Happy New Year

As I am baking, yet again, a memory crept into the back of head of past New Year Eve's. While we were growing up there were always new Disney movies that came out into theaters around Christmas time. My parents would load all of us up including my cousins from Texas into the car and take us to a movie on New Year's Eve.

I can remember seeing Aladdin, Little Mermaid, and many others. We always went to the last show of the night and the new year would be upon us when the movie let out. I remember always looking forward to these movie nights. I also remember one of my cousin's walking into the wrong restroom by accident after the movie was over.

As we grew older the movies stopped. The last movie that I do remember seeing was 101 Dalmatians (the one with Glenn Close) with my sister and my mom. I was 16 when this movie came out and I was working at the theater and we got in for free.

Hubby and I are going over to my brother's house to celebrate. I hope everyone has a safe and happy night! Welcome to 2009!

No more drip!

The old kitchen faucet has been dripping since fall and it has just gotten worse since then. So we went out to Lowe's on Saturday night and bought a new faucet with a spray handle. It has been hubby's dream to have a spray handle. My parents even got him pipe wrenches for Christmas.

Here is our old sink faucet with some water
spicket that was never hooked up.

Here Jenni is trying to help hubby complete the task.

Ta da! Our brand new faucet and sprayer!

Hubby was surprised on how easy it was to change out the old handle and put in the new one. He said we should have done this years ago. Then he went off with his pipe wrenches to change out the shower head with the new one I had bought three years ago. Gee whiz! Who knew new tools could be so much fun!

Ten Years

It is hard to imagine but this is my 10th Christmas that I am celebrating with my husband. Six years while we were dating and four years as husband and wife. Who would have thought that 10 years ago we would be where we are today.

Finished

This is how I have spent four days of my winter break:

The only thing that I did not make on this platter were my mom's chocolate chip cookies because that is one thing that I cannot duplicate. I have even tried. Tony, Rosanne, and Laura have all told me when I made them that they were good, but they weren't mom's. Although mine will never compare to mom's!

Rosie helped me put all of the platters together last night, and I believe that my mom is delivering them today. I am just happy to have them out of the house.

Good news, bad news

So last week was a whirlwind of activity. My parents and Laura left for Houston on Monday and they came back Wednesday. After the tests that my dad had on Tuesday, it has been concluded that chemo is working and he will only need two more sessions. One here in South Bend at the beginning of the new year and the last session down in Houston at the end of January. Then he gets to take a "Chemo Vacation." Yahoo!

The bad news is that hubby was laid off from his job on Thursday. He went into work on Thursday afternoon where they told him at the beginning of his shift that they were laying him off along with 11 other people. They also mentioned that they would pay him for Thursday and that he could stay or go home. Gee that is a hard choice, stay or go home. He went home. They also told him that they would not fight him on unemployment. (Gee thanks a lot!) So we filed unemployment on Friday over the Internet. Now we just have to sit back and wait to find out what he will receive.

Cheap dinners

Do you feel like eating out but is money tight? I got an e-mail today from my coupon saving website advertising www.restaurant.com This site gives discounts on certain restaurants around your area.

So naturally I went exploring. I typed in my zip code and it brought up different restaurants around the area. I saw one that we like to eat at so I clicked on adding a certificate to my cart and then typed in a special promo for the season...SANTA. For a $25 certificate it was $10 but if you type in the code SANTA at the check out screen you get it for 80% off. So my $25 certificate was $2.

Nope that isn't a typo, it really was $2. The only catch is that I have to spend a minimum of $35 and they will also add a 15 % gratuity before the discount. But heck I got $25 for $2. But then again maybe I should be leery...but it is only $2. :)

The weird thing though is that I have to print out my certificate and my printer is low on ink...so guess what I am doing at work tomorrow before anyone gets there. I won't tell if you won't! :-)

Grrr...Circuit City

While I was wrapping gifts today, one of the Blu-Ray DVD's that I got my brother fell out of the paper sleeve. I then was joking to my husband that, "Hey we could watch this and put it back into the case and he would never know."

I opened up the case as I was saying this and low and behold it is missing a disc. It is a two disc set. We have the bonus features disc. The movie disc is missing.

So I called up Circuit City, but because I got it at the southside location (aka the one going out of business). They cannot do anything for me. I made the comment that so because of you I am out 20 some odd dollars. The dang employee says well not me. I then asked to speak to the manager and he too said the same thing. So I just hung up on the rude manager.

So I am ready to march on down to the store and just fling it through the doorway and walk away.

I am now refusing to do business with Circuit City. Grrr to them! So if anyone wants to see the bonus features of Pirates of the Caribbean in Blu-Ray...let me know.

You think that they starve

Yesterday morning I noticed that the cat food was empty. So I drag out the new bag we got last week and fill it up. Five minutes later this is what I had...

Keep in mind that only 20 minutes earlier they ate the can food that I fed them in the morning. They really are strange.

Well this stinks...

Hubby was told last Thursday that there would be a meeting at work before his shift on Monday. He thought it would be the same old crap that they tell everyone at every meeting.

He called tonight and I asked him what the meeting was about and he says I don't remember. WHAT! Then he said he really wasn't paying attention. Gee that's helpful.

Then he preceded to tell me that his last day of work is tonight and he doesn't go back in until next Monday. He will then proceed to work for four days and then be off until January 5.

So as much as I love to have him home and actually have a husband during the week; I would much rather him be at working making money. Gift buying just got a whole lot more tricky and interesting.

He did tell me however that he can file for unemployment for the days that he is not working. So tomorrow when he is home we are going to try to navigate the world of the unemployment website.

His company has told him that they will have orders to fill when they come back to work in January. We can only hope for the best. :)

Christmas Spirit

Well it only took a week to finally finish the tree, but I am happy to say that it is complete. Hubby has decided that we need more ornaments. I told him we can wait until after Christmas for clearance priced ornaments.

We are also hoping that the dang thing just doesn't topple over because one of the screws holding the tree up is stripped. So I need to find a good artificial tree stand. If anyone has a good one let me know where you got it.

I am planning to work on Christmas cards today and bake cookies. The cookies are going to the SMC local students who are studying for their finals this week. I am trying to be more active in service projects with the Alumnae Club. Plus baking is my passion, so all is good. Have a happy Sunday!

Free Soup

I came across this offer in a magazine I was reading a few weeks ago. If you text TLC to 467467, you will be prompted to give your name and mailing address. In two to four weeks you will have your coupon for a free can of Campbell's Select Harvest Soup. I got my coupon in the mail about a week ago. The only catch is that it is only available to the first 50,000 texts. But I doubt that has happened yet.

My sister thought I was crazy for wanting a free can of soup! I told her that every little bit helps! Enjoy your soup!

I wanna go here...

Doesn't this just look peaceful? It is located in the southeastern part of France. Just extremely breathtaking!

Lysol Please

I have had a student out since Monday. I received a note from the office on Monday stating that he was in the ER the previous night and was sick. That was it nothing else. Tuesday rolls around and the student is still sick.

Today (Wednesday) the student shows up and still looks horrible. He doesn't say anything to me. So I send everyone off to art and then they come back after 45 minutes and we do our spelling test. He barely makes it through the spelling test because he is all congested and coughing a nasty cough. At this point I am keeping my distance. When we begin our grammar lesson that is when he sneezes and apparently pukes on his desk.

The student next to him made a ewwww sound. I sent the sick student off to the bathroom while I took a paper towel and threw it over the desk and went on with my lesson. If I had made a huge commotion out of it, an entire class of 7 and 8 year-olds would be chaotic. So once recess rolled around (15 minutes later). I called down to the office and had the janitor sent down to my room.

She had already cleaned up and disinfected the bathroom. She then Lysoled everything in the vicinity in my classroom. I had her throw his papers and pencils away that were on top his desk. She sprayed that stuff everywhere and used Clorox wipes to wipe even more things down. I have a very clean room at the moment. At least I am hoping.

After that whole episode this morning I just felt icky the rest of the day. I was planning on going over to my parents tonight to eat. However I decided against it because I don't need to be carrying some flu bug to my dad. It really is the last thing he needs.

So a nice relaxing evening of not touching anything school related is in order. :)

Heat?

As if driving home in this lovely weather wasn't enough, I get home and I am cold. The only thing that I can think of is that hubby forgot to turn the heat back on. Sure enough he went off to work without turning the heat back on. So it was a lovely 64 degrees in my house.

He has gotten into the habit lately of turning off the heat before he takes a shower because he overheats. It has even gotten to the point to where he is opening the bathroom window when he takes a shower.

As much as I vent to him to just turn the heat down or close off the register vent, it still has not sunk in that I am a fan of heat!