Now it's official!

Michael and Bryttan announced their engagement yesterday. Sometime in 2010 I inherit another daughter. Makes me a MIL x 2.

Cool. Guess I better get my butt back in church on a more regular basis so I can go.

Not what i was expecting.

Yesterday I threw the ingredients in my bread maker so I could have some nice, warm, fresh, fluffy bread to go with my bowl of broccoli cheese soup at dinner last night.

One problem. I forgot to put the yeast in!!

I got a brick. Hard on the outside.... doughy on the inside. Total mess. Had to throw it away. So I will attempt to do it again today, and I have a big sign that says "Remember YEAST!"

The long weekend is over. Wow it has been nice to be a total couch potato. I've accomplished absolutely nothing.... other than some laundry. But it's ok.

If Brian brings David home today then I will have him haul up the tree and I will at least get that decorated.

I have a busy weekend coming up. Our company party is Friday night and I am going to see that movie "Blind Side" (I think that is it?) and have sushi with Pam and Polly on Saturday.

Work is going to be outrageously stressful for the next 4 weeks. I hardly dare think about it. I really need to find a Friday that I can get another epidural injection on my neck, but it has to be a day I can take off.... and I don't know if I will have any days I can do that.

But I should do it before the new year because then I have another $1000 deductible before insurance covers anything.

Nice long weekend.......

Even though I have been battling a head cold or allergies, or something.... I am enjoying this nice long weekend all to myself.

I slept from 6:30 pm last night until almost 9 am this morning. I REALLLLLY needed it I guess. Though the cold medicine probably helped.

I've been watching marathon movies.... and just taking it easy. It is nice.

I haven't been answering my phone though. I just don't feel like talking to anybody. I had plans to go to a movie and sushi with Pam and Polly today, but I cancelled. Or rather, postponed it. I just don't feel like going out. I just want to be all by myself.... do my own thing..... not have to talk to anybody.....

Take a nap if I feel like it.... just hibernate. My head is still pounding. My neck pain has come back and I have spots of numbness on my back, which is really weird.

I am making some broccoli soup and homemade bread today. Yum. I am so officially sick of turkey now.

Well, I guess it is time to go and get on with my day.

Christmas Movie Marathon....

Ha...normally I do not allow Christmas music or movies or anything until the day after Thanksgiving. But since I had my thanksgiving last Sunday... I bent the rules. I've been watching all of my favorite Christmas shows.

The House Without A Christmas Tree (which David nicknamed "the grumpy daddy" movie)....








Rudolph.... where I get to sing "There's Always Tomorrow"....












Home Alone. One of my favorites.








The Santa Clause -- nobody could have played that part better than Tim Allen.









My favorite Scrooge version is the one with George C.Scott.







Santa Clause is Coming To Town..... with the Winter Warlock that used to scare me.










The Year without a Santa Clause -- probably my MOST favorite movie from childhood. Love Heat Miser and Snow Miser. And though I have seen this movie a hundred times... I still get teary eyed when they sing "I Believe In Santa Clause".







Watched this movie last night. One of my favorites and very difficult to find. I am so lucky I got a copy.

And of course..... Christmas is not Christmas without watching "It's A Wonderful Life"..... I have the black and white version, the color version, and the remake that Marlo Thomas did entitled (It Happened One Christmas".

Soon I will dig out my Christmas CD's and start playing the music all day at work. I'm trying hard to feel the spirit this year. I just don't have it. The Christmas spirit just is not in my heart. I just don't want to put up decorations, or buy gifts, or anything. I feel like I just barely did all this. It can't possibly be a whole year already!!!

I've turned into my mom. LOL

Wasting Time Today.

Some days when I come to work, I am so busy.... and other days..... I have nothing much to do and this is one of those days.

Plus, my stomach is not feeling great. Probably a result of being off my Protonix for 4 days already. Insurance won't cover it anymore and I cannot get in to see my doctor until Dec. 2.

So I took a Zantac this morning but I don't think that is what I need. I think I need Prilosec, or something.

I am going to meet Fernando's daughter, Ana, on Friday. She goes to LDSBC, which is my college. We're just going to grab a bite at Crown Burger, and chat for a few minutes. It's kind of funny to be "checked out" by the daughter. LOL. Hope I pass inspection.

LEVEL 8

My neck has not hurt this bad in MONTHS. I seriously may schedule another epidural before the end of the year.

Yesterday I took a Lortab 10 (finally broke down and took it. So you know the pain was BAD), AND I took a Xanaflex.

Did NOT help the pain at all!!! I tried my best to hide it from everybody, but I kept finding myself clenching my teeth, which then started my jaw hurting.

You know what would feel good? To have somebody just beat me really hard on the neck/shoulder area. I just want to HIT it.... HARD.

It hurts bad enough that it is making me sick to my stomach. I don't know what I did... if I slept wrong, or if the epidural injections have just worn off... But I think that even if it is going to cost me hundreds of dollars... I need to have another injection.

The question is WHEN??

Productive Day in Many Ways.

My Saturday started out just like any other day..... waking up at 6am. I guess my internal clock just will NOT allow me to sleep in anymore. I went to TSFKAA (the store formerly known as Albertsons) and shopped the empty aisles.... grabbing the items I needed to bake 5 pies today.

Came home and made two pumpkin pies, 2 apple pies, and 1 pecan pie.

Michael stopped by for a minute and declared the place smelled heavenly with all the pies baking. Wait till tomorrow when the turkey is roasting. I missed that last year because my oven was broken, and I had to cook the turkey at Karin and Brett's. (they were out of town).... and I think dinner last year sucked because it just doesn't work to cook one place and transport to another.

I am going to make mashed potatoes a little differently tomorrow. I am making them in the morning, and then keeping them in the crockpot all day.... see how that works. I'm also putting some cream cheese and sour cream in them..... which I never do, but found a good recipe.

I've been scaring myself silly the past 2 days. Last night Riss and I went to see "The Fourth Kind." It really kind of spooked me. But it was not thinking it was aliens that scared me.... the footage they showed of the so-called "actual" experience -- reminded me more of a demonic possession. And THAT scared me to DEATH.

Then today I watched the movie "Orphan" and man oh man.... that was TENSE. Not scary... just tense.

So to get that stuff out of my mind, I watched the Sound of Music while I was baking... and tonight as I clean, I will probably listen to "It's A Wonderful Life".

I feel like I am such a couch potato. But I am working while I am watching.... I baked 5 pies today, and did 5 loads of laundry... and cleaned my bedroom. Shopped, etc.... and now I am at work.... so I can use the computer.

Well, tomorrow is turkey day. Looking forward to it.