Second Annual Cookie Bake

It was cold on Sunday so I spent the day the best way I know how. I invited the girls over and we baked Christmas cookies. We started by making the sugar cookie dough after voting that the sour cream that was past the 'best by' date was OK to use. (It did pass the smell test, so no worries. ) After we had the sugar cookie dough in the fridge, we made the most perfect Peanut Butter Blossom cookies, followed by Christmas trees which didn't turn out that well. We completed our cookie journey with a double batch of Chocolate Chip cookies.

We started the day at noon with lunch and stopped at 7pm for dinner. After spending an hour or so decorating the sugar cookies, everyone parted around 8:30pm. We spent a good 7 to 8 hours making cookies! Talk about a long day.

We had a blast while listening to Christmas songs, trying out a dough baller, cursing the cookie press and wondering, 'what is wrong with this dough?'

Chelsi was the Dough Baller Committee Chair, Barb was the sugar cookie dough roller Committe Chair, I was the cleaning Committee Chair, and Amy self-appointed herself, Chair of the 'let me sit on the chair.' Sean, of course, was Chair of QC.

Thanks to my culinary friends for a productive afternoon. Happy Eating!

The Bakers Four

Perfect Peanut Butter Blossoms

Cookie Cutters! No two cookies were the same in this batch and many were quite odd.

Introducing our new patio...

After ground-level deck removed:

Getting ready to lay the paver stones:
The finished product!

Another view:

Weekend Getaway

Hello!

After spending the past few weekends waiting and paying for our new patio to be put down and painting the dining room (the first room of our house to see another color beside stark white), it was time to take a weekend just for ourselves. October is truly the best month of the year, so anytime we can spend enjoying it outdoors is a great day in my book.

I decided to take Friday off so Sean and I headed down to Williamsburg, VA around 1:00pm. Traffic was quite heavy so it took us over 3 hours to get there. We stayed at a very basic Country Inn Suites. After a short nap we went to a nice dinner. I had researched a few places to eat and just wrote down the addresses. It was so nice to just type the address into our navigation system and voila, we were there without any fuss.

Saturday we spent the day at Williamsburg touring around. I do not know if I had every walked through colonial Williamsburg in the past or not, but it was a neat (and possibly new) experience. The weather was absolutely perfect. About 70 or so degrees, just right for jeans, a t-shirt and removing the sweatshirt every hour and then putting it back on. There was not a cloud in the sky. It was a little early for changing foliage but we could tell it won't be long.

Sunday we woke up later than planned and opted to avoid the complimentary breakfast at the hotel. It was a complete mad house the day before... teenagers arrived in their pjs without shoes, long lines, watered down juice, frozen cream cheese, and you had to microwave the bacon, sausage and eggs if you wanted it. But, the lesson here is for $89/night, you get what you pay for. I learn this lesson every time I cheap-out, but always forget it in time for the next trip. The hotel however was fairly clean (we assume the big stain on the carpet was coffee) and the bed was comfortable. And the train across the street never woke us up as long as we had the fan running.

We spent a few hours on Sunday touring Yorktown Battle field. This was pretty cool, which means a lot coming from someone who got a C in history most years. The driving tour was awesome. It was a one way road, just wide enough for a car and maybe a horse. There were beautiful tall trees just along the edge of the road and we were lucky to pass several beautiful horses and dogs. One guy was on a horse, holding a leash with his dog at the end. Would he be horsing his dog? (you know, versus walking his dog?)

After a quick stop at the Williamsburg Pottery Factory (which was the largest flea market I've ever seen), we headed home to take care of our very angry cats. They hate to be left alone!

Here we are posing for a quick shot by a cannon.

Don't try this at home.

Indulge!

Can anyone tell what this is a picture of? Go ahead, guess... I'll wait.



This is a picture of my husband sitting on the sidewalk in front of our house. It is taken with my new Navigation system and camera!! How cool is this? I throw my new vehicle in reverse, and it shows me what is behind me on this lovely screen inside. In this case, it is my husband that was behind me. This camera kept me from backing up over the curb and running him over. Well, not really, but this is just one of the cool features of our new Honda CR-V EX-L w/Navigation. The navigation system worked great on the way home, and we were very impressed with the detail. This is going to help me many times I'm sure.


We've been thinking about buying a new car for awhile and today we took off a day of work and did just that. I've been researching for a while. I really liked the Subarus but wasn't impressed with the lack of backseat leg room. I wanted AWD, comfortable seats, and a sedan-like feel. Oh, and leather seats and moonroof were a perk. One day after looking up the competitors of the Subaru Forester on http://www.edmunds.com/ (love this site!) I decided to just take a look at the Honda CR-V. I noticed there were very few negative comments about this car. It had everything I wanted, and everything I didn't need. I also really liked the newly designed 2007 body style. To make a long story short (if it isn't already too late), we bought this vehicle today. I will say this.... this is my first foreign car, and it better live up to its reputation. I did feel a pang of guilt today for turning this new leaf.

To my old Buick: I don't blame you for giving us terrible trade-in value. I'm sorry your Low Coolant light has been on for 18 months, I hope you will find someone to fix that. I will always love you and remember that you were my first real car purchase that I did all by myself in TX. You were worth every penny and I enjoyed our 6+ years together. Take care of yourself and don't let that nasty Honda salesman or anyone put you down for being an American car. Stand tall.

As Seen on TV Update

If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Whoever first said this was a genius. Roll and Grow turned out to be a complete and utter bust. I'd post a picture of what I have in my yard right now, but another bit of energy devoted to Roll and Grow isn't worth it. I have nothing in my yard except for some degrading fuzz.
I bought two by accident. I'll save the other one until next year and give it to someone who might have better growing conditions to see if it works. I had maybe 15 sprouts that never got over 2 inches. Perhaps I didn't have enough sunlight for them as my yard is shaded by many trees. Perhaps, it is just a crappy product.

However, something new that I have found much delight in is shelfari.com. I quickly joined after an invite and it's a great book review sharing community. If you decide there is a book that strikes your fancy, you can link to amazon.com instantly. Brilliant. I suggest you check it out if you like reading!

Act Your Age!

Do you ever feel like you just don't belong? In fact, you feel so out of place, you worry that people think you are weird, or a freak, or worse.... a pervert.

Sean and I have found ourselves in this very realm lately. Let's go through the list:

1. Snore and Roar - We were the only ones there without children and joked that people probably thought we were weird. This was only the beginning.

2. On our one rainy day at the beach we went to see a movie. We wanted something fun and light hearted and playing at the nearby theater, so we chose Surf's Up. Again, we were old adults without children. We expected this.

3. The Pirate Ship - While in Ocean City, we stayed in Montego Bay. We rented a lovely 3 Bedroom house with a nice view of the bay. Several times a day we would hear pirate activity out on the water as we watched people spraying down smaller boats from the pirate ship with water cannons. From the dock, it looked like a party cruise, and something we wanted to do. On the last day of our vacation, Sean and I ponied up $36 for the both of us and went to board the Pirate Ship. We declined the $6 bandanna but as I began to grab a free eye patch, I noticed a crew member painting tattoos. Then I noticed that most everyone there had a hand painted moustache and skulls pained on their arms and were wearing eye patches. And everyone was under 3 feet tall. I quickly put the eye patch back in the bowl because I was afraid everyone would mistake me for the Shrek sized 7 year old and with the limited vision, I might trip on a little person. On this cruise, we were looking for sunken treasure and we had to take down the other pirates using the big water cannons. No where on the advertisement was it implied that you might be bored if you don't bring a pre-schooler.

The entire cruise was geared towards kids. The kids got to sign their name to the flag that was hoisted on the sail. At one point I was standing in the sun which happened to put me right beside a water cannon. When it was time to spray two pirates in a little motor boat, I thought SCORE! I've got my own cannon. The captain walked right past me and said, "we have a cannon over here." So this little boy took my cannon and when I asked if we could share, the mother glared at me. ARRRR, I thought in my pirate voice. So I went back to the bow and sat with Sean.
When we brought the treasure on board, it was full of jelly bracelets, gaudy rings, spiders and more. Fun junk. The kids took all of it. I finally reached over and grabbed one bright pink jelly bracelet for a souvenir, but I had to make my arm really skinny and slide it between two greedy boys who were bent over the treasure box. I guess we should have considered ourselves lucky that we got to share Pete's grog that was fished out of the bay for us. It tasted a lot like root beer, and we all got to share it.

4. Upon returning from Ocean City, Sean and I decided to take a bike ride this past Sunday. We finished our ride and decided to eat our picnic lunch on a set of bleachers in the shade. While eating, teenage boys starting arriving. We were sitting beside a baseball diamond. We learn that the kids are scrimmaging today and we enjoy watching. Then it happened. We saw it coming but froze in our tracks. From the dugout, emerges an excited Frank. (I mean a man, not a hotdog.) "Hi, I'm Frank. I don't think we have met. I'm Todd's father. Which one is yours?" He shakes Sean's hand as he introduces himself and Sean tells Frank his name. I shake his hand and introduce myself just as we finally get out that, "We are just passing through and eating our lunch." Frank is clearly embarrassed about his generous introduction and having to shake our dirty hands, but not as embarrassed as we were.

We realized that one day our kids are going to want to do these fun adventures and we'll have to tell them... "We've already done that. You'll have to find someone else to go with. It was lame, go with one of your little friends."

We also know we better watch our reputation and stop hanging out with munchkins so much.

Ocean City

Last week Sean and I joined my family for a week in Ocean City. It had been a long time since all of us had vacationed together. It will probably be a long time before any of us try it again.

The week started with a boat race. The Not Guilty team had spent the prior week getting repairs done, so it was no surprise that 60 minutes before the race began they found that the trim tab was no longer working. After a few attempts to bang this and that, it would not work even though just a few minutes before, it did. A lot of good ideas were discussed, but with such little time, Team Not Guilty had to figure out a plan. The discussion goes something like this every time:

Ray: Always something, I don't think we should race.

Rob: We're racing, it won't matter.

Ray: I don't think we should race.

Rob: It will be fine. I'll put extra ballast (on top of the two bags the sandman aka Gary had already bought that morning) up in the front and set the trim where it needs to be.

Ray: (to me) I don't think this is a good idea, but your brother always wants to disagree.

So they decide to race. Meanwhile Mom, Sean and I head to 15th street where we watch the race. It is one of the best races we've seen. We can identify Not Guilty without binoculars (barely) and they are passing other boats..... and getting passed.... and then passing again on the inside of the curve. It's an actual race with 7 boats in their class. One boat in their class is way out ahead but the one boat that usually wins slows down on lap 5. We know this is good news. After the final lap we head to the inlet.

For the next several hours we wonder if our boat 'broke out' or if by some chance R2 miscounted the number of laps and didn't finish where they thought they did. It turns out that the first lap which was supposed to be the parade lap was actually part of the race and they (along with many others) ran an extra lap. We go to the party and eat lots of great food. Then we nervously await the results.

Class 6 goes first... 3rd place: The 611 boat! We cheer because this means, Team Not Guilty will be taking home the Silver Medal and a large trophy, that looks more like a plant stand, and a nice check!

We were very excited that the ballast in the boat paid off!

Snore and Roar

Upon moving back to DC, I learned about Snore and Roar. Last year Sean and I became FONZ (Friends of the National Zoo) members so we could register for Snore & Roar, a camp-out at the zoo that would give us an opportunity to get backstage of one of the offered exhibits. Last year we registered for the Primate House, however it was rained out. We joined again in 2007, so we could go to Snore and Roar. Friday after work we headed to the zoo to begin our Snore & Roar Adventure. Let me tell you this: We were super excited. We had paid extra for the Great Cats tour. Although extra, we knew that this was the way to go, and passed on the Small Mammal house, the Reptile House, the Birds, and some of the other less exciting options. We arrived right on time and began assembling our tent under a big beautiful tree on the flattest ground we could find. We then watched the fathers show up with their daughters. The Mothers with their sons. The lady with her daughter and the daughter's boyfriend. (this was just strange, and they all looked miserable.)

Sean and I chuckled that we were the only childless people there and started coming up with ideas on how we could scare the children at night. (Don't worry, no children were harmed or scared!)

After approximately 11 tents were erected, for three Snore and Roar programs (Great Cats, Cheetahs and Pandas), we broke into our group of 10 and went back to where the tigers and lions are kept. Sean and I were totally excited at this point and pushed our way to the front. We had to stand behind a yellow line which was about 3 feet from the cages. Some of the cats just stared at us, some paced back and forth, others jumped on the cage wanting to play or eat us. Last year, 3 Sumatran Tiger cubs were born and we went to the zoo for their debut. Now they are close to 150 pounds and were a blast to watch. The lions weren't as exciting although the young male was very excited to see us and paced back and forth in clumsy fashion.



The Lioness is mostly relaxed.
One of the tiger cubs eagerly looks at the tourists. The most fun was playing with the cubs. I would look at one and then start walking down the hallway, looking over my shoulder and it would follow me to the end of the enclosure, which meant it might have to go through a couple of cat doors that they were allowed to pass through. I was more entertained than the cub.

Now I have mixed feelings about the whole zoo concept, but it was definitely a wonderful experience to get that close to these beautiful animals. After about an hour we got to feed two animals which have strange and forgettable names. One looked like a small anteater and the other like a large rat. This wasn't exciting in the least, but it stalled for time while the other group went into the cat house.

After the exhibit tour we went on a flashlight tour. We only saw a few duck families, a sleeping Red Panda, squawking flamingos and the alligator. Oh, and huge cranes.

Upon returning to our tent, we got ready for bed and listened to the kids settle down. It did thunder during the night, but luckily no one evacuated us, and no children started screaming as I feared there would be an uproar. Around 5am, I heard a noise which I cannot replicate in words, nor can I mock with my voice. I can only guess it was some sort of bird and probably one of those very large cranes we spotted the night before. Well, the cranes had a lot to say and it was no surprise that everyone was up and tents were down before 7am.

By 8am we were home, wishing we could have slept near the cats instead of the kids and birds. I would have like to cozy up with this guy...

This lion finally calmed down for a few minutes to sit and smile for me.

Go Seagulls!

Congratulations to the Salisbury University Men's Lacrosse Team!
This past Sunday, at M&T stadium, Salisbury added another NCAA Championship (Division III)to their wall of fame!
I didn't know they were even playing until the 4th quarter, when we found the game on the TV, otherwise I would have gone to see the game in person.

Viva Las Vegas

This past Thursday, Sean, my parents and I headed to Las Vegas for a long weekend. My parents have never been and being the high roller my mother is, we thought it would be a fun weekend for all. We arrived at the Monte Carlo Casino Thursday evening and met up with Sean's friend, Don. We had a quick bite to eat and then off to bed.

Overall, the Monte Carlo was a modest and adequate place to stay. We chose it because it was one of better deals and I liked the location. Not to mention I was excited about the Lazy River. I was dismayed to find two double beds in the room, but although I had requested a King, I did not ask at the front desk. The beds were uncomfortable, the comforters in a bad shape and the choice of dining in our hotel seemed to be minimal compared to others. But, I have stayed in a lot worse. (Ask me about Vegas in 1998!)

On Friday, Sean competed in a poker tournament while the rest of us ventured down the strip. We visited the MGM Grand, Paris, NY NY and others. After we had enough of the heat, Dad and I hit the pool while Mom hit the slot machines. One of the highlights of the trip was the Lazy River that I mentioned. It's essentially a river (chlorinated of course) with current! And it was fun. We bypassed the $14 tube and went tube-less. A nice refreshing way to remove the grime each day.

The highlight of the trip has to be our visit to the Price Is Right show. Very similar to the show we all know and love, except it is not televised, the prizes aren't as great and sadly, no Bob. I give credit to the show for trying to include as many people as possible. For each of the 6 games, 4 people get called down to bid, different people spin the wheel, different people in the showcase showdown, and random people win casino credits throughout the show. Lots and lots of winners. Now I've been using my DVR to record TPIR and practice the past several weeks. This was not just a show to me. This was serious bidness.

Come on down! Notice the coordinated shirts. Serious Bidness for sure.

Each person has a small device that we use to punch in the letter of the most expensive item showing on the screen. Those who get the question right are eligible to be called to come on down. It is fairly random, but it helps to get as many questions right as you can.
For the third game, the third person:
Kristin Walsh come on down! Ack! Whoohoo! I jumped up and ran down to contestants row. It's really happening I thought. I was very nervous, but yay for me. I knew that the stuffing was more than the rice cakes and definitely more than the jello back in 1986.

The showgirls roll out a juicer. I don't recognize the brand and to be honest, I'm not sure it's a juicer. It could be one of those old fashioned hair dryers for all I know. The first guy bids $120. The second lady, $69. I think it is more than $69 but less than $100. I take $79. The grandma beside me takes $199. I think I have it in the bag. The actual retail price is: $125. %&^&^
Oh man, you got to be kidding! I pick up my free T-Shirt and amble back to my seat feeling rejected, dejected, and bummed. Really bummed. The guy didn't win Cliffhanger, but I think I would have.

Later, we hear Mom's name! She runs down to contestants row just like a pro. Unfortunately she bid $59.95 on a scale and we all laughed at her. She revised her bid to $59 (and swears that is how much hers cost. This scale was over $100.) A few minutes later she came up with her free t-shirt too. All in all, it was a lot of fun. I thought about going the next day but did not.

Saturday, we visited the Hoover Dam and the Rio Buffet. We also visited old Las Vegas.
After spending a quiet day Sunday checking out the lions at MGM, getting a facial and spending more time at the Lazy River, we went to see O at the Bellagio. Very impressive show, if only just thinking about the logistics of the stage which was usually a deep pool, but quickly transformed into a regular stage.

We flew back on Monday night. Mom was lucky enough to win $567, however we never found out how much she spent to win that money. Fun was had by all, I just hope someone takes the time to clean the littered streets and extinguish just half of the cigarettes. While spending time in lavish and glitzy Vegas, I also read a great book about a place that is nothing like Vegas making my trip very reflective. More on that later.

Celebrity

WJZ (Baltimore) hosted Rob and Buck on their Saturday morning news program.
http://wjz.com/video/?id=27154@wjz.dayport.com

What do you think?

Sometimes you are just walking along and then see something that just stops you dead in your tracks. This evening it was a bumper sticker that read:

"What if the Hokey Pokey IS what it's all about?"

The Great Easter Egg Hunt

Hope you had a nice Easter. If Jesus had risen on this Easter Sunday, he would have been shocked by the cold and gone back inside the tomb.
On Saturday we had a light dusting of snow on the ground in Northern Virginia, and we again saw flurries on both Saturday afternoon and Sunday briefly.

Saturday, Sean and I had the pleasure of dog sitting Buck and Makenzie. Payne, the cat, spent her time sitting on Sean’s lap and Makenzie stuck close to Sean so she could get a gentle scratch. In the meantime Buck was trying to get in my lap on the sofa and did a few somersaults which surprised both of us. We took the pack on a walk. When Buck sees another dog, he intently focuses on it and he plants his feet and looks on. Saturday, Sean managed to drag him along until he ran right into a mailbox. Buck that is, Sean was looking the right way and saw it coming. Buck knocked the cap off the post, but luckily we were able to put it back on and continue the walk. He’s not the smartest dog, but he sure is sweet. Then he spotted the pizza delivery lady. I was fairly embarrassed that I could not pull him away from the spot he stared her down. She froze in her tracks and I let her know that Buck is super friendly, just a little stubborn and apparently

hungry for pizza. We finally got him going before he trampled the poor lady.

Who can resist these mug shots?

After dog sitting we stopped by my aunt’s for dinner and to see my grandmother who is now in town from Florida, and then headed over the hills to my parents.

On Sunday, we waited for the rest of the family to join us for a big Easter dinner and more importantly, the Murk Easter Traditions, namely The BIG Easter Egg Hunt and the Peep Show. This is the second year running for the Hunt and Peep Show. What is great about our hunt is that no one under the age of 25 participates. It’s for the big kids and money is involved! Dad did a great job of hiding the eggs. In fact, after the first run, we had to go back out and look for 5 more eggs. There were a total of 40 eggs hidden, 9 participants. We think one is still missing and quite possibly stuck in the exhaust pipe of the car. Needless to say, I’m the Easter Egg Champ, and I got to confiscate Sean’s eggs.

The Easter Bunny sets out to hide the eggs.

The Murk Egg Hunters

After dinner we relaxed around the microwave and watched the Peep Show, hosted by Robert. We’ve seen it before, but it is still exciting!

I brought more boxes back from my parent’s house. In these boxes, I found many treasures such as my high school letters, my SAT scores, old report cards and much more. It’s amazing how many memories come back with these goodies. I am going through everything and deciding whether to shred, keep or sell! A few more nights and I should have a lot of my stuff organized.

Please send warmer temperatures!

As Seen on TV

I don’t know whether marketing is getting better or if I’m just watching more TV.

Two weeks ago I found myself in a lonely hotel room spellbound by the Air Supply Infomercial showcasing the Soft Rock collection of 10 CDs. They played part of songs such as Lonesome Loser, All Out Of Love, One More Night, Total Eclipse of the Heart, Sailing and Kokomo, ……. It was close to 11pm and I was hooked. It was as if I were back in my basement with my blue and gold roller skates on, skating around the basement pole and around the fireplace listening to B104. (And no, it wasn't pole dancing.) I had never seen Air Supply before. I’ve heard of them, yes, but never sat in their living room talking about music. Do they live together as suggested by the filming of the Infomercial? I needed to go to bed, but those famous words were running through my head, “If you call in the next two minutes, we’ll throw in the Shipping and Handling for free AND the 11th CD.” It took all I had not to reach for the credit card and the phone. Interestingly enough, they never gave the price for the collection if you wanted to keep it after the 30 day trial period. (I have since researched and it is $150.) http://www.timelife.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=9572

Last week, again I was in front of the TV before bed time and saw this really amazing product. It’s called Roll and Grow.
http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages/roll-n-grow.html

You just lay this biodegradable green mat on the soil, water it, and VOILA, a few weeks later you’ve got yourself a beautiful flower garden. The mat contains over 1000 seeds of different types, and can be cut to size. I’m watching this commercial, remembering that I had spent the weekend pulling up my ivy patch and needed to plant something there before the Homeowner’s Association comes after me.

Well for $19.95 plus &6.95 for S&H, I thought, what the heck???? Today I ordered my first Roll and Grow. It’s going to be a strip, 10’ x 10” and I’m going to place it over my ex-ivy garden beside the house. It won’t be quite big enough for the whole area, but I wanted to plant some mums in that area too so I have fall foliage. I figured it was worth a shot and if it works well, I’ll buy some more. I’ll let you know because I’m sure you are just as curious as I.

Buck!

Look out, here he comes!

I'm so excited to introduce Buck.

Rob and Ann decided to foster a Great Dane and were excited to hear that this past Thursday, they would get to pick up Buck. Buck is a fawn-colored (go figure), small (relatively) male Great Dane. He doesn't have a lick of manners and isn't yet potty trained, even though he is about 3 years old. Buck is very skinny right now (recovering from Heart Worm) and has a bad scar on his back end.

With that said, Buck is the cutest pup and is very sweet. He doesn't lick or drool much. He's a bit nervous right now as he adjusts to his surroundings, but very gentle, although he did almost knock me over twice. I adore him and had a wonderful time meeting him yesterday. Sean and I are considering adopting him if he learns manners and we feel that he needs us. Although I bet Rob and Ann will adopt him if all works out. He is going to be a great pet. I waited as patiently as possible all week to meet him and I was not disappointed. I even let Buck take me for a walk.

Spring Cleaning

I've started an industrious goal of Spring cleaning early this year. I have a large list of items I want to complete before June 1 this year. I chose June 1 because by that time I'll be ready to enjoy the summer and I want to spend my weekends at the pool and in the woods, and not organizing the closets.

Sean and I have a large closet in our room, a fairly large closet in bedroom 2, a small closet in the office, a small closet in the guest room and a coat closet. We have stuff in EVERY closet and therefore I'm going through everything in preparation for our May yard sale. I'm going to be washing windows, shredding paper, setting up a new file cabinet and lots more. I know this doesn't sound exciting, but if I can where I want to be with a few tough-love weekends, I'll be very happy and ready to enjoy the summer, and hopefully on my new deck.

I've been busy and out of touch, but hopefully I'll have more free time soon! I've also been travelling quite a bit for work. Today we painted and install new closet doors for our coat closet and I pulled up my ivy garden. Next weekend hopefully I'll plant new flowers in the ivy's place!

Snow falling

I was lucky to grow up on 10 acres of land. This luxury seems to be quite rare in recent times. When I bought my townhome in downtown suburbia, I knew I was destined to a life with sidewalks, the noise of 495, the neighbor's washing machine, and other sounds and sights of over development. Wasn't quite what I had in mind when I was 13, but alas, these are the times.

Although I love my house and actually like the area, I was a bit sad that my children wouldn't have the benefit of land, their own basketball hoop, enough space for a legitimate game of softball, and most importantly, a horse!

I feel somewhat better about this now though. Several weeks ago, it snowed for several hours. It was a beautiful snowfall, and since we had no where to go, we could relax and watch the snow pile up on the deck. After a while I indulged myself and went outside. I bent down to pick up a ball of snow and then instinct took over. I began to roll the snow until it formed a much bigger ball. I'll spare you the long-winded description, but in about 10 minutes I had myself a snowman, with Hershey kisses for eyes, a carrot nose and a twiggy smile! It wasn't the best snowman, but he was mine.

Afterwards I took a walk in the woods behind my house. I knew a park was there but hadn't yet explored it. I was mostly looking for a hill where I know the kids go sledding. At one point, I stopped to listen to the snow falling in the trees and I realized, I could not hear 495. And I could not see a single house or structure. I was delighted that in the middle of the woods, I was suddenly not in suburbia, but the middle of nowhere where I could pretend to get lost and survive my way through the wilderness trying to find my way back home. (OK, although I enjoyed this game when I was a child, I did get lost a bit on this day and never found the exact way out that I came into the woods, and did make several circles trying to find it!)

I also discovered that the stream behind the place is quite wide at parts. I felt rejuvenated and could picture my children at 2, on Sean's back as we went on a hike, at 9 playing tag with their friends, at 14 trying to find privacy on the cell phone, at 16 tasting their first beer and cigarette, at ... well hold on, after that experience the woods are off limits.


It was a great walk, a beautiful snowy day and it made me feel good that not all is lost.

Manners 101

In the world of manner usage, we all fall on the scale somewhere. I like to think I’m right in the middle. I try to be conscious of my behavior, but not so meticulous I don’t have any fun or feel completely out of place.

I don’t consider myself to be overly pretentious and let’s face it, I’m not completely sure why it is necessary to use a different fork for my salad than I do for my dinner. And is it acceptable to put the very cheap paper napkins on the table when I actually set out three forks, a spoon, a knife, a wine glass and a water glass?

After this past weekend I feel it is very important to share the following unacceptable behaviors so I never see you do this. Actually for those of us that are friends and family, some of these wouldn’t bother me, but in a large buffet of strangers……ewww gross! The following list is inspired by the past week.

The Bad Manners List (please be sure to add any goodies you have!)

1. If you put too much food on your plate (and we often do), DO NOT dump it back in the serving dish. DO learn from your mistake and DO NOT take as much next time.

2. If you dump the extra food (say tuna fish) back into the serving dish and some of it plops on the table, DO NOT scoop it from the table back into the serving bowl. The first two rules apply especially if you are dressed like an “older” gypsy.

3. It is totally acceptable to grab a bagel with the provided tongs and grab half of the bagel with your fingers, if you only want half. It is acceptable to get in a tug of war with the bagel by pulling on it with your hand on one side and the tongs on the other. It is NOT acceptable to put the half you touched (and mangled in the tug of war) back into the bagel pool and take the fresh ‘tonged’ half for yourself. In fact that is just downright stupid.

4. If the above mentioned bagel folly happens, and your significant other gasps in disbelief, DO NOT gently touch her back as a reminder to be quiet since the good manners we practice at home don’t seem to apply to everyone.

5. The iPOD generation is growing, I get that. Music is totally mobile nowadays, just like our phone conversations. Listening to others phone conversations is undeniably annoying, but not as much as hearing someone’s iPOD in the seat next to you. Are the headphones just really bad quality or do people really listen to the music so loud that I have to listen too. There is only so far I can move away on an airplane.

6. If you want to spit tobacco on an airplane next to me or in a meeting, that is fine, but please do understand it is distracting and somewhat gross.

7. Have you ever noticed the thick white lines near stoplights? Sometimes you will find a thick white line by the light and another several feet back. You will usually see this situation when another road or entrance crosses this intersection. DO NOT block the entrance (usually between the two thick white lines) of the perpendicular road.

Marketing 101

Greetings.
I just got pushed to the new version of this blogger thing. I hate getting pushed into something when I'm not in the mood to make the change. For example (e.g), Every day or so I verify my checking account online and they want to me to sign up for their new online bill pay service. So finally I did it just to avoid the stupid ad that replaced the normal screen. I get an email confirmation thanking me for signing up for the service (that I probably won't use) and the ugly screen is still there. Give me back what I'm expecting. This is the same bank that hasn't sent me a statement in months because they are going to my parents house. I admit, my mother is the co-owner, but I'm the primary for crying out loud. Tomorrow it's back to the bank to correct this.

Southwest Airlines likes to push my buttons too. I like to have an assigned seat, I cannot lie. I don't like to stand in line for two hours to board a jet, however I also don't like to be the one that says, "excuse me, can I get in the middle there?" OK, that's a lie. When that happens, I look for the person that is most trying to avoid eye contact with me and I go for it, as long as they are on the smaller side. I like my space too.

Anyway, back to my SW story. I decided that I should take my parents to Vegas. They have never been and my Mom loves to gamble. Wait, don't call the nuns, she prefers the nickel slot machines! We decided on a long weekend in May. I've been scouting SW for weeks waiting for tickets to be available for my chosen weekend. I knew it was coming soon. Yesterday I was very busy and only in the office until 11:30am before I had to head to an offsite meeting. I checked three times, nothing. Then at 11:15am, as I should be heading to the door, knowing how sneaky SW is, I checked one more time. Low and behold they opened the days up.

I whipped out my credit card, punched in my dates, confirmed again with Sean and the parents (yippee for phone conferencing) and *damn* how can a majority of the $99 one way fares be gone already. Literally, these dates have been available for no more than 30 minutes. I did get the $99 fares each way, but nothing non-stop and there is never time to think about if the times really work for our schedules. So on May 10th, Sean, my parents and Rob and Ann and I are heading to Vegas for a good time. I'm actually hoping to get on the Price is Right while I'm there! Meet us there for a hand of blackjack!

Back to Marketing 101. As you know I'm in sales and marketing. I try to smile sweetly so that clients will buy my data goods. I understand the importance of a good telemarketing list and of course a good commercial. The other day I saw a commercial for Listerine Agent Cool Blue Mouthwash. http://www.agentcoolblue.com/ The purpose is to sucker parents into $4 or so mouthwash so their kids will swish this thick blue liquid, that stains, in their mouth for 30 seconds and when they spit it out... Voila, the blue spots on their teeth direct them to where to brush away the plaque. I know someone out there understands where there is going.

How does Kristin know so much about this product? (i.e. the price, how long to swish) I saw the commercial and I have to admit, what an excellent product concept! Way better than green catsup, which I've never tried. I used a coupon and bought Agent Cool Blue. Sean and I have fun each night identifying our plague. It's not the best product, but it is kind of fun. And messy... a carpet disaster waiting to happen.

Just in case you couldn't tell, I'm a bit cranky tonight. It's after 10pm on a Friday night and I've been working on a presentation for Monday for two hours. (this is a break) Tomorrow is booked and I leave early Sunday morning to the LoneStar state. Plus one of my favorite Asian restaurants at Tysons closed in the past couple of months. We were headed there for dinner tonight for some healthy food and it is totally gone. Bummer.

Here's some more advertising for you. Those Quaker Rice Cakes that should be just like munching on air. Or not. I've been snacking a lot this week and thought those would be a good way to stay motivated while putting in lots of hours at my desk. No fat, no cholesterol, some sodium and carbs and sugar, but the great taste of caramel. Wednesday, I ate the whole bag which apparently equals 13 servings. (7 rice cakes a serving.) Oops.

Tomorrow I go to my first Barmitzvah. Very excited. It's a very busy weekend, so I'm going to go and get my rest! Lately it's been "All Paws in Bed." Yep, just like an "all hands on deck" meeting. Both cats and Sean and I nestled into our big bed. Usually Lonestar doesn't sleep with us but he's been joining us these frigid nights of late. In fact, Sean and I were still scurrying around at 11pm last night and Lonestar was already in his position at the foot of the bed waiting. It's nice to be loved (or used for warmth, whichever.)

Vroom Vroom

Well, I finally bought a new vacuum. I ordered it online just before Christmas and after a few emails from Target notifying me it would come late, it finally arrived just after Christmas. Unfortunately I was sick, so I didn't get to take it for a spin until just recently. First let me say, it was very easy to order online and Target did a good job of managing my expectations. When I found out it wouldn't arrive until after Christmas, I called Target and requested money back. And they offered me $20. And well, this made me happy. Under the picture of my beautiful vacuum it read, 'ships in 2-3 days.' This of course wasn't true and the $20 placated me for the extra 8 days I waited. Kudos to Target who promised me the money back and followed through without another call.

For those of you dying to know.... I did not buy the Dyson. My oldest brother seemed a little distraught that I would spend all of that money on a vacuum, and called me one day to suggest a vacuum called the Infiniti, which boasts its similar 'never lose suction' technology. I read the reviews and at about 60% of the Dyson price, I thought I would go out on a limb and try it. I decided to buy this over the Dyson because:
1. My brother was persistent
2. It had a headlight
3. It was much cheaper
4. It's definitely prettier than the Dyson which is not important but might matter to someone.

While I was still recovering, I asked Sean to assemble this candy apple red raging machine. This past weekend I vacuumed the downstairs carpet and the main level area rugs. Here are the highlights:

Although the vacuum is somewhat harder to push than others, I didn't really have any issues. It picked up loads of hair on the first or second run over the carpet. I can feel that the suction is strong and the brush is whirling around picking up debris in its path. Although I did take a minute to clear the hair out of the brush, it wasn't necessary to resume. I do know for a fact that Alamo's extremely fine hair (which when is spun around, forms into long silk threads) is what is most likely to clog the brush and so I keep an eye out for that.

The Infiniti is fairly 'quiet' compared to other vacuums. You definitely hear it, but no need for earplugs. It has decent control over the height which I had to change quite a bit with my carpets. The entire handle comes off the vacuum and the accessories (including a pet brush) slide into the handle compartment. Although it first appears to be a little difficult to maneuver, it actually worked really well as I vacuumed my red sofas. I also tried to vacuum the towels on my sofas where the cats lie every day and it did a surprisingly good job on that task. I didn't want to push the vacuum too hard so I didn't spend a lot of time with the towels.

This is a bagless vacuum and the canister is fairly small. However, I think I can probably do my whole house before emptying, assuming I vacuum weekly like I normally do. Emptying the canister was a bit of a chore. I hate to read instruction manuals for every day appliances so I was trying to figure it out on my own. I did figure it out, just as the contents fell onto my lap. Luckily I could just vacuum it back up! The task of emptying the canister is clunky but bearable. I also had to stick my hand up in the canister to pull the hairball out of the top portion and my hand barely fit. If I look closer, there might be an easier way.

I did not use the vacuum on the hardwoods. I tend to use a Swiffer cloth or a dust buster on them to eliminate potential to scratch the 'new' cherry wood floors. I love the suction, the attachments (I don't care that they don't all fit on board), and the fact it seems to work great. I like that it is bagless and I have extra filters that I can wash to make last longer. I'm not sure how many filters I have or what may need to be replaced.

I dislike that it's a bit heavy to carry up the stairs (bring on the husband help!). The worse thing about the vacuum that I hope clears up eventually is the smell. It smelled like rubber the first time. The belts are all in place so I think it is just the smell of all of the tubes. The first time I used it, I was unprepared and almost had to open a window. It was terrible. It was not as bad the second time, so maybe it's like a 'new car' smell, but not pleasant. Also the vacuum makes a little high pitched noise like something is loose when the carpet adjustment is low. I have a feeling it's normal, but I'm watching it closely to make sure it's not something faulty. It seems to be working great though, so I think the pros outweigh the cons for now.

I recommend the Infiniti Upright Vacuum Cleaner with Pet Care System.
I also just checked and the price has dropped another $30. I wonder if I can get another credit? You betcha I'm going to try.

Happy New Year

I'm eager to begin 2007. As excited as I am to see Christmas come, I'm just as excited to see it go. I love the idea of resolving to do things better in the coming year and looking forward to warmer months again. However after all of these years, I still rate New Years Eve as my least favorite holiday. It should bring such excitement and happiness but it usually creates stress and anxiety for me. The expectations are ridiculously high to plan a night of partying bliss. So each year I teeter on my upcoming plans. Will it be a night at home, a house party, trekking to a bar? Even being married doesn't make this decision any easier it seems. It just doubles the expectation. This year, I made plans early to alleviate the stress from last minute planning. And so we headed a short distance out of town.

I was a bit worried that I wouldn't have the energy since I spent last Wednesday home with a fever, aches, and sore throat. I stayed home from work for two days and decided I was up to going back on Friday for at least a few hours to take care of a few important year-end tasks.

On Saturday Sean and I headed to a Bed and Breakfast in New Market, VA. The Cross Roads Inn is just 1.5 hours away so I thought it would be a perfect way to bring in the new year. We chose the Rose room for its amenities including a King-sized bed and a whirlpool tub.

We arrived at the B&B on Saturday around 4pm. Greeted by the hosts and cheese and wine. What I have neglected to write so far is that I woke up with a very red eye on Saturday morning. Still not feeling up to par, I decided against the alcohol and we proceeded to our room to relax. It was a very nice room. We went out for dinner and then came back to relax. We had no plans, no agenda, just a nice weekend to relax. On Sunday, we had a lovely breakfast and conversation with another couple of guests. My voice was rather hoarse so I did little talking and a lot of nodding. When I woke up on Sunday, I had to pry both eyes open. By this time I was certain I was the lucky winner of the New Years Weekend Pink Eye Celebration. After breakfast Sean enjoyed a whirpool bubble bath. We were excited about the tub until we saw it was really built for one. And you aren't supposed to swim with Pink Eye.

Also, for those who make the same mistake I do time after time. When you pour bubbles into the tub and it looks like it isn't bubbling, be patient. Stop pouring it in. Once the jets start, you'll have quite a bubble frenzy. When using jets, 1/2 a teaspoon of bubbles will do the trick just fine. Really. Five tablespoons or so creates a bubble fiasco.

After Sean's relaxing bubble bath I informed him that my mother suggested I get antibiotics immediately. Which for us meant a trip to the ER at Rockingham Memorial. I in no way think Pink Eye is an emergency but because it was Sunday, and Monday was a holiday, and my prescription card expired 12/31 and I haven't received the new one yet, it was important to get what I needed. No clinics were open, so off to the hospital which sported some really interesting people. In the interest of time and energy I'll leave out the redneck jokes.

After two hours at the ER, I signed my discharge papers, got the Pink Eye contagious scoop, picked up prescription eye drops and was sent on my way. I relaxed for several more hours and then Sean and I went to dinner at the Publik House for a 5-course meal. For the most part it was very tasty and the ambiance was wonderful. We spent the rest of the evening watching TV. By 11:58pm I was ready to call it a night but I held out for the last 2 minutes, and that was all she wrote for us. The inn was extremely noisy that night due to the rain, the highway and crappy old cars that needed their fan belts replaced. Sleep did not come easy. My misery doubled.

After breakfast on Monday, Sean and I headed home where I continued to rest and take care of my eyes.
It was a nice weekend considering.


*As of Wednesday 1/3/07, I've been sick for a week. Today, I went back to the doctor for antibiotics and a huge horse pill for my bronchitis. I also had a melt down when I discovered that no one wants to take my insurance because UHC is so difficult to work with. Stay tuned for my health care in America segment!