TranSiberian Orchestra Concert

I went to the TSO concert on Monday and it was awesome. Hubby was too sick to go with me, so my neighbor joined me. She had no idea what to expect since she has only heard their music on the radio, but thoroughly enjoyed the show. It had been 3 years since I went the last time, so it was almost like seeing them for the first time all over again. This is a concert that I believe everyone should see at least once in their life. It has a rock concert feel with a Christmas inspired story. There are no intermissions, so it is almost 3 hours of non-stop entertainment. By the time we got home and unwound enough to go to bed, it was almost 2am. I am not as young as I used to be, so I am still tired and my body aches from the chairs we sat in, but it was so worth it.

Papa Murphy's Pizza

I have discovered Papa Murphy's pizza. I know it has been around a while, but I have never given it a try before. Since we live outside of town now, our food options for things quick are pretty limited. So, I decided to pick one up a few weeks ago and give it a try. I was fantastic! The ingredients were fresh and the taste was much better than one of those chain pizza places. All I had to do was turn on the oven and pop it in for a bit. Now we have started having Papa Murphy's night once a week.

Feliz Navidad

We are celebrating our first Christmas in our own home. The dogs are having a blast. Riley tore in to the presents from Katreader's kids (she has been sniffing them since they were put under the tree). She was so quick at getting them open that I didn't even have time to get the camera. Then I tossed them outside with a ham bone that hubby bought for them. For the human meal, the duck is done and smells yummy, the dressing is cooking now, and I will make the green beans, gravy, and potatoes next. The dressing is our own special recipe. We took things from my grandmother's recipe, things from hubby's mom recipe, and added our own twist. In a couple of hours we will be in a carb induced sleep, but we will be happy.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is finally here and a cold front blew in last night so it feels a little more like Christmas time today. The day has started off great; I have the day off and the dogs actually let me sleep 2 hours extra. Today, I have a few errands to run, but we will do a few or as many has hubby feels up to doing. The only thing I have to do is go get Abbie's meds and drop some bills in the mail. Everything else could wait. When I get home I am going to make some pumpkin bread for our Christmas meal and check the duck to make sure it is thawing properly. We won't be cooking duck for Christmas if it is still frozen. I have tons of other things that I could be doing (studying, catching up on work, filing my paperwork, etc.), but since it is Christmas Eve, I am not going to do anything that isn't relaxing and enjoyable.

My Gracefulness Strikes Again

A few nights ago I stubbed my toe really hard and stumbled almost to the point of falling. I was half asleep and can't really tell you how it happened. I didn't hurt my toe as you would expect, instead it seemed to twist and make my back hurt. It is just that nagging kind of pain, no sharp "somethings wrong" kind of pain. I haven't had to deal with this in such a long time that I am having a hard time blocking it out. Thankfully today is my last day of work this week and I can rest my back a little. I have to be full strength and ready to go for Monday for the TSO concert!!

Errand Day

Today was full of errands and we actually managed to get the all done. First to one bank to close a safe deposit box and then to another bank to open up a new box (the old bank is too far away now). I didn't realize we had so much stuff in the safe deposit box! Next to the grocery store to get the last bits of groceries before the holidays, then home to unload groceries and load up the items that needed to go to Goodwill. After Goodwill we stopped by Lowe's to see if they still had any of their clearance plants. They did, so we rescued 2 of the (they were 25 cents each - we couldn't pass them up). Then back home to start making cookies and do some laundry. We finished laundry, made 5 dozen cookies, and some muffins; took cookies to each of the neighbors, and then I will take the rest of the goodies to work tomorrow. We got a lot done today, so now it is time to sit down and have a bite to eat.

Did Someone Say Treats?

Riley loves to smile and show you her pearly white teeth. She is always such a happy dog, even when little Nash is biting on her and swinging from her tail. She has a fierce bark that will scare you to death, but she is really a 45 pound snuggle bunny. This is her showing off her best smile while waiting for a treat.

Christmas Package Mix Up

This year I got all of my Christmas cards out in plenty of time; I got all of my packages mailed on Monday of this week so they would have plenty of time to reach their destination, and I wrapped all of the gifts that were staying here and put them under the tree. I was so proud of myself to have gotten all of this done with a week to spare. Then last night when I went to turn on the lights to the tree, I noticed a package that didn't look right. It was a package for my nephew in California. Why is his package still here? I put that in the mail on Monday along with the package to my parents and one to a friend in New York. Then I realized that the package to Buddy, my sister in laws dog, was missing. Oh no! Surely I didn't mix up up those two packages and send my nephew a package of dog treats? So, I quickly picked up the phone to call my brother figuring I would leave a message (he never answers the phone). He was actually there and as soon as I began to explain what I thought had happened, my brother started to laugh. He had already gotten the package. You see, they call my nephew Bubby and thought that I had just spelled it wrong. Then he began to get curious about the shape and feel of the package so he opened it..... and found dog treats. We both had a big laugh at my goof and today I am heading to the post office to mail the correct gift to my nephew. I also need to prep another package of goodies for Buddy whose original gift is now being enjoyed by Roxy and Jasmine in sunny California.

Holiday Traditions

Growing up my grandmothers house was always the gathering place for holidays. This was the time of year when we would see cousins that we hadn't seen since the summer and everyone forgot all of their responsibilities for several days. My grandmothers house didn't have TV reception and phone service was spotty at best, but no one cared. We all enjoyed being there with each other and having fun. My grandparents would sit on the porch and play music while everyone else sat around catching up on what had been happening. We would stay up late playing board games or cards - a rowdy game of Spades or Spoons was almost certain to happen (the good spoons were always off limits). As I got older, I loved being able to help my grandmother cook and hearing stories about holidays past. Then when the cooking was done, we would all revert back to being kids again.

My grandparents have been gone for several years now and unfortunately no one else in the family has filled that slot of being the family gathering place. Our grandparents were the glue that held us together and now we are so spread apart that we rarely keep in touch. As I get older, this bothers me more and more. There are times when I miss that overwhelming family craziness; trying to figure out how to sleep 20 people in 6 beds or figuring out how to navigate the maze of sleeping bags on the living room floor during your rush to the 1 and only bathroom.

The solution that hubby and I came up with is this.... since this is our first year in our own home, we are going to start making our own traditions. We have no idea what that looks like, but hopefully over time it will all come together. Who knows, over time maybe we will become the family gathering place.

Good Days and Bad Days

I have always been the type of person that likes a routine and although I can adapt to change, I really like my routine. With hubby's new diagnosis of Meniere's Disease and now with my arthritis, I am learning that I need to be a bit less routine oriented. Right now life is about good days and bad days. When we are having good days, we can tackle the things that need to get done and if some things don't get done then that is okay. When we are having bad days, then we just don't get some things done. I think hubby is adapting to the good day/bad day philosophy better than I am, but I will get there too.

Angry at Solicitors

Very rarely do I let something that a solicitor does get me angry, but today I made an exception. I went out through my neighborhood to take some photos of holiday lights and when I came by, I noticed something looked odd about the wreath on my front door. Crammed in the middle of my wreath was a flyer asking me to vote for John Gordon. This made me so angry that I looked up his website and sent him an email. I know he personally did not place the flyer there, but someone representing him did and I find that to be very rude. There were plenty of other places to put the flyer instead of in my wreath. I doubt I will get a response, but at least I feel better for letting him know I was mad.

Arthritis

My knees had been killing me for a while now and I was getting really frustrated with the normal ortho that I had been seeing. After x-rays and a MRI, he kept telling me "I think" and "I guess" when he would tell me what was going on. During the 6 months while he was busy guessing and thinking, my knees were getting worse and I was growing a but irritated. In fact, when I started going to him it was only one knee, but during it process it progressed to both knees. Yesterday, I went to see a new ortho and really liked him. He didn't have to "guess" or "think" about what was going on; he looked at my x-rays (new ones he took) and the MRI results I had provided and instantly told me it was old fashioned arthritis - but in advanced stages. It is not common for someone my age and I am not thrilled with the news, but at least I know what is going on. We came up with a treatment game plan and I feel much better about what is going on. I wasn't crazy about the cortisone shot, but it is part of the plan.

TranSiberian Orchestra Tickets

The TSO tickets have arrived! I am so excited. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who can't wait to open then gifts. This concert was fantastic the first time I saw them 2 years ago and I can't wait to see them again. Now that I have the tickets, the countdown has begun - only 18 days to go!

Motivation

I need some motivation. I need to get my Christmas decorations up and do some tidying around the house, but I have no motivation. My knees are really hurting and that seems to be zapping all my focus and energy.

Snow Today?

Today we have a chance of snow. Of course, snow is Texas is nothing like snow for those of you up north. In Texas, we absolutely love to see the white stuff, but native Texans absolutely do not know how to drive in it. We panic because there is something on our roads and our already crazy ways of driving become even worse. If we do get some snow, I will take a picture and post. Now, off to get ready for work. TGIF.