Happy New Year

The holiday madness is just about over. I am ready to resume to "normal" life, if that even exists. Christmas was wonderful and the kids really enjoyed all of their new loot. We have Samantha's iPod all locked and loaded as well as Megan's MP3 player. I love listening to them sing because they have no idea how loud they are and they are just belting out the tunes. We have played lots of new games which is always fun. They are going to be sad when they go back to school on Wednesday! Vacation has been very relaxing with lots of jammie days. Sounds perfect to me.

Megan got the flu early Friday morning. We were up at 3:30 and she kept getting sick every 15-30 minutes. We spent the night/morning laying on the cold bathroom floor because that was the only place she wanted to be. So we grabbed some blankets and tried to hunker down for the night. Our bathroom is not very big so needless to say there was very limited space to sprawl out. I really hate it when the girls are sick. There is nothing I can do to help them but just sit through it with them. When Megan gets sick, she gets it bad. She was scared and shook every time she thew up and kept telling me "I can't do this momma". I hate not being able to help.

She cried and told me she needed me to stay with her so I worked from home in the morning and went into the office at 11:00 (when she fell asleep and Memere took over for a few hours).

I had no idea where Megan picked up the flu bug. We really hadn't been anywhere. Well, apparently, the girls brother had the flu and their dad failed to mention it to me. You know, that is sometimes good information to have so that I can be aware and keep an eye on the girls. Go figure. THANKFULLY, Samantha did not get the flu, nor did anyone else in the house. I am very happy as I would rather give birth than throw up. Yes, I'm almost 36 and I am still afraid to get sick.

We are a child-free household this New Year's Eve and we are actually going out. We're going out to a New Years Eve Comedy Ball....there will be a great buffet dinner and comedy night followed by dancing. It should be a lot of fun. I haven't been out on New Year's in probably 6 or 7 years.

I wish all of my family and friends a happy, healthy, and very prosperous 2008.

Christmas 2007

Well, I have already requested the day after Christmas off for 2008. My supervisor said it may be a "bit early" but calling shotgun will help when the time comes. I know I am a year early in my request but I am dragging ass tired today. Christmas Eve was a late night as we get together with family every year and never get home before 11:00pm. Then, we have to wait until the kids are asleep before we can lug all the gifts out, fill stockings, etc. I finally went to bed at 2:00am but still had not fallen asleep at 2:45am. And then I was simply too excited and kept looking at the clock to see if it was time to get up and see if Santa had left presents. This is a picture of me, Samantha, and Megan at my aunt's house Christmas Eve night.


The girls were up around 7:45am and we started opening gifts at 8:00. There was lots to open.

After we opened gifts, my husbands mom and stepdad came down for a visit. They live about 2 hours away and they were passing through on their way to a friends house so we had a nice visit. Then we went to my moms to do gifts with my mom, sister, and brother-in-law at noon. We didn't leave until 8:00pm last night. I was tired and then had to go home to clean up all our gifts, etc. so our puppy didn't get into everything. He was beat from playing with the other dogs and fell asleep as soon as we got home and he was out cold for the night.

This is Emmitt hanging out with my brother-in-law, Greg, and my cousin, Sarah. He is the cutest damn dog ever. His paws are ginormous and he just loves being around people.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. Here's hoping 2008 brings happiness and health!

First Reconciliation

Well, we FINALLY had the weather cooperate so that Samantha could have her First Reconciliation (confession). It was suppose to happen on December 11th, but the weather was bad, then it was scheduled for last Sunday but, again, the weather was snowy.

The children all line up and go one by one into the confessional (which is in the sacristy and consists of either a face-to-face confession or you can go behind the "purple" curtain). Naturally, Samantha was near the end of the line so it took forever for her turn. But she came out unscathed (I think) and was happy to have it over. She chose to have a face-to-face confession which surprised me. I was dying to ask her what she confessed, because I'm certain she didn't even touch on half the things she needed to! Naturally, I didn't ask because it her own personal thing but if she wanted to share...well, I'm all ears!

Next year: Megan. Ay, ay, ay.

Christmas Questionnaire

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy (not forward) this and change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person that sent it to you... 'Tis the Season to be NICE!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper for the kids. Only a handful of gift bags for the adults.

2. Real tree or artificial? Real. We go to a Christmas tree Farm and pick out our tree and cut that sucker down!

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? A few days after Christmas. By that point I am ready to get my house back in "normal" order.

5. Do you like eggnog? Ewww.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I didn't really have one that I can remember. I usually liked everything.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. However, I did not put it up this year. Loser.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Samantha. She is afraid that everything is too expensive and doesn't want to ask for anything that costs a lot of money (even though she still believes in Santa).

9. Easiest person to buy for? Megan

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Probably something from my ex in-laws. Shocker.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. It's more personal than an email card.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Don't have one.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually in October or as I see something throughout the year that someone might like. This year I was last minute Lucy.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? All the appetizers and candy that we make only at Christmas. M&M oreo bars, spinach dip, shrimp cocktail, scallops wrapped in bacon......

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Mary Did You Know. I also love "Let There Be Peace on Earth" when I hear it on the radio at Christmas time.

18. Travel for Christmas or stay at home? Stay home for the morning and then go to my moms (a mile down the road) in the afternoon.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? But of course.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? A star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We open some gifts (with my cousins and aunts) at our Christmas Eve party. But with the kids it's all Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Too many people out in the stores!

23. What I love most about Christmas? The excitement Megan and Samantha have. Buying gifts for people.

24. Gift you most want this year? A happy and healthy year with my family.

The Hollerdays

It's been a while since I posted but not much has really been happening.
We went to a family Christmas party in RI this past weekend. I have to say that it was a blast. My husband's family is so nice and some of the funniest people I know. We laughed a lot and ate great food. I bought a 2005 Dodge Caravan a few weeks ago, so the travel to and from RI was a breeze. The kids love having a drop down DVD player in the car and it made the time pass quickly.
While I was in RI, I went to visit my friend, Michele, who is at the Women and Infant's hospital in Providence. It was hell to find the place but once we did it was amazing to see her. She has been on bed rest for almost her entire pregnancy and was admitted to the hospital the week before Thanksgiving where she will remain until she gives birth in March. Luckily she has made it to the critical point of 28 weeks (now 29) and the baby and she are doing well. I will continue to pray that she makes it as long as she can. Fingers crossed.
I am excited for Christmas. I am almost finished but still have a few last minute things to do. I have to get a few more gifts for Samantha and Dave, and of course the stocking stuffers. The girls will go with their dad on Sunday so I can finish everything then.
I feel like a little kid. I can't wait for Santa to come and to hand out my gifts as well. It is my favorite part. The girls are so excited. They are the magic of Christmas.
We love our puppy Emmitt more every day, if that's even possible. He loves the snow so much and will spend hours outside rolling in it and running like a crazy person. Some days I think it would be easier to throw him in the bathtub to melt all of the snow balls attached to every hair on his body than to use a towel to dry him off.
Have a wonderful weekend and a very Merry Christmas!!!!

The 20 Days of Christmas: Twenty Moms A' Stressin'.............

How the heck did that happen? Seriously, I have not bought ANYTHING for the girls yet for Christmas. I am so far behind. Actually, I haven't bought anything for anyone. Can you say stress? Oh well. I will get it done as I do every year.

We went to get our Christmas tree on Saturday and I love it! We went to a local tree farm and searched for the perfect tree. Naturally, the perfect tree was at the furthermost point away from the main house and it was about 10 degrees with the wind blowing. Just a bit cold. But, by God, we were not going to sacrifice the ultimate tree because of a little chilly weather.

We took all three kids and Emmitt and struck out. I love finding a tree and cutting it down. There was a small shoe box of a building that had hot cider and Christmas tree decorations for sale. It was nice and toasty and a great place to warm up a bit.

We took the tree home and decorated it while listening to Christmas music. I love this tradition. The girls love all their ornaments and then help me put up my stuff which is mostly country snowmen, Santas, and other fun stuff I accumulate each year.


Emmitt, our goldendoodle has been a freak in the snow. He is so funny. He barrels his face right through it and jumps around trying to catch it. He is already five months old and the BEST thing we ever did. He is so amazing and I live coming home to his kisses and all his "talking". Life is good.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas........

Our work Christmas tree. Not a huge fan of blue, but it actually looks really nice in our entryway.

I have always loved Christmas but never more than the years I have celebrated it with the girls. They encompass everything that is wonderful about the holidays: the excitement, surprise, anticipation, mystery, love, and hope.

I began decorating the house last night by putting up greens and lights. We are planning to get our Christmas tree tomorrow and that is always our favorite thing to decorate. The girls have lots of ornaments that they have received every year from my mom and they love finding just the right spot for them. As they get older, the better the tree looks. When they were little all the ornaments would be all clumped together because they couldn't reach very high. It's always fun to listen to them reminiscing about ornaments past. "Hey Sam, remember this one?" and "Ohh...this is one from when I was a baby." and "Aww....isn't this cute?".

Hopefully we can get the outside decorated as well, weather cooperating.

Have a great weekend!

North Conway

This is the "Love Nest" and also where we spent our mini honeymoon. Since "Bob" loves Elvis, I thought this would be appropriate! We absolutely loved the room and will be visiting the Adventure Suites again.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Tying the Knot

I am officially an old married woman! Saturday was a magnificent day. The weather was a bit on the cold side but the sun was out in full force. We were married at my aunt's house on the water and it was beautiful. My cousin, Jessica, was my official wedding planner. She made our wedding cake, which was absolutely gorgeous and tasted amazing. In addition to creating a masterpiece, she also decorated the house in my favorite motif: fall. When I walked into the house I walked into my vision of a perfect fall scene. Throughout the open concept living room, dining room, and kitchen was visions of colorful oranges, reds, yellows, and burgundys. Lighted candles in small glass holders ran along the length of the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the water. There were pillars of cream colored candles with a burgundy satin ribbon wrapped around each one.

There were pictures of family members lost, who were with me in spirit. Seeing the pictures of my dad and my Uncle Lou brought the tears to the forefront! Having them "there" made the day even more special.

The girls looked so beautiful in their dresses. Samantha had her hair cut short and she is LOVING it. She looks so much more grown up. It's bittersweet for sure. She has always worn her hair long but she was ready for a change.

We hit North Conway for a few days and it was nice to get away! We stayed at the Adventure Suites in the "Love Nest". It was all about Elvis baby. The entire room was loaded with Elvis memorabilia from blue suede shoes, records and guitars affixed to the ceiling, to an Elvis shower curtain, beaded curtain to the bathroom, pillows, blankets, you name it! And as we walked into the room Elvis music was playing. it was great. All the rooms at the Adventure Suites are themed: The Jungle Room, The Love Shack, The Cave, Roman Spa, The Penthouse, .........Check it out.

Note to Self:

Drinking champagne at work is not productive.

My company had a small "wedding celebration" for Bob* and I today, complete with a champagne toast. We even had real wineglasses while everyone else had festive paper cups. Fall decor and all. And since the champagne was already poured and left over in these cups, I thought it was only right to finish it up so it didn't go to waste. I know, I know. I'm a company girl. Always taking one for the team.

I'm finally stabilizing and the screen in front of me is much more clear. Hope all those e-mails I sent out were OK???? Hmm......

Off to bring Megan for a haircut and to pick up our wedding bands. Time is running out!

Going to the Chapel and Trying to Get Married

This is our ceremony for our upcoming nuptials on Saturday. I went to Staples last night and bought nice ivory "Program" paper. As the ceremony will be relatively short there really isn't a need for a program, per say, so I printed out the entire ceremony so my family can follow along and have a keepsake from our wedding. I have 25 printed out and ready to go. See, I can do some things ahead of time!

Deciding that today was the day to get our marriage license we headed down to City Hall on our lunch break. As all of you know, City Hall does not employ friendly, kind, happy people. Our visit was no exception. We inform the snarling woman that we need to get a marriage license and upon finding out we are both divorced, asks us for a certified divorce decree. A what? Well, we have the paperwork we received from the court stating in plain English that we are both divorced. Apparently, that means nothing. In order to get the license we need to get a certified divorce decree at the courthouse: my most favorite place on earth.

In the car and to the courthouse. By this point in life I should have a "speed pass" to go to the front of the line as they have had plenty of my business. Not the case. We wait at the Plexiglas window for at least 10 minutes waiting for a sign of life. There is no bell to ding so we keep knocking on the counter. A woman peeks her head around the corner of her cube and informs us that someone will be right with us. Well, why the hell can't YOU help me? So we wait and huff and sigh and finally we get some help. I think her name must be Mrs. Slowski. We give her our docket numbers and she comes back five minutes later with our files. She puts them on the desk in front of her and Bob* and I look at each other and start laughing. One folder is perhaps 1/4 inch thick and the other folder is at least 4 inches thick. Hmmm......I wonder which one could be mine. The woman looks at us and asks "So whose is whose?" Yup..........I'm a good customer. Naturally, there is a fee to get these very important documents and they are never sent out with divorce papers. Bastards. So a divorced person is never really aware of this existing document until they are in these situations. Gotta love the system.

Back to City Hall. Do we HAVE to? I don't like Cruella. We fill out more paperwork and I offer up my first born and lo and behold, we have a marriage license.

Now, we pick up our wedding bands. Hopefully without incident.

The Final Countdown

In five days at this time I will be a married woman. No longer will I bear the burden of carrying my ex-husbands last name. Yea me. Though it will be a change for the girls to get used to me having a different last name than them. Megan doesn't like my soon-to-be married name (it sounds funny....gotta love her honesty) but I am happy to have it...BELIEVE me. The less I am associated with Mike the better. Hopefully the girls will feel that way at some point too.

So, five days. I'm thinking that we should perhaps get our marriage license. Might not be a bad idea. Also, maybe pick up our wedding bands. Again, not a bad idea. I'd hate to be too prepared so I am trying to save as much as I can until the last minute. I think I am doing a pretty fine job! Thankfully we can get the marriage license on the spot.....no more waiting period, or for those of you who are much older, blood tests. Really, what purpose did the blood test serve? If it was to test for diseases well, at that point most people are s.o.l..

Anyway....some people in my family went to get started on some of the decorating for the wedding this past weekend. Personally, I didn't go so I will be surprised when I show up Saturday. SURPRISE! I mean really, who doesn't love a good surprise? Well, imagine my surprise when I found out our JP doesn't have a standard ceremony to go by for Saturday. Apparently, it's up to Bob* and I to provide the ceremony to him. HUH? What the hell happens when you go to City Hall to get married? Do you have to bring your own ceremony to that too? Craziness. So I wrote our ceremony today and it should take about 30 seconds, perhaps a minute if we stretch it out into long silences. That way we can eat and get the hell out of town. Just kidding....naturally. I did, in fact, write the ceremony and it will be short but nice. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Have a great night.

Double Digits

Samantha officially turns 10 tomorrow. Double digits is going to be the start of an entire new chapter for us and I think I might be scared. Actually, I know I'm scared. Nothing that a lot of Valium can't fix I'm sure! I have to admit I enjoy the fact that the girls are getting older and more self sufficient. I do miss them being little too, though. Both have advantages and disadvantages. I guess this is a good segue into a question I'm sure I'll be getting a lot...."Are you going to have any more kids?" Well, actually, HELL NO. My baby days are over. Now that we have five people in my family, there is simply no more space to expand. And I really have no desire to start over. I've been tired for the last 10 years and I'd like to start catching up on some sleep in this century. I really can't wait until the kids are so lazy and want to sleep until 11:00 am. I'll be slumbering right along with them. I have turned into more of a night owl and I really hate getting up early in the morning. As those of you who have children know, you're up at the ass crack of dawn each day. Not so much fun. And just because it's a weekend? Yeah, doesn't mean you're going to get any more sleep than every other day of the week. Bummer for sure.

So, we celebrated Samantha's birthday on Saturday with family and a few of her friends. It was mellow and nice. She wanted an "underwater" theme so that's what we did. Now, for the past 4 years I have been making their cakes to go along with their party theme. And I have to say that they have come out fairly good. I've done dog bones for a Clifford party, a purse for a "Fashion" party, the Wildcat paw print for Megan's High School Musical party, and I figured, how hard can it be to make a dolphin cake? I can whip that out in no time. Thankfully, my fiance, (we'll call him "Bob") is artistic and creative so he carved out the shape and I decorated it. I found out that I do not take after my cousin, Jessica, or my friend, "the crazy cake lady". How the hell do you frost the cake and not get all those million tiny bits of cake mixed into the frosting? I have to admit it aggravates the hell out of me. I guess when you use Betty Crocker frosting and a kitchen knife, the results are somehow not as professional as someone who has the right tools. Go figure. But it came out cute none-the-less.

First Reconciliation

Last week Samantha started her classes for her First Reconciliation, known to us regular folk as getting ready for her first confession. Did we ever have to go to classes for that? How come there are all these new rules? Really.....how many sins can a child have? This is a SIX week class, once a week for an hour. Now if it was Megan, I know she'd need the full six weeks. Actually, she's the more cooperative one. I guess I just don't see the need for so much preparation. Simply sit down with the priest, tell him you have major attitude, don't listen to me, slam the door, (which will be coming right off the hinges should it slam once more...), have major attitude (did I mention that already?), say your Our Fathers and Hail Mary's and call it a day.

Oh and did I mention that all parents are encouraged to participate in confession at the same time as their children. The kids all sit down face to face with the priest so it's more "comfortable". Like HELL do I want to do that. I want to hide behind my screen in the confessional. It has been along time, actually, since I went to confession so it may do me good. I should have someone come get Samantha at the church because I know I'll have a lot of penance to do. 'Well, Father, I tell a lot of white lies to keep the peace and I get great joy out of the fact that Mike is miserable, a cheater, has to pay me more child support, and he can't have his daughters 50% of the time. I enjoy his misfortune." I mean, is that wrong to tell the priest? Cause that's what he's going to hear. Oh well. Maybe I'll choose a priest I don't know and go fess up to him. Whatever. I'm prepared to do my time.

And then tomorrow night I have parent/teacher conferences with Mike. There is a half hour gap between Megan's conference and Samantha's conference. Just shoot me now. I'll go hang out in the bathroom and read.

So, for all of those who are going to read this blog, out of respect for my fiance and his son, they are going to not be a part of this. They would prefer to stay nameless and "out of the picture" so to speak. So, though I love them both, I am only going to talk about myself and the girls. Which is fine because I love talking about us.

Jack-O-Lanterns

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. Though I have to admit that having to break out the ice scraper this morning sucked. Aside from that I love to see the leaves changing colors, the "fall" smells, and the air is so cool and refreshing. It's the time of fairs, apple picking, pumpkins, and the impending holidays. I love lighting candles at night and getting comfy on the couch with a book and a warm blanket. If I only had the time to do it, all would be great!

We went to a pumpkin party at a friends house this past weekend. The girls each brought a pumpkin to carve and decorate. For those of you who know my children, it will be very easy to figure out which pumpkin belongs to which girl. Samantha is my serious one and was the first one to start carving and the last one to finish. It took her over an hour. Note to self: bring smaller pumpkins next year. Now Megan's take on life is "the flashier and more glitzy, the better". So in addition to carving, she painted her pumpkin too with bright colors and the word "princess". And it took her half the time it took Samantha. It's amazing how two children can be related and yet so different.

Running out of time!

As we all feel, the is a MAJOR shortage of time in every day. We are in the midst of building a bedroom in the basement of our house. Not only is the room not finished, it's not yet been taped and mudded. Kind of a necessity to move things along. Our friend who was suppose to mud it for us has blown us off for the past week leaving us no choice but to do it ourselves. Should be a fun time. Seriously what the hell do I know about mudding? Thankfully my fiance has built the room so far and has done an amazing job and he has a clue.

So once we get that done, we have to sand, skim coat it, and sand again. Then begins the fun job of painting. I have to admit that I enjoy it so that's no problem. Then we need to lay the carpeting. Maybe buying a bed would be a nice idea as it will be used as a bedroom.

So that leaves us a few days. Then there is the whole other issue of him packing his apartment and moving. Which would be fine if we didn't have 2 birthday party celebrations that will consume most of Saturday and he has to put in 8 hours at work at some point Saturday and/or Sunday. Ha. How's that working out? We shall see.........

Life.......

OK. As I enjoy reading everyone else's blogs I'm going to try one of my own. I love keeping up-to-date on what is going on with everyone so here's your chance to keep up with me.

In a nutshell here's my life at the moment. Samantha is turning 10 in a few weeks and I'm in denial. Where the hell have the last 10 years gone? It's crazy that she'll be in double digits and going into the middle school next year. Megan is 8 and in third grade. Again, when did that happen? I must remember to pay better attention as the years fly by. I am definitely not ready for the teenage years and they are fast approaching. Samantha has the attitude to prove it! Did we start with attitude this young? I'm sure we didn't. Must be the new generation.

I bought a house in April and we are loving it. We have many new additions to our ever growing family. I am getting married next month (Nov. 17) to my boyfriend of 2 years and am quite excited! Five people living in a small ranch will be tight. So let's go ahead and add a puppy to the mix! We brought Emmitt home 4 weeks ago. He is a 4 month old goldendoodle (half golden retriever and half poodle). He is amazing and we love him to pieces. He is into everything, has a major shoe fetish, and loves tissues. In fact, he just threw up in the backseat of my car a few hours ago. It wasn't food that he puked. Nope it was the fluff from inside his squeaky guitar I bought him last night and which he destroyed in a matter of minutes. Note to self: no more fuzzy squeaky toys. They're bad news. And even more of a mess regurgitated. No thank you.