TGIF....

****Edited by me after reading my first few comments....I do not have a tree up in my HOUSE....I meant putting a tree GRAPHIC in my journal!!!!! LMAO....even I am not that compulsive! LOL                               I feel strange puting a Christmas tree in here when we just got back from the beach! We took the MIL to St. Augustine this morning, and then on to the beach for a few pics. The sand was so white, and the water is beginning to get cold....not quite body numbing but cold enough. We started off at Cracker Barrel which was sooo good....I was freaking starving! We all got the "holiday sampler" which was just what it sounded like....a sampling of everything. I am still full! Tonight we are going to take the girls to the movies to see Wallace and Gromit, and I'm looking so forward to it. We have loved them since Betsy was small. This will be our "farewell" outing for the MIL, as she is leaving tomorrow morning. I have to say, we have had a great time with her and I will miss her when she leaves!

Oh yes....our trip to Disney. I think we all enjoyed it much more than Universal. It was another day of perfect weather, a bit warmer (low 80's) and sunnier but still pleasant. There was no humidity which helped a lot. The park was more crowded, but in the areas that we weren't really planning on going (for the younger kids). Thankfully, wee  one got over her fear of the rides and rode both Splash Mountain and....oh crud....I can't remember the name of the other roller coaster. It's right there next to splash....not space mountain....anyhoo, they had a ball on both of those rides. However she did say that the "Small World" ride creeped her out, and she wasn't crazy about the Pirates of the Caribbean either. I think because you feel sort of closed in (like the "other" ride that we shall not speak of). The lines weren't long at all....as a matter of fact, we walked right into the Pirates and were immediately seated on a boat. It was great. We did take the steam engine train around the park which was relaxing. As for souvenieers....Betsy got a P of the C shirt and a stuffed Simba, and Wee one got a Jack Skellington purse. They didn't ask for much....which was nice! The only bad part of the day was when they were all on Splash Mountain, and I decided to be sneaky and grab a hot dog....I was starving! So, I get one, and set myself up to watch them come downthe ride. I take a bite of the hot dog....and let me just say that "hot" is the operative word here....and it burns the top of my mouth so bad that I immediately get a blister that bursts, and I'm left with 7 remaining inches of hot processed meat that I can't enjoy.  Not to mention the $3.00 bag of salty chips. I did manage to drink the coke....although each mouthful was like gargling with hydrogen peroxide....the bubbles and the "sizzle"....ouch! Guess that will teach me to be a pig! Later on I tried a cup of pineapple sorbet which felt good and bad at the same time. Good when it cooled it down, and then bad as the acidic juice hit it. I tell ya, I can't win! LOL.

All in all I give Disney 4 ****'s. It was a great day. I'm glad we finally took the girls. They really enjoyed themselves. Even Betsy told me that she enjoyed spending the time with family. Awwwww. See? It really is the happiest place on earth!

My trip to Orlando. By Sherry B.

First off, I must say that my camera battery ran out of juice, which means I did not have as many pics of Disney as I wanted. Hopefully the girls caught more on their cameras. I won't know until they are developed....

We started out at Universal Studios. It was so nice....and so not crowded! The wait time for every attraction? 5 minutes tops. The day was partly cloudy which was just perfect....in the mid 70's. We began at the Shreck 4-D attraction which was so adorable! We sat in a movie theater type deal, with our funky glasses as the characters jumped off the screen. The seats moved along with the carriages, and when donkey sneezed, a mist of water covered our faces....it was hilarious!

After that is was off to the Back to the Future ride. Now, John has been talking about this forever....and we were all excited to go. We got right in and I should have known bad things were going to happen when they put you in the little "holding room" for your instructions. A 5X8 room with a locked door behind you and elevator doors in front. After a good five minutes in there, we were led to the car. It was the five of us, and two adult men and a little boy. We get in the car and as she locks us in, mumbles something about "is anyone claustrophobic?" I barely catch what she says when the lights go out and the horror begins....

The screen opens and the car starts jerking you around like a rag doll. You truly, TRULY feel like you are flying through space. I have wee one in front of me saying, "MOM GET ME OFF THIS THING!!!!" and me thinking, "Holy s**** I'm going to die." So, with the grace and elegance of oh, let's say a raving lunatic, I scream, "WILL SOMEONE PLEASE STOP THE RIDE???? PLEASE???? ANYONE????" I don't know who was more horrified....me or the guy in front of me who turns around with a look of "for the love of GOD, if you are going to puke lean over the side!" At this point my MIL is on one side of me laughing and yelling, Betsy is on the other side with her arms around me calmly saying, "It's okay mom, it will be over soon", and wee one in the front with her head between her knees. I don't know how long the ride was, as I spent my time with the palm of my hands pushing my eyeballs practically through my skull, repeating over and over the Lord's prayer. When it ended, the guy in front of me says, "Are you okay????" LOL....I mumbled that I was and shot out of the ride, through the door and into the fresh air. I didn't even wait for wee one! (Nice, huh?)

When we got out, John begrudgingly stepped over to me (at that point he did not want to be seen with the "crazy woman") and asked if I was okay. I told him I was, although I was shaking so bad I could barely walk. Wee one was clutching my hand so hard I lost feeling for a while. She said she cried a little, and then decided to cover her head. She said it worked....she also said that the little boy next to her yelled over, "this is fun, isn't it?!" to which she replied, "UH NOOOO!" lol. In any case....that was the last ride wee one and I went on that day. We spent our time checking out the shops and walking around while John, his mom and Betsy enjoyed the MIB ride, the Mummy, Earthquake, Twister, Jimmy Neutron....even ET! LOL....However, wee one did decide to try the Woody Woodpecker roller coaster after seeing the three year olds on it....she said it was fun and went on it three more times~!

We did see a few shows as well, which were not scary at all....Animal Planet Live was okay. Not what I thought it would be though. Two dog tricks, a few birds, and a monkey. They brought out a snake for a few minutes too. It was mostly a big commercial to get folks to watch Animal Planet. They had a big screen above the stage and kept showing clips from all the shows. Heck, I could watch that at home! We caught the Blues Brothers giving a concert on the street, which was great. They had the characters down pat! It was really good. Then we saw the Beetlejuice show. Now, I figured it would be cheezy....and it was....but it was so good! We all enjoyed that one. Very funny, entertaining....good music too! I have to say that Betsy thoroughly enjoyed this park. She and her dad had a great time together, riding the crazy rides and having a ton of fun. I guess it was a kind of "bonding moment" for them....which right there was well worth the admission price!

And so....that ended our day at Universal.

Sherry's Travel Ratings:

Universal Studios....**** stars
Time of year to go.... definately November. No crowds,
beautiful weather
Stay away from.... Back to the Future (for the love of all that is holy run as far and as fast as you can!)

(Since the MIL is pacing about, I suppose I should save the Disney tales for my next entry....until then!)

I'm baaaackkkkk....

(Erin....you forgot I was going on vacation???? LOL....)

We are back from two fast and furious days in Orlando. Day #1 at Universal Studios....day #2 at Disney Wold.

I am going to unload photos and unpack my suitcases....I'll update tomorrow!

My degree is from "Brady U"....

I was walking through the room this evening whilst dh was taking a test in business law. The question was on "caveat emptor". As I breezed by I said, "buyer beware....answer d". He looked at me and said, "How do you know that?" to which I replied, "Mike Brady....don't you remember that episode?" (Greg wants to put down his $100 on a car....) He rolled his eyes and chose that answer....which was correct, btw.

I was all ready to sit at my desk and write an entry....had my radio AOL set to Christmas music, wearing my favorite cozy pj's....when dh reminded me that he needed my talented fingers to type up his 5 freaking pages of homework and submit them for him. Sheesh! I typed it all up like the good little secretary that I am, and by the time I was finished, needed tylenol for the ache in my shoulders. Hence, no entry last night. I ended up sitting on the bed, watching Supernanny with wee one.

Right now dh is running around, finishing up a few chores around the house before we leave for the airport to pick up his mother. An entire week of, "Oh, it's so warm here. I could never live somewhere without the seasons. I know it's hard to shovel snow but I couldn't live  where it is warm all year long." Yes, I know that, yes I agree with that....but do you have to keep reminding me???? LOL. Actually, she is not a problem at all. She was never the "mother in law from hell". She has always respected our privacy and decisions. She is really, a very sweet woman.

I have all of my work done....the ironing is finished (praise God!), the wash is all caught up, the house is clean, the bedrooms are ready....I do have to run to the grocery store and pick up a few things, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow for that. We will be leaving for Orlando in a few days, and we are staying in a condo which means I can bring food. That will cut down on the $10 breakfasts! I want to get a few things to take along so that we aren't eating out the entire time. I also need to look up directions to the place. I'm not sure where it is exactly....probably would be a good idea to check that out!

I need to go through some mail and do some online banking before I can get ready to leave....so with that, I shall bid you adieu....enjoy the weekend!

A little of this and a little of that....

Notice how I just skip Thanksgiving and go directly into Christmas? I don't know what has gotten into me. My desktop is Thanksgiving, as well as my icon and wallpaper, but I can't help but feel all holly-jolly inside. AOL radio has their Christmas music stations up....but I'm disappointed with it. They have rock, r&b, eclectic....but not a traditional station. The closest I have found is the jazz holiday station. Maybe I'm just missing it. If I am....point it out to me! LOL....

I had to run errands this morning. I went to the bank, took out a small loan for gas, picked up Betsy's contacts, then went to Wal Mart. I had to get some material because Betsy is making an apron in sewing class, and wants to make it for ME. She told me to pick out whatever fabric I wanted (and I got to pay for it too! LOL....) I chose a plaid Christmas design with a solid red accent. It will be pretty. Let's see....I picked up only a few things that weren't on my list. A mini hot roller set for my hair (only $12.96) and some lip liner. Oh, and I did get some of those "space" bags where you put the comfort in , then vacuum suck the air out so that it's flat. I love those things! I should go on eBay to get a better deal though. Two for $12 is kinda ridiculous. Oh yeah, I did get new burners for my stove too. Ummmm, a shower curtain, four boxes of nasal spray (dh is a real snot....lmao) and razors. I'm sure there are a few more things, but I'm not sure what. Don't you hate it when you leave the store and you think you are forgetting something? I had a list, and I followed the list....but I still felt there was something I forgot. Oh well....

I then ran to my mom's to check out her new front door....beautiful stained glass btw....and her new pot bellied stove. Lookin good. Then we ran to my grandmother's for a minute so that mom could help her pay her tax bill....then it was back to my car to pick up some lunch and come home. I don't know what it was today, but I was craving a burger and a shake. Now I'm full....too full. I have 1/2 of a shake left and I can't finish it. I'll have to throw it away to hide the evidence....dh will tease me and the girls will whine that I didn't get them anything! LOL.

My mil will be flying in on Saturday afternoon. Sigh. I do enjoy visiting with her, but I'm not quite in the mood right now. Of course, I will be when she gets here, but I'm just a little on edge lately (thank you Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo). I've been a bit snippy with the family, and I feel like I'm going to jump out of my skin half the time. My privacy will be gone for a week....but for three of the days we will be in Orlando, so I suppose it won't be that bad. We are going to Universal Studios, which should be fun. We have never been there so anyone who can recommend a "can't miss" attraction, be sure to let me know!

Well, I'm off to wash some sheets and try out my space bags. I'm so excited! (and perhaps a bit pathetic as well?)

By popular demand....

Since so many have e-mailed and commented about the cornbread/hotdog muffins....I shall share the recipe. I would love to say that my culinary skills are such that I thought up the recipe all on my own, but alas, I found it on a cooking board one day whilst surfing. These are soooo good. My family loves them....and they are good warmed up in the microwave too!

Simply mix up one (or two, if you are really hungry!) Jiffy corn muffin mixes. Cut up two to four hot dogs, (depending on your love for pork products), and stir into the mixture. Bake according to package directions. Depending on how many hotdogs you use, you may have to leave them in for a minute or two longer. Refridgerate any leftovers. They are great with chili....obviously. I believe the person who originally posted the recipe said that she sent them with her child for lunch, however I have not done that. My girls like them straight from the oven....Enjoy!

Another haunting over....

And so another Halloween comes to a close. I have to say, it was a perfect evening for trick-or-treating. It was just slightly cool outside (I had on a zip up sweatshirt and shorts), with a lovely breeze. We started out at 6:15, and I was back in the house by 7:00! I just can't get over the fact that trick-or-treating down here is not a big deal. We had 3 people at our door. My mom had 3 people....she lives in a condominium complex with tons of kids. Of course, this does mean that by the end of the evening, people are throwing fistfulls of candy into wee one's bag, just to get rid of it! LOL....

Betsy did stay home and hand out the candy. I had wee one walk up to the door to try it out....just to see if Betsy would actually answer. She passed with flying colors! It was a very quiet night for her, sitting here at the computer, talking to her other friends who got stuck at home with candy duty.

Today is my favorite day....it's "undecorating" day! LOL....I will spend my time taking down and putting away the Halloween decorations. For me, it's kind of like the "lemon ice, palette cleansing" part of a fancy meal. I'll give the house a little breather before the Christmas decorating starts in a few weeks. I have a few turkeys I'll put up for Thanksgiving, but nothing too outlandish. When the girls were really little, I would have all of the undecorating done by midnight on Halloween! LOL.  I've settled down a bit since then....

Well, I'm off to flip calendars and put my jack-o-lanterns to rest for another year....