I stepped into a time machine!

So Hubby and I were talking the other day.
I love the way the dining room looks now, except that there is no door for the closet in there.
I asked him if he had any ideas. Me, I woulda just bought a curtain rod and a bed sheet to sew into a curtain (much cheaper than curtains!) and left it at that.

Hubby's suggestion was hanging beads.

"You know? That would be cool! But where does one find hanging door beads in 2008?"
"I'll bet Satori has them."

So, I wake up this morning and see that it is snowing. One of my favouritest things in the world to do is to walk outside while it is snowing. It is so gorgeous and peaceful!
I brought along the digital camera, but just as I found something picture-worthy, I turned it on and got nothing. No energy. Hmmm.

I wandered down town on my walk, and hoped to stop in to Satori to see of they did indeed have said bead door thingies. But, alas, they were closed until noon. So I had to wander back home with no door beads and no groovy pictures of the gorgeous snowfall.

I changed the batteries in the camera, and still no power. Which really makes me want to sob. I LOVE that old camera! Jim has a new one that is supposed to do everything but wipe your ass, but I can't even get the freakin thing to turn on! And the pictures I have taken with it never turn out good. This ancient dinosaur, however, has always been trusty and easy to use. I'll never find another one like it. Wah!

But, back to the door beads. So, after lunch, I say to Hubby, "Want come with me to buy the bead door thingie?"
He sighs and asks "Do I have a choice?"
Well, no, not really.
"Come on! It'll be fun!"

So, we jump in the van and head down town to Satori Imports.
I've only been in there once or twice since high school, and both Hubby and I immediately turn into teenagers when we step through the doors. They have the coolest stuff!

I was going to just wander about, hoping to run into the door beads, but Hubby suggested I ask the clerk. Sure enough, they had a huge display of them. And I instantly burst into laughter.
"Should we buy the one with the giant pot leaf on it?"
"Whatever." Hubby rolled his eyes.
"Well, does any one of them catch your eye?" I asked him, as I browsed through them all.
"I dunno." he was so helpful.
Of course, the one I liked was on the more expensive shelf of them. But, hey! I bought it with my Quit Smoking Money, so I'm worth it!

We got it home, and I got it hung up, and we stood back to admire it. The Kitten of course got up close to admire it. She thinks it's awesome!

"I love it." I declared. "And it makes me giggle. Buying it made me giggle, and having it in our house makes me giggle. Fuck decor. If it makes you giggle, buy it!"

I just may have to return for some of those Peacock Feathers they had there. Way retro!

By the way, I'd post a picture of the new beaded door thingie, but, well, you know...

I really gotta have one of these!

Check this out!

From the website:

Emergency Yodel Button

Nothing lifts the spirits like a good yodel, but most of us don’t have the skill to yodel on cue.

That’s where the Emergency Yodel Button comes in.

Keep this 4" x 3" x 5/8" plastic device with you at all times and when the need arises, press the button to hear the sweet mellifluous warbling of an alpine yodel.

Also includes a hole in the back so you can easily hang it on a wall.

Requires two AAA batteries (not included).

....................

Bonus: you can hear what it sounds like by pushing a button on the website.

$12.50.

Thanks to bookofjoe for turning me on to such a Must Have Item!

Will Hubby buy it for me for Christmas?

Thanksmas is just around the corner!

The evidence is clear. I'm stocking up on extra glass ware, Hubby has at least 2 opened cook books in every room - all open to interesting chicken recipes, and the cleaning is being tackled by all. That can only mean that Thanksmas is next weekend!

The part that is fun is that we invite so many diverse people. We have friends who do drink, friends who don't drink, friends who shouldn't be allowed to drink, and friends that are a blast when they drink.

The food menu is still not set in stone. It turns out we have invited a guest who cannot eat red meat, which is no big deal to me. I LOVE chicken. If I were cooking the main dish, I'd say we do chicken sandwiches and beef or ham sandwiches and keep it simple. But Hubby is the one cooking the main dish. He likes to explore new territory when it comes to feeding large groups. So I am sure this will be a chicken recipe that none of us has ever had before. Of course we'll have other items on the menu too. And let me tell you, after being on this diet all month (which ends this Tuesday), I am going to be grazing like crazy! I haven't made peanut brittle since I was in Junior High Home Ec class, and I have been just craving some like crazy! So I'm going to try making that as well as some other yummy treats. But I think, just to please the other end of the spectrum, we'll have a nice tempting salad as well.

I really need to shop for a table cloth. I dread going out to The Marts this time of year. Hubby and I went out today with a short list and ended up at Walmart. Ugh! That was the only store that had what we needed (still didn't find a tablecloth, I got too stressed with the crowds!) . But I had to laugh when we entered. The greeter had jet black hair, black nail polish, black make-up on, and she's reluctantly welcoming everybody to the store. My first comment was "Check it out! They hired a Dead Chick for the Holidays! Sweet!"

Maybe we ought to have invited her to Thanksmas just to see how she acts after a few cups of mulled wine!? Dang! I can't wait for next Friday!

My Hero!

Hubby scrubbed the wall behind the stove! I didn't even say a word!
Halleluia!

Now the big question: can we get it back in order before we have to start with the Thanksgiving Preparations?

I can't wait to start making pies.

I've been extra good with my diet this week so that I can splurge on Thursday.
I don't think I'm going to meet my goal by next Tuesday, but I do have a good dent into my goal.

Much as I would love to win this challenge, I'm not going to starve myself to do it.
My health comes first. But, hey! We'll see what the outcome is next week Tuesday.
I may not lose 11 pounds, but I still may be the Biggest Loser.

A Hunting We Will Go

I'm a little disappointed in myself.
Normally when Hubby goes off on Hunting Weekend, I have some big project planned around the house that I get started on that Friday Night and have completed just as he pulls in the drive way.

That's how our Orange Living Room came about.

That's how my Faux Snake Skin Rocker came about.

That's how my custom made spice rack came about.

But this year, I have so darn many projects already in the works that I'm like a Merry Maid with A.D.H.D!

I didn't get a darned thing accomplished last night other than all the dishes in the sink - including dishes that Hubby had in his Hunting Box which were still dirty since last year. Ahem. Gross!

But my #1 son came to visit last night as well. That was nice. I don't get to see him often. We had a lot of catching up to do. He and his Lady of 5 years have decided to call it quits, which is a big adjustment in itself, but he has also taken it a step further and quit his job where they worked together, so that he could make a clean break. Very smart, my boy!

So this morning, I've been trying to finish scrubbing my kitchen walls and am just feeling discouraged. That room just looks like hell no matter how much I scrub. It needs painting. But why paint the walls if the ceiling and floor look so damaged and disgusting?

And the deeper I dive into it, I know that I really ought to just be focusing on Jerry's ceiling.
The main reason I decided to start on that one to begin with was to challenge myself. I want to see just how difficult it is going to be to actually remove that fake ceiling and repair the original ceiling. If I can hack it, then, we'll tackle the kitchen ceiling - which I know is in so much worse condition. But the Betty Crocker in me just won't leave it be. The walls in there need washing.
And I want it done before the Thanksmas party. And I'm making progress. All the walls are washed except the worst one. Behind the stove. Cue Horror theme music.

A few years ago, my darling Hubby decided that he wanted a rack above the stove where he could store the pots and pans he uses most often. It is really more of a haven for grease. Blech! Reality is far more disgusting than imagination could ever be when it comes to kitchen grease. I don't really want to go there. It would be awesome if Hubby were to get up on a chair and scrub down that rack, wall and all the pots and pans. My hair is still grubby from last weekend's scrubbing session.

I'm sure I'll shift gears this afternoon and get back into Jerry's room. A trip to the hardware store is necessary for that task as well. But it's a whopping 17 degrees outside today. I don't relish going out in the cold.

I would have loved to already be at the painting stages in Jerry's room by now. I'm sort of looking forward to that. There's nothing like a fresh coat of paint to make a room sparkle. Maybe by Christmas? We'll see how this Merry Maid with A.D.H.D. progresses.

Hello, Cruel World!

So, I'm winding down on week 2 of my diet.
And I must say I am doing super great at it so far.
But I've run into a snag.

You see, last Friday, I bought a bunch of bananas to munch on for breakfasts.

I looked at them on Monday, and they were still quite yellow. So, at work, I bought a more ripe banana at the cafeteria. Except we were so busy on Monday, I never got to eat the dang thing.

On Tuesday, I looked at the banana on my desk and ignored it. Instead, I ate my single serving of Kelloggs Frosted Flakes and said "They're Grrrrreat!"

On Wednesday, I looked at our bananas here at home, and they were getting nice and ripe. I sliced one up and mixed it with some watermelon slices and that was a very tasty breakfast.
And at work, I also finally ate that lone banana.

But, alas, tonight, the entire bunch of bananas is getting too ripe. So, Banana Bread, they must become.

I found a great recipe and altered it to suit my own needs - 4 giant bananas.

So now, in 10 minutes, I will have not one, but 4 loaves of evil Banana Bread.
Do you have any idea how many calories are in a slice of banana bread?
And the recipe I just used asked for 2 sticks of butter and a package of cream cheese.
Oh yeah. Tons of sugar, tons of fat. Not to mention nuts. And in one loaf, I added chocolate chips.

Tomorrow, I'm bringing most of it to work to let all the other gals enjoy it. And, of course, Hubby can bring some hunting with him. It's got to get out of my house!

But first, I think I need to sample at least one piece. Gawd! How I love Banana Bread!

Snakes

I woke up just before midnight last night because I was having the oddest nightmare.
I was babysitting for someone's toddler, and all seemed to be going well, except they had some very unusual pets to care for as well.

So in this dream, I'm in the kitchen, heating up a bottle for the baby, when I suddenly remember that the owners of the house warned me about a snake in the kitchen that they hadn't been able to locate to remove it from the house. They said it was highly poisonous and I need to be careful because if it were to bite their pet grizzly bear, the bear would probably go crazy and eat the whole household full of people before it succumbed to the poison.

You guessed it. I'm heating the bottle and it is just about done, when all of the sudden, my cat Octavia jumps up on the counter and warns me there is something behind me. What Octavia was doing at somebody else's house, I don't know. Suddenly, I am trying to woo a snake away from everyone else in the kitchen - the Toddler, my son, a giant bear, my kitten, and for good measure, a dog! I'm urging them all back to the living room with my legs so that I can immobilize the snake with my free hands, and I'm searching for something, anything to smack the snake with.

It's rearing up and ready to strike, but I whack it with a broom handle and flatten its head.
Meanwhile, I'm thinking how soft and fluffy the bear feels as I am pushing it back away from the kitchen with my feet so that it is safe.

When I woke up, I realized two things. 1, if a snake was gonna strike, there is no way in hell I would be a good enough aim if I was whacking it with a broom pole. I only get one out of 3 flies with a swatter, let alone a pole! And 2, my Cat Fijhonna REALLY needs to go on a diet. She's the fluffy bear I was protecting with my feet!

So, I went to one of those Dream Analysis Sites to see what it means:
To see a boar in your dream, signifies that you need to look inside to find the answers and secrets about yourself and the people around you.

To see a snake or be bitten by one in your dream, signifies hidden fears and worries that are threatening you. Your dream may be alerting you to something in your waking life that you are not aware of or that has not yet surfaced. The snake may also be seen as phallic and thus symbolize dangerous and forbidden sexuality. The snake may also refer to a person around you who is callous, ruthless, and can't be trusted. As a positive symbol, snakes represent transformation, knowledge and wisdom. It is indicative of self-renewal and positive changes.

To see a kitchen in your dream, signifies your need for warmth and spiritual nourishment. It may also be symbolic of the nurturing mother. Alternatively the kitchen, represents a transformation.

To see a baby in your dream, signifies innocence, warmth and new beginnings. A love affair may be blooming for you in your near future. You will also make new and fun friends. Babies may symbolize something in your own inner nature which is pure, vulnerable, and/or uncorrupted.

To dream of a crying baby, is indicative of a part of yourself that is deprived of attention and needs some nurturing.

If a woman dreams she is nursing a baby, she will be deceived by the one she trusts the most.

Okay, so that's pretty far off in left field. I'm gonna have to go with my own analysis first. Our stupid cats pretend to hate each other all day long. Then, after everyone goes to bed, they have a blast racing through the house until they are totally spent. Then, Big Fijhonna jumps up on the bed and tries to take over my spot. Stupid Alpha Cat. She needs her butt smacked.

It's On Like Donkey Kong

I have to laugh.
Mondays are our most stressful day at work. The phones ring non-stop, and every one needs help NOW!
And in amidst the chaos, Robin and I are talking about the diet challenge we are entered into.
Neither one of us will disclose our beginning weight. But we're both arguing that we weigh more than the other.
She says she is 5' 8" so she feels she definitely weigh more than me.
I'm 5' 6" (formerly 5' 7" sob! I'm getting shorter already!) and I still believe I weigh more.

My goal is to lose 10 pounds this month.
Robin says if I'm gonna lose 10, then she's gonna lose 11!

Little does she know, I secretly really really hope to lose 12. Muwahahaha!

Our other coworker, Candy said "So it doesn't really matter if any of the rest of us in this challenge lose any weight? It's really between you two?"

I said "Oh, no! The point is, even if I don't win the challenge, I at least have to beat Robin."
And of course Robin said "And I need to beat Brenda!"

And almost in unison, we both cheered "It's On Like Donkey Kong!"

I really like that the two of us are able to have such a competitive nature and still think the world of each other. But I'm still gonna win. ;-)

Aaaawwwwwww!

This just melted me into a giant puddle...


And then, of course, there is the translation:




Sweet Baby Jesus. I'm gonna grow old and become that Cat Lady every one fears becoming! I'll have 30 cats and I'll live on cat food because feeding them would be more important to me than my own nutrition. Although my cats would have much cooler names than any other old Cat Lady's collection of felines.

But, hey! I thought I'd share this with you since it's been sort of a quiet weekend here at KuhrsVille. No one really wants to hear how many calories are in Dirk's Country Fried Steak Lunch (EEK!) or how I am becoming a master plasterer in my son's room. Although you might be interested to hear that I walked over the newly opened bridge yesterday. I don't know why Oshkosh felt the need to spend that much money on a bridge. And I find it quite amusing that there are sidewalks leading to the tunnels beneath it where our city's finest homeless can reside, while on the top side of the bridge, they've built two sniper towers for when those homeless get unruly! Surely those towers aren't for watching the waterways. They're up far too high for that. The look much more like the ones on our fair prison. Walking over that bridge, I felt very SanFranCiscoey!

Crack Crack

Why! Why? Why would anybody want to purchase anything that likely spent time up some dude's asshole?

You see, people, THIS is why I drink Whiskey! I can be assured it has not spent even a moment in someone's nether-regions and yet it still has that earthy flavour. Yum.

I ought to be in politics

Jerry's teacher has been raising a special dog and training it to help the handicapped and sight impaired. After a year of training, she sent him back to where she got him and they gave him a go.
Unfortunately, the verdict was that Dezi the Dog did not work out as a handicapped helper and he missed his Teacher Family terribly.

So now, Jerry's teacher has a new idea. She wants to teach Dezi to be a Reading Dog. She wants to have him in her class room and have the kids read to him every day. The edge to this is that dogs don't judge. They just lay there and look sweet while you read to them.

The other morning, I had Jerry read me his book from school because we ran out of time the night before (it is astounding the amount of homework they dump on these poor second graders!). He was nearing the end, but I had to race out the door. So, I told him to finish reading the story to the kitten who was laying right beside him looking like she was actually enjoying his story.

The next night, he was again reading to me, and again, the kitten was all snuggled across both of us, looking adoringly at Jerry as he read. I commented on how she likes it when he reads. Jerry got all excited and suggested "Maybe Occie could be a Reading Kitty!"

"Absolutely!" I agreed, knowing how difficult it is to get Jerry to read lately. "But she'll need lots of practice, though. If you read to her every day, she'll be a very good reading kitty!"

This evil plot seems to be working because he's been reading to the kitty and me every night since then!

And what's even better is that Jerry finally discovered in the school library the Captain Underpants Book Series. They're hilarious little stories that are written in such a way that kids think they're really getting away with something by reading them. He actually spent over an hour reading it to himself, giggling madly.

Both Jim and I badly want Jerry to be a reader. Andy was never big on books. And he's missing out on so much by not being a reader. Life is full of so much more texture when you are a reader.
And I love that Jerry gets the concept of transporting yourself into a story. As we did with Andy, we've read nightly to Jerry since infancy. Somehow he caught on. When he started learning how to read, he was the first in his class to actually read with inflection. I love that. Our work is transcending.

Hmmmm. Maybe once we have Occie trained as a Reading Kitty, we can encourage Jerry's friend Michael to read to her as well. We may have to put fish in his pockets though. :-)

Change, it is a comin!

See what I did there? Heh!
So, I'm on to a new challenge.
Robin, my work pal has been trying to drum up a group to do a pseudo Biggest Loser challenge.
I had only 2 stipulations were I to join. The first, they totally had to up the ante. They had a group diet challenge from January through May this year where everyone kicked in $5. I told them the tale of the last diet challenge I was in. Every contestant kicked in $20 and the pool was up to $700. I cam e in second place. I made $100. Not bad
There's no way I'm killing myself for just a few bucks.

Stipulation #2 was that I will not do it through December. When they asked why, I said "Cuz I drink in December and you can't diet and drink at the same time."
They then said "Well how about if we go until mid December?"
I gave them a wicked grin and said "Sorry, no can do! I drink ALL THROUGH December!"

So, everyone is kicking in $20 and the challenge ends December 3. So I'll have some spare cash for Thanksmas - cuz I am SO gonna win this challenge!

I hadn't stepped on a scale since January. And I know I've been gaining weight in the last year, but OUCH! I'm at my heaviest ever right now! I've definitely got to turn that around.

I am still going to party through December. That's what December is for, after all!
But beforehand, I am going to make a dent. And come January, I'm gonna drop the rest. Yeah, it won't happen just in January, but that's the launch date. By June, I will be back at my "Fighting Weight" again. And when I get there, no body better die, and my job better still be intact, and stress better stay at livable levels. Cuz I don't want to bounce back to this weight ever again.

Since I quit smoking, one would expect to feel better. Nope. I know my BP is up, and I'm sure my blood sugar is up as well because that's what happens when you quit. Your body doesn't know how to release sugars because smoking has been making your body do that instead of your body doing it naturally. And until the body learns how to do that, you crave sugar. You crave it like a fomo! So I know I really need to drop the weight to lower the blood sugars and cholesterol levels. THEN I'll feel better.

The cool thing is, that Robin and I are both VERY competitive. She wants to beat me, and I want to beat her. We're just that way. Left to our own devices, we'd both cave and not lose as much as we want. But because it is a competition, we will try harder, and lose a respectible amount of weight. But I'm still gonna win. ;-)

I wish I were an Ostrich

Well, the Presidential election went about as I thought that it would.
Obviously, after having a Republican in the house for 8 years, it is time for a Democrat.
I knew that from the get go. But WHY OBAMA!!!?????

It has nothing to do with his race. I simply do not like the man. I see right through the lies and it
makes me amazingly angry to see anybody lie the way he does with no conscience or fear of
being caught out!

I though John McCain's concession speech was wonderful. I have come to truly respect the man
through this race for office. He could have chewed up Obama and spit him out a million times. But instead, he held tact. He refused to let it become a vicious battle. He kept the rules close to heart.
His followers were emotionally crushed, but he will live to tell another tale.

I survived the Clinton years (ick!). So I suppose I can muttle through the Obama Years without vomiting all over myself every time he addresses the nation.

The fun part is because I did get out and vote, and I did not vote for this shifty character that's going to drive our country into the ground, I have the right to point out every wrong turn this presidency takes. I have the right to complain as loudly as I wish about every thing he does that I disagree with. I get to laugh in amusement when he learns that he doesn't have enough ill-gotten money to pay his way through all of the troubles that await him in the hot seat. When he fucks up Iraq and wrestles his way through the Wallstreet Debachle he'll be wishing he hadn't bought his way into that office.

No, I won't be an ostrich. I'll be a bull dog. A watch dog. After all, someone's gotta keep an eye on someone that shifty!

If I end up on CakeWrecks.Com, I'll cry!

So, I did spend my Sunday making cookies for the election day. And while I was at it, I also made some to bring to work for Snack Day today - which is a good thing because Hubby reminded me that anything that could possibly sway a voter to vote one way or the other is not permitted on Official Voting District Grounds. So my cookies would be a no-no were I to make them all Smiling McCain Cookies and all Frowning Obama Cookies. So I shook it up a bit...

And, Look! They even play nice together on the same plate!
Although they did look much happier before I added the Obama Cookies...
I'm very glad we decided to have a snack day at work on a Monday. Mondays are tough - The harshest day of the entire week. A bit of comic relief and party food is a fabulous thing when you're facing the most stressful day of the week. In fact, I pointed out to everyone before we turned our phones on that today, we were actually like a living, breathing Mullet! Business in front, Party in Back! (If that doesn't make you giggle, then you totally do not get me!).

I over- ate today, of course. But at least I did get outside to take a quick walk around the grounds at lunch. What a gorgeous day is was! If I was smart, I'd pack a sandwich for lunch tomorrow and eat it outside while making two laps on the grounds path! Um. Yeah. I know I won't do that. But I do know I will be sure to get outside to stroll the path at least once.

Hopefully the beautiful weather will bring people to the polls tomorrow as well! I'm glad tomorrow is my early day at work! W00t!

Happy Halloween Weekend!

Just want to wish everyone a Happy Halloween Weekend!
Hub and I had a good time Trick-or -Treating with Jerry last night.
I came home from work to find out that the latest plan was that we were going in a group with Michael's family.

It turns out that Michael's family doesn't put a lot of heart into Halloween. I guess his grandparents wouldn't let his dad Trick-or-treat because it was considered an evil holiday or something. Or maybe they were just old Ultra-Conservatives and didn't understand the concept of wandering from house to house with a pillow case begging for candy?

But I now understand why Michael and Enoch are always so fascinated with Jerry's Halloween costumes. It's because their own parents refuse to participate in the fun of getting one together.
Enoch and his older sis P.J. were both Brett Favre (Yeah! I KNOW, Right?!), and Michael borrowed Jerry's vampire cape from last year because he happened to have a set of vampire teeth. That was his whole costume. Teeth and a cape. Last year when Jerry ws a vampire, Hubby spent an hour doing his makeup and he looked frighteningly awesome!

This year, Jerry was a Zombie. He of course finally narrowed it down to this choice in the past week. But I think half the fun of Halloween is dreaming of the possibilities of who you could be for that one day. I'm just glad I didn't run out and buy fabric and start working on idea #1 because the very next week he was on to idea #2! But the Zombie costume was quite easy. We went to Good Will, bought over-sized clothes to cut up and smear fake blood all over, and then he found a scary mask and gloves as well. Total prep time = 2 minutes. Total effect? Priceless!

So does this mean that Michael will be a Zombie next year? I guess I'd best pack it away with care!

We also decided that next year we would go to Omro for Trick-or-treating. We'll likely take along Michael's family. McKinley Street is the best place in Wisconsin to Trick-or-Treat. Everyone on the street participates and has a great time!

And speaking of participation, There was a great Halloween Fright to be found over at the Malchow Abode last night. It's been a few years since they were able to put it together, but they had ghoulish fun happening!

Kim was the Grim Reaper, directing the kids toward the candy bowl.
Herrrrrman of course, was the headless monster in a chair just behind the candy bowl.
Marty was hiding in the van with a michrophone, making scary noises and beakoning the kids forth. And there was friends and family dressed in costume as well, helping to keep things in order.

You could hear them from blocks around! I think they were the hit of the neighbourhood!

In keeping with the spirit, I actually dressed up myself last night!
All day at work, I just wore a Silly Hat. But when I got home, I traded it in for my house coat, a shower cap, and white makeup on my face. Quick, simple, but festive! Ha ha!

So, what did you all do for Halloween?