Giving Thanks

I'm Thankful that I am related to these people.

Fun times.

And all of them have great fashion sense and dance moves.

They all know how to have fun and not take themselves too seriously.

You know that if you are not related to me - you wish you were.

And of course - there is no denying why they crack me up.

Both sides of my family rock.

Shout out to the Boyle/Moyer/Cenci/Tanfani clans!

I'm thankful that I found this picture of my dad on his honeymoon in my grandparent's bible.

That's right.

It was in the family Bible.

My own first communion photo was shoved in a miscellaneous drawer - but this gem was tucked into the new testament.

Clearly, it was critical to document this moment and then share it with parents.

It gave me great joy and howls of laughter when I found it.

Love the sideburns dad.

I am thankful that I have great hair. I mean, c'mon.

I know, I complain about bad hair days - but my hair is great. Thanks in part to my family and my dad and mom's good genes. It takes color well and looks good in all lengths.

I'm also thankful for apples. I love the slices that are pre-done in the grocery store. I hate cutting apples and I hate the brown stuff. These are pre-cut and never turn brown.

Thankful for books - even though I am going to breakdown and get the kindle, I still love books surrounding me. Thankful for the Cats and Dogs in my life. In a year of lots of family pet tragedy - I'm glad they all brought us such joy. Thankful for Every Day I get to live and be happy, For the Friends and Family that fill my life. (and Edward Cullen) Thankful for God and Google. Thankful for Harry Potter. I hated the idea of Harry Potter - than I read it and now I am a woman possessed. Send me a message on my phone and the Harry Potter music plays. I'm thankful for India Hicks. She makes me smell good and keeps my skin soft. I'm thankful for J. Who invented the Bubble Room again?! I'm thankful for Kristen my fabulous sister. I'm thankful for Love. I get it everyday and am grateful beyond words. I'm thankful for Men. You guys make the world so much fun. I'm thankful for Naps. And appreciate every single one I get to take. Whether it be stretched out in the sun or curled up under a blanket. I'm thankful for Opinions. I love to give them and love to hear them. Thanks for sharing this year. I'm thankful for Prayers that are answered. I'm thankful for Quiet moments. Goodness knows I cherish them. I'm thankful for the Rack. Thank you Nordstrom for putting big feet shoes in your stores. I'm thankful for Smart people. I'm thankful for Time. It's nice to be here and enjoying this crazy world. I'm thankful for Underwear. Most especially spanx on special occasions. I'm thankful for visits to my favorite places, xtra time with people I love and that Zumba exists.

Don't forget to count your own blessings!

And thanks for being one of mine this year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fascinating Fall Facts

It has not been a blogging year for me.

That is really too bad.

I enjoy my blog and usually manage to crack myself up. And if nobody else reads it.....

At least I think I'm funny.

But what is really funny is my recent discovery of people that search for and end up at my blog.

It cracks me up!

People I don't know come and read this stuff!

Some of my most favorite posts are the most searched and read.

and the irony is - if you read the search words, you could almost write my biography. It has that which I love, and that which I most fear. (JELLO)!!!! oh the horror!

check out these search phrases:

green jello brain waves

do you renounce satan

kelly cutrone love spit love

love spit love kelly cutrone

santa cleopatra

michael francis rizzi

best selling jello flavor

jello

love.spit.love kelly cutrone

michael do you renounce satan

I am also wildly popular in Russia and Estonia. who knew?

Halloween!

I am feeling super nostalgic this Halloween.

I just returned from a few days in the town I spent my 'trick or treat' years.


It was awesome to be there on Halloween week and recall the nights spent trick or treating in good ole Delaware Park!



The leaves were crunchy under my feet, the houses close together and going thru the neighborhood reminded me of how big the world can feel to a child. In reality - it is just a small subdivision in a small north east town.

But oh the memories!

Waiting eagerly for Mom to get home from work so we could hit the streets! Oh the agony of the 5:15pm arrival home - each year I was convinced I was going to miss all the fun.

The joy of my plastic oblong pumpkin - it served me well for years as a treat collector.

Running thru the streets with all of the kids - shouting to one another about the house that was giving FULL size candy bars!

I can recall the houses that gave out the good stuff. One house always gave out bags of cheese puffs - my addicition to cheetos no doubt began with that yellow house.

The wonderful lady that made homemade donuts and served apple cider! The donuts always fresh and warm and the cold apple cider!

The creepy dude that wore a stocking over his face and wouldn't let you out of his house until he had properly terrified you.

The kids in their awful and tacky 70's costumes - this site cracked me up - check it out for a thowback look.

My pride at my Mom's homemade costumes she made every year. No plastic outfits and masks for us! We roamed the streets as leopards, witches, prarie girls, witches and pandas.

Hating it when Mom made us put on a coat over our costumes!

Marveling at the carved pumpkins and the smell of the cold wind!

Scaring ourselves in the dark.

And the joy of coming home with a load of treats. Mom and Dad sorting thru the loot and making sure Dad had his favorite candies from our bags....(candies we thought were dreadful - like licorice)

It seems silly to think that kids today won't have the same wonderful memories - I am sure they will - I guess it just makes me feel better to recall how wonderful we had it.

Happy Halloween!
Boo!

Bye Cappie....we love you.

My little doggie 'sister' had to be put down last night.

She had cancer and was very weak.

Cappie has been my dog sister for 15 years now.

Even though I lived far away - we remained close.

My human sister and I always knew Mom loved her best.

(and how could we blame her?)

Cappie never kept a messy room.

Cappie always listened.

Cappie never talked back.

Cappie never tattled.

Cappie always cleaned her plate. (and everyone else's.)

Cappie never made fun of Mom's outfits or decorating choices.

Cappie was the best dog sister I could have had.

And because I know Cappie is in heaven, I am going to do my best to make it there one day to see her again.

"yes" man no more...(woman)

Today I said No.

I said "no" many times and I feel fantastic.

It's even better when you say No, when you usually would have said Yes.

A yes that would make you grit your teeth and mumble swear words and wish death upon the person that made you say yes when all you really wanted to do was say no.

Sweet victory.

Baby steps of sweet victory.

Gross

Gross. I love this word.

If I was back in my college speech class, I am sure the instuctor would say I use the word 'gross' way to often. It is the ultimate oral filler in my conversations.

Usually, when I hear something that leaves me nearly speechless...."gross" seems to be my 'go to' response.

In my mind - the term sums up all that is vulgar, crude and leaves me with a tension headache.

When you define gross -

you learn it is an adjective.

1. without deductions

2. flagrant, extreme

3. disgusting

4. very fat or large

however, it is also a noun.

1. the total amount before deductions

2. twelve dozen

I don't use the noun form often. I never ordered a gross of anything. I may have considered it - Oriental Trading Co is filled with grosses to order.

But truthfully - that is just way too many things.

I decided that the definition of gross in my head is not done justice by a dictionary.

When I say gross - the implications are far more extreme than disgusting.

even in all of it's other incarnations - gross is more of a feeling than a simple definition.

overgross, ungross, grossly, overgrossly, grossness, overgrossness, outgross.

The thesaus reveals words that trip me out - adipose, lumpish, porcine, boorish, ribald, scatological....now we are talking dirty! barnyard, callous, carnal, cheap, coarse, corporeal, crass, dull, fleshly, foul, impure, in the gutter, indecent, inelegant, lewd, loudmouthed, low, rank, raunchy, raw, rough, sleazy, smutty, swinish, tasteless, ugly, uncouth......

Now I feel better.

That sums up gross.

Gross.

Cujo and other Summertime Reading Selections

I have had an eclectic mix of books read this summer.

It is safe to say, that in the last 10 years of my adulthood, I have kept a mix of books by the bedside that did not fall into any one category or author overload.

I tend to mock people that only read Nora Roberts for example. (sorry if you like them)

Back in December - I was opting back and forth about purchasing a Kindle. I am sort of a geek for books - If I had to guess, I would say it is one area that I spend the most of my entertainment money on.

So when considering the Kindle - it was merely from a cost savings perspective.

I also thought that the idea of carrying a Kindle instead of multiple massive books in my suitcase when I travel for work would help lighten my load considerably.

But after much consideration - it all came back to the fact that I am a 'geek for books'.

Real books, the kind with paper, colors, pictures, paper, font.....all the comfort that comes from holding a book.

So, I talked myself out of the need for the Kindle.

Fast forward to July.

I hear that I can download the Kindle app on my phone.

It's a free download so why not check it out? Give it a whirl?

I also downloaded the Nook app from Barnes and Noble - why not compare the two.

So with the download I now need a book to read.

I decide that I don't want to spend a lot of money - so I'll download something I have already read.

What do I choose?

Cujo

1. it was cheap 2. it was short - perfect for my Kindle trial.

Oh how the memories came flooding back as I read this book again.

I think it was the first Stephen King book I ever read.

I think I read it for the first time in the Summer as a young teenager.

I remember thinking it was full of scandal because the mom had an affair.....and he was a bad boy.

I recalled almost immediately that once I read my first Stephen King book - that was all I was reading.

Then I read my first Sidney Sheldon book - that was all I was reading.

(Hello?! The Other Side of Midnight?! Possibly one of the best trash novels of all time - but I think at the time I thought it was mature high class reading - I mean, didn't Sidney Sheldon do screenwriting for Hart to Hart?!)

Then I read my first Danielle Steel book - that was all I was reading.

Ugh.....I am so ashamed of my formulaic approach to reading as a young adult!

Horror, sex, mystery, sex, romance disguised as trash sex.

Why were my parents not monitoring my reading?

Anyway - I got off course here.

So I read Cujo with great joy actually.

First - 25+ years later, It was not exactly how I remembered.

I did keep flashing to the fact that my parents had a Pinto - just like the one Donna and Tad were trapped in.

We also had a dog that slobbered a great deal.

(Most likely I had slobber on me in this picture and was wiping it off with my sleeve)

Trapped in a hot car with even the thought that dog slobber would get on me is enough of a horror story for me today.

The Nook offering I selected was Bram Stoker's Dracula.

1. it was free 2. it is a classic - and I try to read one "classic" each summer.

Dracula is not rocking my world like Cujo.

Maybe it's because it doesn't have a Pinto in it.

I also don't like the Nook app.....but I have not finished it yet....so I will hold judgement until later.

So at the end of this what have I learned?

I still like real books I can hold, even if they are heavy.

I am glad that my reading runs the gamut of titles now.

I still do like a good trashy read with sex in it.

I won't mock people that read the same author over and over again.....a good one is sometimes hard to find.