.Like the part in Pet Cemetery when the boy slices the Achilles tendon of that old man.Or in Misery when the lady placed the board between the man’s legs and then took a sledge hammer to his ankles!! Oh the horror…I love it!I can’t wait for The Mist to come out…November 21st if you’re wondering.My Dad and I usually go to the movies together around Thanksgiving, kind of a tradition.He’s the only other person I know who can stand a suspenseful movie, plus he’s a long time fan of Stephen King.Perfect!
Two priests are off to the showers late one night. They undress and step into the showers before they realize there is no soap. Father John says he has soap in his room and goes to get it, not bothering to dress. He grabs two bars of soap, one in each hand, and heads back to the showers. He is halfway down the hall when he sees three nuns heading his way. Having no place to hide, he stands against the wall and freezes like he's a statue. The nuns stop and comment on how life-like he looks. The first nun suddenly reaches out and pulls on his manhood. Startled, he drops a bar of soap. 'Oh look' says the first nun, 'it's a soap dispenser'. To test her theory the second nun also pulls on his manhood...sure enough he drops the second bar of soap. Now the third nun decides to have a go. She pulls once, then twice and three times but nothing happens. So she gives several more tugs, then yells 'Holy Mary, Mother of God-hand lotion!'
After I graduated from high school I worked at an assisted living community that had a wing devoted to people living with Alzheimer's. This was a job I thought I'd never have or want or even enjoy, but I was wrong. I'm not going to lie and say it was easy. It was very demanding both physically and emotionally but very rewarding in a lot of ways. I was glad to do my part to provide the quality of care that those individuals deserved. I worked with not only the residents on a day-to-day basis, but also their family members. I did my best to treat my residents with the same respect and care that I'd want someone to treat my parents or grandparents with. I witnessed first-hand how Alzheimer's robs a person of their life, of everything they've known, of precious memories and of loved ones. It's a fascinating and devastating disease that I hope will someday have a cure.
Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging although the risk for developing the disease does increase with age. Statistics show that 1 in 10 people over the age of 65 and almost half of those 85 or older have the disease. Right now researchers are working on ways to extend the quality of life for those diagnosed with Alzheimer's. While that is very important, ensuring quality care for those who suffer from the disease should not be overlooked. How can we do that? By supporting the Alzheimer's Foundation of America this holiday season and visiting their eStore. All proceeds go to help raise awareness and spread the knowledge of Alzheimer's disease and related illnesses and further its mission of providing optimal care to those affected by dementia. This year, in honor of two of my Grandmother's who had the disease, I'm going to get a beautiful necklace as a holiday gift to myself while helping to spread the word.
What do you get for the guy who has everything?...
...you get him everything in miniature and all in one place, that's what! I've been thinking about what to get Nathaniel for Christmas this year. I thought about a nice Swiss Army knife so I checked out the website and ran across this sucker! At $1,200.00 the price tag is a bit out of my range. It's got everything from a bike chain riveter, golf club face cleaner, cigar cutter, to the standard toothpick! I just wonder how practical such a behemoth would be to use? How do you even hold it?
Geof and I visited my folks this Halloween. My Dad loves this time of year and always goes all out for Geof and my younger cousins...his only trick-or-treaters. Here are a few pics from the weekend.
Geof with his cousins...(l-r) Rose Queen, '60s Chick, Hannah Montana, Fearless Frankenstein Pirate.
The decorations:
Snake Man...
Mummy Dearest...
The Graveyard...
Bodies & Parts...
The Great Pumpkin... (it's actually an old painted satellite dish!)
Other Great Pumpkins...
The Loot...
A fun time was had by all and we're finally starting to come down from the sugar rush!
