You Oughta Be In Pictures....

An interesting thing happened yesterday.
The company I work for signed a deal with a movie company to use some of our space for one of the sets for a movie to be made by a well known company..(I'll give you a hint...it's a small world after all....).... tee hee

So for the next few weeks we'll be having the 'creative' crowd on site, which as a Facility Manager, oughta be interesting - to say the least...

...hmmmm, I wonder if they need any extras!!!!....

God Bless Us Everyone...

I have to say that I went to one of the nicest Christmas masses I had been to in a long time.
I consider myself more spiritual than religious, but I believe that it's important for my son to have religion until that time where he is old enough to decide for himself.

That being said, we attended the children's mass at All Saints in the early evening on Christmas Eve along with my husband's parents. Coming from a french catholic background, it was very different than attending midnight mass, but it was so lovely.

First, I have to say there was alot of singing...which I particularily liked since it was more modern than normal, many Christmas carols (of a more holier nature) were sung - What Child is This being one of my favorites. The minister (reverend, priest...) had all the children come up to the front of the church after the gospel. He had decorated the Christmas tree earlier in the day and atop the tree was a sad looking little bow. He had a bag in his hand as he sat down on the riser to chat with the children and asked them some of the things they had on their trees at home. Many answered lights, candy canes (which was Paden's personal favorite), balls, santas...

He asked them for help because he had a few things in the bag that he thought would be better at the top of the tree rather than the sad little bow and implored the children to help decide what would be best...he proceeded to pull the first item out of the bag - a cross country ski boot, which garnered much laughter from the tots. The minister rationalized that the ski boot was a winter item, snow, snow boot (you get the idea)...I think he had a sentimental attachment to it, but since the children wanted to see what else was in the bag, the next item pulled was an empty pepsi bottle - to which he confessed that he had no idea why he thought that might be a good idea for the top of the tree - recycling and being a good person I think was his rationale...
Next item up was a tape dispenser to which the children thought was quite funny - the explanation was that it was tape, and God tapes ourselves to him...LOL, much laughter and groaning ensued...but wait!!! there was one item left, he said, as he pulled out a lovely little angel from the bag....ahhhhhh said the children, that's more like it!!! The minister put it out to a vote, with the ski boot coming in a close second to the angel.

More singing, shaking of hands, communion and blessings followed. On my way out I informed the minister that I thought his sermon was brilliant and that I secretly had been pulling for the ski boot to win...to which he chuckled and agreed.

I Need a Bigger Fridge....

Sigh....there's just not enough room in my fridge, on my fridge...take your pick.

With Christmas season and entertaining, you need to have a Masters degree in interior organizing - which I do not! It irks me that my crisper won't hold the peppers, onions AND celery...hmm, where to stick the celery? (well, I can't think of a few places, but none that I can mention without getting into trouble!!) One can't put vegetables with fruits, it's unheard of...
cheeses with the meats? Yeah, that'll work...egg nog, cream, milk, sour cream...yikes!!! eggs, bacon, chocolate...can't not have room for the chocolate - c'mon ladies, let's get our priorities here!!!

Then there's the OUTSIDE of the fridge...I think, based on the 'stuff' I have magneted (is that a word??) to the fridge, I would most likely need one the size of the full length of one wall...
Concert Tickets
Cut out snowflakes
Magnet alphabet (two types)
Photo frames
Paden's last spelling test (100% + 5 extra points for coming up with other words in the same word group)...big keener beener...
OOOoo, and my personal favorite, my fridge magnet with my cleaning services phone number!!

I thought I'd be a superstar and get one of those fancy calendars that organize you six ways from Sunday, and magnets itself to your fridge...hmmm, where the h-e-double hockey sticks am I going to find room for that???!!!!

What's on your fridge??? (insert the william wallace accent here....)

Christmas Funny....

I'll be the first to admit - I suck at telling jokes, majorly....
I can't remember them, and when I do, I usually screw up the punchline...
I'm thankful that my son is not saddled with this affliction.
He's in the middle of getting his jammies on and out of the blue, hollers

"Hey Mom!! What do you call a girl reindeer with three legs?"....


.....wait for it.......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Ilene"....

Then proceeds to giggle and tell me why it's so funny...
LOL

Christmas Day, Is in our grasp, So long as we, Have hands to clasp!

This may sound a little lame, but I can now get into the holiday spirit now that I've watched 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'....
How the Grinch Stole Christmas

By Dr. Seuss

Every Who Down in Whoville Liked Christmas a lot... But the Grinch,Who lived just north of Whoville, Did NOT!

The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.

It could be his head wasn't screwed on just right. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. But I think that the most likely reason of all, May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.

Whatever the reason, His heart or his shoes, He stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the Whos, Staring down from his cave with a sour, Grinchy frown, At the warm lighted windows below in their town.

For he knew every Who down in Whoville beneath, Was busy now, hanging a mistletoe wreath. "And they're hanging their stockings!" he snarled with a sneer, "Tomorrow is Christmas! It's practically here!" Then he growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming, "I MUST find some way to stop Christmas from coming!" For Tomorrow, he knew, all the Who girls and boys, Would wake bright and early. They'd rush for their toys! And then! Oh, the noise! Oh, the Noise! Noise! Noise! Noise! That's one thing he hated! The NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! Then the Whos, young and old, would sit down to a feast. And they'd feast! And they'd feast! And they'd FEAST! FEAST! FEAST! FEAST! They would feast on Who-pudding, and rare Who-roast beast. Which was something the Grinch couldn't stand in the least! And THEN They'd do something He liked least of all! Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, Would stand close together, with Christmas bells ringing. They'd stand hand-in-hand. And the Whos would start singing! They'd sing! And they'd sing! And they'd SING! SING! SING! SING!

And the more the Grinch thought of this Who ChristmasSing, The more the Grinch thought, "I must stop this whole thing!" "Why, for fifty-three years I've put up with it now!" "I MUST stop this Christmas from coming! But HOW?" Then he got an idea! An awful idea! THE GRINCH GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA!

"I know just what to do!" The Grinch laughed in his throat. And he made a quick Santy Claus hat and a coat. And he chuckled, and clucked, "What a great Grinchy trick!" "With this coat and this hat, I look just like Saint Nick!" "All I need is a reindeer..." The Grinch looked around. But, since reindeer are scarce, there was none to be found. Did that stop the old Grinch? No! The Grinch simply said, "If I can't find a reindeer, I'll make one instead!" So he called his dog, Max. Then he took some red thread, And he tied a big horn on the top of his head. THEN He loaded some bags And some old empty sacks, On a ramshackle sleigh And he hitched up old Max. Then the Grinch said, "Giddap!" And the sleigh started down, Toward the homes where the Whos Lay asnooze in their town.

All their windows were dark. Quiet snow filled the air. All the Whos were all dreaming sweet dreams without care. When he came to the first little house on the square. "This is stop number one," the old Grinchy Claus hissed, And he climbed to the roof, empty bags in his fist. Then he slid down the chimney. A rather tight pinch. But, if Santa could do it, then so could the Grinch. He got stuck only once, for a moment or two. Then he stuck his head out of the fireplace flue. Where the little Who stockings all hung in a row. "These stockings," he grinned, "are the first things to go!" Then he slithered and slunk, with a smile most unpleasant, Around the whole room, and he took every present! Pop guns! And bicycles! Roller skates! Drums! Checkerboards! Tricycles! Popcorn! And plums! And he stuffed them in bags. Then the Grinch, very nimbly, Stuffed all the bags, one by one, up the chimney! Then he slunk to the icebox. He took the Whos' feast! He took the Who-pudding! He took the roast beast! He cleaned out that icebox as quick as a flash. Why, that Grinch even took their last can of Who-hash! Then he stuffed all the food up the chimney with glee. "And NOW!" grinned the Grinch, "I will stuff up the tree!"

And the Grinch grabbed the tree, and he started to shove, When he heard a small sound like the coo of a dove. He turned around fast, and he saw a small Who! Little Cindy-Lou Who, who was not more than two. The Grinch had been caught by this tiny Who daughter, Who'd got out of bed for a cup of cold water. She stared at the Grinch and said, "Santy Claus, why,” "Why are you taking our Christmas tree? WHY?" But, you know, that old Grinch was so smart and so slick, He thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick! "Why, my sweet little tot," the fake Santy Claus lied, "There's a light on this tree that won't light on one side." "So I'm taking it home to my workshop, my dear." "I'll fix it up there. Then I'll bring it back here." And his fib fooled the child. Then he patted her head, And he got her a drink and he sent her to bed. And when CindyLou Who went to bed with her cup, HE went to the chimney and stuffed the tree up!

Then the last thing he took Was the log for their fire! Then he went up the chimney, himself, the old liar. On their walls he left nothing but hooks and some wire. And the one speck of food That he left in the house, Was a crumb that was even too small for a mouse. Then He did the same thing To the other Whos' houses Leaving crumbs Much too small For the other Whos' mouses! It was quarter past dawn... All the Whos, still a-bed, All the Whos, still asnooze When he packed up his sled, Packed it up with their presents! The ribbons! The wrappings! The tags! And the tinsel! The trimmings! The trappings! Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mt. Crumpit, He rode with his load to the tiptop to dump it!

"PoohPooh to the Whos!" he was grinchishly humming. "They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming!" "They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!" "Their mouths will hang open a minute or two, Then the Whos down in Whoville will all cry BooHoo!" "That's a noise," grinned the Grinch, "That I simply MUST hear!"

So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear. And he did hear a sound rising over the snow. It started in low. Then it started to grow. But the sound wasn't sad! Why, this sound sounded merry! It couldn't be so! But it WAS merry! VERY! He stared down at Whoville! The Grinch popped his eyes! Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise! Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, Was singing! Without any presents at all! He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME! Somehow or other, it came just the same! And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?" "It came with out ribbons! It came without tags!" "It came without packages, boxes or bags!" And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store." "Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" And what happened then? Well...in Whoville they say, That the Grinch's small heart Grew three sizes that day! And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight, He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light, And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast! And he, HE HIMSELF! The Grinch carved the roast beast!
Welcome Christmas Dr. Seuss and Albert Hague
Fah who foraze! Dah who doraze! Welcome Christmas, come this way! Fah who foraze! Dah who doraze! Welcome Christmas, Christmas Day!
Welcome, welcome! Fah who rahmus! Welcome, welcome! Dah who dahmus Christmas Day, Is in our grasp, So long as we, Have hands to clasp!
Fah who foraze! Dah who doraze! Welcome Christmas! Bring your cheer. Fah who foraze! Dah who doraze! Welcome all who's, Far and near
Fah who foraze! Dah who doraze! Welcome, Christmas! Fah who rahmus! Welcome, Christmas! Dah who dahmus Christmas Day, Will always be Just as long, As we have we Welcome all who's, Far and near.

9 Layers of Me - Layer 3

A meme to peel away the layers of me.

-- Your most overused internet acronym on AIM: probably LOL or :)

-- Your first waking thoughts: Geez!!! It's morning already???!!!

-- Your best physical feature: I don't like questions like this..it makes you really have to look in the mirror.... my eyes? my a$$?? (HA! Take THAT JLo)

-- Your most missed memory: If it's missed, wouldn't it be forgotten??

Amen for Email....

Good morning to all my email friends. Love this one.

Where or where would we be without our weird sense of humour.

I just want to thank all of you for your educational e-mails over the past year. I am totally screwed up now and have little chance of recovery.

I no longer open a public bathroom door without using a paper towel or have them put lemon slices in my ice water without worrying about the bacteria on the lemon peel.

I can't use the remote in a hotel room because I don't know what the last person was doing while flipping through the adult movie channels.

I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.

I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking ones nose (although cell phone usage may be taking the number one spot).

Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years.

I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public bathroom.

I MUST SEND MY SPECIAL THANKS to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.
ALSO, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.
I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl ( Penny Brown ) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's Novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

THANKS TO YOU I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

BECAUSE OF YOUR CONCERN, I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.

I no longer use Saran Wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

AND THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face... disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me. I no longer receive packages from UPS or Fed Ex since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore , and Uzbekistan .

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

THANKS TO YOU I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

AND THANKS TO YOUR GREAT ADVICE I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!

I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bitten by the brown recluse and my hand will fall off.


If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician . . .

Oh, by the way..... A German scientist from Argentina , after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.

Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.....

Paden Update

I think in the next few days, my son is going to be practically toothless!


He's lost his bottom middle teeth, and the top two are wigglin...he'll be singing 'all i want for Christmas is my two front teeffff!!'



He was excited when the tooth fairy gave him $20 for the first tooth, but felt like he got gypped on only getting $5 for the second, and most likely all subsequent teeth!!!



He was saying last week how I was special, and how dad is special and that he's special...'i'm so special, i'm the specialist!' yup.



He's a funny guy.

He's growing pretty fast...all I see is legs these days. He's only a foot shorter than the nanna, which will no doubt surprise the heck out of her when she comes to visit in March.



I've been informed that he wants to play hockey next year on a team. That should be interesting with our logistics the way they are, but if there's a way to make it work we will. I secretly hope he decides he'd rather play indoor soccer, but I won't hold my breath...



We got the lights on the tree last nite, to the tune of 'jingle bells, batman smells'...he giggled through the entire song, cheeky monkey - but I can tell he's getting excited about Christmas...this morning he says, 'Mom, I wish Christmas was tomorrow!!!' Sigh, well buddy, you'll just have to wait and be tortured through all the bad Christmas music like the rest of us!!! heh heh.



We'll decorate the tree and the rest of the house throughout the week and bit by bit with new crafts and old ones from last year that I can't wait to put out.



We make our Christmas traditions up as we go, and having a pile of fun while we do it...

9 Layers of Me - Layer 2

A meme to peel away the layers of me.



-- Your heritage: I'm third generation Greek on my father's side. My maternal ancestors were from France.

-- The shoes you wore today: Brown dress shoes.

-- Your weakness: buttered popcorn

-- Your fears: Dying before my son is a teenager.

-- Your perfect pizza: all pizza is perfect...but probably pepperoni mushroom

-- Goal you'd like to achieve: to be independently wealthy? hmmm, the difference between goals and dreams....LOL....finish my designation in the next year.