Spring Fever

I have such a case of Spring Fever I just can't tell you. We had a couple of nice days this week, then SNOW Wednesday night, and now we are back to it might be a really nice day today. And guess what? It's FRIDAY!!!! I've been coming to work VERY early this week to prepare for our new hire training which has been going on all week. I kind of enjoy coming in early because no one is around and I can get A LOT of stuff done. I am so NOT a a morning person, however, I'm considering changing my schedule. Especially with Summer not to far away. Getting out earlier would be GRAND.

I've been battling some kind of problem in the intestinal region for a very long time now. My doctors cannot give me a definitive answer as to what it is. They think I have a serious IBS problem (irritable bowel syndrome) so I've had to take a bunch of tests to rule out any other possibility. There is no conclusive testing for IBS. I took my last test on December 3rd and I've talked with my doctor about it once since then. I don't know what to do? My quality of life is not what it should be. I've been doing some research and I came accross a disease called "Celiac Disease". Celiac disease is a disorder that causes problems in your intestines when you eat gluten, which is in wheat, rye, barley and oats. Gluten is like a poison to people with celiac disease, because it damages their intestines. One of the side effects of this disease is hand rashes, or unexplained rashes on the body. I've had a rash on the palm of my left hand for about 5 months now. They keep giving me topical creams for it to no avail. It has now appeared on thed top of my right hand and on my ankle. Do you know that wheat gluten is in almost everything? What the heck am I gonna eat? I won't go into the other effects of celiac disease because it's pretty gross. I hope my doctor can help me. This is getting really old!!!

On a lighter note, Easter is on Sunday. I took my annual jaunt to Stevers Candy's yesterday at lunch time. BIG MISTAKE. I think everyone in the universe waited until yesterday to go. I love their chocolate, so it was worth the wait. This place is wonderful. Here's a link so you can check it out: http://www.steverscandy.com/history.html. I can't wait to give my brother 3 little pigs made out of chocolate and filled with vanilla cream. My bro collects pigs. They had all kinds of chocolate shapes. Keyboards, guitars, motorcycles, golf balls and of course, your obligatory bunnies. I did pick up a couple of basketballs to commemorate March Madness (NCAA Basketball Fan, can you tell?). If you ever get a chance, PLEASE go and try their chocolate. Then hop over to Charlie's Frog Pond for some lunch. They make OUTSTANDING fritatta's.

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL EASTER!!! HAPPY SPRING!!!!

Monday, Monday

Thanks to everyone who left me comments about my daughter’s trip to Florida. Having that knowledge helped me to prepare her and also buy a few things for the flight. I bought her a whole package of gum, made sure she had a water bottle for the flight and gave her a couple of benedryl tablets to take with her. That benedryl not only stopped her ears from popping, but relaxed her into sleep!!! She said that was just what she needed!!! (Not that I encourage giving your kids drugs or anything, but that was the best darn thing).

My husband and I had a great weekend together. Friday night we went out to dinner to The Big Tree Inn in Geneseo, NY. The food was ok, but the ambiance was FANTASTIC. They had a violin player and they brought cheese and crackers to the table. It was a high class dinner, for sure. Some friends of mine (who I call “The Kids”) gave me a gift certificate for my birthday. The Kids live next door to us. They are 21 and 25 and just adorable. We love them dearly. After dinner we came home, popped open a bottle of wine and talked for FOUR hours! It was the best!!! Fred and I have been married for 10 years and together for 13. We haven’t talked like that since the first year of our relationship. Okay, maybe the 2nd or 3rd year. It just seems like life gets in the way. Constantly worrying about the kids, the house, the dog, yada yada yada. It was nice to take a break from the constant worries of life and get back to the basics. We actually learned some new things about each other. What a fantastic night!!!

On Saturday my friend Johann came over to put in some new cables for our new 46” big screen TV. They are called component cables which make the picture much better when viewing videos or DVD’s. What a difference!!! THANKS JOHANN!!! Then the day took a turn for the worse. The SEARS salespeople showed up. They came at 2:45PM and never left until 7PM. How ridiculous is that? We are in the market for a new furnace. We really like Sears and have bought A LOT from them. But 4 hours??? C’mon!!! I have a life ya know!!! That really bugged me and yes we bought the furnace but I am not happy about wasting a whole day with stupid sales people. Fred and I had plans to do things that day which got blown off completely!!! I don’t have to tell you that by the time Sears left I was seething with anger. It took almost a whole hour before I calmed down. GEEZ!

Yesterday the hubby and I went to the Dome Arena Sale specifically to buy him some cologne for his birthday (March 18th). We got 3 for the price of one! And I got some perfume for myself. All in all, I’d say it was a pretty good buy!!! Yesterday was the last day so a lot of stuff was discounted heavily. In the same token, a lot of the good stuff was gone. But we got what we went for, so I’m calling it a great day. We then went to Chase Pitkin to look at molding for the new floor we just put in and found exactly what we were looking for. Now all we have to do is save the money to buy it. Within the next couple of weeks, the kitchen floor project should be completely completed!!! WOO HOO!

My daughter came home last night about 11:30PM. She called earlier in the day and told me that she couldn’t wait to have a “Mommy dinner” and sleep in her own bed. I made sure I made one of her favorites. Savory Chicken Crescent Squares. She had two and went to bed after telling me some highlights of her trip! It was a late night!!! She had a wonderful time and I’m sure she’ll remember this trip forever!!! I’m so glad she’s home. I missed her.

Happy Monday to all and again, thanks for all your tips and comments!!!

Monday, Monday

Everyone remembers that song, right? I'm probably really showing my age now. I know I haven't blogged the past few days. I've been EXTREMELY busy at work AND at home. All good stuff though. My husband and I got so much done, INCLUDING buying a new furnace. I must say that I hate when sales people visit us at home. They stay FOREVER! These guys arrived at 2:45 on Saturday and never left until 7PM! I just think that's ridiculous. I mean, just say what you have to say and let me get on with my day. I felt like the day was wasted. Fred and I still got a lot done, but I was seething with anger when they left and took it out on my poor husband. It's over and done now.

Thanks to everyone who sent me emails about my daughters trip to Florida. She absolutely loves flying. She said it was a great experience. She came home yesterday around 10:30PM. She didn't arrive home until around 11:30PM and needless to say, was VERY tired. She got up for school this morning but wasn't moving quite as fast as usual. Poor thing has to work tonight too. Thanks to all of you emailing me and giving me advice about flying I was able to go out and purchase some gum, water and benedryl for her flight. She was VERY glad to have all of those things. The benedryl really helped in two ways: It stopped her ears from popping and total relaxation to the point that she fell asleep!!! Now I know what I must do before taking MY first flight. Yup, that's right, I've never flown before. Did I tell you that before? My husband has promised me that before 2005 is over that I will get on a plane. I can't wait.

My car is in the shop this week being fixed from my little "accident" with the garage last week. I am without a car until Thursday. UGH!!! I had to get up at 5:30AM (I am not a morning person) to catch a ride from my husband. Which means, I was at work a whole hour and 45 minutes before my start time. ICK! I must admit, it is nice being at work when no one else is here bothering you. I got A LOT of work done in a short time. I'm really behind the power curve for the start of a brand new week.

Hope everyone has a great day! HAPPY MONDAY!

March Madness

This weather is driving me crazy. Yesterday it was 50 degrees. Today? It's 12 degrees. I have such a case of the winter blahs. Its totally bringing me down. I need SUN! I need GREEN. I need to be OUTSIDE. I'm sick of worrying about the ice build up on the roof. I don't mind the cold weather, really. I guess we've been spoiled in upstate New York because over the past few years we have had relatively mild winters. This winter is the worst we've had since the late 90's. I shouldn't complain. But, why not? This is the perfect place to complain, right?

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My beautiful daughter leaves for Florida tomorrow. I'm worried. Why? She's going without me on a plane to a place she's never been. To a place I have never been. On a plane. Without me. I have pains in my stomach. She's also rooming with a girl I don't care for very much. She has other friends I'm sure she'll be spending most of her time with, but still...I can't help but worry that she'll turn into a follower instead of a leader. This other girl smokes cigarettes, drinks, and is kind of loose with the boys. A big flirt. That worries me. My daughter is a great kid. I trust her, but I won't be there to watch and make sure she doesn't follow. I guess I should have a little more faith that I raised her right and that she'll do the right thing. I just want her to have a good time. A memorable time. I'm sure everything will go just fine, but I am nervous. I guess I wouldn't be a good parent if I wasn't nervous. I took tomorrow off so I could help my daughter pack and spend some time with her before she leaves. I have to drop her off at school at 5PM so I'll have plenty of time to spend with her. She gets out of school at 10:30AM tomorrow. It will be a nice Mother/Daughter day. I'm thinking I'll take her out for a big lunch. Since she'll be flying around dinner time, I don't want her to be hungry. They don't arrive in Orlando until around 11PM. I'm sure she's going to be starving by the time she gets there. I big THANK YOU to ...just rambling... who left a comment yesterday about the plane ride. I will be sure to tell my daughter everything you said! I bought an 8-pack of gum for her to take with her on the plane!!!!

Tonight we'll have an easy dinner (Zweigels Hot dogs) and lay out the clothes she needs to pack. We'll get together all her toiletries and I'll probably end up making a list. When we go on family vacations, I make lists so I don't forget anything. Then I take the list with me so I don't leave anything where we are staying. That has proven to be very helpful. I think I'll go out at lunch today and get some disposable cameras and some snacks for her to take with her. I also plan on getting her some travelers checks so she is not carrying a whole wad of cash around. The hotel rooms do have safes and I told her to use it. Oh boy, I'm just thinking and thinking of all these things I need to do. Any words of wisdom you may have pass it on!!! I need all the help I can get.

Well, I've rambled on long enough about the Florida trip. Tomorrow will come way too soon. I'll let you know how everything goes when I back on-line on Thursday! Until then - HAVE A GREAT TUESDAY!

Will the floor ever be done?

As I've mentioned before, my husband and I have been working on putting in a new kitchen floor ourselves for the past 3 weeks. We decided it would be way cheaper if we did it ourselves. WHAT A ROYAL PAIN IN THE BUTTOCKS! While it look fantastic, it has been a GREAT DEAL of work. We have one more row to put in and we are done. Then its on to putting in new molding. I feel bad for my husband as he is doing most of the work while I bring him cold beers!!!

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On a brighter note, we got a new 46" big screen TV this weekend. Well, its new to us. A friend of mine (Hi Yoey) moved into a smaller apartment and the TV just wasn't going to work for him. So, we bought his TV. WOW....it's AWESOME! I couldn't stop watching TV all weekend! Its like being in a movie theater. This is something we have wanted for a long time but just couldn't afford. Thanks to my friend, he sold it to us for a fraction of the price and made all our dreams come true. I loves me some good TV!!!!

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My daughter graduates from High School this year. She is 17 and the best kid ever! She leaves Wednesday for her senior trip to Disney in Orlando. This will be her first plane ride and, indeed, she is a bit nervous. I have never been on a plane myself (I live under a rock) so I can't give her any words of wisdom. BUT she'll be with her friends so I'm sure she'll be fine. I wish I was going!!! Its going to be weird having her so far away. Guess I better get used to it since college is right around the corner.

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Having a lovely stuffed pork roast for dinner tonight (pre-made, compliments of our local super market). Then we plan on watching the movie "Ray" on our new big screen. Should be loads of fun! I'll give you my review on my next blog! HAVE A HAPPY MONDAY!!!

MONEY - I hate it!

Not only is it c-c-cold in Rochester, but I just found out that it's going to cost me over $1,000 to fix my car from my little accident yesterday morning. This week just keeps getting better and better. No one told me that turning 40 was going to be THIS bad. Ok, just kidding. Thank GOD for insurance, that's all I have to say on the subject.

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Next subject: I'm so tired. I cannot seem to wake up. I don't get it. I sleep okay. Maybe it's the "Winter Blahs". I'm desperate for sunshine and the outdoors. I'm looking forward to Spring. I dream of being outside planting flowers. My husband would like to plan a vegetable garden this year. We have changed our eating habits over the past year and we eat a lot more vegetables. It would be great to just walk outside and pick the vegetable of our choice to have for dinner. Knowing that it came from our garden would make the experience even more enjoyable. I never knew there were so many ways to prepare vegetables making the meal more healthy and low-fat. My favorite it roasted cauliflower. AWESOME and SIMPLE. All you do is cut up a head of cauliflower into bite sized chunks, spread in a single layer in a roasting pan, drizzle with EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), maybe a little garlic powder, black pepper and Mrs. Dash and back for about 45 minutes until tender. You will want to flip the pieces over to ensure they brown evenly. YUMBOLA!!! WOW my first recipe on my blog spot. I'm so cool.

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I don't know about anyone else, but I'm supremely bummed that NYPD Blue is now over. I watched the final episode last night and I was pleased with the way it ended. I will just miss Andy Sipowicz. TWELVE YEARS I've been watching that. It was an amazing show. So true to life. Before the last episode aired last night they had a one hour tribute to the show hosted by Jimmy Smits. It was great to see all the behind-the-scenes action. What truly captivated me was when the actors were talking about being called in for a shoot and being handed the lines as they came in the door. Basically, it was written and shot the same day. How'd they pull that off? Truly amazing minds behind that show. I will miss it. On the other side of the coin, I'm looking forward to the new show Blind Justice.

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This weekend we will finish our kitchen floor install. Looking forward to getting that DONE. It looks great. We used laminate flooring called Click n Lock. It looks like hardwoods. I have been waiting for a new floor for 6 years. I can't wait until it's completed with new molding and everything.

That's it for now! Have a great Wednesday!

Tuesday's Gone With The Wind

SNOW! I hate it! If it snowed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and that was it, I'd be content.

You may be wondering why I'm bitching. Well, I pulled out of my garage this morning and scraped my 2001 Ford Mustang against the garage door frame and ripped off my vent cover and dented and scraped my car. I'm NOT HAPPY! We have a one-car garage, but it's wide enough that my husband and I park both cars in there. I wasn't paying attention to how close I was to the door frame, but rather where my husbands tire tracks were in the snow so I could get out of the driveway. I wanted to SCREAM!!!!!!

Someone must think I have a money tree growing in my yard. Guess what? I don't!!!!!

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I turned 40 on February 25th. My wonderful husband threw me this huge party at Pineapple Jack's on Saturday. Everyone I know and love was there. It was truly THE MOST spectacular birthday I have ever had in my life. It all started on Thursday when my friends who live in Massachusetts dropped off three 1 1/4 pound live lobsters at my house. WOW! I loves me some lobstah. Friday, my actual birthday, was spent home with my husband with awesome chicken wing pizza from Guida's. My daughter got me a DVD that I've wanted forever. Don't laugh. It's Rock Star with Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Anniston. LOVE that movie. Sunday we all went to my Mom's and she made me the most fabulous meal. Prime rib roast, twice-baked potatoes...TO DIE FOR. Followed by a lemon torte from Jackson's Bakery. Truly awesome. My bro was there too. He's a pretty cool guy.

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I hope everyone likes my new blog. My friend Stefani turned me onto this. We'll have to see how it goes. You can read her blog at http://www.stefanitadio.com/. LOVE HER!!!!