No Peeking!

I have a blast Christmas shopping for the boys.  Even amongst the chaos and crowds, when I find that awesome gift for one of them it makes it worth it.  The hard part is when I get that awesome gift home and can't find a place to hide it!

With Bammers' birthday just before Christmas I have double duty of hide and "remember where the hell I put them".  The trouble with birthday Bam is that he's four this year and catching on to the hiding spots.  Boys are so sneaky! 

I tried the attic for some, but my oldest has been up and down from there helping us with Christmas decorations. 

I tried hiding some under our bed...Fat Dougie wasn't too happy with the bag handle and pulled it out. 

I tried hiding a couple in one of the NEVER USED CABINETS on the ginormous entertainment center.  Wouldn't you know, hubs needed a cable--some random object--that happened to be in there. 

So I've taken another rout this year.  I'm hiding them in plain sight!  Two gifts have been sitting out in the house for over a week now and the giftee has no clue!  For our teenager I'm pretty sure I can hide his on his bedroom floor since you never see it anyway.  I'm also thinking of hiding some in the dishwasher and behind the canned food and dry rice in the pantry.  NONE of the fellas in this house would ever look there!

And let's face it, if all else fails I'll just put them in the closet and stick this happy little guy in front of the door:

Happy Holiday Gift Hiding!

Sh*t my dogs have ruined

Sunday, November 27, 2011.  It's roughly noon.  I walk into my living room where our 9ft pre-lit Christmas tree was suppose to be sitting in its box...only to find a shredded box and pieces of the lights from the bottom of the tree.  One limb hung out from what was left of the box with two exposed wires. 

I was done.  That was the last straw in a HUGE pile of straws.  That moment started my tirade of accounting for each and every item, moment, etc. my dogs have ruined.  The list gets long quick, so I highlighted a few that are still in need of repair or replacement:

1. My patio furniture
2. My gray pair of flip flops: the left one
3. The wall in the dining room
4. Leggos: marvel comics
5. My second gray pair of flip flops: the left one
6. The wall in the front entrance
7. Hubs recliner
8. My black pair of flip flops: the left one
9. Our couches
10. Leggos: aliens
11. My purple pair of flip flops: the right one
12. More leggos
13. The front bedpost on my NEW bedroom set
14. My third gray pair of flip flops: the left one
15. Hubs laptop power cable: twice
16. My sunglasses...three pair
17. The blackberry tree: before it even got planted
18. My brown pair of flip flops: the left one
19. The planters/plants on my patio...eaten
20. Bam's pool toys...pop, pop, pop
21. My running shoes
22. Hubs running shoes, work boots, and Crocs
23. Hubs belt (sorry hon, forgot to tell you about that one)
24. Squirrel---can't replace that one.
25. Baby moles
26. Wood floors
27. Any carpet/rug I attempt to put down in the living room
28. Workout weights

That list is just a glimpse of the past 24 months.  If I go back any further I might end up running away with the few things we still have intact.  The puppies are all to good homes now, including our last little straggler, Hiccup.  He's living it up on the beach, running and shopping for toys today...I knew I made the wrong choice by sending him instead of myself!


Douglas is fat and happy being the baby again.  A little drooling on Hubs pillow this morning shows he is de-stressing after all the chaos of keeping up with the puppies and not eating them when he had the chance.  They got big quick.

Nixon is and will forever be the most awesome of them all.  He's my golden baby that just wants to run and loves lounging afterwards.  As long as he gets a treat and a comfy spot on the couch he doesn't have a care in the world.

Between the four-legged furbabies or our boys in their latest growing pains, sh*t will get ruined in this house. 

Here's a few pictures that capture the moment:

And so it begins...

The day after Thanksgiving.  To some, a day of fighting the crowds and finding the best parking space.  To others, a day of dread as they are the ones who have to work and put up with the crowds.

Are the sales worth it?  The lack of sleep, sudden loss of large amounts of money, rubbing elbows with people who haven't showered in days from standing in line hoping to get in first?  Is it worth the $499.00 52" flat screen that will be outdated in a couple of years anyway?  Or the latest and greatest Elmo animated doll that does what--laughs, rolls, dances, sings?  Frankly, they should make that thing able to do chores around the house and help out, then I'll pay the fortune it costs to buy.  A robot vacuum is more exciting.

My favorite way to spend the early morning of Black Friday is with a hot cup of coffee, my laptop, and quiet house.  I got just that this morning.  Hubs and Peanut are still asleep, the dogs snuggled up beside them, and Bammers is chilling on the couch watching Scooby Doo cartoons.  I'm enjoying my cup of home brewed Dunkin Donuts coffee with a side of leftover Mississippi Mud Pie. 

My Christmas shopping? Online.  My budget?  Thankfully cheap this year with the ever changing "must haves" of a 13 year old boy who has all the gadgets, now just wants the accessories; a soon-to-be 4 year old who gets overwhelmed two weeks before Christmas with his birthday, so the "less is more" theme works Christmas morning. 

All you die hard Black Friday shoppers have one less person to contend with for that Must-Have-Item this year.  Good luck on getting the best deals and GOD BLESS, for the Christmas season has officially began.

A Little Giving of Thanks

All my loved ones and millions around the Nation are celebrating Thanksgiving.  For the past few weeks friends and family have posted thier #days of Thanks on social networking sites, blogs and news groups have started butting in with Christmas shopping on Black Friday, and schools have let out for the week/few days to observe the holiday--leaving parents who don't get off rushing to find childcare or drag thier kids with them on the mad rush to get the best shopping deals. 

I have mixed feelings with Thanksgiving.  A little history lesson of how the day came about is redundant as no one wants to hear of the carnage and chaos that occurred between new settlers and the Native Americans.  What people want to hear is how thankful you are for what you have.  Well...here goes:

I'm thankful to have a rich culture of Native American and Irish from my mother's side, and Lord only knows what on my father's side.  Family has hinted at coonass, but I refuse to be the lone child born in cajun country to admit it!  (Bran and T.J. tried to convince me I was adopted from a banjo family in the swamps--I have all my teeth and more sass so I know better).

I'm thankful for my husband, though we have little time together and usually talk best through text, supports and loves me for the workaholic I am. 

I'm thankful for the giant teenager that calls me mom and I call 'Peanut' though he towers over my 5'10" frame.

I'm thanful for the minature replica of the tasmanian devil known as Bam that also calls me mom and reminds me how precious every ounce of the day with him and my Peanut is. 

I'm thankful for the four-legged furbabies I call '#$%*&', '#$&%' and '^&$*&#' on a daily basis for eating something of mine or leaving a leggo mess of puke on my wood floors. 

I'm thankful for my family and friends who seem to pick up where we left off even after years of being apart.


I'm thankful for my job that allows me to serve my community---no sarcasm, I really love my job and am damn lucky to have one.

I'm am humbled and honored for the service members that sacrifice miles, months/years, and a lot of memories with loved ones to protect my freedoms. 

I'm thankful for my sorrows that make my joys so much better.

I'm thankful for my hard times that make my easy ones that much easier.

I'm thankful for my mistakes because they remind me to learn something new every day.

I am so very thankful for the amazing life I have been blessed with. 

And a big thanks to those who read this and are thankful to be able to READ!

Happy 236th Birthday Marines!

Captain Samuel Nicholas formed two battalions of Continental Marines on 10 November 1775 in Philadelphia as naval infantry. 

Our Mission:

The United States Marine Corps serves as an expeditionary force-in-readiness. As outlined in 10 U.S.C. § 5063 and as originally introduced under the National Security Act of 1947, it has three primary areas of responsibility:

• The seizure or defense of advanced naval bases and other land operations to support naval campaigns;
• The development of tactics, technique, and equipment used by amphibious landing forces in coordination with the Army and Air Force; and
• Such other duties as the President may direct.

This last clause, while seemingly redundant given the President's position as Commander-in-chief, is a codification of the expeditionary duties of the Marine Corps. It derives from similar language in the Congressional acts "For the Better Organization of the Marine Corps" of 1834, and "Establishing and Organizing a Marine Corps" of 1798. In 1951, the House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee called the clause "one of the most important statutory — and traditional — functions of the Marine Corps." It noted that the corps has more often than not performed actions of a non-naval nature, including its famous actions in Tripoli, the War of 1812, Chapultepec, and numerous counter-insurgency and occupational duties (such as those in Central America), World War I, and the Korean War. While these actions are not accurately described as support of naval campaigns nor as amphibious warfare, their common thread is that they are of an expeditionary nature, using the mobility of the Navy to provide timely intervention in foreign affairs on behalf of American interests.

In addition to its primary duties, the Marine Corps has missions in direct support of the White House and the State Department. The Marine Band, dubbed the "President's Own" by Thomas Jefferson, provides music for state functions at the White House.  Marines guard presidential retreats, including Camp David, and the Marines of the Executive Flight Detachment of HMX-1 provide helicopter transport to the President and Vice President, using the call signs "Marine One" and "Marine Two" respectively.  By authority of the 1946 Foreign Service Act, the Marine Security Guards of the Marine Embassy Security Command provide security for American embassies, legations, and consulates at more than 140 posts worldwide.

Our Culture:

As in any military organization, the official and unofficial traditions of the Marine Corps serve to reinforce camaraderie and set the service apart from others. The Corps' embrace of its rich culture and history is cited as a reason for its high esprit de corps.

• The Marines' Hymn dates back to the 19th century and is the oldest official song in the United States armed forces.
• The Marine motto Semper Fidelis means always faithful in Latin, often appearing as Semper Fi; also the name of the official march of the Corps, composed by John Phillip Sousa. The mottos "Fortitudine" (With Fortitude); By Sea and by Land, a translation of the Royal Marines' Per Mare, Per Terram; and To the Shores of Tripoli were used until 1868.
• The Marine Corps emblem is the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, sometimes abbreviated "EGA", adopted in 1868.
• The Marine Corps seal includes the emblem, also is found on the flag of the United States Marine Corps, and establishes scarlet and gold as the official colors.
• Two styles of swords are worn by Marines: the officers' Mameluke Sword, similar to the Persian shamshir presented to Lt. Presley O'Bannon after the Battle of Derna, and the Marine NCO sword. 
• The Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated every year on 10 November in a cake-cutting ceremony where the first slice of cake is given to the oldest Marine present, who in turn hands it off to the youngest Marine present. The celebration includes a reading of Marine Corps Order 47, Commandant Lejeune's Birthday Message. 
• Close Order Drill is heavily emphasized early on in a Marine's initial training, incorporated into most formal events, and is used to teach discipline by instilling habits of precision and automatic response to orders, increase the confidence of junior officers and noncommissioned officers through the exercise of command and give Marines an opportunity to handle individual weapons.
• An important part of the Marine Corps culture is the traditional seafaring naval terminology derived from its history with the Navy.

Our Nicknames:

• Devil Dog: The term "Devil Dog" has its origins at Belleau Wood. It was in a dispatch from the German front lines to their higher headquarters explaining the current battle conditions that described the fighting abilities of the new, fresh Americans as fighting like "Teufel Hunden" or "Hounds from Hell.
• Leatherneck: Tthe term "Leatherneck" was derived from a leather stock once worn around the neck by both American and British Marines; used as a fashion to help military bearing by keeping the chin up and also by protecting the neck from sword blows.
• Jarhead: The term Jarhead was derived from the regulation "high and tight" haircut. 

Our Motto:

Adapt and Overcome. 


I am humbled and honored by my service in the Marine Corps.  Today I celebrate with the few, the proud.  Happy Birthday, Marines!

Know-vember to Remember

There are numerous reasons to be thankful.  The whole month of November leads up to just that, Thanksgiving.  Considering the education level of my readers I feel comfortable in assuming everyone knows the basic history of Thanksgiving.  You know, the Pilgrims and Indians sitting down for a feast to give thanks that the Indians didn't scalp them when they should have?  So I'm a little off on the details.  The point of this post isn't about Thanksgiving though.  It's about NOVEMBER.  What certain days represent in history, events that shaped our future, and some really cool trivia that I am still researching and discovering. 

For instance, November retained its name from the Latin novem meaning "nine" when January and February were added to the Roman calendar.  November starts on the same day of the week as February in common years, and March every year. November ends on the same day of the week as August every year. 

Some "on this day in history" trivia: In 1842 Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd in Springfield, IL; In 2000 my dear friends, Joe and Ginger, married in Illinois. 

On November 4th, 1980: Former Hollywood actor and Republican Ronald Reagan wins the US presidential elections beating Democrat Jimmy Carter with a huge majority.  (And on this day in 2008 the current president was elected.)

One of the neat religious facts I found: November 4th is the feast day for St. Charles Borremeo, the patron saint of learning and the arts.  Let's eat!  er...read? 

Stick around for some more KNOW-vember :)

All Saints Day

All Saints Day is a tradition as old as...well, time.  The following is credited to: New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia (and no, I am not Catholic.  Just inherently curious about world religions and knowledge it has to offer.)

The vigil of this feast is popularly called "Hallowe'en" or "Halloween".  Solemnity celebrated on the first of November. It is instituted to honour all the saints, known and unknown, and, according to Urban IV, to supply any deficiencies in the faithful's celebration of saints' feasts during the year.

In the early days the Christians were accustomed to solemnize the anniversary of a martyr's death for Christ at the place of martyrdom. In the fourth century, neighbouring dioceses began to interchange feasts, to transfer relics, to divide them, and to join in a common feast; as is shown by the invitation of St. Basil of Caesarea (397) to the bishops of the province of Pontus. Frequently groups of martyrs suffered on the same day, which naturally led to a joint commemoration. In the persecution of Diocletian the number of martyrs became so great that a separate day could not be assigned to each. But the Church, feeling that every martyr should be venerated, appointed a common day for all. The first trace of this we find in Antioch on the Sunday after Pentecost. We also find mention of a common day in a sermon of St. Ephrem the Syrian (373), and in the 74th homily of St. John Chrysostom (407).

At first only martyrs and St. John the Baptist were honoured by a special day. Other saints were added gradually, and increased in number when a regular process of canonization was established; still, as early as 411 there is in the Chaldean Calendar a "Commemoratio Confessorum" for the Friday after Easter. In the West Boniface IV, 13 May, 609, or 610, consecrated the Pantheon in Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs, ordering an anniversary. Gregory III (731-741) consecrated a chapel in the Basilica of St. Peter to all the saints and fixed the anniversary for 1 November. A basilica of the Apostles already existed in Rome, and its dedication was annually remembered on 1 May. Gregory IV (827-844) extended the celebration on 1 November to the entire Church. The vigil seems to have been held as early as the feast itself. The octave was added by Sixtus IV (1471-84).

**The best part of today is that my beautiful niece was born on it 19 years ago.  Happy Birthday "Lyss".  May your birthday forever hold as much honor and celebration as the date itself :)

October 31st Costume of the Day: Halloween Finale`

This year's Costume of Halloween Day iiiiiiiiiiissssss...........


Spider Monkey: Wear a monkey costume with a Spiderman mask or a Spiderman costume with a monkey mask. 

Happy Halloween!

October 30th Costume of the Day

Almost there!  Can't believe tomorrow is Halloween.  Seems like we just got over Christmas and was wondering what the new year would bring!

Today is a funny tribute to the S**t costumes (i.e. Holy S**t, No S**t, Bull S**t, etc.)  Instead of being S**t we will use the terd...term, Poo, as in "Poo" Bear.  Any of the S**t costumes will do and just add teddy bear ears and a jar of honey.

October 26th-29th Costumes of the Day!

Playing catch-up!  It's been a crazy week and costumes have been the focus of just about everything leading up to this weekend :)  Here's the final cut:

October 26th: Mr. "T"ea, Wear a mustache and put a capital T on a shirt, OR throw on the Mohawk/Fauxhawk and carry a cup o'tea. 

October 27th: Devil with a Blue Dress (1995 classic), easy peasy!  Wear a blue dress...funnier when a guy does it, and throw on some devil horns :)

October 28th: Boxed Wine, Pick your favorite wine label, attach it to a shirt, make a black spot around one eye (for a black eye) and wear boxing gloves.

October 29th: Happy Bunny, you can buy bunny ears pretty much anywhere as well as a t-shirt with a smartass saying on it.

The top two will be posted soon :)

October 25th Costume of the Day

One of my favorites :) 

Fat Tuesday:  A play on the Wednesday Adams character with a Mardi Gras twist.  Wear a goth outfit with some extra stuffing and don a Mardi Gras mask and beads, jester hat, etc.  <---this may be next years project for the Massacre *shhh*

October 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th Costumes of the Day

Sidetracked by work and play I had to post the full weekend for today. 

October 21st (Thanks to Jenny) Iron Chef:  Wear a chef hat with an apron and carry an iron. 

October 22nd (Thanks to Roger & Shell) Dick-tater: Get a potato or Mr. Potato head and string it around your waist to hang...well, you know...

October 23rd Hairy Potter: Wear a hairy costume without the mask and carry a planter or clay pot around.



October 24th Bloody Mary had a Little Lamb:  A scary crossover classic, dress in your best blood bath with a ghostly face and drag a mauled looking blood covered stuffed lamb on a chain.  Yeah, that's a sweet addition to my Scarytales series :)

Happy Costume Hunting :)

October 20th Costume of the Day

Invisible Woman: (very easy) buy a sheet of camouflage netting; when people ask what you are dressed as, wrap it around you so they can't see you. If you're a guy dressing this part just add a wig and some lipstick.

October 19th Costume of the Day

A Lady Gaga tribute...

Poker Face: Draw the four suits on your face (heart, diamond, clubs, spade).  To really add to the costume you can pin cards in groups of a full house, four of a kind, flush, etc. to a shirt.

October 18th Costume of the Day

Not to beat the angel theme to death, but here's another spin on the feathery lovliness.
Earth Angel: Wear an angel costume and on the dress/robe use paint to make a map of the world (It's a 1950's classic by The Penguins in case all you youngins missed the pun!)

October 17th Costume of the Day

Holy crap it's getting harder and harder to come up with ideas that aren't already costumes you can buy!  Here's another one from the original list...

"Arch" Angel: angel costume with golden arches as wings :)

October 16th Costume of the Day

LOL!  Here's a funny classic...

"It puts the lotion on the skin":  You can go retro with a tan skin suit (They're all the rage this season with a multitude of colors--hubs has one!) and carry a bottle of lotion.

OR

Joe Dirt style: skin suit, sleeveless plaid button down shirt, a mullet, and lotion. 

October 15th Costume of the Day

For my SIL-ly gal (SIL-Sister in law for you non readers): 

Johnny on the Spot:  Wear a name tag that says "Johnny", cut out a big black circle from felt or construction paper.  When someone asks who you are throw the spot on the floor, stand on it, and say "Johnny on the spot!"

**The picture of Johnny Depp has nothing to do with the costume...he's just a hottie :)

October 14th Costume of the Day

Pink Eye:  Use the white powder makeup to lighten your face, and paint one eye pink. 

October 13th Costume of the Day

Here's one for adults only...

Teddy Bear:  Wear a bear costume and put lingerie on over it...get it?  Teddy?  Oh whatever.

Cops and Caffeine

I have some friends who wear badges and run towards the chaos.  In the midst of the chaos, long hours, weird encounters, and dangerous daily tasks, I asked them, "What's your poison?" 

Here's some of the replies:

Fuzzy 1: Mt. Dew.  Gotta have the Dew.

Fuzzy 2: Water, gym time, and protein *insert man grunt here* 

Fuzzy 3: COFFEE...<---must agree

Fuzzy 4: Sweet tea *I've heard it keeps'em sweet, otherwise they are a bear to work for*

Fuzzy 5: Diet Coke, coffee, Mt. Dew, straight caffeine works too.

Fuzzy 6: Coffee with a Diet Dr. Pepper chaser *wink*

The caffeine crusade continues!

**Just for S&G I asked about the donut diet...I'll save that for another post ;)