More time to play...

I want some!

But of course, the newsletter deadline is breathing down my neck. ::sigh:: Ah well - no rest for the wicked and the righteous don't need any, eh?

No need for you not to have the opportunity to waste time at work exercise those braincells though, right?

----------------------

Fill in the blanks below to complete the names of four famous British writers.

• _ O _ R _ D
• _ I _ _ E _ S
• _ H _ _ E_ P _ _ R _
• T _ _ C _ _ R _ _

-----------------------

Man, I bet any one of them would be better at writing the #%^^!% newsletter than I am, too....

Like always, the answers will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Last night during A.I.

Another random conversation at my house....

Me: Good Lord - he's a bigger girl than I am!

Steph: Rich, to be honest that's not that hard to do...

Me: ...

Me: Okay, so you have a point. But still!

Steph: Yeah - he's way more pink and frilly than you...

Paula: "So Sanjaya, you're only 17..."

Me: Oh okay - he's just a little baby girl. I won't pick on him anymore....

Steph: That's nice of you. Let's hope that others in America do, though. I don't want to have to see him next week.

Me: Amen...

---------------

Meanwhile, SarahK has live blogged American Idol again and rocked it out. Heh. I would love to see her just one time sitting next to Simon. She could take Paula's place! Sans Loopy Juice, of course...

Still having fun!

So blogging will continue to be lightish. :-)

Not that you shouldn't play though - ready for the Brain Bender (from the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar)? And I'll post yesterday's as well...

----------------------

The same letter has been removed from the question below. Can you put it back in the proper places?

HWMU CH WDC ULDAW DCHU CKCHU CKI FAW DCH UC KCU LDC HUC KWD?

and

Find a six digit number in which the first two digits are the product of the third and fourth digits, the first digit is double the second, the third digit is one less than the fourth, the last two digits are the sum of the third and fourth, the last digit is one less than the first and the fifth digit is two less than the last. The sum of all digits is 23.

------------------------------

Holy crap! Well, my digits think that it is lunch time - so I am off to find something yummy. And like always, the answers will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Now that's how it's done!

[confession time] I watch the Oscars every year.

Generally, I don't get to see many of the movies (this year I saw one - and it wasn't even a major contender) but that doesn't matter. I'm just here for the snacks and the snark - preferably with friends.

Last night was no exception. Snacks, snark, good friends - it was a great time! And though I want to write more about the whole thing, I am still too choclafied and satisfied to do it justice. So I will just say thanks - thanks to the Academy for providing the reason to get together, and thanks to everybody (some coming from *quite* far away) for coming to play at my house.

THANK YOU ~ (in order of appearance)

Steph - who makes the trip *every* year from St. Louis.
Teresa - it was such great fun to hang out! You were rockin' the commentary...
Roses (and family) - what a source for wonderful snark you are!
TNT - who sparkled throughout the evening.
Akshun and Mrs. J - you guys are always such a pleasure (and *you* see more of the movies and can clue us all in!)
Harvey - a Bad Example that is always a pleasure to see. Scotch and chocolate - perfect.

So thanks guys, I had a blast!

And post blizzard, school was scheduled to be out today. Whoohoo! So we are off to play. Perfect way to complete a perfect weekend...

And I still have scotch and chocolate. ;-)

Whoohoo! Friday!

Last Brain Bender of the week from the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar. Ready to play?

------------------------

The 21 letters below can be annagrammed into the last five words of a cowboy movie script. What are the five words?

D E E E F F H I I N N O O R S S S T T T U

--------------------

Heh - not the movie *I* thought of first. My hubby was named for a famous cowboy character who's movie ended with a very memorable line... But I digress...

Anyway, like always the answer sill be found later in the comments. See you then!

Partaaaay!

And I am up to my eyeballs in prep work. But I do so love a good get together, I do. Even if we are under a Winter Storm Watch from Hell... Good grief!









That's the map for today, kids (right now it's sunny ferGottssake) - tomorrow it is supposed to get really interesting. And Sunday? All bets are off. Ugh.

But regardless, fun will be had at my house - so help me!

I'm headed back to the kitchen right now, though. And I have one more run to the store to make. After that though we are going to batten down the hatches and what will be will be.

I'll post my menu (and a few recipes) this afternoon just for the hell of it. That way it can be enjoyed virtually if need be... Dang snow...

Lunchtime!

Even for the Brain Bender - ready to play?

--------------------

In the school lunchroom, one table and half a table ate a pizza and a half in a minute and a half. At the same rate, how many pizzas could two tables of hungry children eat in three minutes?

--------------------

Well, that's different. We're not having pizza here (ham paninis, cheetos and fruit) - and I only have four hungry children and one table, but I'll let you know how it works out for me.

And like always, the *real* answer will be found later in the comments. See you then!

To Fondue?

Or not to fondue... That's today's question.

Okay, okay. So I am totally going to fondue, but I am struggling in finding a cheese fondue recipe that strikes me as really, really good.

Admittedly, I am a bit paranoid since I have never really made cheese fondue (Chocolate, yes. Meat, yes. But no cheese...) And I want something super yummy. So, any suggestions? Got a recipe?? Help a sister out!

(For heaven's sake - I live at ground zero for cheesy goodness - one would think I could figure this out...)

No context necessary, really...

Just another random conversation at my house.

After a long discussion (dominated mostly by yours truly - and I know colors and style were involved at some point):

Me: "Aren't you just sooooo glad that you're a guy???

Hubby: "Oh yes. Each and every day. Not that I don't like you of course. But being a guy is just so much easier!"

Me: "Wow. That's possibly the longest sentence you have put together in a while, Babe."

Hubby: "Yeah - let's keep that between us, okay?"

Me: "Okie Dokie, Mr. Fodder... We'll see."

Hubby: "Awwwww... I hate we'll see..."

Me: "Yeah, I know..."

Abruptly, our hero needed to defend the star...

...against invading alien forces. Will he be successful?

Only today's Brain Bender can tell. Ready to play?

-----------------

Find the word in the bottom row that best completes the following sequence:

ABRUPT DEFEND STAR _________

a) SKIN b) TUITION c) BREAK d) FIND

-------------------

My only guess is that if they go down to the planet surface, the dude in the red shirt is toast. But that's just me.

Anyway, like always the answer will be found later in the comments. Live long and prosper!

Alphabet Soup

Is the title of today's brain bender (from the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar). Ready to play?

---------------------

The 11 letters below can be anagrammed into a two-word slang expression for an item served in a school cafeteria or mess hall.

What is the item?

A E E M M R S T T Y Y

-----------------------

I think this particular lunch item may have seen it's day. But considering that they still occasionally have "chop suey" day at the girls school, maybe not.

Random thought - you 'spoze that S.O.S. would be considered a pretty completely politically incorrect lunch item in this day and age? Yeah - me too. Might offend those folks who actually DO eat sh*t, or whatever.

Anyway.... Like always the answer will be found later in the comments. Hope your lunch was a much yummier one!

This, that and the other...

I do so love good slight of hand...



For no good reason today, everybody is gone. Usually, Hubby has the day off but he got called in to placate some MuckityMucks in Milwaukee and the girls are off to school.

Whoohoo!

I just get so much more done when I am here by myself - and I have a lot to do. Guests are coming in for the weekend, and I need this place to be ship shape so we can play.

It would be nice if I got to use magic though. Just sayin'...

Lifeus Interruptus....

...but you know, we sure had fun.

The Brain Bender is waaaaaaay late today - sorry about that. But we were out and about having a fabulous time. Ready to play?

--------------------

Karen, an only child, went skating with her husband's only brother-in-law's only mother-in-law's only husband's only daughter.

What relation is she to Karen?

----------------------

Oh, for Heaven's sake - what is this? Jerry Springer? Anyway, like always the answer will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Don't miss out...

Seriously.

If you are not reading Crystal over at Boobs, Injuries & Dr. Pepper at least semi-regularly, you are missing out on some of the funniest stuff out there.

Here is a little snippet that I read over there today:

"Well, sweetheart, in a progressive world, this would be called pro-active milk stimulation. In Mississippi, however, we call this a date."

If you want the entire context, go here. It's not easy to make breastfeeding that funny...

What I want to know, is can I count laughing this hard as a workout?? Now *that* would be truly great!

When upchuck leads to....

...God?

My world is weird, folks. It just is.

So today as the girls and I headed out for church, they were deep in a discussion weighing the merits (and I suppose disadvantages) of experiencing various forms of nausea - and the inevitable result of said nausea.

According to the wisdom of the 10 and under set, there are all sorts of parameters by which you will know whether you have upchucked, puked, barfed, hurled, etc... Endlessly discussable stuff.

But me being me (mean mom that I am) I attempted to change the subject. We were headed to God's house after all, and good, bad or indifferent, I don't want to think about upchuck in God's house, okay? I'm weird that way...

Me: "C'mon girls - can't you talk about something else for a while? Really..."

Sporta: "But Mooooom... Jesus probably upchucked a time or two!"

Computa: "No Sporta, Jesus was perfect. He probably just vomited politely."

Me: ::Bou blink:: Vomited politely?? "Uh... look. Find a new topic of conversation. NOW."

Sporta: "What? Not a good mental image, Mom?"

---------------------

Gee, do you think? Good grief.

Sugar and spice and everything nice? Not always...

The Party Went Great!

In spite of some issues with the hotel... Hoo boy, are they going to hear from me. I'd wish them luck, but frankly I am not feeling all that charitable, thanks.

Swimming was great, lots of yummy kid friendly snacks consumed, and no tears. Oh yeah - it was a great time. No sleep really, but a great time. Sporta and Computa thoroughly enjoyed their friends.

You 'spoze it is too early for me to have a glass of wine? Yeah. Well soon...

Anyway, everybody has gone to there respective homes and we girls de casa One for the Road are pooped. Sisters too pooped to bicker...

That's tired, folks.

Anyway, I am going to go enjoy my book. If I can remember how to read...

Kids parties are not for the faint of heart. Just sayin'...

Uh oh....

It's official - I have apparently lost my everlovinmind.

WTF was I thinking??

I may be in trouble here, folks. I am out numbered and possibly out-gunned... Here's hoping I make it out alive...

What was I thinking???

Gah...

Fun for Friday...

Brain Bender style. Ready to play?

---------------------

Which of the scrambled words below is least like the others? (The difference has nothing to do with vowels, consonants, or syllables.)

• NNGPAITI
• SCLPUTREU
• SIMUC
• LLWA

------------------------

Alrighty then. The answers, like always, will be found later in the comments. Happy Friday!

Because I am all about the sharing...

And *this* is stuck in my head... Good Lord.



Back to party prepping.

Making my list...

...checking it twice...

Sporta's party is tomorrow, and I need to make a grocery run and make sure that I have everything I need to make it a good time for one and all. But seriously, I'm stuck. And I feel like I am forgetting something important...

So far I've got:

• The hotel room booked - it is sooooo farookin' cold out and I thought if we were going to have a sleepover we might as well be able to swim.
• A craft planned - cool wrist bands that each girl can decorate themselves.
• Snacks planned - juice, cheese and crackers, pretzels, pizza and the chocolate fountain with various fruits for dipping
• A good book and vino for me - I'm not crazy
• ??
• ??
• ??

What am I forgetting?? I need to get this figured out sooner than later....

Brain Bender for Thursday

Via the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar. Ready to play?

--------------------

If a bottle with a deposit costs $1.10, and the bottle costs a dollar more than the deposit, how much is the bottle worth?

---------------------

Yeah, okay, whatever... What I want to know is what's *in* the freeking bottle??? But that's just the kind of girl I am.

Anyway, you know what to do. The answer will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Dude - maybe next time you should ask for a car...

Just sayin'...



Though I must admit, I like the cops' style. A lot. Heh.

Hat tip: Loretta & Dal

Things that I had apparently forgotten...

...about music. (Or hey! About being nice...**)

I mean, I love music - I love my tunes. And I have developed a taste for some (okay A LOT) of the new stuff out there... I have.

The oldies and hey - most of the "eighties" (and 60's & 70's) stations leave me cold these days. Maybe I am just not wanting to tap into the feelings that I had as a kid or a teen hearing those songs.

Whatever.

But I had forgotten some of the more healing, angst ridding, anger management properties of listening to your own tunes at high decibel levels while doing... well... WHATEVER.**

Like say when the neighbor across the street calls you because somebody who was nicely dropping off your daughter and has a blade on the front of his truck kindly blades off your driveway and piles the snow directly across the street with all of the uhhhhhh OTHER piled snow and she feels the need to call and verbally flap her arms about what a pain it is when the snow plow comes through and some of *your* snow ends us in *their* driveway and oh could you please make sure that it doesn't happen again....

So yes - armed with a big ass shovel (my own thankyouverymuch) and my MP3 player I marched out and shoveled all of that shit out of the way because Gott knows we *never* have the snow plow f*ck up our driveway and I would just hate it if her little panties were in a bunch over the one freeking time some of our snow made it's way across the gotttamned street!

Thank heavens for the soothing ear pounding dose of anger management I received while throwing rocks at their house shoveling *my* frakkin' snow away from their precious driveway. Just sayin'.

/rant - insert usual sweet disposition here/

Anyhoo, I don't expect anyone to enjoy what I enjoy - and I feel no need to fit in with what anyone else thinks is cool.

But I *am* enjoying my music again...

All.of.the.time.

And that's a good thing.

**This is apparently what happens when people call me about stupid bullsh*t when I am writing a post. Go figure.

My funny valentine...

Now keep in mind that WxMan and I do not really do much for valentine's Day - we just never have...

Another phone call in my world today...

----------------------
::ring...ring...::

Me: "Hey Babe, what's up?"

Hubby: "Well, I was just in Cub foods getting some cough drops..."

Me: "Uh oh - your throat is hurting now too??"

Hubby: "Yeah, but that's not the point."

Me: "Okay... What?"

Hubby: "Well, there were like 2 women in the whole store and about 25 guys holding flowers or some kind of candy looking totally panicked..."

Me: "Yeah..."

Hubby: "Well, I just wanted to make sure that we are still on the same page about Valentine's Day. Like we talked about last week! And I wanted to make sure that you didn't just say "No we're not doing anything" and then expect me to do something.... We're not doing anything, right??"

Me: "Right. We're not doing anything..." [I'm giggling now]

Hubby: "Okay, good. I just wanted to check... I did wish you a Happy Valentine's Day first thing this morning though!"

Me: "Yes, yes you did. I may have to blog this, you know..."

Hubby: "Okay, whatever. As long as I'm all good. Love ya. Bye!"

----------------------------

Lord, he cracks me up. It's oddly reminiscent of the time he came to me just before a holiday (my birthday?? Valentine's??) and asked...

"Hey, am I supposed to get you a present? 'Cuz you haven't given me any money yet..."

Heh. I do love that man...

A phone call from my Dad...

..as best as I can recall from a few minutes ago.

--------------------

Me: Hello??

Pop: ::sounding quite subdued:: Hi Darlin' - how's your day?

Me: Good, and yours??

Pop: Well fine, I guess - except I have something that I need to tell you. I haven't been being very honest with you lately....

Me: What? [I'm a bit concerned, honestly...] What's going on??

Pop: "It's just time that I come clean about this. It's been weighing on me.

Me: "What is it?"

Pop: "Well... I'm the father of Anna Nicole's baby."

Me: ...

Pop: "The secret was bound to get out..."

Me: "Of course you are..." [man, am *I* relieved]

Pop: "I broke the news to your Mother this morning."

Me: "Ahhhh... And how did *she* take it?"

Pop: "She was shocked, as you can imagine." ::sigh::
"Well, alright then. I feel better now." ::sounding decidedly more chipper:: "I have a few more phone calls I need to make!"

Me: "Okie dokie, Pop. Happy Valentine's Day!"

Pop: Happy Valentine's to you too, Darlin'. I'll talk to you later!"

---------------------------

Heh. Is it any wonder that I have a whacked sense of humor?? Good grief.

Candy Hearts

And I have seen them *everywhere*!

Your Candy Heart Says "Cutie Pie"

You always seem to have a hot date, even though you never try to meet anyone. A total charmer, you have a natural appeal that keeps you in high demand. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: multiple dates with multiple people Your flirting style: 100% natural What turns you off: serious relationship talks Why you're hot: you're totally addicting

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

I like my candy heart! Though chocolate would have been better. Just sayin'.

A Valentine Poem...

...such as it is, via the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar. Ready to play?

-------------------

The following is a simple substitution cryptogram, in the form of a rhyme.

18-15-19-5-19 * 1-18-5 * 18-5-4 *
22-9-15-12-5-20-19 * 1-18-5 * 2-12-21-5.
20-8-9-19 * 3-18-25-16-20-15-7-18-1-13
23-1-19 * 4-5-19-9-7-14-5-4 * 6-15-18 * 25-15-21.

------------------------

Well, there you have it! Merry day of love and chocolate to you! And like always, the answer will be found later in the comments.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's hoping that your path to love is (or was) less painful than it was for this fella...



Yeah - I know it's an old cartoon - but for no good reason, it always gives me a giggle. Twisted, I know...

Either way - Happy Valentine's Day. XXX OOO And remember - chocolate has no calories today! Whoohoo!

Snow, snow and more snow!

And while I go out to shovel, here is the handy dandy Brain Bender for Tuesday. Ready to play??

--------------------

What two words formed from different arrangements of the same seven letters can be used to complete the sentence below?

As sure as there is a _________ every day a company that _________ you against losses will find some loophole.

-----------------------

Alrighty then - time for me to suit up and get out there. An d like always, the answers will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Random Information

Blatantly stolen from Rachel at Pereiraville - as I am still deeply ensconced in the "Great Master Bedroom and Kitchen Purge / Reorganization of 2007." Also known as, "Why in the Hell do I have all of this Crap?!?!"

Gah...

So here we go!

What is your occupation? I am A Domestic Engineer - sometimes known as "Queen of all Gross Things." I'm a Mom, wife, and runner of the household.

What color are your socks right now? No socks now (birks in the morning) but later they will be black.

What are you listening to right now? The furnace run - it's cold outside....

What was the last thing that you ate? Chicken parmigiana with Cheese tortellini Alfredo and green beans almondine. I'm a good cook - the girls will appreciate it someday, I hope.

Can you drive a stick shift? Yup. I learned to drive with a 5 speed green Rabbit. We have vehicles with automatic transmissions now (and have for some time) but for mountain driving, a standard transmission is best.

If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Magenta.

Last person you spoke to on the phone? My Brother in Phoenix.

How old are you today? 36

Favorite drink to order at dinner: wine

What is your favorite sport to watch? It used to be figure skating but now?? I guess College Football. [When did that happen??]

Pets? Two dogs Buddy (11) and Taylor (13), Precious the Hamster, and a few fish that live in the office.

Favorite food? I am an omnivore - it depends on my mood.

What was the last movie you watched? Last Holiday - I thoroughly enjoyed it!

What do you do to vent anger? I blog, clean house, and generally seethe.

What was your favorite toy as a child? Wow, this is tough. I remember how much I liked to read, mostly. So I guess books were my favorite toys.

What is your favorite fall or spring? I love the Fall, Spring to me is just muddy mcmuddy - while we wait for summer. Fall is most pleasant.

Hugs or kisses? Yup.

Cherries or Blueberry? Blueberry - cherry just isn't my thing.

When was the last time you cried? The other night watching Extreme Home Makeover - that show gets me every time...

What is on the floor of your closet? shoes

Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? I’m not sending this to anyone. I’m posting it.

What did you do last night? Cooked dinner, cleaned the kitchen, talked on the phone a bit, helped with homework and watched TV with the family before falling asleep on the couch. (I am trying to get out of the habit of falling asleep on the couch but it's a damn comfy sofa.

Favorite smells? Freshly mown grass, rain, vanilla, Turkey dinner, cinnamon.
What inspires you? Inspiration? Uh - guilt is a big motivator, as is duty, but inspiration? Huh - I'll have to grind on that a while.

What are you afraid of? Spiders. Definitely spiders. And failing my children - not being able to protect them...

Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Burgers are the Yum! I like mine with everything.

Favorite dog breed? I love Border Collies. Taylor is half border collie and half blue heeler - she has the border collie disposition, though. And I love Welsh Corgi's. Basically, herding breeds are my fave. (Which is not to say that I *don't* love Buddy - we think he is a Norwegian Elk Hound though not the AKC desirable coloring). He's a good boy... with a VERY big bark.)

Number of keys on your key ring? Geez - I have to look... 6. And I know what all but 2 are for. Hmmm...

How many years at your current job? Let's see, Computa will be 11 in September so 10 1/2 years. Though I have been married to WxMan for 12 1/2 years. Take your pick.

Favorite day of the week? Every day is a good day, though I am partial to Friday's.

Favorite holiday? Thanksgiving. I love all of the food and fellowship associated with that day.

What do you plan to do today?* Finish my projects in the MBR, kitchen and laundry room and then fix something really savory and yummy for dinner. It's snowing again today - it's a good day to stay cozied up inside.

Alrighty then. Off I go. And I added that last one * on - seemed a better way to finish the whole thing.

Alphabet Soup...

...is the Brain Bender (from the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar) for Monday. Ready to play?

---------------------

How many common English words can you make from the letters below, using all five letters once in each word?

A C E P R

----------------------

Well, there you have it. And like always, the answers will be found in the comments later. See you then!

Update: Raging Mom is today's official Smartypants. Whoohoo!! And she's having a rough Monday - go wish her well, why don'tcha...

Monday

And I am actually having to get some work done today. Boo.

After a weekend of playing, that's kinda hard... But hey, at least around here I can work in my jammie pants. Right?

You know it was a good party when...

...you have to throw your shirt away when you get home! (At least in Sporta's mind - that was a sign of a very good time. Heh.)

And why were we at a shirt killing party? Well, I agreed to help some friends pull together a shindig at their place - a birthday celebration / "Whoohoo! I got accepted into the program" kind of party. Fun fun fun...


So food, drinks, and yummy snackage all over the place. And this -->

The whole house smelled like chocolate, and really - I am not sure who had more fun dipping, the grown-ups or the kids. It was quite Willy Wonka.

And the best part? I own it - found the farooking thing on clearance Friday afternoon. And oh yeah... It's a keeper. (I am going to have such a good time playing with all of the fountainy goodness.)

And why not, the party just keeps on going around here. Sporta turns nine today. I cannot believe that my "baby" is nine. I have no idea when she became such a young lady! OR where the nine years have gone in the interim.

So today we celebrate her nineness - sans chocolate for the moment, but you never know. Guess what she has requested in lieu of a cake for her party...

When crafting becomes creepy...

Good Lord. Just look at these things...












Mutant, deformed, "monkey" heads.

Ewwwwwwww...

I have ordered craft supplies before - I have kids, and therefore sometimes a "craft" has to happen. But these are just flippin' creepy!

What on earth would you do with them? Make a necklace? Key chain? Bracelet?
And really - would you want your daughter (or son for that matter) wearing a string of monkey heads around their necks??

C'mon!

But maybe it's like the feather trees.

*I* just don't get it...

Happy Friday, anyway. And may your weekend be creepy monkeyhead free.

And what exactly *is* a tuffet, anyway?

From the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar, here is today's Brain Bender.

--------------------

A simple substitution code has been used to conceal a "quote." Work out the code to decipher the original words. (And by "quote" they mean it was never said... Fakey mcfake.)

Little Miss Muffet

9 * 14-5-22-5-18 * 12-9-11-5-4 * 3-21-18-4-19 * 1-14-4 * 23-8-5-25 * 20-15 * 2-5-7-9-14 * 23-9-20-8

-------------------------

Ignore the *'s, they are for spacing purposes only. And like always, the answer (such as it is) will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Whaddya mean there are *none* of me??

Heh. I found this over at VW's place...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

I assure you. I am freeking here. I pinched me and everything ferGodsakes... That should make for 1 person in the US with my name, right?

Hmmm... Something just isn't right.

I'm here - I saw me, just now! But if this gets me out of paying taxes, I'm all for it!! What's the word on that?

I like to be warm...

And now I am. Whee!

The good news? The furnace is running and the guy only charged me $180 to make that happen.

The bad news? Well, the furnace has lived a bit beyond it's projected life expectancy, and will need to be replaced sooner than later.

Boo.

And I have no idea what that means as far as costs or anything else. Any suggestions?

Ready to play?

I am tucking into a nice bowl of french onion soup - and given the noises coming from the basement, I remain optimistic that heat will be forthcoming soon.

One can hope....

Anyway, it's time for today's Brain Bender via the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar.

--------------------

Place the same three letter word in each blank below to make five different words.

• ____E
• ____TROT
• ____WOOD
• ____MA
• ____LEG

--------------------------

Okie doke. I am going to go do some housework and try to keep warm. And like always, the answer will be found in the comments later!

I'll take Furnace repair for $500, Alex...

(Or less - if you can swing it...)

It's 58 degrees inside the house right now, and falling. According to my car - it's -6 outside, so the falling temps inside are not that bit a surprise given the fact that the furnace has decided it doesn't want to blow warm air around the house anymore.

Not that that's it's freeking job or anything. Oh no.

On interesting bonus - I haven't seen the girls so happy (and motivated) to get going to school in a while. That was nice.

I have called in reinforcements (aka furnace fixer guys) and so now all I can do is hope they get here soon... And drip the faucets... And keep my scarf on...

Brrrrr.....

What I have learned today...

...because really, I have to keep track of these things!

• The phrase "It's too cold to snow" is complete BS. -7 and snowing out. Hello.
• I didn't really want to go to Madison today. Visibility is for shit and it's slick as hell out.
• Hubby can still keep a vehicle in control as we go spinning off the road at 35 MPH - and then get us back on the road.
• I like seatbelts and I have a nervous giggle.
• Hubby likes airbags (even though none deployed) and has a nervous giggle too.
• Lunch tasted fantastic afterwards.

• I freeking hate paper cuts. And i seem to have a propensity for getting them on my knuckles. Owie. And it makes the sting of paying bills MUCH worse.
• I really, really, really like how quiet my house is when the girls go off to school. A LOT.
• Snow is pretty, but I am getting tired of the whole "snow" thing.
• I *do not* like to shovel, even thought I can count it as exercise.
• I still do not like to exercise.
• I hate it when my neck gets cold, and I am becoming a bit of a weenie about it. (Hell - I am wearing my scarf right now sitting in my office!)
• I prefer V necks to turtlenecks anyway.
• If I don't write things down or do them the minute I think of them - I will forget. It's a fact.
• I almost forgot what I was going to write for the last thing because I had to go let the dogs in (again!) between thinking of it and writing it down. Scary.

Anyhoo, so far so good! (Well, except for almost wrecking the car and that whole early alzheimers thing, and the paper cuts... But hey, I'm in a fantastic mood!) It's not even 3:00 yet!

I can't wait to see what I learn this evening...

Update: Ooooh, FUN! The furnace is blowing cold air now! Somehow that sounds about right... (Gah)

Early today...

The Hubby and I are off to Mad-Town to do a little exploration of options when it comes to buying a new house.

No, I have no intention of moving to Madison, but there is a builder there he wants to check out. Either way, I am bound to get a yummy lunch out of the deal, and that's happy.

Anyhoo, here is today's Brain Bender a tad bit early...

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Changeovers...

1) Take a word that means "illness" and change one letter to find a gentlewoman.

2) Take a word that means "in the course of" and change letter to find a word that means "by oneself."

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Alrighty then, I'm off. Y'all have fun and stay warm. Like always, the answers will be found later in the comments - see you then!

What the....

I don't know what has happened between yesterday and today, but holy raging hormones, Batman!

If it's this bad now - what's the real deal going to be like? We haven't even hit the teenage years yet...

I might be in trouble.

And WxMan? Uh oh.... This isn't going to be pretty.

We went Bowling (for real)...

Hey - I live in Wisconsin! There are bowling alleys *everywhere* and they serve lunch there to boot...

Sometimes you need more action (and space) than the Wii can provide. Just sayin'.

Anyway, better late than never, here is the brainbender for Monday. Ready to play??

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Alrighty then, I'm off. I have a party to help plan (whoohoo) and WxMan is home today so I can go take a quick meeting. Heh.

Like always, the answer will be found later in the comments. See you then!

Snow Froze Day...

And subsequently no school.

You know, the only time I *ever* remember school being called off when I was a kid, it was because of sub zero temperatures. As I recall, it was -40 to -60 with the wind chill for several days that winter in 1989. Not nearly as much fun as an actual "snow" day - but then, where I grew up we didn't get a whole lot of snow.
Sure, there was snow in the mountains (sometimes year 'round) but generally not a lot of snow in the yard... But I digress.

The girls, of course, are estatic - a "snow" day even without a couple of inches of fresh powder is something to savor. Heh. And they were beyond excited to see their school closing notice this morning (along with everybody else in the area). Even though we have been pretty cooped up the past couple of days.

Possibly, it is because I have my friend Roses boys here for the day and they are happily at war Wii bowling - Boys vs. Girls. I have no idea who is winning, there has been much screeching from both sides either in celebration or frustration. (Unlike a baby's cry - at this age it is hard to tell the difference.) They are enjoying themselves - that's what's important. And I have my MP3 player.

:-)

I cannot even tell you how much I love the Wii... It gets everybody up and jumping around (hello - energy burner!) and with it truly too farooking cold to be outside, it has been heaven sent. Possibly beyond...

So now I just have to come up with something fun to do this afternoon. Piece of cake, right? Too bad the sledding hill is out of the question.

White men *can* jump...

Just cruising around, I saw this over at ClubLife today.



All I can say is WOW. Just wow.

Another jammie pants kind of day...

...alternate title "Holy sh*t it's cold out!"

Seriously. So cold that I don't even want to think about going anywhere. 20+degrees below zero cold. Screw that - we're staying in.

Yesterday was dang near *as* cold, but a visit from a neighboring blogger warmed the day considerably. The girls and I had the distinct pleasure of spending the afternoon with Tammi from Tammi's World. And I can tell you - the only thing warmer than her sunny personality can only be found in equatorial latitudes...

She's just that much fun.

We hung out, played many Wii sports, curled up with hot bowls of soup, and talked about everything under the sun. It was a blast! Sporta and Computa conspired to create a Tammi Mii - so she can always have permanent stats at our house. Heh. And wouldn't you know it - Tammi is the tallest of the Mii's on our little system. Art imitates life this time. Too cute.

Thanks for making the trip up, Tammi! :-)

Anyway, today's weather calls for another day of R&R around here, I think. I have a good book, plenty of leftover soup, and the girls are still in their pajamas. It's a good day for jammie pants.

And hey, I understand there is supposed to be a football game on later! Maybe we can watch that...

So now, I'm all snuggled in. What are you going to do to keep warm?

Oh what I'd give...

...to be hanging out with my folks right now.

'Course I am here in the frozen tundra, and they are hanging out on a beach in Costa Rica. That might having a little bit to do with it.

As my mom writes:

Our days are full. Your father caught a 150 pound sailfish yesterday and some Durado, which Alan cooked for us last night. I'm writing a short log so we can relate stories. this morning the guys at the Tigre killed a pig and will cook up all the meat for a fiesta this afternoon complete with Mirimba band. So, it is going to be a FUN day. More later.

Oh yeah. Maybe if I have a margarita this afternoon while looking at this it will help.

Especially since *this* is the actual view I got going today.












Brrrrrrrr.......

Groundhog Day

And I understand that Punxsutawney Phil did *not* see his shadow, therefore predicting an early Spring.

All I can say is I freeking hope so.

It will take an early Spring just to thaw us out sufficiently after this cold snap we are having. I am shocked that my weather pixie doesn't look like Kenny from South Park right now.

Wait, I should check...

::back:: Hell, she's crazy - standing there in her little jacket. At least the dog that's there with her on occasion had the sense to go inside. Good grief. Sunny and 3 degrees? Bullshit.

Well, okay, I'll concede on the sunny part - it *is* sunny. I am basking in my little patch of sun right now while listening to the furnace work overtime. That wind out there is bitter. The wind chill has to have us in the negative double digits right now and it's getting colder as the day progresses. Once the sun goes down all bets are off. And I bet I'll still see a couple of High Schoolers (usually it's young men) walking home in shirtsleeves only. All that testosterone must keep you fellas warm...

Anyhoo, I'm about to go suit up (just to wait in the car!) and pick up the girls from school... If you don't hear from me soon send in the St. Bernards. (And remember to fill their casks, please!)

Happy Friday...

T.G.I.F.

Which is oh so much better than S.H.I.T. I can't even tell you.

Though for no good reason, I have more running around to do today than I did yesterday. Who am I to understand these things?? And naturally it's below zero. Well below zero.

Brrrrrr.....

Either way, it's Friday and that's happy, right?

So because of my schedule - I am going to go ahead and post the Brain Bender a little early today. (God forbid I neglect to help you exercise those braincells waste time at work, Right?)

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Megan is half Kevin's age. In six more years she'll be four-fifths Kevin's age. In 10 years she'll be six-sevenths Kevin's age. Neither one is a teenager.

How old are Megan and Kevin now?

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Okay I'm off. Like always, the answer will be found later in the comments. See you then! (And for heaven's sake - put a coat on. It's cold out there!)

Blogger was down...

...and now it's up! Just in time to play the handy dandy discount MENSA calendar Brain Bender. Ready?

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The names of three capital cities are interlettered below. Can you find them? (The letters are in consecutive order.)

L W O O A T N S T D H A O I W N N A P G M O T C I O L T N

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Pretty straightforward there. So, you know what to do - the answers will be found later in the comments. See you then!

And in other completely unrelated news - I finished the newsletter! Whoohoo! Now all I have to do is get it copied and mailed!! :-)