Monochromatic Monday: Celebration, Florida 11/30/09

Welcome to Monochromatic Monday... Join Aileni on Monochrome Weekly and link your post here.

This is the pool area in our part of the community. I thought it still looked so pretty even at end of November.

Until next time..... Lorie

Christmas Joke of the Day #3

Office Holiday Memo

To: All Employees

From: Management

Subject: Office conduct during the Christmas season

Effective immediately, employees should keep in mind the following guidelines in compliance with FROLIC (the Federal Revelry Office and Leisure Industry Council).

1. Running aluminum foil through the paper shredder to make tinsel is discouraged.
2. Playing Jingle Bells on the push-button phone is forbidden (it runs up an incredible long distance bill)
3. Work requests are not to be filed under "Bah humbug."
4. Company cars are not to be used to go over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house.
5. All fruitcake is to be eaten BEFORE July 25.
6. Egg nog will NOT be dispensed in vending machines.

In spite of all this, the staff is encouraged to have a Happy Holiday.

From: http://www.xmas-jokes.com/jokes/office-holiday-memo.html

My Name Necklace Review

A couple of months ago, I was lucky, and very happy, to win a beautiful sterling silver necklace custom made with my name from My Name Necklace. It arrived in a very lovely box with a beautiful gold bow. When I opened the box the necklace inside was presented in such a nice way, you could read my name very easily, and I am very happy to report that it was spelled correctly... YIPPEE!

Then I put it on.... it fell right into place, just like it was supposed to, so that anyone looking at it could read what it said. Look how nice it looks against a black shirt. It also looks great right against the skin and feels nice and smooth against your skin because there are no rough edges to stab or scratch you.

I really love the necklace because it is so hard to find things with my name correctly spelled.

If you are looking for a really nice gift for someone this holiday season, I suggest going over to My Name Necklace and take a look around, there are several different styles to chose from that I am sure you can find something to satisfy even the most persnickety person on your list. Plus, they offer free standard shipping anywhere in the world (please allow 18 days for crafting and delivery).

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

Until next time..... Lorie (with an "e" at the end)

{I received NO compensation for this review. As mentioned in the post, I won a necklace from My Name Necklace, however the opinions in this post are strictly mine alone. ~ My complete disclosure policy is at the bottom of my blog.}

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ November 30, 2009

Peggy began this meme The Simple Woman's Daybook in her words:

"Would you like to linger on the simple things...then join me and many others in taking a little look into the day plans and thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity...beauty of the 'everyday moments'."


FOR TODAY ~ November 30, 2009 ~ from Lorie's Daybook

Outside my window ~ Sun is going down, weather is warm, about 74 degrees.

I am thinking ~ I have GOT to get the Christmas presents wrapped because Alexander & Rachel are coming on Friday for 2 weeks, then I have my surgery.

I am thankful for ~ the fact that Alexander & Rachel are coming down on Friday!!

I am wearing ~ brown capri linen slacks and pink & brown Capn. Jack Sparrow t-shirt, and of course: NO SHOES!

I am remembering ~ how much I really missed having my boys here for Thanksgiving, and the look on Alexander's face when he made a turkey for me the last time he was here and I took his photograph because it came out PERFECT!

I am going ~ grocery shopping tomorrow morning, and to a parade and awards ceremony for the 124th National Guard Infantry on Saturday at our Veteran's Memorial and Founder's Park.

I am currently reading ~ Permission Slips by Sherri Shepherd

I am hoping ~ Alexander & Rachel's drive down here is safe and uneventful.

On my mind ~ the President's speech tomorrow, and what he plans to do about the troops (my oldest son, Nikolaus, included) in Afghanistan.

From the learning rooms ~ all I can about cervical spine fusion surgery.

Noticing that ~ I have too much laundry and gifts to wrap before Friday... AGH!!

Pondering these words ~ "What can I do?" Spoken to me by my wonderful friend, Beth R. as soon as she heard I was having neck surgery.

From the kitchen ~ A new chicken recipe that is made with tomatoes, red wine, balsamic vinegar, and garlic butter... it was delicious!! Plus it was OK for Bill to eat, even with his liver disease and his gall bladder gone... YEAH! :-)

Around the house ~ gotta put the Thanksgiving decorations away and the Christmas ones up, as soon as the slave Alexander gets here.

One of my favorite things ~ learning more and more about photography and playing with color and lighting.

From my picture journal ~ Our grandson "Little Man" from the other night, out to dinner with his parents. They texted this photo to us. I wish he wasn't so far away... I miss them all SO much. Isn't he a doll?

Make sure you link up your post with Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook, and visit the other participants blogs. Have a great week.....


Until next time..... Lorie

If This Doesn't Make You Smile.... You're Dead!

Here is something I thought was just so adorable I just HAD to share it with you.

It made my heart smile..... Enjoy:

Until next time..... Lorie

Your Blog is Fabulous Award!!

A wonderful woman and friend named Noelle over at Jumpin Beans has so surprisingly given me the Your Blog is Fabulous Award. I am so very grateful to her because I am so amazed by Noelle because of what she is accomplishing. Noelle is the mother of a sweet little baby boy named Braxton, and a very proud Army wife to a young man named Marc who right now is deployed and will not be home for Christmas. However, she still manages to blog about how wonderful her life with her family and friends is and how blessed she is to be married to the love of her life. I am very thankful that she considers my blog fabulous and me a friend.... I feel the same about her. Please go over to Jumpin Beans and look around, you will see what I mean.

Now on to the "rule" of the award..... I am supposed to list my top five obsessions; then pass the award on to five other blogs that I find FABULOUS (boy, only 5, that's gonna be hard!). Well, here goes.... My top five obsessions:

~ My family

~ My puppy, Nano

~ Photography

~ Blogging (DUH)

~ Chocolate (mmmmm)

Now, to pass this on to five other bloggers..... There are lots of bloggers I think are fabulous that I have given awards to before, I would like to pass this one on to some new ones I have discovered:

~ It's Serious This Time

~ Confessions from Household Six

~ Mrs. Marine and the Tiny Troops

~ Telling Dad

~ Yummy Mummy on a Pink Park Bench

Please check out all the blogs that I've passed the award on to, they are fabulous in there own ways. They are very special and unique, and have touched my life in wondrous ways. Thank you again Noelle, and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday your family celebrates.

Until next time..... Lorie

Christmas Joke of the Day #2

The highlight of our zoo trip was a peacock showing off its plumage. My four-year-old son was particularly taken with it. That evening, he couldn't wait to tell his father: "Dad, guess what! I saw a Christmas tree come out of a chicken!"

Submitted to Reader's Digest by Carol Howard, Avon, Indiana

Self Portrait Sunday: Halloween Preparation 11/29/09

To find out why Maria began Self Portrait Sunday, see here.

This is a photo of me putting together the 200 Halloween baggies for the kiddos in the neighborhood. I know I never did my Halloween post... I had such pain after all the decorating and the getting ready for the holiday, I just never got around to the post. I figured that now it's too late... so I'll probably just use the photos for some of my memes. BTW, of the 200 baggies I put together, we handed out 181... believe it or not, we actually STILL have some candy left over...

Don't forget to head on over to Maria's Space to see her gorgeous photos, link up your post, and visit the other participants.



Until next time..... Lorie

Stealing Sunday: Tell Me About Yourself 11/29/09

Welcome back to Sunday Stealing. Sunday Stealing originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser:

"Here we will steal all types of memes from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent memes. You may have heard of the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we also have our rules. First, we always credit the blog that we stole it from and we will “fess up” to the blog owner where we stole the meme. We also provide a link to the victim's post. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") We do sometimes edit the original meme, usually to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, sometimes to select that meme's best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from either this new meme or recently asked questions from a prior featured meme. Let's go!"

Today we ripped this meme off a blogger named Vicki at the blog Fleurette. She states that she found it at Deborah's Devil's Sidekick blog. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!

Cheers to all us thieves!

Sunday Stealing: The Tell Me About Yourself Meme

1. When is your birthday? In 8 days - on December 7th..... WooHoo!!

2. Where were you born? Waterbury, Connecticut

3. Where do you live now? Celebration, Florida

4. What is your heritage? Irish, German, Swedish, and a smidge of Native American, English & French (I'm a mutt, but aren't all of us Americans?)

5. Tell us about a weakness. I lack confidence in myself, and I am scared of EVERYTHING...

6. What's a goal that you'd like to achieve? Selling our house, and moving to the new community we just visited.

7. What is the most overused internet phrase? LOL - drives me nuts!

8. What was your first thought this morning? I have SO much to do... I have to get the laundry done and Colby's Christmas presents wrapped because, Alex and Rachel are coming at the end of this week and when they are gone, I am having my neck surgery then I will be totally useless... OMG... I will never have time to finish everything - we don't even have the decorations up... Oh, hell, I'm just gonna blog today!! I have conversations with myself like this EVERY day - that's one of the reasons I am medicated. :-)

9. When do you usually go to bed? I'm usually IN bed by 10:30, but I don't turn off my laptop until 2AM in the morning.

10. Do you smoke? If not, did you ever? One or two clove cigarettes a day - bad habit, I know, it relaxes me when I have panic attacks.

11. Do you like your current relationship status? Married to the MOST wonderful man in the world, and nobody can argue with me about that (except maybe Jen from Eighty MPH Mom).

12. Do you (or did you) get along with your parents? I kinda did when I was the same religion as them (my dad was an emotional abuser), but when I left their religion, they decided I was no longer worthy... so they cut me off. My dad has since passed away, and my mom doesn't have anything to do with me.

13. How often do you drink alcohol? Not very often because of all the medication I am on for my disability. If I go to our local Irish pub, I'll have a Guinness, or occasionally I'll have a glass of wine, and every once in a while, I will have a vodka martini with 3 olives.

14. Have you ever tried drugs (that weren't prescribed)? No, but I am still young - just kidding. With my meds, who knows what the hell might happen???

15. Have you ever gone skinny dipping? If yes, do tell. Yes... but it was just me and The Hubs in a private area. No public displays, sorry, no juicy details.

16. If given the choice, how would you like to die? Quietly in my sleep with no pain - lots of morphine.

17. What did you want to be when you grew up? A surgical scrub nurse, and I was on that path until I got hurt.

18. Have you ever been dumped? I really didn't have that many boyfriends (because of the religion thing), so I don't think so... I really don't remember.

19. What's on your pizza? Stuffed crust, extra cheese (I LOVE cheese), black olives, Italian sausage. Or I do a white pizza with just cheese, garlic, basil and fresh tomatoes - I can actually make a pretty good white pizza.

20. Have you ever shoplifted? No, not on purpose... I did get home from the store once, and found that the cashier had put a $9.99 t-shirt in my bag by mistake (I think someone had changed their mind about it), but it was a 30 minute drive from my home, and since it wasn't my fault, I did not return it.

That's it for Sunday Stealing for this week.

Until next time..... Lorie

The Dating Profiles Meme: Go Fish 11/29/09

This is a new meme begun last Friday, and I forgot to do it this, actually last week, because it is so new.... oops.... so here is my post, just a little late....

Welcome to The Dating Profiles Meme . This meme is based on a feature fromWTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. This is a bit different than an "answer this question" meme. Either you have used sites such as Match.com or Yahoo Personals or you’ve read them. Weekly, we scour those on-line dating sites to respond either a person's profile or often their headlines as most of us would really like to do. We use only "lines" that are gender-neutral. So, your mission is to respond to ten we choose each week. Seriously or with humor is your choice! The spelling or grammar errors were in the original profiles. Join us each and every Friday!



The Dating Memes Profiles: Go Fish

1. Like to go fishing. Not really interested in hunting anymore. I'm guessing that's because you packed on about 50 pounds of beer belly and can;t run around the woods chasing animals, but can sit in a boat drinking???

2. When describing my best traits, I kind of sound like I'm describing a puppy. Don't need another one of those to clean up after, I already have the cutest one in the world... and you can even vote for him.... {Shameless plug, sorry, but I can't help it}

http://www.hhofdogcontest.com/dogs/nano-bytes-shewbridge-nov-25-1

3. I'm not an alcoholic or anything, but I do enjoy high proof beverages. Do you get that from Exxon or do you prefer Texaco?

4. I seriously have a radar for freaks so stay clear because I won’t respond. So do I ..... so you will NOT be hearing from me..... WEIRDO!!

5. With the exception of living out my dreams of spending my life on the shoreline, there is absolutely nothing I lack. Except modesty, tact, self-respect, common decency... need I go on.... {Ego-maniac!!}

6. Sight unseen, trust me when I say this. On a scale of 1-10, I am an absolute 10! Yeah, I bet your mommy told you that!! Does she let you go out on school nights? Or do you have to be in by 10 PM, too??? PAH-LEEZZE!

7. I can be so intense sometimes I even scare myself. You know, they make medication for that... Can I suggest a psychiatrist? Mine has worked wonders for me....

8. I want someone funny but not a spaz. Well, I am a spaz... but I take lots of meds for it, so I guess I'm not for you... and you are probably not that funny anyway.

9. Well, the truth is, I'm a nerd who's looking for another nerd to spend happy hours doing nerd-like things together. I had my fill of nerds in high school, now I'm looking for a real man, who wants to take me to exotic & exciting places, so Bye-Bye!!

10. I'm looking for a long term sizzle rather than jet-lagged flash. I don't even have a CLUE what that means.... so just keep on looking!!!

That's it for this week on The Dating Profiles Meme. Don't forget to leave a comment or link when you have posted. Feel free to stop back and visit other player’s posts. Have a great week. Join us for Sunday Stealing. See you next Friday, hopefully, I'll remember and be on time.... :-)

Until next time..... Lorie

My First Birthday Present

My wonderful sister-in-law, Judie has sent me my first birthday present (my birthday is Dec. 7th). She is always the first one to remember and send me a gift. She sent me a beautiful pair of sterling silver earrings with a Celtic scroll work design. We are both from Irish descent and are very proud of our heritage, so she knew how much I would love these.

So, thank you SO much, Judie, you are always so wonderful to me, and welcomed me into your family with open arms 15 years ago and made me feel so special. I love you and am glad you are my sister and also my friend!!

Christmas Joke of the Day #1

On Christmas Eve, my nine year old son, David, put out milk and cookies for Santa, plus and extra treat - a beer. The next morning, David cam tearing into our room. "Santa came!" he shouted. Holding up the half-full bottle of beer, he said, "See? There really IS a Santa, because Dad would have drunk the whole thing!"

..... Contributed to Reader's Digest by Karen Bellamy

Saturday 9: Leaving on a Jet Plane

This meme was begun by Crazy Sam, here are her words:

"Welcome to Saturday: 9 . What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!"

Saturday 9: Leaving on a Jet Plane

1. When was the last time you jetted away for the holidays? Last Christmas (2008), we went to Texas to see Bill's son and DIL and our grandson for 10 days. It was a great visit... wish we could all get together again this year, but neither one of our finances will allow it.

2. What is your fondest birthday memory? Bill surprised me with a my very first cruise for my 30th birthday to the Caribbean - it was WONDERFUL!!

3. What names do you go by? Lorie, Mommy, Mom, Ma, Hon, Princess, Sweetie

4. What do you look forward to most in the next six weeks? My birthday (Dec. 7th), My son Alexander's visit, Christmas, and believe it or not, my neck surgery - hopefully it will take away some of my pain.

5. Where is your least favorite place to be, and why? Anywhere that it is COLD!! Or any place that I have to be alone.

6. Have you ever had a scary stalker type? Yes!

7. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Listening to Christmas caroles while wrapping presents. Watching "It's a Wonderful Life" on Christmas Eve.

8. What are two activities you do after eating Thanksgiving Dinner? Watch football; fall asleep (doesn't everyone???).

9. What did your family do for Thanksgiving when you were a kid? Do you still do it? If not explain why. Nothing - I grew up in a religion that didn't celebrate Thanksgiving.

That's it for this weeks Saturday 9. Don't forget to link your post and visit the other participants. Have a wonderful week.


Until next time..... Lorie

You Can Say "Thanks" to Troops with Help of Xerox

Xerox is helping us show our support to the troops this holiday season by mailing cards to deployed troops overseas. All you have to do is pick out a card, add your name and message, and Xerox will do the rest.

What a wonderful thing to do for these brave men and women who are away from their families during this festive time of year. So, please, take a moment to head on over a make the day of one of our soldiers by sending them greetings from home and let them know that they are not forgotten and that they are appreciated. You never know, it might be my son who receives your card. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Until next time..... Lorie

Recipe for a Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

Recipe for the Perfect Thanksgiving Dinner
Prep time: 4 days, 10 minutes
Active Time: 25 minutes


2 tablespoons National Football League
2 each fire extinguisher (never can be too careful)
41 cups hard alcohol
Scant 1 tablespoon soda, coke or tonic (or forget it all together)
2 Spanx body slimmers, one for each thigh
1 muzzle for Uncle George
6 pounds unsalted butter (have extra on hand, just in case)
1 phone number to Butterball Turkey Hotline

Mix together bunch of hard-core football fans, with a ton of yelling, a little beer, chips & whatever is available in the fridge.


Make sure the cook is running around in a frenzy and … at some point, is elbow deep inside parts that are embarrassing even to a dead turkey.


Welcome throngs of people into the kitchen to offer tidbits of advice and quips about failed Thanksgiving dinners. Make sure to get extra advice about the gravy, this seems to be the area of expertise for so many people.


Eat, slurp and guzzle as much food as possible. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and don’t give it another thought because it’s worth every calorie.


Kidding aside, serve up your dinner with a generous helping of appreciation for the things we have and the love of our friends and family.
Happy Thanksgiving to our Relish! family and especially to our many military families.

I received this from Relish! - a wonderful company that helps busy women prepare menus and grocery lists for their families. I was lucky enough to win a years subscription to this fabulous site, and have been LOVING it so far. Check it out if you have a chance, and have a terrific holiday!!

Until next time..... Lorie

PHOTO COURTESY: Relish!

Cartoon of the Day: Happy Thanksgiving

May you all be happy, healthy and enjoy the company of loved ones!!

Until next time..... Lorie

Another Photo from Cute Overload

Here is another photo from one of my favorite websites Cute Overload. I'm pretty sure it is a baby hedgehog. It is just so cute, I had to share it:

Have a wonderful day..... Until next time..... Lorie