Here it comes again!

Okay, I know I'm looking like a broken record here, but this is the coldest, snowiest November I can remember! And you can see from the forecast, it ain't gonna get no better! We are currently under a winter storm warning. They say we'll get 3 inches today, 4 tonight and another 1 tomorrow. Looks like I'll be getting the snow blower out for the first time this year. YUCK!
So today I'll stay inside, (I've already cleaned the Salon this morning) and clean house. It does need it. Craig will do his usual bookwork, and make a Swiss Steak dinner with mashed potatoes and marinated Asparagus.
And go ahead Ken, Mark, John, Phillip, Patti, Randy, Sis, and any other warm weather readers, go ahead and gloat over our weather misfortunes. I can take it!

What was I thinking!

On Thanksgiving Day morning, we had our coffee, read the paper, and looked through all the ads for the day after. Since we work on Fridays, we never get the chance to go our and shop the day after Thanksgiving. And usually, we never see anything worth getting up for that early for anyway. But I noticed in the Staples ad they were
selling a 8 gig flash drive, normally
$44.99 for only $12.99.
They also had blank DVDs ,
normally $26.99 for only $4.95.
And Staples was opening at 6 am.
I had to be to work at 7:30, so
I thought I'd swing by there
on my way to work and pick them up.
I got there Friday morning at 6:45.
The parking lot was jammed!
I thought they all must
be at the Walmart next door.
I walk in and the 6 checkout lanes snaked
half way back through the store!
This is a office supply store!
What were all these people buying?
Is ink jet paper the new Christmas must have?
I thought I'll never get out in time for
work with these lines, so I turned and left.
I mean the 2 items I wanted normally go on
sale for half price, So I'd only be saving about $20
on the 2. Definitely not worth standing in line for an hour.
And I'll probably find them on sale about that price
before Christmas with the way retailers are cutting prices this year anyway. Do any of you do this crazy Black Friday shopping?
I certainly won't again!

funny friday

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I did, I'm stuffed!
While the Turkey was cooking, and since I didn't want to watch the Lions (now 0-12) play, I went out and put away the deck furniture, and the grill and umbrella. Also got the rest of the leaves off the valleys on the roof. We are ready for winter.

Now it's back to work for me, so on with our ff.........





Why Some Men Have Dogs And Not Wives:


1. The later you are, the more excited your dogs are to see you.

2. Dogs don't notice if you call them by another dog's name.

3. Dogs like it if you leave a lot of things on the floor.

4. A dog's parents never visit.

5. You never have to wait for a dog; they're ready to go 24 hours a day.

6. Dogs find you amusing when you're drunk.

7. Dogs like to go hunting and fishing.

8. A dog will not wake you up at night to ask, If I died, would you get another dog??

9. If a dog has babies, you can put an ad in the paper and give them away.

10. A dog will let you put a studded collar on it without calling you a pervert.

11. If a dog smells another dog on you, they don't get mad. They just think it's interesting.


12. Dogs like to ride in the back of a pickup truck.



And last, but not least:



13. If a dog leaves, it won't take half of your stuff!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving

From Craig and I, Happy Thanksgiving!

yep! still cold

Good morning! Another snowy morning here. Only about an inch of snow on the ground. Made it to Muskegon and back. Roads got real messy as we got closer to Muskegon. Funny how they never send the plows out till way into the storm. It took a half hour to go 10 miles. They got around 2-3 inches. But we made it safe. Gave Mom a haircut, and took her out to Applebees for lunch, and then to the VFW for drinks. Had a nice visit. By the time we headed home, the snow had let up, and the roads were salted.
Today we'll probably take it easy, for tomorrow I've got a 12 hour day since we're off Thursday.
That's all I got for now!

road trip

We're having a mini heat wave this morning. Currently 32 out, but reaching a high of only 36. A storm front is heading our way. Should be an interesting drive to Muskegon. Expecting rain mixed with snow, possibly freezing at times. Accumulation of about 2-3 inches. But Craig is a careful driver, so we should be fine.
We did manage to get some stuff done yesterday. It did get up to 39 and was Sunny, so I bundled up and finished getting all the leaves up. Then Craig helped me clean out all the gutters. The long range forecast isn't looking pretty, so I decided I couldn't wait for a warmer day. It's not looking like we may get any more this year. It's been colder than normal, and looking to stay that way. Yuck! As if our winter isn't long enough! But the out side stuff is almost done. Just the grill and patio furniture to put away.
Well, it's time to hit the shower, get Craig up, and hit the road to Muskegon to see Mom.
Later!

It's cold!!!!

Hello again. Another bitter cold Sunday morning, 16 degrees out as I went to clean the Salon. Shooting for a high of 39. The warmest in over a week! But still about 10 degrees below normal. Oh well.
Yesterday, my last 2 appointments never showed up. I don't know how you can make an appt. and 2 days later for get it. Fortunately, this doesn't happen very often.
On the way home, Craig stopped at the local video store and rented a movie for the evening. It was Journey to the Center of the Earth. A mildly entertaining flick, but I wouldn't pay to see it in the theater. We also had home made Taco's. Yummy!
Oh, and our Michigan State Spartans got clobbered by Penn State, but we end the season 9-3. Still a good season and a new years day bowl game.
Today, we'll probably lay low and not do much of anything. Tomorrow, we go to Muskegon to see my Mom.
And that's all I got!
Later!

funny friday

A nasty cold snowy week here in Lansing. YUK!
but on to our ff.......


Little Nancy was in the garden filling in a hole when her neighbor peered over the fence. Interested in what the little girl was up to, he politely asked, "What are you up to there, Nancy?"
"My goldfish died," replied Nancy tearfully, without looking up, "and I've just buried him."
The neighbor was concerned, "That's an awfully big hole for a goldfish, isn't it?"
Nancy patted down the last heap of earth and then replied, "That's because he's inside your stupid cat."

Have a great weekend!

just saying

Another cold day, 25 out right now. Too damn cold for this time of year! But anyway, yesterday I bundled up (it only got to 31) and went out to clean up the area between the garage and fence where we park the mo-ho for the winter. Last year we waited until all the leaves were down and all the debris was cleaned up before we parked the mo-ho. And we left it plugged in all winter with sonic pest repelers plugged in. And we put mothballs around the tires . Well, we had no mice last year, so we're doing the same routine this year. So after I got the area all cleaned out, we parked the mo-ho. It fits like a glove the the space next to the garage. And its a good thing I did that yesterday, for it's frikkin snowing again this morning! It's too damn early for this crap! Winter is long enough as it is! What happened to global warming!
Anyway, For dinner we had Panko Chicken with Broiled Marinated Zucchini, and Mashed Potatoes and Gravy. And since we work late on Wed. and Thur., we also made some steamed Broccoli, Honey Ginger Carrots, and Asian Rice to go with our left over Panko Chicken and our Teriaki Chicken. So we have 2 meals ready to heat and eat.
We've also bought 3 frozen Turkeys so far. Right now they are so cheap, and we love Turkey! We'll have one for Thanksgiving, one for Christmas, and one in Feb.
Well, that's all I got for now, so it's off to work!

bla, bla, bla

It's a sunny morning here today. It's seems like days since we've had any sun. Still cold, currently 20 out. But the sun will make it feel warmer.
I did accomplish a couple of things yesterday. We use to have a big oak entertainment center. But when the 27 in TV died, we decided to upgrade to a 32" LCD TV. Well, it wouldn't fit in the entertainment center, so we got rid of that, and searched for a TV stand. It took a long time, and we never did find anything we liked. So we ended up using this

fake electric fire place that we use in the winter to warm the TV room without having to turn up the thermostat for the whole house. Then we needed to get a cabinet of some sort for all our DVDs and VHS tapes. We found this 2 door unit that fits perfectly.
We put window film on the top door to conceal the tapes. I think it looks pretty good. So yesterday, Craig and I sorted through all our movies deciding what to keep, and what to toss.

Then we made a new chicken dish. Teriaki Chicken.
It was so good, I'm sharing the easy recipe with you.

INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 skinless chicken thighs

DIRECTIONS
In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper.
Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.

Now we used split chicken breasts instead of thighs and it was Yummy!
That's all I got this morning! Later!

ummm Chili!

Good morning from a cold Mid Michigan.
Currently 29 outside. Yesterday we received
about an inch of the nasty white stuff.
And I'm showing you these pics
for the benefit of my southern readers
who I'm sure are delighting in seeing
me suffer.
And since it was sooo nasty out yesterday, I did absolutely
nothing. No housework, nothing. Spend the entire day playing
games on the puter.
Of course poor Craig did
bookwork, laundry, and fixed
another delicious meal.
Do you think I'm spoiled?
And here's a pic of our bread bowls filled with Chili.
This was great Chili! Craig used this seasoning called
Mr Hogg's. I don't remember
where he got it. But it made
the best Chili! It even claims
if you use it, you'll win or
place at every Chili cook off!
It is that good!
And the bread bowls were tasty too!
And he made enough to freeze,
so we can have it again.
Today looks to be about the same as
yesterday, so we'll see if I can get
motivated to do anything.
I'll let you know.......

Sunday post

Good morning from cold Michigan. Yep, it's currently 31 out and light flurries. (that means SNOW!) And as you can see from the forecast below, it's not looking to get better soon.

This is too damn cold for this time of year! I still have leaves to get up! But hopefully we'll still get some decent weather before winter settles in for good.
Cleaned the Salon this morning as usual on Sunday, then stopped at Panera's to pick up some bread bowls. Craig is making home made Chili today, (yummy!) and we'll serve it in the bread bowls. I was reading in the paper how many gift cards are never redeemed, and remembered I had gotten a Panera gift card for Christmas a couple of years ago, and put it somewhere. So I searched and finally found it. I went on-line to see if it was still good. Typed in the code and discovered I still had $13.56 on it, so we decided I better use it. So with the bread bowls I got a couple loafs of bread. One whole wheat, and one rye. The kid at the register rung it up, took my card, and said I owed 2 cents. I handed him a dollar, he rung that in for 98 cents change. I remembered I had a quarter in my pocket, and said he could take it out of that. He stood there, looking at the quarter, and the till. I could tell he was completely confused, so I quickly said, 'go ahead and take it out of the dollar'. The register told him 98 cents, and apparently he couldn't figure out 2 cents from 25 cents. How do these kids get through school? Anyway, I got 4 bread bowls and 2 loafs of bread for 2 cents! I better dig around and see if I have any more gift cards lying around!

funny friday

Why you never sleep on the beach!

Are these for real?

This looks like something I'd do!

Have a great weekeend!

snow

I took these pics Monday morning. Yuck!

Our first snow of the season.
I'm never ready for it.
But it is mid November,
and we can get snow.
But I'm still never ready.
I don't like winter. But I'm sure
most of you know that by now.
Fortunately, it was gone by Tuesday.
But It'll be back! Forecast has more coming
Friday. It's gonna be a long winter.
So on Tuesday, Craig and I put snow
tires on his PT Cruiser. We're just about
ready for winter. Just one more de-leafing,
once everything is finally down.
Put away lawn furniture, and the grill.

Craig also made his delicious tortilla casserole.

It's kinda like lasagna, but with tortillas instead of noodles.
Very tasty! That's one of the few things I like about winter.
Craig does some good cooking! Where as in the summer,
I'm grilling most meals outside, so it's a nice change.
Well, time to get ready for work, and 2 long days.
talk to you later.

Nov 11th

Just like it says......

life is short.

Today was a sad day. We went to a memorial service for a very good customer of mine, Nola, who died very unexpectedly.
I've known her and her family for years. Both of her daughters, Amy and Melissa, who are now married, Amy with 2 kids, were receptionist's in our last Salon (maybe 12 -15 years ago) while they were in high school. We went to Amy's wedding.
Nola went in for some relatively minor shoulder surgery. Well, like they always tell you, no surgery is with out risk. Complications developed, and her heart gave out. So all of a sudden at the age of 65, she's gone. I'll miss her.
I felt so much for the family, but there are no words to make things better. You just show up to let them know you care. And we did, like many others. The memorial was packed. Wall to wall people. I personally don't care for funerals or memorials, too much praying and song playing, but if it helps the family cope, then that's what you do.
So on this dreary, cold, snowy, November day, I hope the family can find some comfort.

week in review

Here it is, Sunday morning.and it's currently 36 degrees out. But we had a great week weather wise. Most of the week was in the low 70's instead of the normal 50's. So after work on Friday, I got out and got up the rest of the leaves. The trees have pretty much given them all up. So the yard is just about ready for our long winter. This weekend looks to be colder than normal, with the high only around 38 for the next couple of days. yuck! So after I clean the Salon this morning, we'll be spending the rest of the day indoors.
It was an interesting week at work. Many discussions about the election. I'm always careful about my opinions because I have a very diversified clientele. But Obama appears to excite a lot of people, and for good reasons as far as I'm concerned. But there's always a few fringe customers, such as one who came in and said, "well, he's in!" And I said "who's in". And she said, "the colored guy". She actually said she hated the guy! I said "how can you hate someone you don't even know"? She said "I can't stand him, I can't stand his name!" 'sigh' We've come so far in electing a black man as president, but we still have so much father to go as evident of Prop 8 in California. But if we can elect a man with the name of Barack Hussein Obama, then I believe everything is possible!

funny friday

I rear-ended a car this morning.
So, there we were alongside the road and slowly the other driver got out of his car.
You know how sometimes you just get soooo stressed and little things just seem funny?
Yeah, well I couldn't believe it....
he was a DWARF!!!
He stormed over to my car, looked up at me, and shouted, 'I AM NOT HAPPY!!!'
So, I looked down at him and said,
'Well, then which one are you?'

Have a great weekend!

ps.... no, I didn't really get in an accident. this is funny friday, remember?

Wednesday

Here it is, Wednesday. The election's over, (finally!) we have a new President, (on Jan.20th anyway) and we have made history. And why anyone would want that job is beyond me!
And with that said, on to the rest of my weekend. After voting and shopping, we came home, and Craig mowed up more leaves while I cut down the rest of the perennials in the front yard. We then dismantled the portable deck on the back patio and stored it. We've had wonderful weather for this time of year! Low 70's. So we're trying to get as much done out side as possible. And I think I'm farther along this year than ever. Just so much less to do in the Spring.
Well, that's all I got for today. Now it's back to work!

the election

Yep! Went to the polling place about 9:30 this morning. We've voted at the same precinct for 5 elections now, and I've never seen soooo many people! I'd say 2 times the turnout from the last election! You couldn't find a parking space!
And we vote in a very Republican district, but on the way to vote, I saw way more Obama signs than McCain signs. That just seemed weird! But maybe it's a sign of the times.
Hope everyone did get out and vote.
Tomorrow will be a new day in America!

VOTE!

Okay, I think that pretty much says it. So just do it!....................................

Monday, Monday

A good Monday morning to you. We finished another busy week at the Salon on Saturday. One of the good things about this business, is that it's fairly recession proof. People might cut back on eating out, or buying new clothes and such, but they still need their hair cut. Oh, we'll have some people delaying their cuts, or maybe coloring their own hair, but for the most part, we're not felling the downturn as much as other types of businesses.
Also on Saturday our Michigan State Spartans won a terrific game! They are now 8-2! With 2 tough games left.
On Sunday, I cut down the rest of the perennials in the back yard. Now there's just the front yard, and side yard to do. Craig did his usual bookwork, laundry, and made a delicious pot roast for dinner.
Today we take the mo-ho in for an oil change, (sorry John, I don't do car stuff) have a CD that's maturing and we need to move to another bank for a better rate, and go to Sam's Club for work supplies.
And tomorrow?
Only one thing on our list..........


Make sure you take the time to make your vote count!