My husband calls me weird

The most phallic game ever

Oh Milton Bradley, what were you thinking? (The trunk gets bigger as air flows through it to eventually shoot butterflies out the tip. Uh-huh. I thought the same thing.)

With a cough cough here.....

I just tinkled myself from coughing too hard.

Life is so unfair.

And because I'm still so pathetic with bronchitis, I give you Aaron, modeling Ken's Christmas hockey gear loot. Someday he will be big enough. Someday.

I need to go find some Nyquil. G'night.

(Go Giants! Go!)

Quick Check In

Aaron received his beloved flashlight for Christmas. It's battery free and you have to turn a handle (crank) for a couple of minutes to make it work. According to said three year old the flashlight's name is "cranker."

Hope everyone is enjoying a lovely holiday season. Christmas Eve found me in urgent care with a sinus infection and bronchitus. I have been such a fun little Christmas elf. Oh, and I suck at Guitar Hero 3.

Just a quick check in. I'm off to cough my lungs out.

A M to the E-R-R-Y uh...Holidays!

Is it wrong that I bribed my son with a peanut butter cup to put on his pants this morning?! Mother of the year award here I come!

Happy Holidays and a Safe New Year!!

I will be in and out until the New Year. I'm off of work for the next week and a half and I have both kiddos with me. Have a wonderful, merry what every you celebrate!! See you in the new year, if not a little sooner.

Peace.

Thursday Thirteen: Play that Funky Music

Thursday Thirteen: Play that Funky Music

My top thirteen favorite songs with links to audio when available. I was totally born in the wrong music generation.

1. Led Zeppelin: Whole Lotta Love (you will need Quicktime to see this)

2. Elvis Presley: Suspicious Minds

3. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: I love Rock and Roll

4. Elvis Presley: Return to Sender

5. Kim Carnes: Bette Davis Eyes

6. Beatles: Twist & Shout

7. Beatles: You Really Got a Hold of Me (having hard time finding footage for this one)

8. Johnny Cash and June Carter: Jackson

9. Jamie Lidell: Multiply

10. Ray Charles: Georgia on my Mind

11. Jennifer Hudson: And I am Telling You

12. Jimi Hendrix: Purple Haze

13. David Grey: This Year's Love

What is your favorite song?

(And dude? I totally had all the YouTube Videos posted for your viewing ease, only it the download time of my blog was taking FOREVER! So, linky love it is.)

Elvis Wednesday: Laying Tile Baby

I came back to work yesterday after missing Monday for the puke-a-thon to find a present! For me!! Okay, granted I asked for it and figured it would be mailed to me shortly, but I'm still all geeked.

It's by this artist, who is a member in the art organization I work for. Go check out his stuff. It's fun and affordable for those who like eclectic work and/or just starting to collect artwork and don't have a exorbitant bank account to purchase whatever the hell they please. (But if you do have a bank account like that, you can adopt me!)

Also is anyone else freaked out that Christmas is in 6 days? What the hell? Where did the time go?

Also, for your amusement:

Did you ever get the feeling that Bert just needed to get laid?

Yesterday was not my day

Yesterday Michigan was still feeling the effects of the 10+ inches of snow that dropped on us late Saturday into Sunday. Might I add it helped scare off 10 or more people that had RSVPed to our Holiday Housewarming Party. Anyone want meatballs? Or mini puff pastries? I have plenty! So Monday I left for work a bit late to avoid rush hour traffic and the nut cases who freak out at snow. It took me over an hour to get to Aaron's daycare. I pull up to the drop off zone, only for Aaron to start crying in the backseat that his tummy hurt. Needless to say, I hand him the garbage can just in the nick of time. I speed demon my way to my office, empty the garbage can into our dumpster (poor garbage men), get him cleaned off and grab work to do at home. Aaron yarfs a couple more times on the way home. At this point I just throw the garbage can away and thank my van's air freshener for working so wonderfully. I spend the rest of my afternoon with a three year old glued to my side and much to my delight, puke free. After I finally get him to bed, I go downstairs to work in my craft room on the jewelry I need to make for Cmas presents. I'm beading a bracelet onto some memory wire and manage to slip and jam the wire 1/2 inch or so into my finger. Hurts like a bitch and decided then and there that I needed to start doing some shots of vodka. On the plus side my new shoes arrived and I had a box of Trader Joe's truffles. Dear God, I hope today is better. Since I am need of a good laugh, I thought I'd share these highly inappropriate children's book ideas to give during the Holiday Season.   

   

Fun Monday: What's up with your house?

This week is hosted by Kitten. We are challenged to:

"Today for Fun Monday I thought it would be neat to hear about the story behind your home and the road you live on. It doesn't have to be historical, maybe just something that stands out to you. It would be nice to have pictures to go with your little story. I also would like to know who has the oldest house. Whoever has the oldest house will get a little Christmas treat from little ole me."

Well, to be honest. I don't know much about my neighborhood. I've only lived here for a month. My whole neighborhood was built in the early 70's (mine 1972) and you'd swear you heard the Brady Bunch theme song as you walked down the street. Not like our old neighborhood, where our house, which was built in 1940, was the baby house on the street. Our old neighbor's house was built in the 1890's. Since I sadly lack in any neighborhood information, other than it's big, with many children who like to talk loudly at 6:30am while walking to the bus, I will show you some pictures from this weekend's snowstorm. It was a doosey.

Go visit everyone else! They probably know a lot more about their house.

Drafting

As a child, the only thing I ever wanted, more than anything else, was my father's drafting table. Almost 6 years ago my dad finally got sick of my whining and drooling all over it and gave it to me. At the time, I was living in a condo and it fit perfectly in the spare room. When the condo sold (it was my grandma's) my step dad had to disassemble the table to get it out the door. It sat in the basement of my old house, in pieces, for 4 years because we had no room to set it up. Last week, my stepson Ken and I put it back together in my new basement craft room. (Have I mentioned how much I love my new house?) Actually I should clarify that, my 12 year old put the drafting table together because I had no clue how all the pieces fit together. It took the kid less than 10 minutes to figure it out.

It was made sometime before 1927. My dad has a picture of a storefront showing the same drafting table in the window. I'd love to get a copy of that picture to put above the table. It has been passed down from my great-grandfather, my grandpa (even if I can't stand him), to my dad and then to me. It is solid wood and cast iron. They stopped making drafting tables like this in the late '40's.

The drawer hardware is original and you can move the drawer into any position you choose.

The cast iron pieces are really remarkable.

The top of the table screws into this base and by turning the giant cast iron wheel in the middle of the table you can adjust the height of the table top. Also by loosening the bolt on the rods you see in both pictures you can alter the angle of the top. When I work on my jewelry (which thank goodness I am starting back up next week. I have presents to make up the wazoo) I keep the top flat, but when I draw I angle the top slightly.

As a child, I would sit on the floor of the drafting table as my dad would work above, only I used the foot rest as my table top.

For about 20 years or more, there has been a large piece of vellum covering the original wood top. It took me 4 coats of Goo Gone to remove the stick and gunk left on by the tape that held the vellum in place. My dad always wanted to keep the top covered to protect it, but for me that's is part of the charm and history of the table. I love to look at all the drafting lines that were gouged into the top. My great uncle even decided he had to engrave his initials into the top. Thank goodness he has passed so that I can't beat the crap out of him for doing it. Even if he was only 10 when he did it.

What about you? Do you have a piece of furniture or an item that means the world to you? Maybe a piece of jewelry passed down generation to generation? Or have you purchased an item that you adore and plan to pass down to your kids?

Thursday Thirteen: Fashion Offenses

Ok, so I'm no fashion diva myself, but sometimes I like to pretend I'm Stacy London. Besides she has some pretty kick ass hair. Today I offer you my:

Thursday Thirteen: Fashion No-No's

1. Dressing your little girl in clothes too old for them. I don't care what the stores are selling now, dress your kid like a kid.

2. White tennis shoes with business suits. Get more comfortable dress shoes please.

3. Pleated pants. Hello- do you want extra poof in your tummy?

4. Dark bra under light shirt. I don't really wish to see your bra thankyouverymuch. Besides it makes you look kinda trampy.

5. Too short pants. Do you know how goofy you look flashing your ankles and Christmas socks? It's called longer pants dude! Those with super long legs and have a hard time finding pants long enough are excused. I know you are trying. It's not easy being too tall/short. Clothing manufacturers should know better by now.

6. Skirts so short that when one sits down their butt is actually touching the chair without a layer of clothing in between.

7. Wearing pants so large in the waist that you have to hold them up. I never got this look. You look like a dweeb.

8. People wearing bikinis that.....uh...shouldn't. Ever.

9. Wearing a spaghetti strap tank top without a bra when the girls are larger than life. Those built in bra shelf thingies? Only work if your a size A people!

10. Wearing pajama bottoms out of the house. It's just as easy to throw on a pair of jeans. Then you can wear a coat to cover the pajama top. No one would ever know and you'd still get to feel lazy and comfy.

11. Wearing a brown belt with black shoes (or vice versa.) Make them match please.

12. Wearing all appropriate articles of clothing. I sadly get to add this after witnessing too many people not putting on underwear and pants to the store. What the hell?! Ick! Even if you are drunk and stopping by the local grocery store to purchase another 40 oz of cheap ass beer, put on some pants you moron!

13. Spandex. 'Nough said.

And uh.....if you have broken any of my fashion no-no's, I am in no way making fun of you....what am I saying, of course I am. I will apologize if I insulted you, but only because I don't want to be on Santa's naughty list.