Rango!

We took the grands to see Rango Saturday and I have to say, I was disappointed. I am not sure this movie was suitable for kids in their age group, 4 and 7. I think the story was ok, but there was some mild language which I didn't think was suitable for what was portrayed to be a "kid movie." There was also some violence, and while I have seen violence in other kid movies, this seemed a little more sinister in nature. I should have known something was up, when there seemed to be more adults WITHOUT KIDS at the movie, than adults WITH kids. We ended up staying for the entire movie since I had spent about $60.00 on four tickets and concessions, but I will do a little more research before attending any of the new movies coming out in the new few weeks/months.

"Rama Keen"

I picked up the grands from daycare Friday afternoon and immediately noticed Bailey was not happy about something. I asked her what was wrong and she indignantly replied that Miss Tiffany had called her a "Rama Keen!" I asked her why had she been called a "Rama Keen" and she said because some boy had thrown or kicked a ball which had hit her in the face, and caused her to cry. I asked her if it hurt, or just made her mad, and she was adamant there was pain involved. When Benton saw her, she puffed up again, and told him all about it as well. Lucky for us, he had seen the entire ordeal, and believed she had been hurt, and advised his sister to let the offending party, who kicked/threw the ball, know that her brother was going to be watching in the future to make sure he didn't hurt his sister again. Of course, Bailey was more offended at being called a "Rama Keen" than being hit by the ball, and asked Benton if he could tell Miss Tiffany not to call her that again. Benton advised Bailey to tell Miss Tiffany, in a nice way of course, that calling people names was just not nice. Since Bailey has the memory of an elephant regarding such things, I told them both that this was something their mama should handle and they agreed. A few minutes later Bailey asked me if she had school the next day and I told her the next day was Saturday, and there would be no school. She asked me if her mama could call Miss Tiffany on Saturday and tell her not to call her a "Rama Keen" again, and I told her her mama would handle that on Monday.

Shortly after she got up yesterday morning, she reminded her mama to talk to Miss Tiffany and tell her not to be calling her a "Rama Keen" anymore. Can't wait to see her this afternoon and find out if the "Rama Keen" message has been adequately delivered to suit Bailey's criteria. She might be a "Rama Keen," but she doesn't want it brought to anyone's attention. Wonder where she gets all the "Rama" from...

Venting....

I am a firm believer in having my ducks in a row... ALWAYS. Whenever I go to Walmart, Kroger, Target, Loft, or wherever, I put my stuff on the counter, get my debit card out, run it the through the machine, and once my stuff is in the bags, I have paid for my items and am ready to go. I am not still looking for my checkbook, debit card, asking questions about prices, etc.

So, today I run in Charming Charlies on my lunch hour.. If you are not familiar with this store, it is mostly an accessory store, i.e, jewelry, scarves, sunglasses, but it also has shoes and clothes. I make my selections and get in line. I am actually second in line, but I do see another customer standing to the left of the cash register, instead of to the right of the register, and I determine either she thinks getting in the proper lines does not apply to her, or she has never shopped there before. Turns out, she thinks lines don't apply to her AND she has NEVER shopped there before. This is the conversation between her and the cashier:

Customer: I need this gift wrapped.

Cashier: Sorry ma'am we don't gift wrap.

Customer: Really? But it is a birthday present. What am I supposed to do?

Cashier: I can put tissue paper in the nice bag we provide for purchases.

Customer: (LONG HESITATION) Well, that doesn't sound very presentable. Can you put a bow on the bag?

Cashier: We don't have bows. We don't gift wrap. (apparently customer is hard of hearing)..

Customer: Can you take the price tags off?

Cashier: I can mark through them. We need to leave tags on in case she needs to return the items for any reason.

Customer: (puts on her reading glasses and very intently watches him mark through prices on ALL FIVE ITEMS SHE WAS PURCHASING.)

Cashier: Your total is $$$$.

Customer: I need to pay $15.00 in cash and put the rest on my debit card. (at this point she hands him her debit card, when there is very obviously a machine she will have to master all by herself TO THE RIGHT OF THE REGISTER)...

Cashier: That is fine. Please swipe your card.

Customer: (Proceeds to move her things to the RIGHT OF THE REGISTER where she needed to be to begin with, and FINALLY swipes her card.)

Cashier: Do you want your receipt in the bag?

Customer: Do I need a receipt?

Cashier: If the person needs to exchange the items, she will need the receipt.

Customer: Well, should I put it in the bag with the gift?

Cashier: If the person needs to exchange the items, she will need the receipt.

Customer: Well then, I guess I will put it in the bag. (At this point she FINALLY TAKES HER BAG AND STARTS WALKING TOWARD THE DOOR, AND I am about to give her a push to get her moving!!!! Not really, but I wanted too!!!)

I pay for my items in less than 1 minutes and head to the door. The greeter at the door tells the customer to have a good day. Customer proceeds to tell the greeter her bag does not look like a birthday present and apparently she will now have to go somewhere else to have the items wrapped. I walk past her and leave the store before I lose my cool and tell her a small child WILL NOT CARE IF HER GIFT IS WRAPPED!!! SHE ONLY CARES ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THE BAG!!! GOOD GRIEF!!!! Trust me, I know this. I have a female child, and the way the package is wrapped HAS NEVER BEEN AN ISSUE!!! CONTENTS, CONTENTS, CONTENTS!!! That is what is important.

Can you imagine dealing with her on a daily basis???

Now, I feel much better!

Happy New Year... 13 days late...

Our New Year got off to a great start.. We had our first New Year's Eve party ever, in almost 27 years of marriage!!! And for the 3 people that read this and know my husband, that was a huge accomplishment! And, it was a total, complete HIT!!! I kept the food preparations low key. I did most of the work, with some help from Brandy on the day of the party. I asked a few people to bring an appetizer of some kind, and it was BYOB, so it was not expensive either. The menu consisted of BBQ meatballs, deer wraps, pigs in the blanket, tenderloin and various other finger foods. We ate well, drank well, and some of us played quarters, and some of us watched. That was a treat all by itself. My boss even got in on the action and thoroughly enjoyed himself. Not sure who had more fun, him or my daughter.

I don't think I mentioned the guest of honor at our party.. None other than our friend from Orange County. She came and stayed for a long weekend. She took us to dinner the night before the party at Mint, and on New Year's Day, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings and watched State beat Michigan. And, just for the record, I am not a fan of either of these teams since I am an LSU fan, but I did pull for the SEC, which meant I was pulling for State. Sunday we watched some Saints football and then went out for pizza. Our friend left on Monday, and we are all looking forward to the next time we get to hang out, which will hopefully be when they air the season finale of HWOC...

Since the first of the year, I have been in the cleaning mode, almost every single day. I have reorganized cabinets, drawers, some closets (not mine), etc. I have cleaned doors inside and out, cleaned windows inside and out, and am anxious to get outside this weekend and remove the dead plants from all pots that sit on the porch and back deck area, all of which were killed by the FREEZING COLD WINDS, we have had in the past few days. We actually had some snow flurries this past Sunday, along with a good bit of sleet, and that was good enough for a snow day on Monday.. Schools were closed, and I decided I didn't want to drive on potentially icy roads, so I didn't work and the grands and I stayed home all day and had an absolutely wonderful day at G's house. Just the three of us.

I am just about ready for spring and am definitely ready for some crawfish. Places in these parts are already selling crawfish, but I am sure they are pretty small. I am thinking about buying some in the next day or so just so I can see how big they are.

I have a few projects on my agenda this weekend, which include painting at least one piece of furniture, and possibly two, if time allows. Since the Saints are out of Super Bowl contention, I should be able to get more done this weekend, than I usually do during football season. It is supposed to be warmer this weekend as well and I am definitely looking forward to that. I do love cold weather, especially since I have this "internal heater" thing going on, but I don't love cold weather like we have been having.

Happy New Year...

Some of those random questions I saw on another blog.

1. What does it mean to have the 'holiday spirit'?

To me it means knowing and believing the REAL reason for this season is the birth of Jesus Christ, and not how much useless stuff we spend our hard earned money on, that usually gets returned to the store the day after Christmas.

2. What sits atop your tree (s)? Why?

I don't have a tree topper in the true definition of a tree topper.. I kind of have an arrangement of numerous shiny glittery things that makes a real mess when being inserted into the tree. But, I will say, it is very pretty.. Thanks Brandy!

3. When was the last time you gave yourself a pat on the back?

Not really self-back patter, but every now and then, I think I deserve one.

4. Which of your senses is most sensitive this time of year?

My awareness of the needs of other people.

5. What do you have too much of in your kitchen?

Pasta... we don't eat very much pasta, but yet I have several packages of same. We also have too many snacks! and Popsicles!

6. What do you do for meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Big meal? Breakfast tradition? Open the cookie tins and have at it?

Christmas Eve is my mama's responsibility and she doesn't let anyone mess with that tradition. Christmas Day is different every year. This year we plan to have gumbo, compliments of my daughter's culinary skills.

7. What is the best thing about winter?

Football!!! I love cold weather, and watching football, especially outside on my back porch and deck. We have a variety of heaters, as long as it is not freezing, I can definitely sit out there for an entire game!

8. Insert your own random thought here

I wish people were less self-centered and more aware of how what they do affects others. There are a few people in my own life that are selfish, self-centered, and really don't care how what they do, or don't do affects anyone other than themselves. I have learned to overlook it for the most part, but sometimes it still stings a little.

9. I love, love, love the holidays! I love the lights, the decorations, the food, the parties, and the general spirit of the holiday season!!!

How about them Saints!!!!

A lot of randomness....

Things happening in my hood....

* My house has now been decorated for Christmas for FOUR weeks, and although I am enjoying it, I am also having to pretend to ignore the large amounts of dust that seem to accumulate on, around and under all the decorations.

* We had a great Thanksgiving weekend! My mom cooked a HUGE lunch, and that was the only meal I ate that day...

* I did not go shopping on Black Friday.. No way, no how was I getting out in that drama.. Hubby and I did go out for lunch, and watched a little football, but we mostly stayed home.

* My deck WAS NOT FINISHED until 3:00 on December 3! After telling the contractor I needed it done by noon on that date because my mother, sister-in-law and niece were coming for the weekend to celebrate my mother's birthday, he finally left at 3... I spent the next two hours cleaning everything so it would at least be presentable when they arrived. I was stressed BECAUSE I HATE MESSES!

* Instead of going out to eat for my mom's birthday, we stayed at my house, grilled chicken, and had a few adult beverages and then watched movies. I thought it was a good time.

* I am done with my Christmas shopping. COMPLETELY DONE and I will not be tempted to buy the grand kids anything else. I will stay out of the stores, and delete all emails associated with toys... :)

* Took the grands to see the play, The Christmas Carol, and it was awesome. Benton thoroughly enjoyed it. Bailey packed a backpack full of snacks and had a picnic at intermission. It was pretty dang funny.

* Bailey decided it was her turn to spend the night with G ALONE, and told Benton Friday night that he had to go home with mama because it was her turn to stay with G. And she did. And she slept until 8:30 which is VERY late for her. We went to the grocery store, bought things we didn't really need, met her mom and a friend for lunch, and then she said her turn was not over. We went and bought her two pairs of boots, and then went back to my house, per her request. We had the best time!

* It is very cold here... The wind chill was in the low teens this morning. Too bad it was not snowing, because it would have definitely been a snow day.

* I rescued a kitten from the dumpster behind our office this morning. He would have died in there. I had to actually climb down into the dumpster to get him. Thankfully there was only one bag of trash in there. I was prepared to throw a blanket over him and scoop him up, but he crawled into the trash bag and I was able to get it out, empty the contents and he came out and ran off. He was wild and I knew that, but I couldn't let him die in there. I need to make sure I put plenty of food out in the future so he doesn't have to dumpster dive to eat.

* Santa is coming to my next Monday.. All the way from Dothan, Alabama. He is the best Santa ever.. He is the "real" Santa....

* And, FINALLY, how about them Saints!!!

Friends, Decorating, and my deck is still not finished!!!

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity at G's House. My friend from Orange County came to see us, and we took her to New Orleans for the weekend. To say we had a fabulous time would be an understatement. Even though we have spent time together before, we have always stayed close to home. Needless to say, while out in New Orleans, she was pretty much recognized everywhere we went, and mostly by men. How many do you know that would actually tell you they watched Housewives of Orange County? Apparently there are a lot, especially in New Orleans. In many cases, the husband recognized her before the wife did. It was interesting to say the least. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I had dinner for the first time ever at Brennan's and it did NOT disappoint! That may have been the best meal I have ever eaten, and I know it was the most expensive!

Once that trip was over, it was on to decorating for Christmas, which is completely done, and has been for over a week now. I don't like having to do this over Thanksgiving, so I do it before that holiday, so I can actually enjoy four days off work, and I did enjoy it very much... I am in the process of now trying not to buy the grandest kids ever too much useless stuff for Christmas. And it is H-A-R-D!!! I love buying for them, but it is not sensible and I don't want them to be expecting cars and rolexes before they are teenagers!

And, the deck that was supposed to be done two weeks ago, is still not finished, and I don't know when it will be finished. This carpenter has done lots of work for us in the past few years, but this is probably his last gig at my house. For two weeks he was "going to get started tomorrow," and when that never happened, I started sending him text messages to let him know I was PISSED, and then he finally showed up late one Friday to "mark it off." He actually worked through the weekend, including Sunday, but it was very slow going. He is very thorough and a perfectionist, but sometimes he carries it too far, and gets stuck on something no one can perfect. He worked again the three days before Thanksgiving and left with the assurance he would return on Saturday and would work Saturday and Sunday to FINISH THE PROJECT!!! And, he didn't show up at all on Saturday. He called around noon and said he was headed home to change clothes and then would be over to work. HE NEVER SHOWED AGAIN!! Sunday I sent him a not-so-nice text message and he showed up an hour later with some lame excuse. He did work until dark, but it was very slow going. He did work som e Monday, and didn't show up until 2:00 yesterday and didn't show up until noon today. So, this 3 or 4 day project has turned into a 3 or 4 week project and it is STILL NOT FINISHED. I am having company this weekend and need it to be done by tomorrow so I can at least clean up the outside area before my guest arrive. I am not getting my hopes up that this will happen. I am barely talking to him at this point because I am so completely frustrated with him. My mother-in-law would say "this too shall pass" and it will, but I need it to hurry up and pass so we can move on to something else!!! I have to mop every day to stay on top of the large quantities of dirt three dogs and a husband track in every time they go in and out the back door. And, now that I have vented about that, I feel much better.. at least until I get home and see how much/little progress he has made today. Happy Hump Day!!!