Where does it go

Here it is the last day of 2008. Does time fly or what?
But first, a recap on our weekend.
Yesterday Craig did some end of year stuff.
Paid the last retail commissions for the year, and added up our business gas mileage for reimbursement. And between paperwork and laundry,
he boiled down the last two Turkey carcases for broth.
And also any left over veggies from the last couple of months. He ends up with this wonderful thick tasty broth. We don't make
soup out of it since we're not much of soup eaters, so he freezes it in pint containers for later use. He'll use the broth to make rice,
mashed potatoes, and pasta, substituting

broth for water. Very yummy! I did a little cleaning around the house,and played on the puter. For dinner

we had Panko Crusted Pork Cutlets,

with Fried Potatoes, and Sauteed Ginger

Honey Carrots. I don't know why I

didn't get a pic of the pork.

But back to 2008.

It's true when the say the older you get

the faster the time flys.

We've been in this Salon now for 11 years.

It seemed like we owned the last

one forever, and that was only 12 years.

We've been in our house now 23 years.

And together for 32 years.

And where did it all go?

And it seemed like yesterday, we were

waiting for 2000 and everything to grind to a halt. That was the biggest non event ever.

But I have to say I'm very grateful for my health, Craig, and everything we have. It's been a tough year, but we've weathered it fairly well. And much better than a lot of others.

I'm hoping everyone who has stopped by in our lives and on this blog, have a safe New Years Eve, and a happy prosperous 2009.

And now I need to clear the driveway of more snow, and get to work!

Monday post

A good morning to you all!
We had a mini heat wave over the weekend. Got up to 55 on Saturday. Didn't last long, but did melt a lot of the snow. So of course, we are now under a flood watch. But our house is safe. We have no basement, and are on higher ground. We should be in the mid 30's for the rest of the week. Finally some fairly normal temps after 2 months of unusual cold.
And on to our Sunday,
We went to Meijer's for some supplies. It was a very windy day. Wind gusts to 45. Anyway, we're walking back to the car, and we notice a shopping cart was behind the car. Turns out it hit the back of the car. Actually put a dent in it. Well, that set Craig off. He was pissed! He parks his car way out in the lot, just so he doesn't get some ass hole hitting his car when they open their door. So here, way out in the lot, a cart hits his car. And I say, well, it's done, and there's nothing we can do about it, but he's still pissed.
Now you have to understand Craig and cars. They are his babies. If he had the storage space and the money, he'd still have every car he ever owned. Hitting his car is like hitting him. Even though the dent is the size of a nickle, and you can't even hardly tell, it doesn't matter.
When I'm web surfing, looking at motor homes we'll never be able to afford, and say "Craig, come look at this one". He'll look and then say, "show me the tail lights". We're looking at $200.000.00 motor homes, and he needs to like the tail lights? But that's Craig. The outer looks are more important than how it runs. But I'm straying off topic here. He spent the rest of the day in a foul mood, so I stayed away from him and let him do his paper work and laundry, and I played on the puter.
Oh, he did make a delicious Hot Italian Sausage Pie for dinner. He likes to cook when he's upset!

my new Tracfone

I recently did a small upgrade to my cell phone.

I've had a Tracfone now for about 5 years.

And the reason for the upgrade, was the

antenna was about to break off, and the

newer phones have the antenna built in.

What I like about Tracfone is there is no

monthly fee, no taxes, and no contract.

You buy the phone and buy the minutes as you need them.

It's a perfect fit for me because I don't

use it much at all. I have it because it's

nice to always be able to be connected

if you need to. And it has come in very handy at times.

And with the Tracfone, I can buy a

1 year card that gives me 450 minutes

for $99. And if I do it on-line,

I can get a bonus 200 more minutes for a total of 650!

That's only a little over $8 a month! And I've never used that many, so they keep rolling over. I now have over 1700 minutes. But you can add minutes during the year if you needed to.

The new phone isn't fancy, no camera

or Internet. But I don't need it for that. But I do like the slim sleekness of it. And it was only $20. And since Tracfone doesn't have it's own towers, I've never, not been able to get a signal.

And I know this sounds like an infomercial, but if something works good and doesn't cost a lot, I like to share that. I can't believe how much some people spend for their phone service!

funny friday

OMG! I can't believe I forgot it was Friday! Thanks for the heads up! Well, that's what the holidays will do to you. So here we go...........

Have a great weekend!

quick post and a coke rewards update!

Just a quick post this morning before I rush off to work. We had a very nice quiet day yesterday, and of course way too much food. Craig cooked a Turkey with White Castle Stuffing, (yummy!) and a new Scalloped Potato dish that had Alfredo Sauce in it (delicious!) And also steamed Broccoli, and of course for desert, the Pineapple pecan Creme Pie! ) UMF! I'm stuffed! We rented a tape, that new Indiana Jones Movie. Don't waste your time. Barely enjoyable. He should have quit after the last one.
And an update!
We hit our target for our new printer! Got enough Coke rewards Points! Thanks for everyone who sent me their codes! But don't stop now! If you still get codes you don't want/need, please send them my way. They are always changing what you can get with them, and maybe we'll see something else we want. And thanks again!
Now off to work!

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christrmas Eve

Here it is Christmas Eve.
I had a very busy day at the Salon. And since Craig is fixing dinner, (hamburgers and oven fries) I thought I'd update my day. Got up at my usual 5 am, and did my usual surfing and went out to clean the driveway. We had gotten another 3 inches of that f#$king white stuff. And as I went out, I discovered a large black object in the driveway. It was our mailbox! We live on a road that has a 45 mile per hour speed limit. And the snow plows go by at such a fast speed, they literally blow the mailbox off the post! So I pushed it into the snow bank, hoping we'd still get mail, which we did! And after we got home this afternoon. I fixed it.
Looking forward to tomorrow when we don't do anything!
Hoping all my readers have a wonderful holiday.

Wayne and Craig

YUK!

Here I am snow blowing the driveway. You can see from the pics how much snow we've gotten already this year. I think I've used the snowblower more this year then all of last year! And it's only December!

Craig took these pics from the kitchen window in the comfort of the house.

And it's still snowing, so I'll have to do this again after work tomorrow.

It's gonna be a l-o-n-g winter.

Maybe I'll run away and go to Palm Springs.

Tuesday

Made it to Muskegon and back. Had a nice visit with Mom. Muskegon has been buried with snow. Being next to Lake Michigan, it gets a lot of 'lake effect' snow. Must have been nearly a foot just on the car from the last storm. And mountains in the parking lots. They're running out of space to put it! The roads were messy, since it pretty much kept snowing constantly. But I was very careful, made it there and back without mishap. I heard on the news we're having the coldest December on record. Lucky us! And it's not just us. It seems much of the country has been caught in an early winter grip. And we're expecting more snow today and tomorrow.
But anyway, we'll take it easy today, We have a busy day, Christmas Eve, at the Salon. Then a nice quiet Christmas Day, (with Turkey and White Castle stuffing) and back to work for Friday, and Saturday.
Later!

Lazy Sunday

Good morning!
I've just returned form cleaning the Salon. We got another 2 inches of snow over night and expecting more today. Yesterday after work, we went to Craig's Niece's home in Haslett, about 20 miles east of here, for Craig's family Christmas.
It's mainly a snacking party,
So we chose to take Cheese Curds .
If you've never had them, your in for a treat!
We took 3 kinds. Regular, Cajun, and Garlic-dill.
You can't just eat one!
Today we'll make a few more cookies
and fudge for the Salon Christmas table.
And tomorrow, I go to Muskegon to see my Mom.
Oh, and I know you want to see how much snow we have so I've included a pic of the back yard. The bench and bird baths will give you a clue.
At least today is the first day of winter!
I'm sooo over this stuff already!

A Salon Christmas

Well, yesterday was a total washout at the Salon. With a winter storm warning, and blowing snow,(a total of about 9 inches) we got cancellation after cancellation. Spent all day there for 3 customers. Of course, the last customer never cancels nor does the first. So in between, I did some cleaning, watching the blizzard, and read magazines.
And as promised, here's a few pics of
our Salon, decorated for Christmas.
And if you look closely,
you'll even see me!

Of course, you can click
the pics for a better view.

funny friday

This 'fall' has been a cold snowy one, and it's continuing, we're under a winter storm warning. Up to 6 f#*>ing inches of that f#*>ing stuff is forecast. And it's not even 'winter' yet! 'Sigh'

But anyway, on with our ff.........

Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother,
"Why is the bride dressed in white?""
The mother replied,
"Because white is the color of happiness, and today is the happiest day of her life."
The child thought about this for a moment then said,
"So why is the groom wearing black?"

Have a great weekend!

ps, Salon Christmas pics tomorrow!

Cookies and Fudge

Good morning!
Yesterday was a very productive

cookie day. Made the second batch of

pressed cookies. (You need to click on

the pic to appreciate the colors)
Craig made his Cashew Fudge,

and I successfully made those Peanut

Butter Cookies.

But instead of Chocolate Stars,

I had to put in Chocolate Kisses.

Instead of going to the Meijers by

work, we went to the one on the north

side of town, and they were all out of stars!

I hate when that happens! But I needed to go to

Sam's Club for more Minoxidil.

(Yes, I'm follicle challenged!)
And we don't have a Sam's on our side of town,

and I wasn't driving back there just for some

stupid chocolates, so Kisses would have to do.

And I can make another batch next weekend.

We set up the table one week before Christmas.

And with Christmas on a Thursday, we'll

set up the table tomorrow. So that'll give me another

weekend to bake if we need to. But usually

lot's of customers bring things too, so as usual,

we''ll have more than enough.

And that mini heat wave was just that,

a one day teaser. It's now 16 out this

morning, and we got about 3 inches

of snow yesterday. I have to be at work

early, so Craig will use the snow blower

and clear the driveway before he comes

to work.

Oh, and for dinner we had Teriyaki Chicken,

with Marinated Roasted Asparagus,

and Pan Fried Potatoes. Delicious!
Well time to hit the shower and go!

And thanks for all the Coke Reward Codes!

Keep em coming!

Cookie time!

So here I am baking cookies!
After buying all the ingredients,
(cookie supplies add up!)
I started putting things together.
First up was a new recipe,
A peanut butter cookie with a
chocolate star pressed in the center.
The first pic shows one batch cooling,
and me putting stars on the second batch.
Don't they look yummy?
Well don't get excited, they were nasty!
I got the recipe from a friend,
but they sure didn't taste right!
So frustrated that I wasted all that time for nothing,
I moved on to a yearly favorite,
Pressed Cookies. I've made these every year since
I inherited an old cookie press from my grandmother.
And she passed on in 1974! So I've gotten real
good with these. Made one batch yesterday,
and I'll do another today. Aren't they too cute?
And then I moved on to Tea Cakes.
A light melt in your mouth treat! (click on the pics!)
So I didn't get as much done yesterday as I
had hoped, but that's why I start early.
I did go online and found the probable cause
for the nasty Peanut Butter Cookies.
The recipes I found on line were cooked at a higher temp.
I'll give it another try today, if we have time.
Craig still needs to make his famous Cashew Fudge.
The customers rave about it. He uses Cashew Butter instead of Peanut Butter.
Hopefully, more pics tomorrow!

Monday post

First I want to thank everyone who's been sending me their Coke Rewards codes. We are getting closer to our goal. Keep them coming!
And yesterday, we had a mini heat wave. Got all the way up to 43! Went out, picked up fallen branches, and ran the mo-ho generator. We're suppose to do it every couple of months for some reason. Craig put new license plate tabs on the cars. They're all in his name first, so they renew on his birthday, which is in early Jan.
I then put together a shopping list of ingredients I need to buy for the Christmas cookies We'll be baking today. We set up a table in the Salon the week before Christmas, and everyone, (even customers) bring in goodies. It's a week long food fest!
And speaking of food, for dinner we had Broiled Pork Cutlets with Au gratin Potatoes and Broccoli with Cheese Sauce. Yummy!
Pics of the cookies tomorrow!

busy week so far

It's been another busy week at the Salon. And on Thursday, my brother Bruce and his wife Lori, drove over from the Grand Rapids area. (about an hour west of Lansing) Lori had e-mailed me for a little hair care advice. When I found out how much she was spending on getting her hair cut and colored, I told her I could get her the stuff to do herself and save a bundle! So she came to the Salon, and we looked over the color swatches and decided to color it then ,so she could get a better idea of what shade she might like. And while I was at it, I also gave her a trim. She seemed really pleased with the results, and I sent them home with some supplies to get her through the holidays. It was fun to see them. I was hoping to do lunch with them also, but ran out of time.
On Friday evening after work we were invited to a holiday party at the Harem , a fairly new nightclub in downtown Lansing. Since we don't go out much, we thought it would be fun. (or at least I did. Getting Craig to go out is like pulling teeth!)
They advertise themselves as an 'urban lounge'. It was very nice with the exposed brick and lots of wood and iron. Here's a few pics I got from their website. Was going to take my camera, but thought that would be tacky.




It was a great party! Free drinks and delicious appetizers! And even though Craig felt totally out of his element, I think he enjoyed it too.
Well, then I wake up this morning and remember it's only Saturday, and I've got to go to work. Ugh! Oh well, just one more day, and then my 3 day weekend. Yaa!

funny friday

For this edition of f............. Some of the worlds truths.........

1. You cannot touch all your teeth with your tongue.
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2. All idiots, after reading the first truth, will try it.
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3. And discover that The first truth is a lie.
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4. You're smiling now because you're an idiot.
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5. You soon will forward this to another idiot.
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6. There's still a stupid smile on your face.
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I apologize about this .
I'm an idiot and I needed company ...

Have a great weekend!

weekend in review

First, thanks for all the Coke Reward codes! And keep them coming! Second, it has been a good weekend. Didn't do much, but did get some housework done, and Craig fixed his usual delicious meals. First up his Turkey rice Casserole.
We used some of our left over Turkey,
and he layers rice, Turkey, onions, mushrooms,
cheese, and gravy. Yummy!
And next is a casserole with rice,
Hot Italian Turkey Sausage, assorted vegies,
topped with cheese.


I did have a little problem yesterday.

My puter got infected! And bad!
But with the help of a half dozen programs,
got it all cleaned up and running
smoothly again. Please make sure you
keep your antivirus program up to date!
And do your periodic scans.

Of course, if I didn't surf so much,
I'd probably have been okay,
but you never know about some of these sites!
Now it's off to work for another busy week!

Proposition 8

My nephew Chris, (pictured with his wife and daughter), who is currently living in England,
has written a response to California's prop 8 defeat.
His article was accepted and published
by Associated Content.
You can read it here.

Congratulations Chris! We need more open minded thinkers like you.

Coke Rewards

Okay, I'm gonna ask for some help. Now it's real easy. We drink Diet Coke, and the Coke people have been running a game with their bottle tops. Inside each top is a code. You go to their web site and accumulate points for prizes! We need only 177 more points for an ink jet printer (a total of about 1760 points!). We have 1583. Mine is like 10 years old. I really need a new one! So, if any of my readers drink Coke and do not use the codes, please e-mail them to me!
And for more info about the program, click coke.
And THANKS!

brrrrrrrr still....

Good morning from frigid Mid Michigan. And I mean COLD!
It was 15 out this morning as I went to clean the Salon. The high today is suppose to reach all the way to 16! Our normal high should be about 37. We're stuck in a severe cold pattern. So you know what that means,
I'll be in front of the puter most of
today playing. And my current selection
is a game called Spore.
This is a very addictive game.
You start out as a single cell creature,
and evolve. And depending on how you
do that, it changes how you develop.
But for those interested, you can
find everything about it here.
But I've added a few screen
shots to entice you.

And compared to other blogs I've read this morning, this is pretty boring. But that's how life is sometimes. And sometimes, that's good.

brrrrrrrrr, funny friday

It's a frickin 17 out this morning brrrrr. And more frickin snow!
But it's been busy at work, that is good. I'm even working later today and tomorrow than usual. And for dinner tonight, we're having Barbecued Pork Sandwiches from the leftover Pork and Sauerkraut dinner from last Sunday. Yummy!
And now, for this weeks ff........

A legal question:

Is this statutory rape??? Or is it just a moosedemeanor...?
hahaaahaaaaaheeeheeeehahaaaheeheeeeee!!!!!

I thought that was funny.

Have a great weekend!

snowblowing 101

I received a comment yesterday asking if a snow blower was like a leaf blower only more powerful. I was like, what? But I then thought, if your born and raised in a warmer climate, you really wouldn't know what a snow blower was. So I thought I'd post a couple of pics for you southern readers. A snow blower removes snow by scraping it up and throwing it out the discharge chute. The chute is adjustable to different directions, so you can throw the snow where you want it. I suppose it should be called a snow thrower, since it really doesn't 'blow' the snow.

So there you have it. Just one more piece of equipment you need up here in the north. Unless you have a small driveway, and prefer to just shovel it.

And after clearing the driveway again yesterday, I did some house cleaning and and fixed Panko Chicken. But this time I mixed some Cajun spice with it. Yum! Nice and spicy! With it we had broccoli and cheese sauce, and gravy boiled rice. (yep! you boil the rice in gravy and water)

Don't ask me where Craig comes up with some of these ideas, but most of the time, they're great!

Now I'm off to work!

Yep! It's Tuesday

Yep! It's Tuesday, and a snowy one at that! We ended up with only about 4 inches of snow instead of the 8-9 they forecast. Which is fine with me. We shouldn't have any snow this early in the season. And of course, I know you want to see some pics of it!

These are in the back yard. It was a wet snow, so it clings to everything. It is pretty to look at, except I'll be doing that for 6 months! Oh well.
This next pic is the mo-ho tucked into it's parking space next to the garage.

I had people asking where we stored it. Since we don't live in a neighborhood, we don't have the zoning restrictions, like a lot of places do.
I did get the snow blower out and did the driveway, and as I finished and turned it off, the lever snapped off. So I'll have to haul it in somewhere to get it fixed. It's always something!
Other than cleaning the driveway and taking these pics, yesterday was a lazy day. Did nothing else except play on the puter. Today may be more of the same. It's hard for me to get motivated with this weather.
Oh, and Craig made Pork and Sauerkraut for dinner with Potatoes and Carrots.
That's all for now!