Lazy Mom Shout Out and a Few Observations of Late

No, I didn't fall off the end of the earth... or did I?
Sure feels like it.

First, for all you I'm a Lazy Mom fans, Stacey is airing my dirty laundry in another edition of Lazy Mom Confessions.

So, what have I been up to lately?
Well , I feel like I've been living in a whirlwind since Thanksgiving.

For an early Christmas gift, I took the daughters to Cincinnati to see Wicked on Thanksgiving evening. (The Husband opted to stay home at the last minute. Which, as it turned out, was a good thing, since he was barfing before we got an hour down the road.)

We had a great time. We stayed in a downtown hotel. And, since the show let out about 11 pm, the girls asked to go to Macy's, across the street for Black Friday at Midnight. So we did. (Three wild gals out on the town in the middle of the night. WooHoo! Look at us!)

Anyway, the most entertaining part was Occupy Cincinnati showing up to shout at all of us consumers out stimulating the economy in the wee hours of the morning. BabyD is proud to report she witnessed her first cuffing and arrest in the shoe department.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, my life is rather focused on my office moving.
Yes, for those who are keeping track, for the second time in two years. Call us gluttons for punishment.
My role in the whole thing has been working with the architects and contractors to get the construction details done, then our staff to make sure every one's new spaces work, and the moving company so stuff gets boxed and labeled. And the furniture will fit. Hopefully.
We'll find out next week!

Anyway, some of my activities during the last couple of weeks have left me with a few observations and frustrations about life (yeah, my inner curmudgeon is showing):

Frustration:  Why does the out-of-state MIL decide to tell me she's recently lost a bunch of weight only after I've ordered and shipped her birthday gift (and have her Christmas gift sitting in the closet)? You're welcome, US Postal Service, for my continued financial support in my vain efforts to please my relatives.

Observation:  Ever notice when accomplishing a really big task there's always one person in the group who just CAN NOT follow directions? The weird part? This is always the smartest person in the pack at least in his own mind.

Frustration:  Unseasonably warm, rainy falls mean we still have worms in DECEMBER!!!!

Observation: Dirty old men give me the creeps.

Frustration:  Being pinned against the wall in a conversation with a nice old guy who is spewing donut crumbs all over you as he talks. And how do I tell him he has powdered sugar all over his chin and belly? It's very distracting. (No, he's not a relative. And, no, he's not the afore-mentioned dirty old man.)

Observation:  I'm sure it did not snow today, because I actually turned around and fetched my window scraper before got too far from home.

Frustration: Ever have to go on a business trip and, literally, spend more hours in airports and on planes than at the actual business meeting at your destination? Why? Because of the idiots geniuses running the official travel agency. Tell me some one's not getting a kick-back.

Observation:  Did anyone know that Muhammad Ali is still alive? And, on a related note, I lost a bet with The Husband, because I could have sworn Liz Taylor died about 5 years ago. Oops.

Frustration:  Dirty laundry is capable of reproducing in the basket. So does junk mail on the kitchen counter.

Observation:  Why do people who wouldn't give me the time of day in person friend me on Facebook?

Thankful for Traditions

It's been a good holiday weekend, complete with our family traditions.
I thought I'd share a couple.
We're not exactly the go-all-out-and-be-festive kind of folks. We keep it a little low-key.
Actually, I think boring is the right word.

Cents of Gratitude

One thing we do, at the Thanksgiving table, is pass a Mason jar to count our blessings.


I start collecting shiny new pennies (that must be marked with the current year) around July. I'm never sure how many pennies I'm going to need until Thanksgiving day is upon us. If everybody is here (and that's rare), I need 15 pennies.


Sound easy, but it's not always.
This year, I had a boatload of pennies. For some reason, last year I barely found any. Almost had to switch to dimes!
Each place setting gets a penny (yes, I wipe them down with a Clorox wipe to minimize the cooties--money is gross).
We pass the jar, so each person can tell something he/she is thankful for.



It's a little hokey--and everyone but my kids (and me!) think it's lame. (Told you we're boring.) But I persist.


It's neat to see the jar starting to fill up. BabyD likes to empty out the jar and ask why we don't have pennies for some years (we weren't home) or why we had only four some years (no one else was here that year).



I figure some day, after I'm dead and gone, my kids will fight over who gets possession of the jar.
Or they'll cash it in and go eat cherry pie in my honor.

Cranberry Sauce

Another important part of Thanksgiving is the cranberry sauce--jellied, not whole.
No, I don't make it. But I have perfected my method of getting it out of the can in one perfect piece, without blemishes--which is an extremely important part of the presentation.
I call it Thanksgiving art.

A representation of the abundance of America's modern food system and all
that technology has to offer us in convenience packaging.

At least, that's how I justify it. I suspect some family members (one of whom just might be reading this--and You know who You are!) think it's tacky. But I don't care. You have to understand that this has become particularly difficult in the last two years, since the food processors have changed the can design, and you can no longer simply open both ends with a can opener (ha!). But I have overcome! So, behold my perfect can o' cranberry sauce...


Makes you hungry just lookin' at it, doesn't it?
LittleD and I love this stuff. Sometimes we crack open a second can to help get us through the leftovers.
(I really should have taken the picture after flipping it on its side, so you have the full effect. It slices in beautiful, perfect circles that way. But, I was in a hurry to get the grub on the table.)

Light Up the Town Square

Black Friday is not a big shopping day for us. Sometimes we go out late in the afternoon to pick over the leftovers at a store or two. This year, I did venture out for three very specific stops--but not at 4 am. I went out about 9:30 and got my goods (nothing big or fun, mostly stocking stuffers) and was back well before lunch time.



Anyway, we do venture out late in the afternoon to enjoy communing with our neighbors on the town square. About three years ago, in an effort to draw more visitors to downtown, our little village started stringing old-fashioned lights from the Court House to all the businesses around the square. The trees are lit up, the window fronts are decked-out, the lamp posts are gussied up. It looks so pretty when some lucky kid wins the drawing to flip the switch with Santa.


This is the one brief highlight to Daylight Savings Time--since it's dark when I'm driving home, I get to enjoy the canopy of lights when I'm commuting home every night!



The whole event has really become a festival, because they block all the streets, set up tents with activities (corn hole, face painting, games, crafts) and a music stage. Practically every business is open handing out cookies or fruit cake or cocoa or popcorn. The fire fighters serve chili--a short respite from turkey leftovers.


Another highlight is the live nativity. They always rent camels to join the menagerie. How often do you get to pet a camel in your home town???

Gawking at the Christmas Lights

So, alas, it's Saturday and we have to get out of the house for a little exercise. I spent much of the day sewing Christmas gifts. We'd watched the movies we checked out from the library (Fiddler on the Roof was today's favorite). We cashed in a Groupon and did some bowling (I won, of course... even though no one will admit it because the ball counter messed up my score and didn't count TWO strikes!!!). Then we swung by a FABULOUS light display at Reynold's Farm Equipment in Fishers, IN. It was bigger and better than ever. I've met the guys who put this thing together, and, I must say, it's quite creative for a bunch of men who work on tractors and combines!

My favorite was the Bumble, remember this guy?

So, this is the official launch of the Christmas Season for our family. All we need is a little snow!

We'll get the tree up one of these days--after LittleD decides it's time. She has a December birthday, so she gets to decide if the tree goes up before or after her birthday. Most years, she's gung-ho to get it up while it's still November. This year, however, she's wanting to wait until after. I knew this day would come. I know too many people born in December who feel like they've been ripped off, and the birthday gets lost in the Christmas season. So, The Husband and I decided when she was born to let her decide when she was old enough. Besides, even if we wait, we'll still have a couple of weeks with that monstrosity dominating our living room and getting destroyed by the cat.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving full of your own traditions! I'd love to see what you do at your home.

A, B, Cs of Thanksgiving

Special Thanksgiving Link Up!

My blessings, from A to Z:
A: automobile—I have safe, reliable transportation.
B: bed—A warm, comfy place to sleep.
C: chocolate—Especially dark.
D: daughters—Two fabulous girls who have deepened the meaning of my life.
E: elephants—Someday I’ll own one of my own.
F: family—We were all together just a couple weeks ago for my dad’s 75th birthday.
G: grace—God’s supply is never ending.
H: home—A roof over my head to keep me warm and dry.
I: iced tea—Decaf, no sugar. Keeps me hydrated.
J: Jesus—Who loves me no matter what I am.
K: Kleenex—I’ve been battling a cold for a week!
L: libraries—Lots of free entertainment, resources and books!
M: music—As long as it’s not Miley Cyrus or Justin Beber.
N: nuts—Pecan, almonds, peanuts, cashews, hazel nuts.
O: opportunity—America provides so much opportunity for us all.
P: pork—My go-to meat, when I don’t know what to make for dinner.
Q: quilts—Love making them. Love sleeping under them.
R: roses—Blooming in the summer.
S: shoes—When I can find them in my size!
T: time—When I’m really productive and when I can slow down and enjoy the moment.
U: umbrellas—On a soggy day like today!
V: veggies—And the farmers who grow them!
W: windows—That let the sun shine in.
X: Xerox—What was life like before the modern copier?
Y: yellow—It’s a happy color.
Z: Ziploc baggies—Who invented those, anyway?