Yesterday in the car, a commercial for the Richard Marx concert in Toledo came on. Of course I made a comment about him to which my 21 year old sister said the following:
“Who is Richard Marx?”
GASP! I know! Did your heart just break a little like mine did.
I proceeded to ask her if she was serious and how she could not know who Richard Marx was. I also sang a bit of one of his songs, but she still didn’t recognize it…..and she should have because it was spot on.
So yes, my sister does not know who Richard Marx is and I feel sorry for her. The cheesy lyrics, alluring voice, seductive looks and amazing hair of Mr. Marx has melted the hearts of many a ladies over the years. And from what I can tell he still looks and sounds amazing. I will be getting out my greatest hits CD this weekend and forcing her to listen to it and swoon with me.
I mean how could you not know “Now and Forever”….oh my gosh, when I heard this song it may have been the first time I actually got giddy and started daydreaming about a singer and then subconsciously started setting unrealistic expectation on relationships and what men should say (or sing) to women. “Terry will you love me until the day the ocean doesn’t touch the sand. And will you now and forever be my man.”
Or how about Right Here Waiting. “Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be right here waiting for you.” I know you will be Richard.
Or Hold on to the Night. “I wish I could give you something more, I wish I could be yours.” (melted.)
And so many, many more. Ahhhhhh, I feel all flustery like a teenage girl :)
I may love my rock and metal music, but there will always be a place in my heart now and forever for Richard Marx and his love ballads.
*I will not apologize for the extreme cheese factor of this post.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
A Few of My Favorite Things…
I love pretty much ALL things having to do with this time of year. The months from September thru December are my absolute favorites and contain some of my most favorite things or activities to do. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, I feel like a little kid, full of happiness and excitement. Every year I have a few traditional items that contribute to those feelings and there are always a couple new items that make me feel happy. Here are a few of those things that have made me feel happy this year!
- Fabreze Flameless Luminary Shades. This is new to our home this year and I have to say I just love it. The smell is strong at first but becomes mild after a couple days. What I enjoy more than the smell is the soft flickering glow that it has. It has the flicker of a candle and is very calming and very cute! Plus after 4 hours it turns off by itself so you do not need to worry about wasting the battery. They have different shades for all year round and right now I am sporting one of the Christmas shades. A starter kit is about $14 with the refills only about $6. I love it. (Eddie and the fabreze shade, he loves it.)
- A WoodWick Candle. I got this from the Cracker Barrel and it is a candle that features a natural wick made from organic wood that creates the soothing sound of a crackling fire. It is wonderful, especially for people who do not have fireplaces but enjoy the quiet sounds of a fire. If you have the TV on you will most likely not hear the candle, but if you are curdled up on the couch under a blanket reading or crocheting, this candle is amazing! They come in different scents and a large candle is about $23 and a smaller one is $17, however they burn every bit of wax in the candle and I think worth the price, especially during the holidays.
- A Spinning Christmas Tree. Yep, look out Griswolds because our tree spins!! Unfortunately we had to get our first fake tree this year. As persons who LOVE real trees, this was tough so we decided if we have to get a fake tree then let’s do it in style. This is our tree. Now imagine it spinning. Yeah, it is awesome, even with the slight lean and though this will not permanently replace our live tree it has brought plenty of Christmas laughter and frustration to our home this year...and that is what the season is all about.
- Fun ornaments. Most people know when I am planning something a theme is key, however, with our Christmas tree the “theme” is simply chaos! I adore a tree packed full of different and fun decorations. Some have meaning, some are of our favorite things, and some are just cool. Every year we get new ornaments, here are some of our newer favorites. And yes, this includes my favorite decoration – the Christmas Pickle!
T. loves his Godzilla. (Yes, this one makes noise)
We have a series of M&M's dressed in Star Wars outfits. FUN
Rock'em Sock'em Robots - of course!
Hand carved wood ornament from Warthers Museum back home.
The pickle.....easier to see in a white tree
- Scarves. I. LOVE. SCARVES. I feel that a person can never have too many, though my husband may disagree. I have gone to making my own scarves so that I can have even more and with my favorite colors and patterns. Wearing scarves may be one of my top 5 favorite things about colder months! Here are just a few of the dozens of scarves I own. Wearing a scarf IS winter time to me.
- A record player. Athena’s Bees wrote a blog about how she still listens to music on a record player and I have to agree that there is just something about listening to Christmas music on vinyl that compares to nothing else out there. The crackling sound you hear from a record while sipping hot chocolate and spending time with family on Christmas morning (or anytime really) is pretty darn close to perfection if you ask me.
- Listening to your favorite Christmas albums. This varies a bit every year. I seem to hear a certain artist and then cannot get enough of their music for the remainder of the year. However two albums that never change are Bing Crosby’s White Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas. It does not feel right if I have not heard songs from their records at least once a day. Three others I am loving this year in particular are Noel by Josh Groban, Let it Snow by Michael Buble, and of course no Christmas is complete without We Wish You a Metal Xmas...and a Headbanging New Year…by various metal artists of course.
- Watching Christmas movies. Of course there are the classics like it’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, a variety of version of the Christmas Carol or 48 hours of the Christmas Story on TBS which are all nearly unavoidable but fun to watch once a year. But in our house it is ALL about the funny movies and the cartoons at Christmas time. Charlie Brown, Rudolph, and Frosty are a MUST. And who could have Christmas without the Muppets Christmas Carol…I for one could not! (I also watch Love Actually at Christmas time every year.)
- Cinnamon hot chocolate. Heat up some milk, hot chocolate mix and a cinnamon stick on the stove on low heat for about 10 minutes. Pour in an oversized mug with a few marshmallows or whip cream and some chocolate shavings. Seriously, the ONLY way to drink hot chocolate.
- Baking Cookies. There is something so fun and relaxing about baking cookies at Christmas time. I have only had the chance to make one batch of cookies (pic below: Peanut Butter Oatmeal cookies with marshmallow cream frosting inside! yum.), however I have some that I hope to make with my mom and sister over the next few days. On the potential list: Hazelnut chocolate cookies with chocolate drizzle, chocolate brownies with peanut butter cream and chocolate ganache, maple iced cookies, and biscotti. yum
Do you have any favorites during the holidays?
- Fabreze Flameless Luminary Shades. This is new to our home this year and I have to say I just love it. The smell is strong at first but becomes mild after a couple days. What I enjoy more than the smell is the soft flickering glow that it has. It has the flicker of a candle and is very calming and very cute! Plus after 4 hours it turns off by itself so you do not need to worry about wasting the battery. They have different shades for all year round and right now I am sporting one of the Christmas shades. A starter kit is about $14 with the refills only about $6. I love it. (Eddie and the fabreze shade, he loves it.)
- A WoodWick Candle. I got this from the Cracker Barrel and it is a candle that features a natural wick made from organic wood that creates the soothing sound of a crackling fire. It is wonderful, especially for people who do not have fireplaces but enjoy the quiet sounds of a fire. If you have the TV on you will most likely not hear the candle, but if you are curdled up on the couch under a blanket reading or crocheting, this candle is amazing! They come in different scents and a large candle is about $23 and a smaller one is $17, however they burn every bit of wax in the candle and I think worth the price, especially during the holidays.
- A Spinning Christmas Tree. Yep, look out Griswolds because our tree spins!! Unfortunately we had to get our first fake tree this year. As persons who LOVE real trees, this was tough so we decided if we have to get a fake tree then let’s do it in style. This is our tree. Now imagine it spinning. Yeah, it is awesome, even with the slight lean and though this will not permanently replace our live tree it has brought plenty of Christmas laughter and frustration to our home this year...and that is what the season is all about.
- Fun ornaments. Most people know when I am planning something a theme is key, however, with our Christmas tree the “theme” is simply chaos! I adore a tree packed full of different and fun decorations. Some have meaning, some are of our favorite things, and some are just cool. Every year we get new ornaments, here are some of our newer favorites. And yes, this includes my favorite decoration – the Christmas Pickle!
T. loves his Godzilla. (Yes, this one makes noise)
We have a series of M&M's dressed in Star Wars outfits. FUN
Rock'em Sock'em Robots - of course!
Hand carved wood ornament from Warthers Museum back home.
The pickle.....easier to see in a white tree
- Scarves. I. LOVE. SCARVES. I feel that a person can never have too many, though my husband may disagree. I have gone to making my own scarves so that I can have even more and with my favorite colors and patterns. Wearing scarves may be one of my top 5 favorite things about colder months! Here are just a few of the dozens of scarves I own. Wearing a scarf IS winter time to me.
- A record player. Athena’s Bees wrote a blog about how she still listens to music on a record player and I have to agree that there is just something about listening to Christmas music on vinyl that compares to nothing else out there. The crackling sound you hear from a record while sipping hot chocolate and spending time with family on Christmas morning (or anytime really) is pretty darn close to perfection if you ask me.
- Listening to your favorite Christmas albums. This varies a bit every year. I seem to hear a certain artist and then cannot get enough of their music for the remainder of the year. However two albums that never change are Bing Crosby’s White Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas. It does not feel right if I have not heard songs from their records at least once a day. Three others I am loving this year in particular are Noel by Josh Groban, Let it Snow by Michael Buble, and of course no Christmas is complete without We Wish You a Metal Xmas...and a Headbanging New Year…by various metal artists of course.
- Watching Christmas movies. Of course there are the classics like it’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, a variety of version of the Christmas Carol or 48 hours of the Christmas Story on TBS which are all nearly unavoidable but fun to watch once a year. But in our house it is ALL about the funny movies and the cartoons at Christmas time. Charlie Brown, Rudolph, and Frosty are a MUST. And who could have Christmas without the Muppets Christmas Carol…I for one could not! (I also watch Love Actually at Christmas time every year.)
- Cinnamon hot chocolate. Heat up some milk, hot chocolate mix and a cinnamon stick on the stove on low heat for about 10 minutes. Pour in an oversized mug with a few marshmallows or whip cream and some chocolate shavings. Seriously, the ONLY way to drink hot chocolate.
- Baking Cookies. There is something so fun and relaxing about baking cookies at Christmas time. I have only had the chance to make one batch of cookies (pic below: Peanut Butter Oatmeal cookies with marshmallow cream frosting inside! yum.), however I have some that I hope to make with my mom and sister over the next few days. On the potential list: Hazelnut chocolate cookies with chocolate drizzle, chocolate brownies with peanut butter cream and chocolate ganache, maple iced cookies, and biscotti. yum
Do you have any favorites during the holidays?
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Now That's What I Am Talking About.
SNOW!!!!!
Today's activities include: finish wrapping gifts, bake cookies, (a little laundry), listen to Christmas music and enjoy how wonderful it looks outside!
Um, Christmas is less than a week! YAY!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Yep, I’ve Still Got It
So tonight while at the local grocers I was approached by a gentleman who flirted with me and you know what, it totally made my day!
I am stopped in the middle of the aisle and he comes up to me and says in a low voice:
Gentleman: “Have you been kissed today?”
Me: smiling “No.”
G: “Well would you like a kiss?”
Me: giggling
G: Hands Me a Hershey’s Kiss (in retrospect, hopefully one he didn’t steal from the store)
Me: still giggling “Well thank you very much, that was perfect!”
So what did the gentleman look like, well he was tall, about 72, and totally hugable!! :) Ok, I didn't really get flirted with, but honestly if someone my age used that line on me I would have punched them....but when older men use lines like that I am seriously smitten.
The thing is I adore older/elderly people, particularly men. Terry tells me I have a problem because of my infatuation with old people (or for you politically correct individuals…people who are Gerontologically advanced). Whatever, I love them! Well as long as they are not driving.
And for the record, YES I did eat the Hershey’s kiss…after I got to my car and fully inspected it to make sure it was properly wrapped and not dirty. SO.
I am stopped in the middle of the aisle and he comes up to me and says in a low voice:
Gentleman: “Have you been kissed today?”
Me: smiling “No.”
G: “Well would you like a kiss?”
Me: giggling
G: Hands Me a Hershey’s Kiss (in retrospect, hopefully one he didn’t steal from the store)
Me: still giggling “Well thank you very much, that was perfect!”
So what did the gentleman look like, well he was tall, about 72, and totally hugable!! :) Ok, I didn't really get flirted with, but honestly if someone my age used that line on me I would have punched them....but when older men use lines like that I am seriously smitten.
The thing is I adore older/elderly people, particularly men. Terry tells me I have a problem because of my infatuation with old people (or for you politically correct individuals…people who are Gerontologically advanced). Whatever, I love them! Well as long as they are not driving.
And for the record, YES I did eat the Hershey’s kiss…after I got to my car and fully inspected it to make sure it was properly wrapped and not dirty. SO.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
I’m Sorry I know You Are At Lunch, But….
An open letter to all coworkers everywhere.
I know I can not be the only one who hears this statement A LOT at work. “I know you are at lunch but” …….followed by……”I have a question, here is a file, can you do this for me, do you have a minute” etc.
We do not have a lunch room and as I do not have time to leave for lunch (and also have nowhere to go) I stay at my desk and mess around on the interweb for a bit. During that 30 minutes I like to pretend that I am all alone in a locked room with no distractions; just me, my microwavable lunch and the computer. Of course actually achieving any solitude is impossible when you sit in a cubicle right by the door and at the center of the office, but I strive to at least pretend that I have some morsel of privacy for a few minutes each day. I have managed to block out the constant drones around me; the beeping of the copier, the ringing of the phone, the annoying chatter that echoes through the entire office and I have to say I am fairly good at doing so. Well, I can block out just about everything except loud crunching. (Why people WHY must you crunch loud?!) Yes, I manage to block out all of the office hullabaloo that takes place around me, that is until my fleeting moments of peace are interrupted by those dreaded words, “I’m Sorry I know You Are At Lunch, But…”.
Let us take a moment and just dissect this phrase if we can, because I find a number of things that are wrong with a person saying this phrase to me.
First: “I’m Sorry”. Are you? Are you really sorry? Are you sorry that you are disrupting my “me time” or are you just saying that in an attempt to make yourself feel better for the unnecessary question you are about to ask me and the interruption to my lunch you are about to cause? I am guessing if you thought long and hard you are not really, that sorry. I’m sorry, I’m just say’n.
B: “I know you are at lunch”. Had you just started talking and then said as you saw me take another bite of my 4 cheese penne Lean Cuisine “Oh I didn’t realize you were at lunch” I may have forgiven you for simply be unperceptive to the activities taking place within my 4x6 area. But noooo, to come out and acknowledge the fact that I am at lunch and you know it and yet you still just have to talk to me right at that very moment is unacceptable.
3rd: “But…” This is where I believe you make your fatal mistake. When walking up to me and noticing that I was infact partaking in lunch you could have made that phrase above a statement and just said “I’m sorry, I know you are at lunch.” (period) And leave and I will come to you when I am done. But no, you choose to add a but at the end of that phrase and that but is not what I want to hear while trying to enjoy my 30 minutes of serenity during my otherwise crazy work day.
I guess I shall say this. I get 30 minutes for lunch. 30 quick minutes where I am stuck in the office. I understand things happen, but (and this is my but to you) unless there is a fire or someone is hurt or I am in grave danger…please give me my 30 minutes of attempted peace and quiet and I promise if you do that I will not dream of throwing my half eaten apple at any of you or dream of paper cutting you with our file folders ever again. I know I am nearly not that important that 30 minutes of not talking to me will cause chaos to ensue and the company to crumble. But I guess I should be happy you all think that highly of me.
Thank you,
Jenn
I know I can not be the only one who hears this statement A LOT at work. “I know you are at lunch but” …….followed by……”I have a question, here is a file, can you do this for me, do you have a minute” etc.
We do not have a lunch room and as I do not have time to leave for lunch (and also have nowhere to go) I stay at my desk and mess around on the interweb for a bit. During that 30 minutes I like to pretend that I am all alone in a locked room with no distractions; just me, my microwavable lunch and the computer. Of course actually achieving any solitude is impossible when you sit in a cubicle right by the door and at the center of the office, but I strive to at least pretend that I have some morsel of privacy for a few minutes each day. I have managed to block out the constant drones around me; the beeping of the copier, the ringing of the phone, the annoying chatter that echoes through the entire office and I have to say I am fairly good at doing so. Well, I can block out just about everything except loud crunching. (Why people WHY must you crunch loud?!) Yes, I manage to block out all of the office hullabaloo that takes place around me, that is until my fleeting moments of peace are interrupted by those dreaded words, “I’m Sorry I know You Are At Lunch, But…”.
Let us take a moment and just dissect this phrase if we can, because I find a number of things that are wrong with a person saying this phrase to me.
First: “I’m Sorry”. Are you? Are you really sorry? Are you sorry that you are disrupting my “me time” or are you just saying that in an attempt to make yourself feel better for the unnecessary question you are about to ask me and the interruption to my lunch you are about to cause? I am guessing if you thought long and hard you are not really, that sorry. I’m sorry, I’m just say’n.
B: “I know you are at lunch”. Had you just started talking and then said as you saw me take another bite of my 4 cheese penne Lean Cuisine “Oh I didn’t realize you were at lunch” I may have forgiven you for simply be unperceptive to the activities taking place within my 4x6 area. But noooo, to come out and acknowledge the fact that I am at lunch and you know it and yet you still just have to talk to me right at that very moment is unacceptable.
3rd: “But…” This is where I believe you make your fatal mistake. When walking up to me and noticing that I was infact partaking in lunch you could have made that phrase above a statement and just said “I’m sorry, I know you are at lunch.” (period) And leave and I will come to you when I am done. But no, you choose to add a but at the end of that phrase and that but is not what I want to hear while trying to enjoy my 30 minutes of serenity during my otherwise crazy work day.
I guess I shall say this. I get 30 minutes for lunch. 30 quick minutes where I am stuck in the office. I understand things happen, but (and this is my but to you) unless there is a fire or someone is hurt or I am in grave danger…please give me my 30 minutes of attempted peace and quiet and I promise if you do that I will not dream of throwing my half eaten apple at any of you or dream of paper cutting you with our file folders ever again. I know I am nearly not that important that 30 minutes of not talking to me will cause chaos to ensue and the company to crumble. But I guess I should be happy you all think that highly of me.
Thank you,
Jenn
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
I Was Just About Speechless…..
Last night I watched the show Hoarders on A&E. Um, WOW.
I knew it would be about people who kept everything and lived in a messy house, but I don’t think I was ready for what I saw on this show. I was thinking of something like Clean House Extreme Edition but what I saw was a lady who has been hoarding for over a decade and when they cleaned they found not one but TWO dead cat remains; remains most likely that have been there for many years. Again WOW. I will tell you what, Niecy Nash would not sign up to host this show…oh hell no.
Seriously, I watched in absolute amazement and pure disgust. Our house isn’t by any means perfect, it is a very “lived in” house and I am not always fussy about keeping things in order all the time, but the one ladies bathroom (the one with the dead cats) had excrement on the floor and the toilet looked like it hadn’t been flushed in years. And another episode showed a family who had two school aged kids and a toddler living in the mess. Horrible. Another lady found a cabbage on the floor that was black with mold. She peeled off the outer layer and wrapped it back up in a bag saying it was still good. Obviously these people have serious problems.
So with as disgusting as the show is you may think I will never watch the show again, but you would be wrong. I am totally fascinated by this show and the people and their reasoning on why they hoard. I also am amazed that these people don’t really see the “mess” the same way we see the mess. Very interesting. Yep, I will keep watching this show and the whole time I watch my hands will be over my mouth and I will keep saying “WOW. You have to be kidding me. That is disgusting.” I think I repeated that phrase 15 times last night. I think the show also wanted to make me clean, it could be a good thing watching the show. We will just start purging everything :)
I knew it would be about people who kept everything and lived in a messy house, but I don’t think I was ready for what I saw on this show. I was thinking of something like Clean House Extreme Edition but what I saw was a lady who has been hoarding for over a decade and when they cleaned they found not one but TWO dead cat remains; remains most likely that have been there for many years. Again WOW. I will tell you what, Niecy Nash would not sign up to host this show…oh hell no.
Seriously, I watched in absolute amazement and pure disgust. Our house isn’t by any means perfect, it is a very “lived in” house and I am not always fussy about keeping things in order all the time, but the one ladies bathroom (the one with the dead cats) had excrement on the floor and the toilet looked like it hadn’t been flushed in years. And another episode showed a family who had two school aged kids and a toddler living in the mess. Horrible. Another lady found a cabbage on the floor that was black with mold. She peeled off the outer layer and wrapped it back up in a bag saying it was still good. Obviously these people have serious problems.
So with as disgusting as the show is you may think I will never watch the show again, but you would be wrong. I am totally fascinated by this show and the people and their reasoning on why they hoard. I also am amazed that these people don’t really see the “mess” the same way we see the mess. Very interesting. Yep, I will keep watching this show and the whole time I watch my hands will be over my mouth and I will keep saying “WOW. You have to be kidding me. That is disgusting.” I think I repeated that phrase 15 times last night. I think the show also wanted to make me clean, it could be a good thing watching the show. We will just start purging everything :)
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