Vegas and the Irishman, Christmas and New Years

I’m amazed at how quickly time has gone by – I’m leaving for Vegas in two days!  Two days!  Yesterday I had many conversations with Irishman, and had to throw the hammer down just a bit, insisting he head to the grocery store BEFORE I arrive.  He lives day-to-day on the food … he’ll hit the grocery store everyday instead of doing a big shopping spree.  Not to mention, the boy did not have a coffee pot in his house.  Can you even imagine?  I use to jump on him in the in morning/afternoon when I woke begging him to drive and get us coffee.  As I’m going to be there over a week this time, I realized that this was just not going to work.  So, I found a coffee pot online, on clearance no less, and it had free shipping.  For less than $12, I had the coffee pot shipped to him about two weeks ago.  I hadn’t mentioned it to him, and when it was delivered to his house, I got this text.  “I feel like having some coffee.  If only I had a coffee machine.”  And I had to laugh, who calls it a coffee machine? Anyhoo, after much discussion, I sent him a grocery list, a small one mind you, and he promised to have his place stocked by the time I arrive.  He had better, cuz coffee and filters were on the list!

New Years Eve in Vegas – should be an interesting time.  I’m looking forward to the craziness actually, and am certainly looking forward to a smooch from Irishman at midnight.  He is working that evening, so I’ll be at the pub hanging out.  I’m sure I’ll have some really good Weird Thing of the Week when I return! Which reminds me, I’m going to work on posting a few updates while I’m gone … I have the means it’s just being sneaky about it actually.  But I have a plan in motion.  So be sure to check back every now and again.

Oh, another thought!  It’s Vegas, and I’m child-free for a week, and Irishman works in a pub for goodness sakes, it’s a given I’ll be drinking.  I’m sure there will be some intoxicated texting going on … Let me apologize in advance for any late night texts some of you may receive.    Especially on New Years Eve!

I do hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or whatever it is you may celebrate, and my best wishes to each of you, known and unknown (lurkers, I know you’re reading!), for a very Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year.

*Hugs*

-QT

Add New Post … Hmmm

I’d like to add a new post, really I would.  However, I really, just don’t have much to post about.

Ummm … let’s see here.  I’m working Monday and Tuesday … leaving Thursday for Vegas.

I’ve finished all things Christmas.  All presents wrapped, all gifts bought and I’m just … ready.  It does feel somewhat odd to be so damn ready!

So have a great day, folks. 

Tis the Season for …

Tis the season for a lot of things, methinks.  Let’s start first with the obvious …

Giving.  In the spirit of giving, I’ve decided to share one of my sacred recipes.  This is the recipe that I’m always asked to bring everywhere, to make again, and I’m always, always asked for the recipe – written down, exactly as I make it.  This is extremely simple to make and trust me when I say it takes almost … sinful.

If I’m running low on time, I’ve often bought a graham cracker crust to use with this.  If you’re into making your own crust, then by all means, have at it.  I’m sure a regular dough crust would be fine.   I prefer, however, the graham cracker crust.  If I haven’t bought one, I follow this simple recipe for the crust.

Graham Cracker Crust

• 1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional – I love cinnamon so I add to to many things, including my coffee.  YUM!  Coffee!)

1. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter or margarine, and cinnamon until well blended . Press mixture into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate.
2. Bake at 375 degrees F (don’t know Celsius, sorry!)  for 7 minutes. Cool.
   

For this, it’s important you do not over bake the pie shell.  I’ve learned the  hard way it gets hard as a rock.  I check on it at 5 minutes, and if it looks like it’s getting too brown, pull it out.  Also, Honey Maid grahams are the best. 

Okay so on to the pie!  I should really come up with a name for this, but alas, I have not.

The Pie

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds
• 1 carton strawberries, halved

Before beginning, pour the heavy whipping cream into a mixer-safe bowl and whip it until it becomes Cool Whip texture.  Set aside.  Combine cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in medium bowl. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts. Fold in whipped cream and almonds by hand until well mixed. Pour into cooled crust. Refrigerate until firm.

Decorate pie with strawberries fully- Use the halves to place around the pie.  I start with the larger berries around the outside, and work my way in.  If there are strawberries leftover, I always serve them as extra’s with the pie.

And because I’m me, I must mention that a great cup of coffee is needed with this pie.  Mmmmm … So enjoy, do let me know if you try it, I’m interested in your thoughts!

Tis also the season for kindness.  And I literally have been putting effort into not getting annoyed when out at the stores.  Really I have.  So yesterday when I picked my girl up from school, we had to run to the grocery store.  I pulled in the parking lot, looked around … and sighed.  I believe everyone in the world was at the store.  Yet, I was resigned to getting a few things we needed and got her out of the car and in we went.  I was doing fine, not getting overly annoyed at the complete inconsiderate assholes er, people that can’t manage to move their cart out of the aisle so others can pass.  What IS that all about?  I can see if the store isn’t that busy but damn lady, you are not the only one shopping here!  I digress.  So, we are up at the deli counter, having taken our number which Emilee loves to do so she can yell “HERE” when they call our number out – and this time, we were number 44.  Of course they are only at number 38 so we patiently wait our turn.  When they call out number 44, Emilee gets all excited and yells, “HERE WE ARE!” Yet, at the same time, some dude yells, “NO, HERE”.  I glance down at our ticket to make sure it’s 44, and I piped up with, “Sir, we have number 44.”  And he glares at me and says, “Listen here Blondie, I have 44 and it’s my turn.  I’ve been waiting!”

*Blink*  Blondie?

I asked Em to give mom the number, and promptly walk up to the counter to the deli guy and showed him 44.  The Rude Man walks up and shoves his number at the deli guy, and of course I’m trying to see what he has, and the deli man says, “Sir, your number is 34 and it was already called.”  I grinned at the Rude Man and he starts having a fit complaining about how long he’s been waiting and that he wasn’t waiting anymore, and how he’s not going to take another ticket.  I rolled my eyes and looked at Emilee who was staring at Rude Man.  I was just about to order when I hear Emilee say to him, “You know, Santa is watching.  And he knows if you’ve been nice – OR NOT.”  She kind of left it at that … and damned if she didn’t emphasize the OR NOT part.  I laughed and kissed her.  I don’t think there’s anyone that can make me grin in the midst of being pissed off like she does.  Plus, she definitely has some of her mama’s sarcasm.  Much to her dad’s dismay, of course.

I leave for Vegas in less than a week.  My super uber fabulous friend ShaNaNa brought over many a shirt for me to take with me to wear out.  Whew.  One more thing crossed off the list.

Are You Thirty or Older? If So … Read This.

I am, as you all know, over 30.  And I saw this and had to laugh … Some I threw in myself, some I’ve copied from an email I received.  But damn, it’s cute and funny.

When I was a kid, my grandparents or parent use to tell me how easy I had it.  I heard story upon story about how hard things were, you know, walking uphill in a snow storm.  Barefoot, of course.  Heh.

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it.   And how easy they’ve got it!  But now that  I’m over the ripe old age of 30, I can’t help but look around and notice the youth of today.

They’ve got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a damn Utopia!  And I hate to say it but you kids today you don’t know how good you’ve got it! I mean, when I was a kid we didn’t have The Internet.  If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalogue!! There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter, with a pen!  Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the  mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

There were no MP3’s or Napsters! If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself!  Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ’d usually talk over the beginning and @#*% it all up!

We didn’t have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal,  that’s it! That’s what they got.  They would have to hang up and call again. And again.

And we didn’t have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your Bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn’t know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn’t have any fancy Sony Playstation video games or Wii’s with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like ‘Space Invaders’ and ‘Asteroids’. Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your Imagination!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen … forever!  And you could never win.  The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died!

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the Channel and there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning.  Do you Hear what I’m saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons!

And we didn’t have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we had to use the stove …. Imagine that! That’s exactly what I’m talking about! You kids today have got it too easy.  You’re spoiled. You guys wouldn’t have lasted five minutes back in 1980!

Sincerely,

One from the 80’s Crowd

I’m Alive!

Well, it’s official.  I’m old.  I woke up Sunday morning with a strain in my neck, I could feel it but it wasn’t terrible.  By the time I went to bed that night, it got worse.  Monday and Tuesday I was down and out for the count. I could barely move and couldn’t get up out of bed or a laying position without holding my neck straight.  I sneezed once and about cried from the pain.  No amount of Motrin was helping.  I used a hot water bottle which did seem to loosen the knot at the back of my neck just a bit, however Emilee thought the hot water bottle (isn’t that totally OLD school?) was the coolest thing ever and kept telling me she needed it.  It made me grin, so we shared it for a bit.   Now I’m moving around a bit better, but still in pain.  I can’t look to my left or put my chin down too far, otherwise pain galore.  I’m mostly interested in how this could have happened while in bed.   Especially cuz I was simply, sleeping.  Which is another sad issue. 

Pumpkin has offered to take me to the airport – and if you all remember, I hate being driven to the airport.  However, not paying $100 + for a week while my car is there sounds nice too.  So I caved and agreed.  Yet here is the thing – Pumpkin knows I have a, er, um … “friend” in Vegas I’m flying to see.  And when I approached him about this topic, cautiously mind you, he told me not to change any plans and we can talk when I get back.  *Shrug*  Well, alrightie then!  I won’t argue with that.  I told him if he drops me off, I’ll need a ride home and with the time change, my flight doesn’t land till 5am as I’m taking the red-eye home.  He said no problem and agreed to pick me up.

*Blink*

Isn’t this, as Jane Wonder pointed out, some sort of dating foul?

In other news, I’m heading out to Vegas in 9 short days, and am very much looking forward to seeing My Irishman and to also, hopefully, see some damn sunshine.  It’s completely gray here everyday now.  I haven’t seen the sun in forever.  New Years Eve should be pretty kickin – it’s Vegas after all!

I got a text message this morning that read, “Have a good Christmas.”  I do not recognize the number it was sent from.  And I’m sort of scared to write back to it.  Last time I had a text from an unknown number, it was Dick.  My luck?  It’d be him again.  So, I decided to not respond to it.  Yet it’s sort of eating away at me.  Who could it be?  Would you guys answer it?

[Photo Credit: http://www.jitterbuzz.com]

Weird Thing of the Week

Well!  By yesterday morning I had nothing to report, and was somewhat concerned that I’d have no need to use my fabulous new graphic, made exclusively for me by Graphic Designer EXTRAORDINAIRE Cindy Boogs!  Or have a post for you all this week.

I’m happy to report that of course,  my Weird Thing of the Week happened last night.

Emilee and I were in the car, on the freeway actually, when we came upon a traffic accident.  We sat, inching along, seeing the lights of the medical vehicles flashing ahead, for a very long time.  Finally, we get up closer to the accident, like really close, and of course Emilee is staring out the window to see what happened. At this point we come to a dead stop, and had been sitting there for 10 minutes, watching the police and fireman clear away the debris, etc.  I was texting on my phone (imagine that!) and I hear Emilee say, “Mom!  Do you know that guy?” and I look over to see a fireman making eyes and waving at Emilee.  I smiled because hey, I use to wave at police men and fire men when I was a kid too.  He smiles back and walks over to my car, big broom in hand.  He pauses and makes the roll down the window sign at me … I admit I was kind of taken aback but okay, so I roll the window down and he promptly says, “Hi!”  and I kind of nodded and said hi as well.  Em is yelling from the backseat, “HI, HELLO!” and he leans down and says hello to her, and she made sure to point out that she is wearing her seat belt, and properly.  He told her that was most excellently done, good girl.  Then … he leans on his broom, looks back at me in the driver side window, and says to me, rather loudly, “So … you’re a total MILF.”

*Blink*

Immediately from the backseat I hear, “What’s a MILF?” in my daughter’s little sweet singsong voice.

*Sigh*

I looked at him, said “Nice dude.  Very nice.  Go back to sweeping up car parts.”  And promptly rolled up my window.

I believe God loves me because at this point, I was able to move forward about 30 feet and get away from the oh so lovely man that had me trying to explain what a MILF is to my five year old.

Which by the way, is a Mom that Loves her Five year old.  Dammit, it was the best I could come up with at the time.  The funny thing is,  she thought about it for a minute and says, “What are you called when I turn six?”

*Sigh*

I’m Just Sayin!

1) I officially, have a Charlie Brown Christmas tree in my living room.  This was not intentional and the funny thing is?  Emilee is in love with our little bare tree.  She thinks it’s the best tree ever.  So … there you go.

2) Stumped by my five year old again.  She heard a blip on the radio about Toys for Tots.  A great cause, and one that I dontate to every year.  However, the ad said something about making sure every child had a toy for Christmas.  She pipes up from the backseat, “Mama!  Why are people giving toys for children?  Santa should be bringing them their toys unless they were very naughty.”  *Sigh*  I promptly, in good mommy fashion, changed the subject.  And the damn station.

3) Monday night, I had a phone call date with my Chicago Man.  When I put Em to bed, I decided some snuggle time was in order and laid with her while she fell asleep.  Three seconds later, I was asleep as well.   I missed the phone call from him, a text later in the night to make sure everything was okay, and a text from Jane Wonder.  I woke up in the morning with one helluva sore neck and in shock that I never woke during the night.  All of my mommy friends, you know how hard it is to sleep with a five year old?  Good God the child is all over the bed, spread eagle in every position imaginable.  How I didn’t wake up is beyond me.  I felt terrible and immediately sent my Chicago Man a text explaining that I must have been a lot more tired than I realized.

4) I fear I will need a separate suitcase just for shoes to bring to Vegas with me.  I’m there for a whole week this time, that’s a LOT of outfits that require shoes!

5) As I have friends in high places, and one very special friend who is a fabulous Graphic Design artist; she has created just for me, a new graphic for Weird Thing of the Week – it’s so funny, I can’t wait to use it!  No sneak peeks, however.

6) I had a flat tire yesterday.  In the waiting room of the tire store, I read in a Reader’s Digest that on average, 100 people choke to death on ball-point pens every year. I started to laugh after reading this, because really, how does that happen?

7) Pumpkin was leaving my house the other day and got into a car accident, pretty much right in my sub-division.  I felt guilty.  I’m not sure why, but I really felt very guilty.  He is going to be car-less for a bit.

8 ) There is a woman at my work, who consistently goes into the ladies room to talk on her cell phone.  So when I  go to use the rest room, there she is, talking away on her cell.  It’s not a large bathroom, anyone that is in there using a phone will hear, obviously, the toilet being flushed.  Every damn time I come out of the stall, she glares at me like it’s RUDE that I just flushed.  This morning was another prime example.  I had to pee, and of course, there she was on her phone blabbing away to someone.  So I peed.  And then I flushed.  Then I got glared at.  Then I glared back.  Then I walked into a stall and flushed again. Then, well then I giggled.

9) While I’m in Vegas this year, Emilee is on vacation with her dad.  When she asked what I’d be doing while she was on vacation, I told her the truth.  That I’d be visiting the Irishman.  She, having spoken to and having sang with him on the phone many times, informed me that she is no longer going on vacation with her daddy, but to meet and sing with Irishman as well.  I had to laugh.  Wouldn’t that be a sight?

10) Emilee and I ordered a pizza the other night.  Total cost including delivery?  $11.60   The man, and I do mean, MAN, came to deliver the pizza.  I stared at him in awe.  Just how many times has a gorgeous, tall, blue eyed stranger delivered me a pizza?  And up till that moment, the answer was none.  In my delirium, I handed him a $20 and told him we were all set.  He kept saying, “Are you sure?” and I kept saying yes.   After he left, I realized I tipped the gorgeous pizza boy $8.40.   And truth be told, I’m not that ashamed. 

Weird Thing of (Last) Week

Well, I knew it wouldn’t be a week without a weird thing happening.  I must admit, by Thursday I was somewhat concerned as it was a quiet, normal week.  Unusual for me.  However, me being me, of course I have something here to share.  I laughed at this one in many different ways.  Let’s start with a bit of background…

So as you know or perhaps have read by now, the Pumpkin is back.  I can’t say he ever really was gone, it was more like he was on the back burner, really.  And during that back burner time, he had some surgery done on his foot.  You see, while the nickname “Pumpkin” probably makes you think of a nice, round well, pumpkin … My Pumpkin is anything but.  He’s tall, muscles everywhere including one helluva six pack.  He is a very accomplished volley ball player (think Val Kilmer or Tom Cruise playing volleyball in Top Gun, and you’d get a pretty good idea of what Pumpkin is built like), but unfortunately, years of volleyballing did some damage to his ankle.  So, he did need surgery to fix the issues.  After the surgery, his foot was in a cast up to his knee.  He’s been hobbling around on crutches, in the snow and ice here, for the last eight weeks.

This past Friday, he had his cast removed.  He called me in his excitement, saying “I can finally take a shower!”  Of course, because the cast could not get wet, he’d been half showering/half bathing in the tub.  Which really, is nothing but a large pain in the butt.  Anyway, I was on the phone with a girlfriend this past Friday evening, sitting and having a martini, discussing many, many, MANY important things with her of course, when the Pumpkin walked into my home.  Now, instead of the cast, he was wearing a very large black boot – Velcro’ed up to the knee.  Eventually, he’ll be able to walk on it without the aid of crutches.  I welcomed him, explaining to my friend on the phone that he had just had his cast removed and that he was pretty darn excited.  He interjected a bit, saying that as his foot had been in a cast for eight weeks, had not been washed, just had staples pulled out of it, that he still had dried blood all over it, he wasn’t too excited just yet, as he thought it still looked plenty, well … gross.  My friend on the phone overheard him and she said to me …

“Don’t sniff it.”

*Blink*

I sat there for a second, and said, “Okaaaaay.”

*Blink*

Then my martini induced haze cleared up and I promptly said to her, “DUDE. What the fuck. What on earth would make you think I’d sniff it?”

She immediately burst out laughing and said, “I don’t know! Just don’t … ya know, sniff it.”

Do I give the impression of being a just-got-my-cast-off-let-me-sniff-your-foot person?

I laughed about this all weekend.   And dude, cuz I know you’re reading, I can pretty much guarantee you, that I did not, in any way, sniff his foot.

The Slanket, Christmas Cards and Three Hour Phone Calls

A certain someone I know admitted, somewhat publicly, that she uses … a Slanket.  The Slanket is a blanket, with sleeves.  As I was somewhat disturbed by this notion, I headed over to the Slanket website to check it out.  And promptly saw this picture.  *BLINK*  NO shit.  My first thought?  Why is he eating popcorn out of a pot used for household plants?  My second thought?  WTF? Seriously?  If I walked in and saw a man on the couch wearing THIS?  I’d laugh.  In fact, I’d laugh really really hard.  In the spirit of that, I’m tempted to buy a few for Christmas gifts.  One for LetEmBreathe, one for Irishman and one for Chicago Man.  And of course, one for Random Esquire.  Oh my goodness, I love myself sometimes.  What fabulous idea’s I have!

Do you send out Christmas Cards?  I rarely do, to be honest.  Last year was an exception to the rule as I had a cute picture of Emilee and I.  So, I had a few cards made and sent them out.  After my mother received hers, she promptly emailed me  with ten addresses she wanted me to send my Christmas card to.  Problem is, I didn’t KNOW these people.  At all.  So I called her and said, “Mom.  Who are these people and why would I send them Christmas cards?”  She insisted that I did in fact know these people, they are friends of hers, and that I should mail them a card so they could see Emilee, and how big she’s gotten.  Please note that I did not have blank VOICE in this conversation either.  She picked up on the fact that I was irritated and of course, made me feel guilty, so I sent the damn cards out to ten strangers.  This year, she’s already poking around asking if I’m sending out Christmas cards.  It is for this fact alone that picture Christmas Cards are EVIL.

Last night I spent almost three hours on the phone with Jane Wonder.  Man oh man, she is one funny chick.  And it always makes me smile just how easily we can pick up on each others bullshit.  I LOVE THAT.  And the fact that we call each other out on it … with love, of course.

Have a happy weekend everyone … I’ll be seeing you Monday, if not sooner.

[Photo Courtesy of www.theslanket.com]

Thoughts of Things

I’m contemplating Christmas wrap.  Emilee, my five year old little wonder, picked up on the fact that last year, presents from Santa were wrapped in some of the same gift paper that I had wrapped her cousins gifts in.  She picked up on the fact that the name tags were the same as the ones on my other gifts, and she picked up on the fact that the writing on the name tags was mine.  Thankfully, she only mentioned it in passing as she was too preoccupied with her gifts.  This year, I need to outsmart her.  Gifts will be wrapped in completely different paper,  as well as have completely different name tags.  I’m bringing the name tags into work so Twitch can write her name on each of them instead of me.  I will outsmart my five year old, dammit!

I bought Irishman a Christmas gift.  Nothing big, but something that I am excited to give him.  Now I have another concern.  What if I get there, give him his gift, and he bought me nothing?  I’d be somewhat mortified.  Actually, I’d be a LOT mortified.  And by my gift giving to him and he not buying me anything, wouldn’t that make him feel mortified as well?  I understand the spirit of gift giving … it’s not to receive but still, I don’t want to make him feel like shit for not buying me anything.  Perhaps a hint in his direction is what’s needed.  Something like … “I will be arriving with presents, so have some for me!”  Heh.  Maybe not.  Maybe what I need to do is ask RE’s opinion.  Then we can come up with a grand plan, and then we’ll have to check with Besos to make sure it’s not stupid.

Pumpkin was over the other day, decided to help me out by making my bed.  I walked into my bedroom, not knowing of his kindness, and stared at my bed for a minute.  Then I walked out to the living room to find him, and asked, “Hey! Did you make the bed?” And he was all proud of himself and said, “Yes! I think I got it too, it looks like it does when you make it!”  See … here is where I need to perfect Blank Face. Truth be told, I’m terrible at this.  I, for the life of me, can not have blank face.  I originally learned of the Blank Face look from Random Esquire, by the way.  Who has a great ability to have the Blank Face.  Me on the other hand?  Not so much.  Because I’m telling you right now.  I looked at my bed and it looked like Emilee made it.  Then rolled around in it.  Then stood on top of my covers and jumped up and down for ten minutes. Then rolled around in it some more.

There was nothing, and I do mean nothing, that looked even remotely similar to the way I make the bed.

So I stood there, trying my damnedest not to laugh, and just nodded my thank you.  He stared at me and finally said, “You’re trying not to laugh, aren’t you?”  So much for my best efforts at Blank Face.

This one is for all my EE Bitches … Zondrae, thank goodness for your way of saying things, otherwise we’d probably not have this to laugh at today!  I love you bitches.