If You Believe in Santa

It's that time of year again. Can you believe it? Seems like just yesterday when GP taught us who trumps Mom and Dad in the gift giving category (Santa2010).. and although this year his list is so short it's just barely a list at all, and he is very much aware that he is too old to make Santa's list, he is still concerned about a few things... which he chose to discuss with "HIM"

I was not allowed to eavesdrop but when I asked, GP told me that he was "just asking about the naughty children" and I asked him if he told Santa he was naughty this year. He gave me the "Are you nuts?!" look... and said, "I was a little naughty in the past, but not anymore!" ... and as if to reiterate how "IN" he was with Santa he told me, "And, I'm not too old for Santa's list. I am young at heart!". OMG! If that is not straight out of Santa's mouth, I don't know what is, LOL! That was hilarious. But the truth is that I think Santa's reassurances just confirmed what he already knew...

If you believe in Santa he will always bring you presents...

no matter what your parents say!

Are You Sure You're The Leader Of Your Pack?

I hope you're a Cesar Millan fan. I am. I love the guy. He runs with Pit Bulls calms yappy Chihuahuas. He teaches us to be the leaders of our pack.

As soon as Pepper The Puppydog came to live with us I was auto tuned to his show making sure she didn't play me. I didn't want a little Shih-Tzu walking all over me. I was going to show her who was boss and I was convinced I had done a good job... until recently, that is.

I've just realized that I have a pack of one. Me!

It only took me four years to figure out who leads her pack, and he's not home right now. LOL!

Don't worry Pepper, GP will be home in a few hours....

The Mercado Family, and then some

My Family. (L-R, F-B)Mom & Dad, Me, GP, TChoco (sister), Harvey (brother), TSandy (sister), Nyshma (Niece) & Ryan (soon to be Nephew)
GP and I are finally back home after celebrating Christmas with my extended family. It had been over ten years since I had seen my brother and about three since I had seen my parents, so we had some catching up to do. My niece who just recently relocated to NH showed up on Christmas Eve with her fiance and made my sister's wishes come true. It would have been her first Christmas without her baby (who is now a little grown up, ahem!), but thanks to some awesome planning (Nyshma's) and a sneaky cohort (TChoco) was there on schedule in time for the pernil (that's the official Puertorrican holiday feast roast) prepared by grandma. Woo-HOO!
My parents have been married 48 years and I feel so lucky to have been there to celebrate their Anniversary too. Time flies, doesn't it? 48 years, Hello!
My heart is happy and I feel blessed to have spent the holidays with my family. It's hard to coordinate travel and lodging for nine but when it happens, it's just awesome.

It was hard to say goodbye but I so missed being home. There is no place like home and this was my second holiday away from home. I think I am understanding where the phrase "there is no place like home for the Holidays" comes from. I love my family and I will miss them dearly but I am happy to be home, even if it's not quite as toasty as TX...

Hope your holidays were spent with those you love, and that the New Year brings you health, happiness, love and laughter. Happy New Year!!!

Sometimes You Need to Talk to The Guy Who Is In Charge!

Can you believe it's that time of the year again? WOW! Seems like just yesterday when GP announced he had talked to HIM, "for the last time" (because he knows that Santa only brings gifts to the "children" and not the teenagers). But as you can clearly see, he has had a change of heart and has decided that those rules do NOT apply to him.

When I asked GP what he wanted for Christmas (again, because WE -not Santa, would be buying him his gifts this year), he informed me that he wanted a computer program. Woo-HOO is what I thought, and then I started searching for said program. Well, it turns out that you can buy a laptop for less than the cost of this program. OUCH! Hmmm.

I need to discuss this w/the big guy (AKA Dad, LOL!). So, I say nothing and decide how I'm going to approach the husband with this "situation", because of course GP has only told me. Anyway, GP drops me another reminder when we go to the Apple store and tells me that "THIS" is not the program that he wants for Xmas, and that the one he wants is only available online because it is a "Full version". But Oh, I am ready with..."GP, we'll have to see if we can buy that one because it's VERY expensive, and we might have to save for it". He looks a little crestfallen but not upset so I think, whew! That wasn't so bad...

OK, now brace for it... GP goes out w/Gino on the Saturday and once again comes home like the cat that swallowed a tweety bird and tells me, "I talked to HIM." and what did Santa say? Yep, you guessed it...he will bring him Final Cut Studio, the full version edition! ARGH!!!!

Note the look on GP's face, that's called Satisfaction...

Yep, sometimes you just have to go straight to the top to get what you need!

A Quick Update!

I've been busy. Homechool is back in session, GP is up to his old tricks trying to weasel out of work and watching for the next holiday. I'm up before dawn and finding I need more time to play catch up. Oh, life is good. Busy hands are happy hands is what I say.

But it's not all work and no play around here. Last weekend I paired up with Ms Troublemaker herself, Lynn (Painting Thymes Needfuls), whom I just happened to meet in Blogland (and folks wonder why blogging is so much fun, duh! You meet people without leaving home, hello?!)

Anyway, we went on a Road trip out to the boonies, to a place called Country Mischief...and look what I found... (No, that handsome guy actually lives in my house. The cabinet, the cabinet's what I brought home!) Isn't it the bomb? GP was so happy with his new addition that he actually helped me carry it up to his room, without me having to resort to the "Mom is so old, she needs help" story. And now it's just waiting for a couple of toggles to make sure it doesn't pull the plaster right off the wall. It's wayyyy heavy.

Anyway, I have loads more to share but I'm running low on pictures. I really have to get better at taking pictures. I'll take pics of my new wood Fall decorations and post them soon.

Hope you're having fun too. The weekend is coming up and I'm heading to Rhode Island for another trip to Brown and Hopkins Country Store, OMG! Put that place on your destination list, and bring your spending $$$ because you're not likely to leave empty handed. I'm psyched!

Gotta run, but I'll be back soon! Have fun, B=)

Hooray, It's National Underwear Day!

I am sooo not kidding. I can't possibly make this stuff up. A company called, wait for it... FRESH PAIR (No, I am NOT kidding, the company IS named Fresh Pair and NO, GP is not the president) started celebrating NUD eight years ago.

Isn't that a timely celebration?

Dollars to doughnuts GP will ask for the day off, LOL! (If you are a new reader you should know that my son is Irish, Jewish, and Christian, depending on what holiday needs to be obseved... if there was a National Chicken Day on the calendar he would be a chicken and want the day off from Homeschool!)

I wonder if they're having a sale on White Fresh Underwear...HMMMM.

Better go check that out now, JIC! HAHAHA!

No Chick Flicks for GP!

As you may or may not know, GP goes to the movies every Saturday and every Sunday. Rain or shine, snow or Northeaster, it matters not. The only thing that matters is that the movies be rated G (as in Gene Paul), PG (as in Parent and GenePaul) or PG-13 (Parent and Gene Paul when he is 13 or older, which he now is). He is NOT under any circumstances allowed to watch rated R (as in Rudeness) or rated NC-17 (as in NO Chance GP is ever watching that before he is 17!).

Sometimes finding new movies can be a challenge when you go to the movies as often as he does. Some months it seems like every new release is rated R or rated G (I mean really, how many times can a 14 year old watch Toy Story 3? C'mon!). So needless to say, he ends up watching the same movies over and over in any given month. This week was one of those "not great at the Box Office" weeks. He's seen them all...except Ramona and Beezuz.

This morning he is already up and as we are having breakfast I ask him if he is going to watch R&B (He watched Salt on Friday night and Inception yesterday, again!) , to which he replied ,

"No, that's a girl movie!" OMG! I can't believe he said that!

I think Gino has some explaining to do! LOL!

Happy Mother's Day To Me!

The wait is over and today was my lucky day! I received the email informing me that the iPad I had ordered was in. I was sooo excited I rushed right over and there there it was...just waiting for me! ARGH!

And it almost got here in time for MD...hahahaha! This was my Mother's Day gift... my very own 64GB wi-fi+3G iPad,

woo-HOO!

OK, so I don't know how to do anything other than check my email on it and I did need to ask the salesperson to show me how the heck to do that, but I trust that I am capable of learning... I hope.

Oh, I know GP isn't a Mom, but he wanted one too so I gifted myself peace and quiet by buying him one too, LOL!

I just noticed his has lots of little squares on the "home" page...

wonder how he did that! ? HMMMM...

The Tale Of The Easter Bunny

We're at the Burlington Mall yesterday and suddenly GP is all worked up. He needs to talk to the Easter Bunny, he must talk to the Easter Bunny!

So down the escalator we go to see Mr Bunny. I tell him that Mr Bunny does not bring presents to children, he brings eggs (which GP does not eat) and chocolates (which are also on the "No, thanks." list). Once there, He says he needs to talk to him. I remind him that Mr Bunny does not bring presents (he has a huge set up. like Santa, so I want to make sure GP is not thinking Mr. Bunny has been promoted to Springtime Gift Giver). We go through the velvet cords and he sits right next to him, I ask if he wants a picture. He says "Just a minute." So I'm fending off the sales people who want to snap the $26 pictures... while GP is not even looking at the camera. He is engrossed in conversation and as I walk up to them yet again to ask if he wants his picture taken I overhear him, "You can speak, c'mon, don't be shy!" And Mr. Bunny is just shaking his his head in a "I love you" kind of way. And GP turns to me as I try to explain that Mr Bunny does not speak, he just gives love... and GP tells me, "But I want to know why he does not bring presents!".

OMG! That was hilarious. He was a boy on a mission. He wanted answers and he wanted them from Mr. Bunny. No more asking Mom. He was going to the source...

and then Mr. Bunny is too shy? UGH!

The things he thinks of, I tell you. He keeps me in stitches!

The Wait is Over!

For the past ten days I have been so sad... My parents have been soooo happy....

Guess who has my Prince?
Yep... but the party is over and it's time to send him home.
HOORAY!
GP is coming home tomorrow and I can't wait!
OMG! I think I'm a codependent Mom. Is this normal?
I'm hoarding the only grandson, LOL! I'm bad... oh, well! =)

Ah, sunny beaches and warm weather are way overrated anyway! LOL!

I've Crossed Over To The Deep End!

So how do I know this? Well, I received an email from one one of my distributors and when I saw these earrings I thought, "OH, those are so cool!" LOL! And then I thought, "Jessy would die if I wore those!" hahaha. Yep, that's how I know.
Jessy is my gauge as to "What Not To Wear"... and trust me, I have no doubt she would turn me in to the What Not To Wear show people in a heartbeat, she'd sleep like a baby after she did me wrong too. She's a cold hearted Fashionista, that baby sister of mine... and these might just push her over the edge, LOL! But I can't help it...
OMG! I'm one of THOSE quilters! Unlike socks with little quilt blocks that read "I 'heart' quilting", you just can't hide these dangling blocks, LOL! It's like coming out of the "Quilter" closet.... I don't know....I'm going to sleep on it... and I wont answer the phone when Jessy calls me. hee-hee...
PS...Maybe I could just wear them when I'm at the Pumpkin Patch...only GP and the UPS guy would see me.... =) Oh, but the ladies at Brighton might not approve of my Non Brighton accessories... there's the brand loyalty thing... LOL!

All Dogs Are Not Created Equal...

Take Pepper the Puppy Dog (PPD for short), now there she was was living the life of a latchkey dog just a few years ago and all of a sudden she finds herself thrown into the "emotional support animal" role. Sometimes I have to wonder what she really thinks of this job....

She gets squeezed and screeched at (yes, he does a little screeching when he hugs her to death and asks her in his loud voice, "Why are you staring at me Pepper?"...

and I wonder if she is thinking, "Was that really necessary?", LOL! Boy, she's a good dog to put up w/ his "love!"...

A Quilt for ME!

I received a gorgeous handmade quilt for Christmas from my sister, the family quilter, Sandy. She named it the Pumpkin Patch Quilt. It was quilted by a very talented woman in Maine, Margaret who just started her long arm quilting business. She does amazing work. I saw Sandy's quilts and they are just stunning. Mine has Pumpkins in the quilting. It's so cute! You can see more pics of the quilt on Sandy's Blog, HERE.
Sandy was a quilting away all the time I was in TX; she was a quilting maniac! LOL! Which totally explains how she made two HUGE quilts to give as gifts and sent off two more to be quilted while I was there. I was on vacation so no quilting for me, hee-hee.
I have yet to unpack my suitcase but I did sleep wrapped in my sisters arms last night, so to speak. I was warm and toasty in Sandy's great big hug...my very own Pumpkin Patch Quilt. Thanks Sandy, I love it...
OMG! I almost forgot to mention that my other sister gifted me TWO sets of gorgeous flannel jammies... you should see the mess on my kitchen table...I had to tear through the suitcase to dig them out. Now how was I supposed to sleep under my new quilt in my old PJ's? LOL! I'm so bad, I literally pulled out my new PJ's and left the mess. I piled it high and it's still waiting to be dealt with. But I do have my gorgeous red snowman jammies and my new quilt.... so I'm feeling pretty happy right about now, LOL! Thanks for the jammies TChoco. They were like icing on my cake! I love 'em... Hope your Xmas was full of love and laughter. Family, it's a good thing! B=)

The Movie To Watch! Avatar

Yep, we went to see it, and if you haven't seen it, get out of your jammies and go today.You can thank me later, and GP highly recommends the LARGE popcorn, with LOTS of butter...LOL!
Don't even think this movie is not your thing, really. This movie was a feast for the eyes, and it was sooooo good. I swear, your husband won't even know it's a chick flick until the end! We saw it in 3D... I can't say more, I'll ruin it for you.
I went because GP wanted to see it. Sandy went to see it and raved; but she's a sci-fi person...how reliable could that information be??? LOL! I like documentaries, I'm so boring I would tell you about my taste in movies but you'd probably fall asleep and drool on your keypad! Anyway, this movie will make your heart happy, really, it will... I might even go watch it again, if my legs start working before I have to get back to work on Monday! =)

Happy New Year!

What a year, what a decade! I don't know about you but I am just glad it's over; HOORAY!
To close out the old decade my Prince and I hit the good ol' streets of Boston to join in the First Night 2010 Celebrations. What a wonderful night to walk in the streets and take in some pollution (can you say Traffic???), I mean fresh air, LOL!
We did the usual stuff, watched anime for hours, ate at the Prudential and saw the ice sculptures. The one behind GP was a depiction of a Michelangelo sculpture, it was amazing! I did have to explain it to GP who couldn't quite grasp it, he was enthralled by the lights and I think the sculpture itself was missing... I got some quizzical looks as I described it, "See there on the top? That looks like hair being blown away in the breeze? And then you can see her arms covering her privates, see?" And then he snapped/saw it, " OH, I SEE!" It had never ocurred to me why he didn't really enjoy the sculpture until I stopped looking at the sculpture and looked at him. He had that glazed over look that tells me he is not seeing what I see... and there it was, he was seeing the lights, not the sculpture. We stopped at a few more along our walk and I asked him what he saw and when he told me we would move on. No long gazing and admiring, just an appreciation for the art on display, and it was really art. Those sculptures were amazing.
My legs still ache from all the walking but I have to tell you, I am so glad we stepped out. It was the first time we were in Boston so close to midnight. We saw the fireworks at 7:00 as we walked to the most impressive cinema I have ever been to; OMG! If you have never been to the Loews Cinema in Boston Common, I say you go...go today, make it your destination. I tell you, it is worth the drive. It is AWESOME! GP of course was so not impressed. He had been here many times, he didn't even flinch at the splendor...as I gawked at the stenciled ceiling and the gilded concession stand... I have to wonder what other wonderful places he has been to. HMMM.
The night went off without a hitch. Even the Pepperdog waited for us to do her business outside. Can you beat that? I think not...now where did I put the Tylenol? I think my recovery might take all weekend. LOL! I have so much to share, but I am pooped. It's been a long few weeks. We just got back from TX at 2am on Wed. and Thursday we hit First Night (which should be called first day because the activities start at noon, hello?)... Anyway, did I mention that before we left for First Night I had to stack enough wood for the week because we expected rain today?
Nothing like walking for miles in full Winter gear after spending the morning stacking wood. I'm just sayin'.... gotta go find that Tylenol...Talk more later!
Hope your New Year Celebration was fun! Happy New Year! B=)

There's Bad, and then there's BAD...

And THEN there's Harry & David's Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake! OMG! I've been REALLY BAD!

It all started innocently enough. I wanted to buy a cheesecake for my Dad.

Y'know, it's Xmas... your parents probably have everything they ever wanted and probably everything they'll ever need; so why not buy them what they would never buy themselves... an indulgence.

I sorted through a few websites (you really didn't think I was going to leave my house to do this, did you??? I'm an online retailer, and there's a reason, y'know? I like shopping in my jammies! LOL!). After what would have amounted to a few days of paving the pavement so to speak, I gave up.

Seems like nobody wants to deliver to PR, except Hickory Farms but I sent them HF goodies last week...we need something new, and yummy!) so I thought of Popcorn (as in a good movie, chocolates and popcorn, hello?!) . I'm so good, I make myself proud...or so I thought; until I had the same issues. Now what's up with the no food to PR? I actually had one customer service rep tell me that they delivered to Hawaii because Hawaii was in the CONTINENTAL USA. Of course, when she said that I said "OH, thank you" and hung up. Talk about the blind leading the blind..."Why don't they deliver to PR and yet they deliver to Hawaii? That is even farther away!" "Because Hawaii is part of the Continental USA", LOL! Now that was funny.

Yeah, geography was not her strongest subject...

But anyway; I decided that once I found what I wanted to buy, I would go and buy it and then ship it myself (Priority Mail Flat Rate box...gotta love them!), but I was NOT driving around like a maniac. I was going to shop it online and buy it where I found it all in one place.

Turns out that my favorite site for all food that is bad for me is Harry & David. I don't know how the heck I got on their mailing list (could be my husband sending me chocolate covered strawberries and velvet cakes from all these fancy food places (mind you, when he gets home and sees what has come in he is happier than a cat on catnip, which really makes me wonder if he meant to impress ME or himself, LOL!) But anyway, I was soooo done, I had a list a page long and thinking they were nearby I printed my list and searched for directions. MAN! I had to drive over an hour to get to my nearest one. UGH!

I drove to Wrentham. and with my list in hand, I was in and out before my Prince even flinched; but not before I threw in a token Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake for myself. OK, so now I really feel guilty for not only buying it and moaning while eating it, but because the Fancy chocolate covered Moose Crunch and Pineapple Macadamia Cake seem like consolation prizes for those who didn't get the real prize, the freakin cheesecake that will make you moan like you're doing something fresh on the kitchen table ...OMG! whatever you do, do not eat this in front of your children...it's rated XXX! It's creamy, cold, gooey, chewy and crunchy all in one bite. I am NOT kidding. It's sooo yummy. It's like you've died and gone to heaven.

That's until you wake up and realize you've had more than one piece and will now have to spend the next four hours on the treadmill to work it off.

I'm awake now, but I tell you, after I walk around the block I'm coming back for the next piece. Maybe I'll get to meet all my neighbors before I finish off this little gem, but I have to tell you, if you want to give a little piece of heaven (or a little piece of hell to that skinny little ***** on your list), do not underestimate Harry & David's Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake; you will not be disappointed.

Oh, I have no connection w/ H&D, no kickbacks, no discounts, nothing. I don't even live near one...Thank God! Now if they'd only take down their website, close their store and stop sending me catalogs I would be safe; never to fall into the cheesecake trap again, LOL!

I Feel Like a Rock Star when...

I drive into Boston and find off street parking on State Street! Oh, yes I do!

If you have never been to Boston you just would not understand, LOL! Here's a picture, a bad one but I just could not help myself. It took half an hour to find it, and it was hidden behind a beer truck that was double parked behind another truck with a one car space between them;(Oh yes I did, I did back in from the THIRD lane, butt first, through the one car space right into the spot that was behind the truck that was unloading beer on State Street.... thankyouverymuch, LOL!

GP was so happy. I told him that we could not eat at Faneuil Hall unless we found off street parking because I was not going to pay $20 to park to buy a $5 slice of Pizza... yes my friends, it costs $20 to park at the Public Parking...it's outrageous. Hence, you just have to feel like a rock star when you find the spot hidden behind a big fat truck and parallel park your SUV from three lanes out right between the big bad trucks. HA!
It's the little things that make me happy! LOL! Oh yeah, I didn't save $20, GP bought a $30 stuffed bear at Build A Bear...but at least the bear will last longer than the two hour parking! =) I love off street parking. I can't help it, LOL! Now if only Gino had seen me park...man, that would have been priceless. hahaha!

It's a BIRTHDAY Celebration!

HOORAY!

It's T-Sandy's Birthday! It's a Special day in our family, and I wanted everyone to join in the fun. It's my sister's birthday, T-Sandy as she has been dubbed for the last 14 years (as in AunTie-Sandy), is turning 30 (or was it 29? Ummm, I forget!We're trying to stay consistent with this number but my mind is going so I keep forgetting which one we decided on, LOL!).

Here she is , The Birthday Girl Herself! Happy Birthday T-Sandy! May this year and those that follow be filled with Health, Happiness, Love and Laughter!
We love you! B & GP=)
She's the REAL quilter in our family. You can see her creations and works in progress...here... you can also wish her a Happy Birthday too!
I think you'd make her heart happy! =)