Nook

Nook.  Kindle.  Nook.  Kindle.  I am obsessed!  I don't know which one to choose.  I am sure either one would be great.  I talked to someone today and the consensus was that I should go with the one whose name I like the best.  Nook.  I like that word.  Nookie.  Nook & Cranny.  It's a fun word!  I'm thinking that the Nook just might edge out the Kindle.

Working at the courthouse there is never a lack of fun or at least interesting.  Yesterday there was a sting operation set up in the driveway.  Probation officers, police officers, and sheriffs were stopping people as they were driving in and asking them for a driver's license.  There were a ton of empty cars lined up waiting to be picked up for impound.  So here's the deal.  Every last Wednesday evening of the month is the MADD DUI class.  So the hundreds of people who chose to drink and drive (and get caught) come to the courthouse for a mandatory class.  So when you get convicted of a DUI you automatically get your license suspended for at least 30 days.  In my simple mind, I get the fact that if my license were suspended, I should NOT be driving.  Didn't seem to cross the minds of a whole bunch of people going to the class.  Everyone who was driving got their car towed!  Love it!  You have no idea how fun it is to watch what happens to stupid people!  Gave me great pleasure.  So let's see...they drove drunk, got pulled over, had car impounded.  Went to court, signed up for drunk class, got pulled over, and got car impounded!  That's a pretty darn expensive venture.  Makes a taxi ride home seem pretty cheap at that point!  Moral of the story?  Don't Drink and Drive.

I am on a quest to find out what this Pinterest thing is all about.  Guess I am out of the loop.  I will be back with a report on that as soon as I can! Happy Friday!♥

s-h-i-t (so-happy-it's-thursday)!

Not much going on this week @ the House of Guadagni.  Zoe is an absolute nightmare this morning.  She is jumping in the air at molecules and all sorts of weird things.  I got up this morning and went into the kitchen to get a glass of oj.  In my sleepy state of mind, I left the cupboard open when I got a glass.  Next thing I heard was a big crash and I saw a flash.  The flash was Zoe running at lightning speed!  The little dickens thought she needed to put herself in the cupboard to see what was up there.  There was obviously no room for her and she fell out bringing items with her!  Luckily the glasses were still there so the sounds I heard were the plastic cups etc hitting the counter and then the floor.
Time to leave for work...and leaving Zoe to wreak a little more havoc on her own. ♥

Welcome to Buddy

First day back to work after a few days off is a tough one! 

It was a day filled with sad news.  My friend's husband passed away last night and another friend's mom had a massive stroke on Christmas. I am praying for my friend's mom and her family as they go through this difficult time.  And my prayers are with my friend and her children as they continue their lives without a husband/father.  Real tough times on this earth.

In the midst of sadness, there is also good.  My dear friend Rhonda adopted a 7 year old Golden Retriever at the Escondido Humane Society. Buddy needed a forever home and he found one with the Haynes!  I have not yet met Buddy but I have heard that he is a real sweet and loving dog!  I can't wait to see him.
Here he is...


Buddy Haynes



Levi and Eric Jr., with their new friend, Buddy

My heart is happy every time I hear that an animal got adopted from the shelter.  Thank you, Rhonda! ♥

The Day After

I'm exhausted.  This thing called Christmas wore me out!  So thankful that today was a holiday for me.  I really needed it.  My day consisted of a massage at Massage Envy, eating at Red Robin, and looking at the Nook at Barnes and Noble.  Kindle v Nook.  I go from one side to the other.  My solution for now is to buy nothing at all.  The massage was great but I fell asleep and I hate it when I do that!
I just watched an hour of Intervention.  I can only take one hour and I'm done.  To sit and watch episode after episode would just destroy me.  You can't understand the power of addiction until you have been around an addict and seen it firsthand.  It's overwhelming for me to watch the agony of both the addict and the family.  Heavy duty stuff right there.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  Headed for 2012...already! ♥

Christmas 2011

I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas! 
It's been a busy couple of days around here.  Yesterday on our way to San Diego we stopped at my friend Jeanette's house.  Her Christmas Eve was already in full swing.  The family was assembling tamales - I wanted to stay and partake but we had to get going.  The appetizers were especially delicious as was the frozen cranberry margarita. 
Moving on...we then went to Luigi's parent's house for the Christmas Eve thing.  They only eat seafood on Christmas Eve.  Things like octopus and squid and clams.  Ug.  However, my mother-in-law was kind and did make a little bit of Fettuccini Alfredo and I was all for that!  And that is the only thing that I ate.    It was nice...the parts I could understand.  They speak a lot of Italian and I just zone out.  I am not complaining as if I wanted to do something about it, I could learn how to speak it.  But I'm not going to.  Will just keep zoning - that's cool!  There were 6 of us - Us of course and then his parents and his brother, Benny, and his wife, Alison.

Today was Christmas here at home.  I slept in.  Needed that so much.  After that I made a couple of pumpkin pies and then prepped for Christmas dinner.  Mom and Dad arrived about 2.  The food was great...ate way too much.  We deep-fried a turkey like we did on Thanksgiving.  We paid so much $ for the peanut oil that we thought we should use it again.  It lasts about 4 months I think...
After we ate we went to Rancho Penasquitos to see Christmas Card Lane.  It's so cute - people have huge "greeting cards" in their yards and lots of lights and other decor.  My favorite was 101 Dalmatians.  So darn cute!  A lot of people went the religious route which was nice too.
Roxie wore her Christmas shirt that says "Dear Santa: The Cat Did It"!  I love that!  She enjoyed opening up her presents.  She got 2 animal squeaky toys, a ball, and a mega bag of Denta Stix.  Happy camper.
As for me...I am sporting a cabinet full of brand new dishes!  Thank you mom and dad.  I love them!  I got Fiestaware in different colors so I have lime, peacock, tangerine, and marigold.  I have not had new dishes since the early 90s so I was due.  Several times I have gone into the kitchen and peeked in the cupboard just to look!
Tomorrow...I'm thinking that sleeping in sounds pretty good at this point.  I have a massage scheduled for 11:30.  Can't wait.  Then maybe to see a movie?  Not sure.
And last night I had a dream that I was Mrs Claus...hmmm - she's got a lot going on!
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. ♥

The Tree

Again, I have fallen behind in blogging.  I think about it during the day and often say to self..."I have to put that on the Blog".  But then night comes and I get distracted and the days just fly by.  So I never did post a pic of the tree after it got decorated. So here it is.  The lights were a last-minute purchase.  Ran to WalMart that night...nothing.  Went across the street to Target and our choice was red or blue.  I seem to be missing a box of Christmas stuff.  In that box are my lights, more ornaments, tree skirt, and the angel for the top of the tree.  So as you can tell - there is no tree top this year.  There is actually an angel sitting up there that my aunt and cousin brought me @ Thanksgiving but you really can't see her.

Christmas Tree 2011

I can't keep up with this Blog so what do I do?  Start another one!  It's a cooking/food Blog - will be posting some delicious stuff on there!  Please check it out and tell others about it.  I would like to get a lot of "hits" on there!  The address is www.foodwithjules.blogspot.com Thanks for checking it out!

Christmas is almost here.  I am barely ready.  Tomorrow will be a super busty day.  Church in the morning...hey, I just said "busty"!  Oops.  Every day for me is a busty day but what I meant to say is BUSY!  In the afternoon we will be dropping by my friend Jeanette's house.  And then to visit her mom, Esther, in the nursing home in Carlsbad.  Then it's off to Spring Valley to the in-law's house.  A lot of Italians just do fish on Christmas Eve.  So it will be a fishy kind of night.  Fish Eyes!  Uh, yeah, for those who know me well, you know I don't do most fish.  I am all for a piece of halibut or swordfish on the grill but the other stuff?  No! And I really don't like the smell.  But I am going to be a good little soldier.  Just not a fish-eating soldier!

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! ♥



Under the non-existent Mistletoe!



Tree Time

December 12...13 days until Christmas and guess what?  Jules finally got a tree!  I have been a bit of a bah humbug since moving out of the house.  I love Christmas and everything that goes with it but I just haven't been able to really do much about it.  We moved to that apartment in Escondido and I hated that place and there was no room for a tree anyway.  Then we moved here and things have not gotten much better.  Last year was the worst.  I was depressed the whole season.  So this year I finally decided that I can feel sorry for myself or I can do something about the sad attitude and at least get a tree and make it look festive and smell even better.  And this tree smells incredible!  It's a Douglas Fir.  Tonight it is airing out and opening up and by Wednesday (first day I will have time) it will be ready for decoration.  I've got pine needles everywhere but I don't even care.  That's why I own a vacuum and a broom.  I will leave them until I decorate.  Yep, being messy and careless! 
Zoe LOVES the tree.  She is absolutely positive that we bought it for her.  She is smelling it and batting at the branches and of course, sitting under it.  Here are the "before" pics and Wednesday I will post the "after" pics.  You will see Zoe there on the left.  She is amazed at this "thing" in her living room!  I am very, very scared about Zoe and the ornaments.  It will be fun! ♥

Sick!

I could swear I just got over pneumonia a couple of months ago.  That was the first time I had been sick like that in a very long time.  Now...sick again.  This one is actually more painful than the pneumonia.  When I cough, my throat and chest feel like death!  Oh well - I'm sure it's nothing close to death.  I probably picked it up while I was sitting in the nasty, germ-infested ER the other night waiting for Dad's BP to drop so he could go home.  That was a long night.  The little kid who kept poking me in the back with her chili picante corn nut covered fingers to the homeless guy with the urine stench that I will smell forever, to the woman with the bleached blonde hair in the bright pink Ed Hardy sweat suit...she kept leaping out of her wheelchair and running to the trashcan to puke.  And puke some more.  It was a whole lot of fun.  Not.
I watched Pan Am from Sunday night.  I L - O - V - E that show.  How glamorous back in the 60s to be a "Stewardess".  White gloves and all.  My how times have changed.  I was bummed when they announced it will be on hiatus until January 8.  I have 3 fave shows this season and I can't decide which is my most favorite.  Pan Am, Revenge, and Person of Interest.  All great shows.
I know I said I would post Thanksgiving photos.  I haven't forgotten - just got delayed.  Back to bed for me...the cough syrup with codeine is kicking in...
Good night Blog followers. ♥

Welcome to December

Happy December.  My favorite month of the year!  I will be back this weekend to catch up with Thanksgiving news and the pics.
I have deemed December to be a special month for me.  I have decided to do something special for someone each day this month.  I probably won't talk about what I do but I will post my progress.  They say if you do a kind act for someone and then talk about it, it kind of takes away from it.  Doesn't mean I will never tell though.  There are some people that you just HAVE to share your day with!
As far as December 1...good deed accomplished and the recipient was very surprised, happy, and thankful! ♥