Ok, I’m getting the urge to build a new house again. I’ve now been in this house for over three years and pretty much know everything I’d want to change in a new house. My ideal situation would be to start building while still living here as to not have to move twice, but realistically I doubt the bank would go for that. The idea of renting or buying something smaller in the meantime does not sound appealing.

Of course, I’m not even sure where I’d build a new house – I’d need to buy a lot first. I’m considering building outside the city limits, but there are pros and cons to that…

Pros: Less property taxes, More personal space, Own well so no water costs, Lower gas costs with own tank.

Cons: More upkeep, Farther from town to cart kids to activities and grab a soda when having a caffeine fit.

Such decisions. Time to start manifesting my dreams.
Other than that, Life is good today!

I’m usually a procrastinator (ie I haven’t even sent out our party invitations yet), but I’ve already decided what I’m going to dress up for Halloween this year…

OCTOMOM!

I already have a long black wig, and if I can’t find some big red lips, I can just paint on some big red clown lips.  And the Dollar Tree carries dolls for $1 a piece.  Cheap costume.  People need to save all the money we can in this recession since she is spending our hard-earned tax dollars.  Now, I’m not knocking the welfare system as some people need help sometimes, but when she deliberately wants more kids while on welfare already, don’t get me started.

Back to the topic of Halloween costumes… My brother went last year as Michael Phelps, complete with a Speedo, swim cap, goggles and 8 gold medals.  It would have been even funnier if the smoking marijuana incidence had been revealed before then!

If you become my friend on Facebook, you can see all of my Halloween pictures!  I dressed up as a Japanese Geisha girl, and my brother did the back-stroke on the bar…

P.S. I’ve not only been slacking on my Mailbox Monday videos, I’ve been slacking on my iTunes Incantations.  Right now, I’m listening to “Crystal Village” by Pete Yorn (and watching Obama on Leno). I’ve fallen in love with that song since I heard it on ER a couple of weeks ago (I’m gonna miss that show). Find my current playlist on Blip.fm.

My 20-year old cousin had testicular cancer last year when I first heard the term “Cancer Sucks” from his mother. Thank the Lord he is now in remission.

My first close encounter with cancer was when my ex-husband’s grandmother, Marlene, died of cancer while I pregnant with my youngest daughter, Tatym (who’s middle name is Marlene).  I credit her for teaching me about couponing, plus we shared a love of collecting Holiday Barbies. I still miss her.

Yesterday we attended a benefit for a classmate of mine who is suffering from liver cancer.  He is such a genuinely nice guy with a wife and one-year old son at home, and it is so sad to think he has been told he only has months to live.  We have a close-knit class (50 graduates) and haven’t lost anyone from our class thus far. Makes me tear up to write this.

And then there’s my very good friends’ 14-year old son, Dalton, that was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma (which is extremely rare for his age) the week before Christmas.  The tumor in his abdomen is so large that he is on an aggressive chemotherapy treatment to shrink the tumor before he can have surgery to remove it.  Please keep everyone suffering from cancer in your prayers.

It’s Dalton’s mom and dad that have helped me out many a times from installing my new microwave, scooping my drive, fixing my vehicle, mowing my lawn, and the list goes on.  They were in the hospital during my dishwasher disaster (Dustie, Dalton’s mom was the last person I talked to before I sent my cellphone through the wash).

Luckily, I’ve become quite smitten by the “Maytag repair man” that ended up fixing my dishwasher.  Since then, he’s fixed several things around my house, plus he cooks and cleans (not my fortes).  When he read the list of my date requirements, he jokingly asked if chewing tobacco was okay since he couldn’t smoke.  Um, no.  So I’ve now revised the list to “non-tobacco user”.  I must say I have the teenager twitters of being lucky in love.

And speaking of teenagers, my twins are fifteen today!  Hard to believe it’s been a decade and a half since my 2 lb. million-dollar miracle babies were born.  Happy Birthday Macy & Mallory!

What’s playing on iTunes: “Simple Man” by Shinedown

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful… Actually the cold and snowy weather just plain sucks. And we’ve only turned on the fireplace once. The thermostat is set at 70 degrees, yet I’m still cold.  So I put a space heater in my office. I hope the chills don’t mean I’m getting sick. I also put flannel sheets on my bed. Then I had a dream that we were staying at my Dad’s house again. Then I dreamt that I was having another Lasik eye surgery. Both were nightmares.

I finally mailed out my free Christmas postcards today. And I had the girls wrap all of the presents except their own, which are still waiting for me. Tatym accidentally found a Nintendo Wii under my bed (said she was just wondering if she could fit under there). I told her it’s better to give than receive, so we are giving the Wii to my friends’ 14-yr old son that was just diagnosed with cancer. This is the friend that lets me borrow her husband to fix things around my house. Please keep Dalton in your prayers as it looks like they’ll be spending Christmas at the hospital.

Song playing on iTunes: “Christmas in Nebraska” by Mulberry Lane

And P.S. Santa bought another Wii at Walmart yesterday. Need Last Minute Gift Ideas? Here’s the perfect gift for the man on your list.

When I was in high school, the only cassette we listened to while lifting weights was Queen, over and over and over again, making the underclassmen rewind it to start over.  I think I still remember all the words to “We are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You“.  Our football team ended up being Runner-Up State Champions my senior year (I dated #13).  It was exciting to pack so many people into our teeny tiny football field for the championship game. Remember, I’m from Nebraska, home of the Cornhuskers – we don’t have much more entertainment available other than football.

A lot was changed from when I was a senior in the fall of 1989 til now when my son is a senior, also #13 like his dad (no need to do the math – I got knocked-up while still in highschool).  Anyway, the old football field is now covered in bushels of corn, and the kids have a real sports complex to compete at.  I wish we would have had a track when I ran sprints in high school.  We ran around city blocks and down gravel roads, no lie.

Last year, the Pierce Bluejays were the class C-1 state champs in Nebraska.  My son (then a junior) had broken his leg, so didn’t get to play at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln where the championship games are now held.  He was still a part of the team though, so got recognized with a gold medal.  And I forked out a few hundred dollars for a championship ring, plus all the tshirts, posters, and DVD’s as keepsakes.

This year, as a senior, my son broke his hand!  And, yes, he gets enough calcium.  Both times, the doctor said the breaks were rare happenstances.  And our team made it to the championship again this year!  How exciting!  We were coined the underdog against Boys Town and predicted to lose.  But our Bluejays stood up strong to the Cowboys yesterday, and we won 20 – 10!  Even though my son’s hand is not fully healed, the coach let him play on the special offensive team, so he can say he played in the championship winning game.  What a memorable experience!

Picture above is of my son and me and was taken after the long cold day (game was at 10:30 am) following by a convey leading the boys home (Lincoln is 3 hours away) to celebrate their back-to-back victories! And now I’m sure I’ll have another ring and memorabilia to buy…

Since I’ve decided to publicly endorse Obama, I’ve gotten the most criticism from my 10-year-old daughter.  They are having mock elections at school, and she thinks McCain is the best choice. 

In the middle of Wednesday night, said 10-year-old (aka Tatym) came into my room saying “I feel like I’m going to throw u…” and she proceeded to vomit all over my bedroom floor.  I thought I was then going to gag cleaning it up.  I figured I couldn’t send her school Thursday, and I didn’t want to leave her home alone all day, so she rode along to Omaha where I had yet another Lasik eye enhancement surgery.  So I then had to defend Obama in a long political debate during the drive.

I honestly don’t think Sarah Palin is qualified enough for the VP position, and especially not suited for the Presidency should McCain kick the bucket (c’mon, you can admit he’s ancient old).  The only good thing about McCain/Palin winning would be that I can continue to blog about Sarah Palin’s wardrobe and reap the profits.  Gotta love it when major newspapers do stories on my blog posts.  Someone told me this week that I have “the coolest job in the world” and it’s days like that, that I have to agree.

Anyway, Nebraska has not voted Democratic in a presidential election since 1964, but that’s not gonna stop me voting for Obama (I’m even registered as a Republican).  What’s Joe the Plumber know?  He’s not even a licensed plumber, but he is single…

Back to me (this is MY blog), I’m glad this was my last Lasik procedure because if the previous ones had been this painful, I never would have had more.  First of all, I don’t think the Valium kicked in as I was in a panic mode, then the pain afterwards was atrocious, and I couldn’t see clear the next day.  I went into the eye doctor, who said my cornea is swollen, thus the pain and blurriness.  Hopefully these eye drops that I have to administer every two hours (and taste awful as they drip into the back of my throat) will cure the problem.

This weekend, I think I’ll lay low (due to my eyes, and I can’t wear makeup for a week).  I should start to get my house ready for the city’s Christmas Tour of Homes.  Tatym is trying to convince me to take her to the High School Musical 3 Movie, but she may have to swing her vote first.  

Song stuck in my head “Chicken Fried” by the Zac Brown Band

Ok, I’m getting sick of the Olympics.  I can’t believe all the people that actually change/make plans to stay home and watch them.  I’m not a big television watcher, but I keep the ”idiot box” (as my grandma calls it) on NBC in my office all day long (mainly because I’m too lazy to look for the remote to change it).  But I’m starting to miss Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee.

Went to the dentist today, finished Phase 2 of Restoration Kim (yeah, I just made that up). I figured if I can spend $10,000 on my daughter’s dental work, I could spring $1000 to change out my silver fillings from when I was a kid to white resin.  I got a compliment already that my teeth look whiter.  So I took a pic for ya.  My right side is still numb, so I look like a stroke victim, but it is what it is.  And for clarification, I’m the one on your left.  The right is my “manga”.

Am still trying to catch up after going to Boston last week.  I had a great time!  I love hanging around other computer peeps that understand my language.

Also went to the Funny Bone Comedy Club in Omaha. (Hint, you can get free tix by signing up for their mailing list). The other times I have been there, I have laughed so hard that I cried.  But this time I wasn’t impressed with Otto and George. He’s a ventriloquist, but you can see his lips move. (YouTube video of Letterman show). I can handle nasty jokes, but he just downright offended people that I didn’t find funny. Good thing I had good company.

And the kids went back to school!  Yeah for me time! Except my son is taking a web-based college computer class that he can come home for.  So the first day, he asks me what I’m making him for lunch.  I give him the look of death, and he hasn’t asked since. All of the kids in junior and senior high school got a Macbook computers to use (with three in our household alone, I invested in the optional insurance).  Since I’m a PC girl, I’m having to learn so I can help with homework.  My peers keep saying “Once you go Mac, you’ll never go back.”

What I’m listening to on iTunes: “All Summer Long” by Kid Rock.

Just got back from taking the kids to Adventureland for a long weekend.  Contemplated going to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, but Des Moines is a tad closer and cheaper on the pocketbook. Note to self – next time go during the week when the lines for the rides aren’t so long. We stood in line for an hour and 45 minutes for the Log Ride to have it break down as we were almost to the front of the line.  So we ventured off to the Raging River water ride to wait another hour and 45 minutes to ride that. Kids had fun though, even when I made them dress up in saloon clothes for an “old-time” family pic.

Went with some friends of ours, and we booked our hotel online before we left. Picked a Quality Inn that boasted an indoor and outdoor pool, a jacuzzi and an exercise room as we thought that would keep the kids busy.  Well, the outdoor pool was filled with wood chips, the jacuzzi was cemented over, and the exercise room only had one piece of equipment in it – an exercise bike.  But the kids did have fun in the indoor pool.  And we always like free wifi and free breakfasts.

We saw a lot of bikers in Iowa headed to Sturgis in South Dakota.  I did not realize that so many states do not have motorcycle helmet laws.  Most bikers told us they specifically avoid driving through Nebraska just to avoid the helmet law.  Look at the all the lost tourist revenue Nebraska is missing.  I’m not saying they need to change our law – I’m saying I think ALL states should have a law requiring helmets.  Seeing those without helmets scares me.

Well, now that I got off-track, I realize I have not written on this blog for a bit (if you miss me, you can always follow me on Twitter).  Boy will I ever be glad when the kids head back to school, so I can be home alone during the day!  I should have more time for blogging… and naps.  Speaking of naps, I *tried* to take a nap when we got home this afternoon, but my daughter just had to wake me up to tell me, “These apples taste like pears.”  I gave her the look, “You woke me up just to tell me that?” Yep.  And I couldn’t get her not-so-innocent saying out of my head.  Thus the title.

We’ve also been busy with county fairs.  Gotta love church stand fair food.  And good country music. Saw Gretchen Wilson at the Madison County Fair (always been a big fan of hers), Pat Green at the Pierce County Fair (he is so hot… and married), and Jo Dee Messina at the Wayne County Fair (I think her and I have the same bitterness towards men).

This week is another crazy busy week as my daughter is having surgery in Omaha, and then I’m headed to Boston for Affiliate Summit (I’m speaking on “Content That Kills”).  I’ve never been to Boston so excited to see some place new.  And I have new luggage that will hopefully have a better track record at not getting lost! I usually pack a bag-within-a-bag to carry home all my “schwag” in, but with the airlines now charging for a second bag, I’m gonna have to pack lighter.

What I’m listening to on iTunes “I’m Done” by JoDee Messina 

Now, I’m not much of a chef, but I have an aunt and an uncle (who will remain nameless), that cook even less than me. It’s people like us that keep restaurants in business. Anyway, when they redid their kitchen a few years ago, they bought all new stainless steel appliances. They were going to pay to have their old white appliances hauled away!

Mind you, these appliances were like brand new. I made dibs on the stove. I swear they only used it once to make a frozen pizza. I had always wanted a smooth top, so gladly offered to come haul it away for free! It is such a nice stove, the gal that bought my house wanted it to stay with the house. But no way was I giving up the stove, and I still get compliments on it at my new house.

I left the built-in dishwasher at the old house, but brought the refrigerator and microwave to use in the kitchenette/bar in the basement. So, I ended up buying a new dishwasher, refrigerator (I wanted a side-by-side with ice/water in the door), and over-the-range microwave for my new kitchen. I stuck with plain white appliances as white never goes out of style.

So, I bought the cheapest microwave available at Menards over a year and a half ago, that came with a year long warranty. I swear one month after the warranty expired, it took a dump. I brought my old microwave upstairs (that we bought when the twins were babies, so it’s 14 years old) and had been procrastinating buying a new one. But it blew a fuse about every tenth use, and since I knew I’d be having a ton of company here this week, I decided to invest in a new microwave.

After doing some research, I was sold on the “sensor” cooking technology (and now highly recommend it), and ended up buying a Frigidaire Gallery Series Over The Range Microwave Oven. I bought it locally that offered an extended ten-year-warranty if I bring in my old one (I suppose they’ll use it for parts). It was a bit higher than if I would have bought it online, but then I did save shipping costs.

I ended up bribing two of my friends’ husbands to take out the old microwave and install the new one. The whole procedure involved a bit of swearing (as they couldn’t use the old brackets) and me making a beer run. But they got it installed just in time for “Thirsty Thirty Thursday” – my brother’s 30th birthday party. Here’s a pic of me and the birthday boy…

His friends ended up drinking two 16-gallons kegs plus polished off the liquor cabinet (you can see part of my bar in the background), and a good time was had by all.

What’s on iTunes “I Kissed a Girl (and I liked it)” by Katy Perry. The song reminds me of Tila Tequila.

Yes, I’ve been slacking on the blog posts. I was gonna claim I’ve been a “busy beaver”, but Urban Dictionary’s definition differs vastly from mine. So, what have I been up to? About 5′ 7″. Sorry, couldn’t resist the joke.

Speaking of jokesters, for one of my class reunions, I volunteered to type up the questionnaires of what everyone has been up to. People wrote their name, address, spouse, work, etc. Under “Children”, the former Homecoming King wrote “Waiting to see if I get any cards on Father’s Day”. And to think I dated him after that. Can’t say he was ever boring. Anyway, I think of that damn near every Father’s Day.

I’m not real close to my dad, as you long time readers would know, so I’ve been trying to muster some energy to go give him a card today. But the problem was just solved as he called asking me to loan (aka give) him some money, so I added a “happy” greeting to the call, and figured the money will be his present.

I had my Lasik enhancement surgery Friday and all went well. I can see better already, although my computer screens appear to not be as clear as before. If I need cheap eyeglasses for computer work, I’ll be okay with that. But I can definitely now see the detail on the camper that sits at the end of the culdesac, a camper belonging to new neighbors that now blocks my view of the passerby traffic. So much for my perfect view from my office window.

And isn’t it funny how I forgot just how much I hate to paint until one of my daughters wanted to move into the guest bedroom and paint the room hot pink. So we cleaned out the toy room (aka Barbie town) to move the guest bed in there, and painted away. It was so much easier to paint before trim was up and carpet was laid! And then she wanted a black stripe all the way around the room. Thinking what a pain it would be to paint a black stripe (the measuring and making straight), I had this *brilliant* idea to buy a couple rolls of black shiny duct tape, and it looks impeccable.

What I’m listening to on iTunes: “Last Name” by Carrie Underwood Reminds me of the movie “What Happens in Vegas” – great date movie, btw.