Miracles do happen

Ohhh I am so excited...


Okay let me start from the beginning. So I usually work New Years eve at a restaurant and then join Grumpy at the bar where he works. I don't mind working new years eve I mean why would I want to be home while Grumpy works right? So the other day I found out that Grumpy was going to be off this year and I was bummed because I was scheduled to work. So we said okay he'll just come up the restaurant and once I'll get off we decided what to do. We had 7 people scheduled for tomorrow and the daytime manager said last week she'd let me go early since it didn't look like there was going to be the need for 7 people.

Anyhow when I worked tonight I found out one of the 7 scheduled is not going to be there and we're down to 6 which means I wouldn't be getting out till 8 or later. So when I talked to my Scottish friend on the way home I was pretty ticked since it seemed things never worked the way I want them too. And then it happens - she offers to work my shift! I was like no I can't let you do this I am sure you have plans. She said no and she'd love to work for me. So I was like okay let me see what Grumpy wants to do. If he wants to go out then you can have my shift if not I'll work it.

Well Grumpy said he wouldn't mind going to the bar he used to work at, where we met so many years ago. So I called my friend back and she is taking my shift.

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I get to go out. I get to go on a date with my hubby. So as I am over joyous on the phone with her it hits me, shit I need clothes. It has been years that Grumpy and I got dressed up to go out. I don't know what to wear crap. Okay I may need to post some pictures here to get some second opinions. OMG I should probably wear make up and do something with my hair.....

Brunch

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Originally uploaded by dino0477.

Mhhh what a way to start the day. Fresh Gevalia coffee (espresso roast/raspberry chocolate mix) with my last black perl, petifour, lemon raspberry bar, raspberry brownie and capuccino brownie. That's what I call brunch thank you Jin for taking time out of the crazyness of your day to send me a surpise package with these goodies.

last nights drive to the movies

When I stepped out of the office yesterday afternoon this is what I saw.
I love sunsets more than I do sun rises even thou there was this one time when I watched the sun rise while sitting on a pier at Lake Michigan. The sun rose over the lake and the window of the skyline mirrored it. It looked awsome. My office is outside the airforce base so we get to see the planes a lot. I am still amazed - these where take with my cell. I was in such aw that I ended up driving to the wrong house. See I was supposed to get Grumpy's oldest niece to go to the movies. They moved to a new house a while ago - I had been there a few times but I was not thinking I guess. Or I just went the road that gave me a better shot at the sunset.

I love twilight. Its like a blanket that wraps around you.

... of shoping crazyness and goodbye's

Okay so I have never understood the people that bankrupt themselves for Christmas. I actually resent Christmas shopping these days because it is expected. It used to be you do it because you want to make SOMEONE ELSE happy. Now you have to, it is expected. I have for the last few years made it a tradition to collect all my change in a gigantic budweiser bottle and that is what I use for Christmas money. Grumpy agrees with this and has his own bottle of change. Obviously we never have enough change for huge gifts but that is the point this way we have to be creative about what we are giving and more importantly it comes from the heart not the wallet!
Here is all my change that I had dumped on a tray this was December 7th. Looks pretty good doesn't it. I had a lot less this year because the restaurant I am working at does not cash out our credit card tips every night - we get them in our paychecks once a week.
Well this is what it looks like when its all sorted. I had over $108 in coins and Grumpy had $40 something (he had to break into it a couple times this year since it was a bad year financially). But anyhow this is more then enough to work with.


Here are my Christmas eve pictures ;)

Here are Grumpy and Mac on Christmas eve. I still can't believe that Mac weights 146 pounds. Sassy weighs excactly 1/2 of that.

Isn't she the cutest baby every? Look at that face.


Well as always on the last Wednesday of the month I met the girls at Barnes and Noble yesterday. We wrote 20+ cards that I am going to send to soldiers overseas to cheer them up. It was also one of the girls's last meeting (3rd on the left).
She is going back home on Tuesday and while she is excited about going home, she seemed pretty sad about leaving. I have to say I am sad about seeing her go as well. She was one of my great au pairs that I will miss alot.

On a happy note: My buddy the squirl is back. He came to my window at work today to say hello but I didn't get my camera out in time.
You can see him in the branches towards the top. See him? No here let me get up and get closer.

Better? Do you see him now? He is a cutie and very friendly.

Well I better be off. We gave Grumpy's nieces each a movie ticket with a note that its good for one night at the AMC with us. The oldest one is cashing hers in tonight to go see Eragon. The movie looks interesting enough despite the bad reviews. I haven't read the book so I am sure I'll enjoy it. I have noticed the movies rarely do the books justice so I try not to read the book until after I see the movie. The only one where I thought they captured the book pretty well was Queen of the Damned.

I'll try to catch up with you all's blogs before the year is over I promise.

A Holiday Sweetbox from Jin

So if any of you paid attention to my comments in the last few days you probably caught on before I did that Jin had a little holiday surprise on its way to MOI. I didn't catch on to it until Thursday. So Friday I went to the office and sat in my car reading my book (Laurell Hamiltons Burned offerings from the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series) while waiting for the UPS guy. I had to bring a good book since the anticipation was killing me.And here is the box with a little message and all.
It included to holiday boxes filled with goodies and a little note to us from her and D. Since this cookie did not survive the trip it was the first one to go. OMG sooooo yummy. After hearing/reading the ingredients about the Black Pearl Truffle I figured Grumpy would like them more than I do I was wrong I love them. I am saving the Pfeffernuesse for tomorrow. I can't wait to try all the rest but its so hard to decide where to start. I think I am going to eat the raspberry brownies first. And then work my way to the ginger truffles ... .


I hope you all have a wonderfull holiday and Jin please take some time off and enjoy the season - no baking allowed unless its for relaxation purposes!!!!!!

Holiday surprise from Jin

Sorry to busy eating my surprise package from Jin. Will post more later.


OMG this is good gotta go ... need to eat all before Grumpy gets home ...

Whats in a kiss?

So I had some people requesting to be my friends on myspace and while goofing off looking at profiles I found this little test.

You're an Expert Kisser

You're a kissing pro, but it's all about quality and not quantity You've perfected your kissing technique and can knock anyone's socks off And you're adaptable, giving each partner what they crave When it comes down to it, your kisses are truly unforgettable

What Kind of Kisser Are You?

Mhh I guess we'd have to have Grumpy validate this one.

Friday night out

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Originally uploaded by dino0477.

Finally - the week from hell is over and Grumpy and I are heading to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra.

01 - Angel Came Do...

This was my 6th consecutive show and Grumpy's 4th. This has been our little Christmas tradition in the past few years. Normally we catch the show intown but this years show was on November 17 and that was way to early for me to listen to Christmas music. So we decided to catch the show in Richmond (about 1 1/2 away) instead.

I am not big on Christmas music honestely the only one I like is the one from the trans siberian orchestra. See the kind of music I like - the artists tend not to make a Christmas CD. Can you imagine a Metallica Christmas CD? Or how about Ozzy? See my point but the Trans siberian orchestra is Rocks answer to Christmas music. If you have not seen them live you MUST I instist. The show is amazing. We always sit in the cheap seats to get the full effect of the light/laser show. The orchestra always uses local musicians for the string instruments and I tell you it amazes me everytime the skill it takes to do the show. The first part of the show is a Christmas story and then after that the artists are introduced and on the show goes. I went ahead and try to get some snippeds on my cell. Since we where in the nosebleed section it is not the best but you can't say I didn't think about you :). I also went and looked for a site that lets me upload songs and found eSnips, I hope it works.

12 - Old City Bar....

Here are the once I took with my cell. As you can see we were in the nose bleed section I think I am becoming afraid of heights in my old day and I tell you those stairs were not easy on my knees I guess the high heel boots weren't helping either

11 - Requiem (The ...

Here is the version I got on my CD Requiem is the title



The concert was awesome.

10 - Ornament.mp3

See the place where it was held had sent out an email letting us know about their club that would offer dinner it was located in the venue and the idea sounded perfect - have a nice dinner and then walk to your seat and enjoy the show. They called a couple of days prior to confirm out reservation and told us to be there at 6:30pm.

Well as always I was running late at work so I rushed home and we left for our drive since we knew there was going to be traffic.

08 - Christmas Eve...

We made it with 5 minutes to spare and I said it out loud to which Grumpy just said no now you jinxed it. Yep he was right they wouldn't let us in until almost 7 then it took forever to find the club thing and there we had to wait to get seated. Arrrrg the food sucked so did the service and they didn't even have tea!!!!!!



Well we got to our seats and apparently the people in Richmond do not know how to read tickets. The 2 rows in front of us kept having people get up because they were in the wrong row or section this went on forever!!!!

02 - O Come All Ye...

So and if you still need a reason to see the show - they always donate part of the money from the tickets to a charity. In Hampton it was the Make a wish foundation in Richmond they gave the money to a Breast cancer foundation. See good cause.

If the individual song files don't work click here to go to the folder.

Got this from Justmee.

You Are Comet

A total daredevil, you're the reindeer with an edge! Why You're Naughty: You almost gave Santa a heart attack when you took him sky diving Why You're Nice: You always make sure the sleigh is going warp speed

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

Misty

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Originally uploaded by dino0477.

Here is Misty she was watching King Arthur with Grumpy and I yesterday. She is not as much of a cuddly cat as Cleo - she is little Miss Independence everything has to be done on her schedule.

Doing homework with Sassy

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Originally uploaded by dino0477.

well Sassy is napping and I am trying to get my paper done.

I am the High Priestess

I stole this from Real.

You are The High Priestess

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.

The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluxuation, particularily when it comes to your moods.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

So do you agree? I happen to think it hit it pretty close.

Now what?!

This weekend has been pretty crappy so far.

Friday night was slow and we had 5 instead of 4 waiters inside so our sections where cut smaller which meant less tables. I didn't care to much since one of the girls had asked me to work her Saturday shift.

Saturday was a busy morning I had to go do an interview with a repeat family and a 2 week orientation with one of my other families. Then I had to go back to the first family because I had forgotten my coat. One home I went to let the pups outside since it was nice when Sassy tripped me (I was holding her collar to put her on the long leash) and I fell on my bad knee. Needless to say the rest of the afternoon I spent on the couch with an icepack until I had to leave for work. The owner ended up sending me home to rest my knee since it didn't look like they were going to be busy enough for 6 of us. I wasn't all that happy about it since I could really use a good paycheck the once of the past few weeks were nothing to write home about but then resting my knee was probably better in the long run. So I spent the evening on the couch with an ice pack.

Today started out nice. I slept in made fried potatoes for break fast, my knee wasn't as swollen or painful and then the phone rings! The caller ID says its one of my families, one I talked to earlier this week about how the AP has been slacking this she started dating some guy. I am holding my breath hoping its a call saying all it well but no.
The husband was on the phone pointing out some additional things that happened. As he tells me about the boyfriend and how he is worried he is moving to fast (they have seen each other for 3 weeks and the guy is talking about a ring and going to see her family and bring them here ...) and so forth I dawns on me

that's JIMMY.

The husband says yes in deed it is, SHIT!!!! Jimmy is the restaurants owner best friend, the guy that was dating one of my coworkers there for over a year and the relation ship was a frigging nightmare. He is a manipulative jerk that has to control everything. I had front row seats to the last one and that girl is talking to a councilor now.

DAMN IT

now what do I do? Do I warn the AP about the guy tell him what her live will be like? He proceeded the same exact way with his last girlfriend. I mean the AP is madly in love with the guy and I can see how this would seem like a fairytale to her. She comes from Mexico to this country and there is this older guy with money that wines and dines her and promises the world to her. And I know even if I decided to tell her what I witnessed with his last relationship she most likely wont listen, but my question is should I try to warn her or let her run into an open knife? I mean I don't care if my boss would be pissed and fire me for it so that doesn't factor into this I just wonder if I should just give her the FYI or just let it be and watch her being used and tossed as so many before her?

Bad picture of me (preshower and all) but great shot of Cleo posing as a parot while I was writing this post. She loves to look over my shoulder.

Cherry's box

Okay so I know you are all dying to know what was up with the photo and all. Well .....

A while back Cherry and I were chatting and she told me she was on her way to work. Naturally I was curious and asked what she does. She told me she was helping a friend at his company which sells all natural Australian foods. Being a avid amateur cook and food lover I was curious as to what Australian food is. Cherry explained some of the stuff and it sounded really interesting. She gave me the stores web site and I was more and more curious. So Cherry generous as she is, said she'd sent me a little care package from Down Under. And it arrived today. So come on open it with me and see whats in it.

I was amazed at the box there was no stamp or return address or even a post mark on it. I had it sent to the office to save me from having to go to the post office and picking it up. Of course the other nice thing about sending it to my office was I got to open it right way and see whats in it. Knowing you all are dying of curiosity I took my time and took pictures of all of it. Bush Tomato Akatjurra spice came with two recipes I am dying to try. Roast Wattleseed sounds intriguing especially the ice cream recipe. The Lemon Myrtle Rainforest Spice smelled so good (even through the bag) I think I will make the cheesecake recipe listed on the card this weekend. I can't wait to try the Native Pepperberries these are ground but I think I will order the whole once since I love to cook with fresh ground pepper. The Bush Tomato Seasoning has a recipe for scrambled eggs that sounds perfect for a weekend breakfast. Now the Lemon Myrtle and Pepperberry Seasoning is something our Ms Jin would love I am sure. The Mountain Pepper Spice is supposed to have a eucalyptus taste so I am looking forward to experience. Here you can see all the jars. We tried every last one of these yesterday. Don't believe me check out the pictures below. The Hibiscus

This was a card with some more info on Wild Hibiscus Cherry included.

The Rainforest Plum jelly was yummy. But then I have always loved Plums and Plum jellyThe Finger Lime Marmalade was a bit tart to eat on bread but Grumpy and I both agreed you could use it as layers on cake or cookies and it would be to die for. The Macadamia Nut butter was neat. The initial taste is buttery with just a hint of nut. Very good. (I am not a nutty person and hate peanut butter!)Macadamia Nut Butter and Rainforest Plum Swirl now that my kind of Nut and Jelly preserve. SOOOOOOOOO much better than PB&J This one is my absolute favorite. Rosella Jam - oh I can't wait for Sunday morning, warm french bread, real butter and Rosella Jam. I liked the Dessert Quandong better than Grumpy he didn't care for it at all. It takes a bit getting used to but it really is quiet good. This one was another one Grumpy didn't care for. I found it interesting and definitely worth trying. Grumpy really liked the Bush Tomato Relish. I tried it even so I am not big on relish I have to admit it is pretty good. We also tried the Rainforest Plum Chili Sauce which will be good in recipes. Here is our plate as you see we sampled all the Jars and Grumpy got Chamagne to try out the Hibiscus flowers. (sorry for the mess haven't really had time to clean or organize a sit down dinner-to tired so we ate on the couch while watching Queen of the Damned on SciFi If you look real hard you can see the flower in the bottom of the glass.
Grumpy is intrigued. Here is mine I had to get the Champagne out of the way so I could take the picture for you.
And here is Grumpy after our little culinary trip Down Under. Misty is napping on her chair. When I asked Grumpy of his opinion about the food he said "intense"! Tonight I am making one of the recipes on the cards a Parmesan sauce. I shall tell you how it turns out.

P.S. I Linked all the product to their individual store website. There is the info abotu what it tastes like, what to do with it and of course how to order it. So be sure to click on the links of each jam/spice to find out more.