Friday, December 29, 2006

It's Friday!

Happy Friday...yes it is Friday although being off work all week and having holidays here and there, I haven't been sure what day it really is. It has to be close to the end of my vacation because today was the first day I actually slept past 6am. Normally I am up by 4am so I guess waking up around 6 is actually sleeping in, but today I managed to sleep until 9. I have realized one thing, though. There is nothing much to watch on tv during the day so I guess I am glad I have a day job. I watched all of my new movies and rented a few others, and I am halfway through a book I got for Christmas already, so I haven't been bored. My new vacuum cleaner works great! LOL You will be hard pressed to find any dog hair in the living room today, I tell you what! I cooked a spiral ham yesterday and it was yummy. This morning I made ham and cheese omelettes for breakfast. There is plenty of ham leftover for ham sandwiches and ham salad.

I have no plans to go out for New Year's Eve. I prefer to stay home and have done so for many years. Getting all dressed up in uncomfortable clothes and shoes to get drunk and possibly breaking an ankle in said shoes is not my idea of fun. I would much rather be home, in my PJ's or sweats, watching a movie or playing cards or games with friends and family. That way if I do happen to get tanked...I don't have far to crawl into bed either! New Year's Day I am going to have dinner with my parents and brothers. Not sure who else will be there but it is always a good time.

Time to get moving here. I think I'll get some shopping done today. The weather is great...a little chilly but no snow! YAY!!

Enjoy the weekend everyone.
Lainie

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Coming down from the Christmas high

Christmas is over and it was a wonderful day. The kids seemed really pleased with their gifts, and I absolutely love everything I received. Haven't got the vacuum cleaner out of the box yet but I will do that tomorrow (and yes I asked for a new one). I also got two John Grisham books, a James Patterson book, the Chris Daughtry CD, a few movies (Pirates of the Carribean #2, The Corpse Bride and Talladega Nights), 2 bottles of Captain Morgan, a bottle of wine, some holiday kitchen towels, an electric knife, gift cards to my favorite places (Linens and Things & Bed and Bath), 2 Yankee Candles, and a gift card to the Burlington Coat Factory so I can pick out a new winter coat. I also got some cash and was instructed to buy something nice for myself and not to use it to pay a bill. (Someone knows me well.) Anyway, we had fun Christmas Eve at the folks house. There was so much food and everyone was in a festive mood. After we exchanged gifts, we played cards and we never got back home until after 11:00.
Christmas morning the kids all showed up and I made a huge breakfast. We exchanged gifts afterwards and then played Uno for awhile. The kids all left around 3 to go to other dinners so I put on one of my new movies and promplty fell asleep. Guess I am going to have to watch that one again.

Today I went to see Rose. It was so good to see her, bald little head and all. She is doing really well and enjoyed all the little gifts I brought her. She gave me a gift bag with all kinds of goodies in it, some rum, a Beanie Bear, a calendar, and a book by Christopher Moore called A Dirty Job. I spent the entire morning there and I didn't really want to leave but she has 4 long haired cats and 4 hours was about all my allergies would allow. By the time I left I was sneezing and my eyeballs were itching pretty bad, but it was a really nice visit.

I have no plans for the rest of the week. I will say that my days off are going by way too quickly. Not liking that too much. Sara has been home a lot this week so it's been nice hanging with the kid. She got the DVD The Lady in the Water for Christmas so we are going to watch that in a little bit. The movie got bad reviews but we both like M. Night Shyamalan so we'll decide for ourselves. The Village got bad reviews too but we both thoroughly enjoyed that one.

I hope you all had a great Christmas and are looking forward to an awesome 2007. I know I am.

Lainie

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Almost vacation time!!

One more full day of work then I can start my 11 day vacation. How sweet is that? Tomorrow is a full day at work but I don't think we'll actually be doing much in the way of working. Today we had our sell off with the government inspector and everything went well, so hip hip hoooray...I can have a stress free day.
First thing in the morning we have a meeting with the CEO. I imagine he will tell us how rich we all made him over the past year and he will thank us and tell us to keep up the good work. Perhaps he can trade his Jaguar in and purchase a newer model now. Then he and his wife will hand out a Christmas card to each and every one of us along with some token of appreciation. In years past we've received long sleeved denim shirts, fleece jackets and last year we got an all weather jacket...all with the company logo embroidered on everything. No one came around asking for sizes this year so I am guessing we aren't getting anything to wear!
Our department decided to order chinese food for lunch tomorrow and a lot of folks are bringing home baked goodies in. The festivities will continue after work at The Alpine. I've been running a few errands after work every night this week so I can enjoy a few drinks tomorrow and not have to worry about driving anywhere. My parents live right down the road from the bar so if I should become impaired, I can crawl to their house and sleep it off there. LOL
Yes indeed...tomorrow should be a good day.

Christmas Eve the kids and I are going to a pot luck gathering at my parents house. It's an annual tradition, we all bring a few delicious dishes to share, crack open the rum, mix it with the egg nog, and have a ball. At some point in the evening, we will exchange gifts, have some more egg nog and then play cards. Other friends and relatives show up throughout the evening so it's always a good time. Sometimes they even bring more rum. And eggnog. LOL

I am having a Christmas morning brunch this year so the kids can spend some time here before heading out to their father's house and then their significant other's relatives. As they get older, I have had to become more flexible, but I still like having them here on Christmas morning to open their gifts. I am making a sausage and cheese quiche, french toast and bacon and coffee, with assorted fruit and juice, ...all of their favorites. I'm getting really excited now!

Heading for the sofa...have a good evening everyone.
Hugs





Thursday, December 14, 2006

OMG It's already halfway thru December

Lordy, it's been a long time since I've posted anything. Sorry about that. I've been working a lot and trying to get my shopping done, which should be done by this weekend. I drive right by the Mall on my way home from work but I am usually too tired to even think about shopping. I am working on Saturday but only in the morning so I will stop after work and finish up.

We found out today that we are definitely going to be off work from December 22-January2. Most of those days are paid holidays, so I will only have to use 2 of my vacation days to be able to enjoy a nice 11 day break. Aside from Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's, I have no plans yet for those wonderful days off. Right now all I can think of is how wonderful it will be to be able to sleep in for several days in a row.

Today, my best friend Rose had her last chemo treatment. She has tolerated the last three treatments rather well and has experienced the normal side effects, fatigue, loss of appetite and some nausea. Thanksgiving Day she started to lose her beautiful hair and now is sporting a cute tennis ball looking head. She carries off the G I Jane look rather well, I have to say. She's been in very good spirits all things considered. Hang in there Rosie...it's almost over. Thanks everyone for all of your prayers.

I hope you all are having a good December. Time for me to make some dinner.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Lazy Saturday

Saturday afternoon and I know there are a million things I should be doing, like housework, but here I sit looking for things I can do from my comfortable chair here.
I did manage to make a few online purchases for Christmas so I can cross those things off of my list. And Sara and I got her college loan application filled out and submitted for her next (and last, yipeeeeeeeee) semester of college. I can't believe it is finally here. Her final semester of college. Graduation is only a few months away now and I couldn't be more proud of her. The past 4 years has flown by, that's for sure. It hasn't been easy. This young lady has had nothing handed to her, by any means. She has had to work and work hard for everything she has accomplished, but she's doing it with style and grace.
We have been researching the different Anthropology/Paleontology job programs offered at some of the larger Museums throughout the East Coast and it would be awesome if she can get into an Internship at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC this summer. She feels that is where she will be able to make the most of her degree, and even if she starts out just doing displays and research, the experience alone would be worth it.

I can't tell you how much I needed this 4 day weekend. I have been putting in 11-12 hours a day at work for the last couple of weeks and I really needed several days in a row to just chill. I can see a permanent indentation of my butt on my sofa cushions but I don't even care. LOL I've caught up on the tv shows I've been sleeping through thanks to some CBS shows being on On Demand. Survivor is getting really good...I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this season when they started out but there have been a lot of twists and turns this season and a few really interesting characters. I've missed the Amazing Race the last couple of weeks so I need to catch up on that, and I saw the last 2 episodes of Jericho yesterday. I really have enjoyed that one this season.

I suppose I should get out of this chair and get something done around here. Those dishes aren't going to wash themselves, and I really need to grab some groceries at the store.
I hope everyone is well and having a nice weekend.

Be back soon.
Hugssssss

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Yes...I am still among the living

Just a short post to let you all know I am still alive. I haven't had much time to play online the last couple of weeks because I am spending more and more time at work and once I get home, I am pretty much fried for the night. Last weekend Cal and I decided we both needed a mental health weekend so we holed up at my house where it is quiet most of the time, with some booze and movies. Two days of relaxing was just what I needed. He's been working nonstop as well (he works for the State Liquor Commission...YAY all the Captain Morgan I can drink!) and he won't be seeing the light of day much either now that the Holiday Season is upon us. On Sunday, all of the kids came over for dinner. We had Chicken Broccoli Alfredo with garlic bread and then played cards until the football game came on. Within 10 minutes mostly everyone was snoozing on the sofa and loveseat. I think the Bears won the game but I slept through most of it. It was really nice to sleep in on Monday morning, but now the party is over and it is back to the grind. 10 to 12 hour days are in store for me for the remainder of the week.
I hope you are all having a good week. Time for me to take my tea and head for the sofa. Hugssss

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Good Morning

A good Sunday morning to all. I slept in this morning, until 8:15. That is great for me since I am normally up before the crack of dawn. I did stay up until midnight or so but a solid 8 hours is good for me!
Had fun playing NTT last night with Marvin and Kerry. Thanks girls...you always do a SUPER job. Tori it was great to see you in chat, I had not had the pleasure before. It was a really good game, pretty close all the way down to the wire. But voodooman pulled off a great win, wtg voo! It's been several weeks since I've been in chat long enough to play and after I got the kinks out of my typing skills (or lack thereof) I managed to stay in marvin's box all night! WOOOOHOOOOO
It's been another week of long hours. I hope I can keep up the pace until Christmas anyway. The paychecks are awesome! If I can manage to not burn out, I should be able to get all of my Christmas shopping done entirely on Overtime money and not have to dip into my savings, which would be awesome since I need all of that to pay my property taxes. That bill came in Thursday and nearly caused a stroke. Last spring my property was reassessed and that brought my property value up considerably. However, that also means I will be taxed at a higher amount. AND, to top it off, a new middle school is being built in town and the cost of that construction is reflected on this tax bill. It figures that the new school proposal would be approved after my kids are out of the public school system! I've been seriously thinking about selling my house and moving. There are many pros and cons regarding this decision, so I am thinking about it very, very carefully. It is just very scary to take on a new endeavor especially with only one paycheck as my only means of support. I haven't had a mortgage payment in 9 years, I live quietly and within my means but still struggle, primarily since I am helping my daughter with college. She works a part time job to help out but she is still dependent on me for a lot. Her father's assistance has been sporadic at best. (That $200 he gave her 3 years ago for books really made a dent in the tuition woes!) OK time to get off that subject. Anyway...a lot to ponder in the coming months. Graduation is 6 months away, perhaps I will have some clarity by then.
It's sunny and bright outside today but a bit chilly. All the trees are bare now around the yard, a reminder that winter isn't far away. Brrrrrrrrr.
Enjoy your Sunday, everyone. Hugssss

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

BOOOOOOOOOO

Just a quick entry to wish everyone a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
I know the trick or treaters are out tonight but I never get any kids here since I live on a windy, dark, country road with no sidewalks. It is really quite dangerous walking out here at night. Normally I buy one bag of candy just in case someone does show up but this year I didn't bother. It's been really quiet.
I think I've caught up with all of my reading so I am off to the shower.
Have a great evening everyone.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Pics of my guard dog


This is my pooch. His name is Hunter but everyone calls him Huntababes lol.
He is a very sweet boy, and yes he is spoiled. (Like you couldn't tell)

Saturday, October 21, 2006

short weekend

It's the weekend woohooo!! I've been working late every night this week and also went in this morning for 4 hours so I am a little punchy right now. We have finally got all of our parts shortages resolved so we will be working plenty of overtime probably until Thanksgiving anyway. I did receive a very good paycheck this week so I am not complaining one bit.
On Thursday there was a meeting at work with our CEO but I had a doctors appointment that afternoon so I missed it. Apparently he wanted to let us all know that as a company we were doing very well and we made a lot of money for him so far this year. He then proceeded to pass out thank you cards to everyone for all of their hard work, etc. This is a good sign, because in the past, those thank you cards also included nice fat bonuses! Since I wasn't there, my card went into the mail. So here I sit, watching for the mailperson to arrive so I can see just how much of a bonus I did get. Of course it is all going into the bank until I need it for Christmas, but every little bit helps, that is for sure.
I finally got the rear tires replaced on my car today. Not too bad, only $129 for the tires(mounting included) and disposal of the two tires they removed. Definitely a lot better than I had been quoted a couple of weeks ago. I also asked the guy to take the tires off of the front and put them in the back, and put the new tires in the front since I have front wheel drive, which he did at no extra charge. I was in and out of there in 30 minutes, which was also better than the three hour wait I was expecting two weeks ago had I decided to purchase those overpriced tires. I think a lot of people who would otherwise be out and about on a Saturday, were either at the funeral service of a local police officer, or at home watching it.
On Monday morning, a 35 yr old police officer responded to a domestic call and was gunned down in an alley, one shot to the head. He passed away the next day at a local hospital. The shooter is in custody in Boston, fighting extradition to NH. Needless to say, the entire state is pretty grief stricken. Today there was a huge funeral procession and service in Manchester. I did watch some of it on TV, so very sad. Officer Briggs leaves a wife and two young boys.
I hope you are all having a good weekend. I think I am in need of a nap. Mail still hasn't come, so I'll check it later.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Maine was F U N

Hey everyone, Happy Tuesday. Just wanted to pop on and say I had a BLAST in Maine over the weekend. Thanks to Rick and Blossom for being the most awesome hosts. They make everyone feel so comfortable in their home. Thanks also to Jason for giving up his bed Saturday night so I had a place to pass out.
I arrived around 2:30 pm after a very scenic 4 hour drive. Mauvis and Mike, Blossom's sister and brother in law, were already there and Mazzy and April were just arriving as I pulled into the dooryard. (That's Maine speak for driveway) LOL Mazz was kind enough to take the brownies from me and carry them into the house. It didn't matter that I had my hands and arms full of other things, they always make sure the brownies arrive safely. Tweetie showed up about an hour later. It had been about a year since my last visit and even though we chat online often, we had a lot of catching up to do. Pup-Pup and Gene and Tonya and Larry arrived and it was just about time for dinner to be served. Rick and Blossom made 3 pans of lasagna, a huge garden salad, and rolls. Everything was delicious. Once the kitchen was cleaned up we all went into the living/computer room and talked, listened to some music and some even sang karaoke. It was a very enjoyable and fun evening. Two shots and a six pack later, I went to bed and had no trouble falling asleep.
Sunday morning I was up by 8 (I think) and after a couple of cups of coffee, I was on the road by 10:30. The ride home was just as nice as the ride up to Maine. The leaves aren't quite as colorful as past years but still beautiful. I made it home by 2:45 and found my daughter at home doing her laundry. My laundry and my shower was going to have to wait.
I thought I would sleep well Sunday night but that wasn't the case at all. For some reason I was still pretty wired and finally fell asleep sometime after midnight. 4am came really fast but I got up and got ready for work. By the time I got there I wasn't feeling very well. I felt like I was hungry so I ate the apple I had brought for my lunch to see if that would help. It didn't. I lost that an hour after I ate it. I then tried some crackers. Those also didn't make it.
I decided I better go home before I got sick again but the Government Quality Control Inspector arrived and I had to run a test on the units that we wanted to ship that morning. So I stuck it out, performed the Quality tests required, everything passed, and wow...I was starting to feel better. I ended up staying the day and in fact working an extra hour. I don't know what was wrong but I feel fine now, thank goodness. (No I am NOT pregnant.) LOL
It is going to be a very busy week with a lot of overtime. I don't mind the extra money, that's for sure, and now that I actually have a lot of work to do, the days will go by quickly and won't seem so long.
I hope you are all having a good week so far. I really have to get in the shower now. The game is on in just a few minutes. Goodnight everyone.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Indian Summer

I can't tell you how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE this beautiful Fall weather. The days are sunny and warm and the nights are cool and crisp. I guess this is our Indian Summer. The colors around here are not as bright as in past years, maybe because we had a lot of rain this spring and summer. But I will take the colors and crisp air of Autumn for as long as I can have it.
This was a fairly busy weekend for me. Saturday I had to get my oil changed and I shopped for some new tires for my car. I don't need anything fancy, a base all season radial is all I need but you would think there was a shortage on rubber around here. I got a tip from one of the salesmen I spoke to that they are having a big tire sale in 2 weeks so I am going to put off buying anything until then and see what kind of deal I can get.
Saturday evening I went to a really fun party. When we arrived at 6pm, which was the time stated on the invitation, it was obvious they had started much earlier. Cal and I were greeted by several semi drunk friends and family members. I had a Captain and Coke placed into my hands (thank you David) and so begun the evening. There was only supposed to be an Open Bar until 8pm but Beverly, the hostess with the mostess, decided to keep the booze flowing all night and put up $1000 to make sure that's exactly what happened. She also hired a DJ to spin some tunes, and he had karaoke also for anyone wishing to participate. Around 8pm, an entire spread of chinese food was set out buffet style. There had to be around 50 people there, everyone ate and most went up for seconds, and a lot of us still brought plates of food home at the end of the evening. Originally we were only planning to stay until around 10pm but we were all having so much fun, we ended up staying until the bar closed. Of course, there was some drama. I won't mention names, but every party has to have one kind of trashy chick there, right? LOL Well we had a couple of them and they were pretty much both trying to get the attention of one guy in particular, (we will call him Ray) but one of them really put on an R rated show. She was wearing a very low cut halter top and Ray took the bait and buried his face deep into her chest on several occaissions. This of course irritated the other female, so she got Ray up on the dance floor. Which was alright except the other female had more tricks up her sleeve and decided she could be more seductive with her dance moves...needless to say, the more they tried to one up each other, the drunker Ray was getting and we all know that a really drunk guy isn't going to be of any use to any woman! LMAO
I never did see the girls leave but rumor was they left together and poor Ray was left sitting there all alone with his Budweiser.
Let me just say...I was paying very close attention to those dance moves and I think if I lose about 50 pounds, I might even be able to do them!
I never got out of bed until 9:30 Sunday morning. I wasn't hungover, which was very surprising. I made scrambled eggs, toast and coffee for breakfast and Cal and I watched the Patriots/Dolphins game in the afternoon. I did manage to drag him outside for a 20 minute walk before he parked his butt back on the couch to watch the Cowboys/Eagles game. Let me rephrase that...he watched the first half, I do believe he slept thru the second half. I did change the channel at one point to see if he was really sleeping and without opening his eyes at all he said, "Hey I was watching that." (Yeah sure you were Sleeping Beauty)
This coming weekend I am heading up to Maine to visit Rick, Blossom, Mazzy and April, Tweetie, PupPup and Gene, Cricket and anyone else who happens to show up. Maybe I can get JR to meet me for coffee in Portland on my way back home on Sunday, but I won't hold him to it. (He's bailed on me twice already) It's always great fun with the Mainiacs!
I hope you all have a good week. Hugs to you all.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

A new look

I am glad you all like the new look. I was bored the other day and thought I'd try something new.
I am sitting here munching on some homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza. I used some pizza dough I picked up at the deli of the supermarket and stretched it out on a greased pizza pan, added some BBQ sauce, cheese and some leftover chicken, baked it 15 minutes and yum yum! It is my new favorite pizza. The only thing easier would be to have it delivered, but this costs less and tastes better.
It's been a relatively quiet week which has gone by pretty quickly, for some reason. I went to bed early last night but I hope I can stay up a little later this evening.
Eric and Jessie came over Sunday for dinner. We had a good afternoon watching some football and I got Eric to help me out with a few things around here. I also looked over his car insurance policy. This is the first time he has had to renew his policy on his own and he wanted to make sure he got it right. He did a really good job all on his own. My little boy is growing up.
Sara went on a field trip last weekend with her paleontology class. They went to an area near Lake Champlain that is being used as an arhcaeological dig site by several colleges in the northeast. She was able to see fossils and footprints left behind by creatures millions of years ago, which she said was just awesome. She claims she was a total geek all weekend and really had a blast. I am looking forward to seeing the pictures this weekend.
I suppose I should get my laundry folded and put away.
I hope you all are having a good week so far. I'll talk with you all soon.

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Gotta love this weather

Happy weekend everyone. I hope you are all enjoying some gorgeous Fall weather. It is sunny but crisp here in New Hampshire, around 60 degrees. Perfect weather for leaf peeping and/or apple picking. I did both this afternoon. I didn't pick the apples but I went to an orchard and bought some that were picked yesterday. I have a bagfull of delicious MacIntosh apples ready for eating. Eric and Jessie are coming for dinner tomorrow so it will be a toss up between Apple Pie or Apple Crisp, but I definitely have dessert covered.
The drive to the orchard was really pretty. A lot of the trees are starting to turn here, although it has been peak colors up north. It is so beautiful along these country roads with the sun shining through the yellow and orange colored leaves. In some areas, the boughs of the trees bend over the roads like an archway, and the sun beams through the breaks in the foliage in streaks. I wish I had a better way with words, because I know I am not doing it all justice. I also wish I had brought a camera with me. D U H! This is, by far, my most favorite time of year. I wish it would last longer than a few weeks.
I went to visit my best friend, Rose, yesterday. I want to thank all of you who have asked about her in the last few weeks. The news is better than we originally thought and she is recovering very nicely from surgery. It is still unclear if she will actually need chemo or if she can just have some hits of radiation, her next doctors appointment will probably reveal that bit of news. I won't dwell on all this here but I am so pleased with her progress and just wanted to say thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes.
Last night I went out with a group of friends to a place called Milly's Tavern. It is a really awesome place to just chillout and get hammered. LOL They were serving their own pumpkin ale spiced with cinnamon and they coat the rim of the glasses with cinnamon and sugar. I was reluctant to try it but I have to admit, it wasn't bad. I think the bar tenders just like watching the women licking the edges of their glasses and that's why they were promoting it so much. LMAO Anyway, I had a great time, met some new people, watched a few friends get plastered. I could have done without the band, however. Dang college kids listen to that hard rock stuff where they just scream and yell and you can't make out the words. Head banger noise I guess. Last time I was there they had a jazz band playing and that was enjoyable.
I really need to log off of here and bring the laundry inside. I won't be able to hang the clothes outside for much longer. :-( Taking advantage while I still can.



Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Lainie's tired

I'm tired, I have been all week. I hope I'm not coming down with something.
Just watched Jericho. I'm really liking this new show. Took me two episodes to realize that the bearded dude is Gerald McRainey, but I am slow sometimes.
I feel edgy, stressed, and I really have no reason to be. It's hard to explain, just feel like something is about to happen, or already has and I maybe don't know about it yet. I hate this feeling. Makes me want to crawl under the covers and shut the world out. Maybe I shouldn't watch suspenseful television shows about nuclear bombs and radiation. LOL
I was supposed to go to Maine this weekend to see the Mainiacs but plans have been changed so it looks like I'll be going in mid October. It will be a fun time, always is with those crazies. I haven't been to visit Rick, Blossom and the rest of the crew in ages so I am really looking forward to getting up there.
I hope everyone is having a good week.
I think it's time to find my pillow. Goodnight folks.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Happy HumpDay

Mid week and I am trying to catch up. As my mother would say, the faster I go, the behinder I get. I really haven't had much time to get online this week. I've been busy, to say the least.

My very best friend Rose, had a mastectomy on Monday. She found a large lump in her breast about a month ago during a self exam and it turned out to be cancer. She had 2 tumors in her breast and both were about 2 inches long. They did a lymph node dissection and those were not compromised at all so she is very, very lucky. Her prognosis is excellent, but she will be going through some chemotherapy in a few weeks. The results from her mammogram show that her other breast is perfectly fine so this also is very good news. This is a very intelligent woman, but one who always blew off pap smears and mammograms because she just didn't feel like going. She also thought she wasn't 'old' enough to worry about such things. I have tried telling her in the past that no one is exempt. I lost another friend to breast cancer a couple of years ago and she had been fighting the disease for 5 years. She was only 43 when she passed away. I go for my exams faithfully every year. And knowing that Rose doesn't...I always make sure I tell her when I go, in the hopes that she will think about it and follow suit. I am glad I followed through with that ritual last month because it may have saved her life. It was the day after I told her I had gone for my mammogram that she did the self exam. Thank God she finally heard me.
I spent some time with her at the hospital on Monday and she went home on Tuesday. I just spoke to her on the phone and she sounds great! She said she is following doctors orders (she has little choice there because her mother in law is a retired registered nurse and is staying there for a couple of weeks to help her) and she feels ok all things considered. She's able to manage pain with tylenol. I am so happy that she will be here with me for a long time to come. Our plans to torment the old men in the nursing home some 20 years from now can still be carried out! LOL
She still has a rough road ahead of her, but she's tough and I have confidence that she'll pull through. I'll be going up to help her out this weekend.
So if you haven't had that mammogram, ladies, please get one. I would like to keep you all around for a very long time.

Another friend of mine had her baby on Monday. A boy, 8lbs 14 oz 22 inches long. Momma and baby are doing just fine. I hear he is a content baby and hardly ever cries. Lets hope that continues. I'd like to get up and visit her sometime this weekend, too.

I tried putting up some new mini blinds in my living room last night but found out that I didn't measure correctly and had to exchange them today for some wider ones. The other blinds I had up measured 35 inches wide...so that's what I bought but came up about an inch short. Go figure. The 36 inch ones fit beautifully so I guess I wasn't supposed to actually measure the blinds but the space they are to fit into. Do I look like an interior decorator to you? LOL

I'm going to surf around for a bit, then bed isn't too far away.
I hope everyone is having a good week.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Apple Cake

I have this baking in my oven right now and it smells sooo delicious. Very simple to put together too! I used butter in place of the oil and half a cup each of the raisins and walnuts.

Apple Cake

1 1/2 C. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 C. oil or butter
2 C. diced apples
1 C. nuts or raisins
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 C. flour


Beat together the first five ingredients. (Egg whites may be used and 1 C. appleasuce can be substituted for the oil or butter for cholesterol watchers.)
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Bake in a greased Bundt pan or 2 loaf pans at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Friday, September 15, 2006

It's the weekend!

Good afternoon everyone. Happy Friday to you all.
The day started off really dreary here but the sun came out around noon and it warmed up nicely. The clouds interrupt the sun from time to time but it's been a nice day for the most part.
I did sleep in this morning, not as long as I would have liked, but anything past 5am is sleeping in for me. I got up around 7, took a shower and crawled back into bed for awhile to watch Good Morning America. As soon as the rain stopped I headed to the grocery store. Rations were done to almost emergency status...I was out of milk, eggs, coffee and toilet paper. The milk, eggs and coffee I could do without, but ya can't go without toilet paper!
I ran into Betty, one of the librarians in town. She and I used to have a blast on the class trips when our kids were in grade school. I think the Principal would cringe every time she saw our names on the chaperone list together. You know when you go to the Zoo, and animals being animals and all they don't care who was watching when they got busy with their mates...well they always seemed to take care of their business while OUR groups were approaching. It was always hysterical for us but not so funny trying to answer the questions of 7 and 8 year olds...the best one was when one of the little girls commented on how nice it was that one was giving the other a piggy back, and a very well informed 8 year old piped up with, "He's not getting a piggy back, he's humping her." That young man had been watching the Discovery Channel. LOL
Anyway, it was awesome to see her and nice to catch up. And yes we did have another chuckle about that field trip.
My phone has been busy today. Looks like everyone knows I am at home. I got an invite for dinner at my friend Sue's so I am going to head down there in a few minutes. One of those rare evenings when her kids and grandkids have gone out...I asked her if she is sure she wants company, maybe she wants to just enjoy the peace and quiet, and she said "NO WAY..I want to talk to someone who isn't going to pee their pants and ask me to cut up their food." Well hell...I can't promise that! LOL She is bribing me with apple crisp for dessert, and I can't pass that up. I will try to be on my best behavior.
Hope you all had a good Friday.
Til next time

Thursday, September 14, 2006

busy week

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, I know. It's been a very busy week for me.
I was so tired on Monday that after I made some dinner, I cleaned up the kitchen, showered and headed straight to bed. Me, in bed at 8:00...well that's pretty much unheard of. But I must have been tired because I slept right thru until 4:15am. Tuesday went by really slow but at least I was awake. Eric and Jessie were coming over for dinner so I stopped at the supermarket on my way home and picked up some fresh broccoli. I had some steak tips to grill and decided last minute to make some rice. If it had just been me I would have been content with the beef and broccoli but Eric is a big eater and I wouldn't want him to leave the table still hungry. Jessie brought me some chocolate chip cookies that she made earlier in the day. They were delicious. (Nice way to suck up to the boyfriends Mom, Jessie!)
Wednesday was a pretty decent day...I was pretty busy and it went by quickly. We had a meeting with our new manager. He seems to be pretty easy going and I don't think we'll have too much trouble whipping him into shape. He will soon learn that the additional 5 minutes we add onto our coffee breaks are beneficial not only to us but to him too. LOL (i.e we aren't quite so bitchy when given the proper amount of time to finish our coffee.)
I had to bake a birthday cake last night for a party at work today and I almost dropped the ball on that one. It wasn't until I was in the shower last evening that I remembered. I had everything I needed, but nearly forgot to bake it. That would have been terrible. Even a phone call from the birthday girl herself a bit earlier in the evening didn't jar my memory. The cake went together easily and the worst part was waiting for it to cool so I could frost and decorate it. I was finally finished by around 11:00 and damn if it didn't look good! I love to bake but I am not much of a decorater. I knew it would taste good, even if it didn't look that great, but I surprised myself and did a decent job.
I was not very busy at work today and everyone was pretty anxious to just get the day over with. Tomorrow is my "Off" Friday and I am looking forward to sleeping in and relaxing. It is raining now, and is supposed to continue until Saturday. (looks like Marvin sent her rain to me) I'll probably get the housework out of the way tomorrow and maybe run some errands. I'm not planning anything, just gonna play it by ear.
The new season of Survivor starts tonight and I am excited! That's one of my favorite shows, ever! Can't wait. Also...I watched the 1st episode of Jericho courtesy of Yahoo last night (the premiere isn't until next Wednesday night) and it looks really good. I hope it lives up to all the hype.
Does anyone watch House? I am hooked on the show now and was very surprised to hear that Hugh Laurie, the star of the show, is actually British. He pulls off
an American accent quite well.
I hope everyone had a good week. I shall return.

Saturday, September 09, 2006

saturday ramblings

I noticed while reading the titles of my blogs that they pretty much center around the weekend. LOL You would think I have no fun during the week. That's because I usually don't. I get up at 4:30 am every weekday and am out the door by 5am. I work 10 hours most days then run whatever errands I need to before coming home. The drive home is about 30 minutes, and that is plenty of time for the stress of the workday to melt away. Once I get home, the shoes and bra come off (not necessarily in that order either) and I lapse into what most people would call...a vegetative state. LMAO Actually, I do make dinner and take care of one of two chores before I jump into the shower, but once I am in my jammies, I am pretty much done in. My job is not so much physical, although some days it seems like all I do is walk from one end of the building to the other and back again...but I have been given a few more responsibilities the last few months and that taxes my little brain!
Yesterday on one of my numerous trips through the building, I saw my cousin's husband, Lenny, coming toward me. He works in the adjacent building in the engineering department. I knew he worked there but this company employs over 600 people between two buildings and the chances of me running into him were pretty remote. Anyway it was good to see him. I come from a very large family, (I have 32 first cousins just on my father's side) and unfortunately the only time we all get together is for a wedding or a funeral. Speaking of which, one of the best memories of my wedding reception, was of him and two other semi drunk cousins, grabbing the DJ's mic and singing and playing air guitar to Brown Sugar by the Rolling Stones. Lenny doesn't remember it, but everyone at the reception does!

I got to sleep in this morning which I needed desperately. As I sit here, I can see the vaccuum cleaner across the room, I do believe it is beckoning me to turn it on! The dog is sleeping, however, and I would hate to disturb him. I'll wait til he wakes up. LOL I know, any excuse is a good excuse when it comes to doing housework, and I have a million of them! I have managed to clean my keyboard out though, so my time online hasn't been wasted. LOL

Ok the kid is home so I have to spend some time with her. Have a great day everyone!!

Friday, September 08, 2006

welcome to the weekend

The weekend is here!! Yippeee!!! Even though it was a 4 day work week, it seemed much longer than that. Yesterday just dragged, I never thought it would end. I was really tired too so maybe that was my problem. I did NOT want to get out of bed yesterday morning which is unusual because I am a morning person and get right up most days. This morning wasn't much better.

I had a dream last night about living in my parents house with my brother. We were standing in the kitchen by the stove arguing on how to season the chicken. That in itself is funny because neither one of us is fussy and will eat just about anything. Also, I can't remember the last time my brother and I argued about anything. I did realize that I haven't been over to visit my parents for a couple of weeks so I dropped in after work today for a short visit. As expected, mom and my brother were battling it out at the kitchen table playing cribbage. Every one of us in the family, (except my two kids) learned how to play cribbage at a very young age. As soon as we could hold 6 cards in our little hands we were taught the basics. My mom, dad, and both brothers play in cribbage leagues. My neice and two nephews all know how to play. My two kids never wanted to learn and can't seem to understand the concept. It is a difficult game to learn but a whole lot of fun once you know how.
I visited for about an hour, then headed for the grocery store. Wow, everyone and his brother was in there! I ran into someone I know around every corner and several I haven't seen all summer so it turned into a gab fest. 45 minutes later I was finally in my car and heading home.

Oh...today brought some sad news at work. My manager, Dave, is being transferred to another department in another building, within the company. I have been working for him for the whole 4 years I have worked there and I am very very sad that he won't be our manager anymore. The department he is going to has been having a lot of problems with their program and they do need someone who is patient and knowledgeable to get things off the ground. Our department runs like a well oiled machine. We've all been working together for a long time and his talents can be better utilized elsewhere. But we are going to miss him. He's quick witted and likes to tease, always has a mischievious twinkle in his eye. I think he was a real handful when he was a kid! Now we have to break in a new manager (to be announced at a later date).

Dinner time...talk to you all soon.


Hope you all made it thru the week ok and have a great evening. :-)

Monday, September 04, 2006

Where did the weekend go?

Why do the weekends go by so fast? The 4 days that I had off have flown right by.
As you can see, I survived the drive to Boston on Saturday. It was much easier than I thought and I was all stressed out and expecting the worst for nothing. Going to the South End of Boston was a piece of cake.
I left the house Saturday morning around 9:00. I had to get gas and wanted to get some coffee for the ride. I filled my tank and as I was about to purchase coffee, I had an image of me needing to pee after drinking the entire cup, and driving around Boston looking for a bathroom, getting lost, asking for directions and getting car jacked or worse. So I decided to forego the coffee for the time being and thought it better to find the Station and find Cal, we could stop somewhere and get coffee after. Traffic wasn't bad since it was Saturday, and I pretty much enjoyed the ride. It hadn't started to rain yet and I sang along with Bo for awhile(thanks ChicagoLady). :-)
I got to Boston by 10:30, followed the directions from MapQuest, which were dead on, and found the Station. Only problem was I couldn't find a place to park. All they have is street parking there and construction crews and equipment took up most of the parking spaces. I was early, so I decided to kind of cruise around looking for a place to sit. I made a circle around the Station and got a little braver...went a little further my second time around and went a few streets over. I was down by the New England Aquarium, and drove down to the Wharf. I found an empty parking space, parked and got out of the car. The wind had picked up something fierce since I had left home. Being right by the water made it much worse. The Tropical Storm wasn't too far away. I jumped back into the car and decided to stay where I was, knowing Cal would let me know when the train pulled into the Station. Getting back there would take me about 4-5 minutes so I was happy. What I didn't realize was I was parked in one of the tour bus parking spots, and as soon as that darn tour bus pulled into the lot, it headed right over toward me. The lady motioned thru the front window that I was in her space, so I had to move. Looking around, there were no other places to park, so I pulled out of the lot and headed back toward the Station. I'll just drive around the block until the train arrives. Well...Lainie didn't go the wrong way down a one way street this time...but Lainie got in the wrong lane and Boston drivers are not as curteous as New Hampshire drivers, so next thing I know I am heading back onto the Interstate North towards New Hampshire. ACK!! Not what I wanted to do. And to make matters worse...I now had to pee even without the coffee! LOL I went over the bridge and took the Somerville exit so I could turn around. Lo and Behold...as soon as I got off the exit there was a Dunkin Donut's right in front of me! With a Rest Room! Whoohoooo!! I made a pit stop...made my bladder gladder...got my coffee and headed back to South Station.
As soon as I got there (it's now close to 11:00) my cell is ringing. Cal is in the Back Bay and will be arriving in 2-3 minutes. I rounded the corner figuring I would just circle til he arrived, and found a parking spot second time around, right on the corner. Within minutes he came around the corner and the worst part of my Saturday was over. I knew how to find my way back to the Interstate thanks to my faux pas earlier LOL so we were good to go. I had him home within an hours time and he was soooo happy.
The sky was overcast and the wind was strong but it wasn't raining yet. I headed home and as I walked thru the door the phone was ringing. Eric was calling to see if I was home and wanted to come by for awhile and introduce me to his new 'friend'. I told him to come by for dinner, and called Sara and made sure she would be here too. I put together a meatloaf and made some brownies for dessert.
Eric's friend Jessie, is very pretty and I think she felt comfortable right away. They've been dating for a few weeks apparently. She and Sara got along really well, too. Sara may be younger then Eric but she takes good care of her big bro and always sizes up his girlfriends. Jessie got Sara's approval. After dinner we all sat around the table and played a card game called 21 or SCAT. Jessie has a bit of a competitive edge to her personality, and so does Cal. It was obvious by the wisecracks that the game was going to be all about them. And sure enough, one by one Eric, Sara and myself were all eliminated. Cal ended up winning and we didn't hear the end of it for the rest of the evening. I think there will be a rematch soon.
After the game, Sara went over to her boyfriend Travis' house and Eric and Jessie went to a party. Cal and I put Poisedon into the DVD player and watched that. Well I watched it. He slept. By now the wind was howling and the rain was pouring down. But it was a nice peaceful ending to a potentially stressful day. As I reflect back on the weekend...evenings like that are more fun for me than a night out on the town. Good food, lots of laughs, awesome company...we definitely have to do this more often.

Friday, September 01, 2006

Fun Friday

I knew Ernesto was going to mess up my day today...I just had a feeling. It's been a gorgeous day here, sun's shining, nice breeze, 75 degrees. That pesky tropical storm is causing me grief and it isn't even here yet.
My friend Cal is stuck in DC for the night, it's raining like crazy there. I was supposed to pick him up in Manchester this morning but he isn't going anywhere until much later tonight. He's so anxious to get the hell outta DC that he is going to take the midnight train to Boston. Hey didn't Gladys Knight sing that? LMAO
Only problem with that is he will have a 5 hour wait in Boston for a bus home...so I told him I will drive to Boston in the morning and pick him up. Shouldn't be much traffic on a Saturday. I just hope I don't get lost. My experiences driving in Boston have been limited to the North End of the city where the Airport is (which is easy) and the Fleet Center (also North End and easy). I have been to Fenway Park many times but I've only driven there once and got very very lost. You can see the wall of the Green Monster from the Interstate, but once you get into the heart of the city...it's so easy to go around in circles. Anyway, I hope my decision to drive to Boston doesn't turn out to be a bad one. Of course Ernesto is heading up the coast so that could cause me more problems, but I will try to stay optimistic. (Lainie makes mental note to recharge cell phone)
So with the plans of the day all changed, I did a load of laundry, cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed my bedroom and living room. I met Chris for coffee, then went to the grocery store and the bank. I finally remembered to pick up a card and gift for Anne and finally got that in the mail. I hope she forgives me for being so late. Her birthday was August 6th. I know shame on me. I feel terrible, especially since it will take another week or two to get all the way to Spain. I found the prettiest pair of gold hoop earrings with tiny little mother of pearl beads on them. I hope that makes up for the tardiness anyway. I have been pen pals with Anne since we were both 12 years old. I got her name out of a magazine that had lists of people looking for people to write to in other countries...she wrote back and it was the start of a wonderful friendship. We finally met in person in July of 1999 when she came here on vacation with her husband and two boys. We had a great time...it was sooo much fun and much anticipated. 37 years of writing back and forth, sending pictures, books, cards...all stuff I do now with the click of a mouse! LOL Who knew? She and Steve are originally from England but moved to Spain a year ago. I am still waiting for an email adress so we can keep in touch on a more regular basis. I also want pictures!
Anyway, I got my errands done and came home. Sara will be home from school for the long weekend. I hope she likes what I did to her room. I bought a new comforter and sheet set since she took her other ones with her to school. The bed is all made up and the room is cleaned now and I think it looks nice.
I bought some wine at the store and it is on ice now. I plan on diving into that a bit later on this evening.
I'll try to get Sara to watch the ballgame with me but I suspect once she eats and gets her laundry going, she will commandeer my computer and I'll be watching the game with my bottle of wine!
Ok time to get off here. Am I boring you all yet??

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Wacky Wednesday

I laughed so much today...my sides still ache. I swear I work with some real nutcases, but Lord ya gotta love em!! LOL
The department I work in consists of 10 women. All of us are about the same age, mid to late 40's. I think Darlene is in her mid 30's but we will forgive her for that. We've all pretty much been through the same things...relationship break ups, child rearing, dim witted boyfriends and/or husbands, good sex, bad sex, no sex, you get the picture. I've worked with most of these gals for 4 years...and I thought I knew them pretty well. But sometimes...well you just don't know. LOL
Deb is a wild one. She is the partier of the group, very open about her relationships and generally does what she wants, when she wants. She proclaims to have 'been around the boat and back' and admits she will probably go to Hell when the time comes. She is not shy about anything, and sometimes I blush at the things that come out of her mouth.
When it comes to the matters of sex, well lets just say...she's been there done that!
This morning, Kevin, who works next door in the machine shop, was walking thru our room and stopped to chat for a minute, mentioning that he had a battle with Jose Cuervo over the past weekend and was still recovering. I had my headphones on and only picked up that he was hurting...so I asked Deb after he left what his problem was. Trying to be funny, she said..."Oh he had a date with Jose Fellatio last weekend." OK so that left me speechless for about 5 seconds...then I started giggling. Then she said, "That's that blind singer's name, right...Jose Fellatio?" Now I know Deb bleaches her hair and all and sometimes she doesn't know the definition of some words but I figured with her sexual experience, she had to be playing with me, right? That got some of the others laughing as well, and by now Deb really didn't know what was so funny. She asked Cindy what Jose's name was, (she was referring to Jose Feliciano) and then asked who Jose Fellatio was. By now I can hardly compose myself...the tears were running down my face and I couldn't even speak. Cindy quietly explained to her what fellatio was...amazingly enough, she had no idea. Mind you...I am STILL dying in my seat and cannot breathe, watching this unfold around me. Then, Hallie, another one of the 'innocents' pipes up and says she doesn't understand what is so funny. Cindy again has to explain what fellatio is...and whispers 'blow job' to her. Next thing I hear is, "Oh I had one on Sunday!" OMG I am about to lose complete control now...I cannot believe my ears! LOL This gets Cindy going and she can't talk now, her mascara is running down her face and we are both looking for kleenex. Hallie then says..."what is so funny about pork chops anyway?" She thought Cindy said pork chops, instead of blow job! LOL ok that sounds close...yeah right! By now my boss has come out of her office to see what all the giggling is all about. Thank GOD she is female. I never would have been able to explain all this to a man!
Anyway...just goes to show you how things can get blown...ooops sorry no pun intended...wayyyy out of proportion. All this because of a bottle of Jose Cuervo!
Well...we don't make much money but we sure do have fun!!!

One more day and a nice long weekend. The weather is supposed to be pretty good, with the exception of some rain from Ernesto on Saturday. I can deal with that!

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Lainie's Lil Brats

These are my sweet brats...taken last Christmas.

Is it Friday yet?

My new adventure has now begun. First off I want to just say I hope I don't bore the hell out of you all. My life just isn't all that exciting. But having been encouraged by Kerry, AliceKay and ChicagoLady, I decided to give it a try. Tori... thank you for the welcome. I look forward to getting to know you.

I guess I should start off with some get to know you stuff. Most of you know I am from Southeastern New Hampshire. I've lived here all 49 years of my life. I really enjoy New Hampshire except for the terribly long winters, and once the cold and snow arrives, you will see just how much I dislike the winter.
I am divorced and the mother of two adult (ok of legal age) kids. Eric, is 23 years old and lives in his own apartment about a half hour away. Sara is 21 and a Senior at the University of New Hampshire. She should graduate in May with a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology. Anthropology is the science dealing with the study of man and his origins and culture, not bones and dinosaurs. We , (and I include myself here) learn something new every day! LOL
So as you can see, I have a semi empty nest thing going on here. I say semi because I share my sofa time with my 6 yr old chihuahua, Huntababes. (I didn't name him.) He's a sweet lil boy and I will post some pics of him and my awesome kids soon.

Ok so...I have a decent job working for a government contractor. We manufacture mountable flashlights, night vision goggles, weapon siting systems, just about anything optical, for the military. With the things going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is rewarding to know that I am doing something to help protect our troops while they protect me, regardless of how I feel about the War itself.
I work 10 hour days, 5 days a week, with every other Friday off, unless overtime is required.
My work day starts at 5:30 am, so I am up pretty early. Good thing I am a morning person.
I get home around 4:30 pm. It's a long day, for sure.
In my free time I like to read, hang out with my friends, watch dvd's, and of course spend time online. I have made some great friends in the 9 or 10 years that I have been online.


This week has been a pretty good week so far. No one has pissed in my cheerios in several days, and hopefully I can coast thru the remainder of the week with no major roadblocks. This is my off Friday week and with the long Holiday weekend coming up...it will make for an even longer weekend. You gotta LOVE that!! I am hoping that nasty hurricane will NOT blow thru here and mess up the weekend. I haven't heard the latest reports but I am keeping my fingers crossed. Of course...if it does, I do have alternate indoor activities planned. ;-)

Alright this is a start. :-) I will return!!