Good Intentions

I always have such good intentions. I didn't buy as many Christmas cards this year because we're trying to "go green". I was going to make an e-card to send to everyone or at the very least, put something on my blog Christmas morning. I did neither. So if you were one of the few that got an actual card from the Dixon's, consider yourself lucky. . . I guess.

Am I getting bored with my blog? No, just not as much time in the day as I'd like. The house is still in disarray because of Cassidy's room. But we're very close to getting it done. I say "we" like I've been doing something in there. Dana's done all of it. He didn't even ask me to help him paint! I think of things all the time and say "Hey, I should put that on my blog." Again with the good intentions.

I took the kids shopping this weekend. They are both in need of new jeans. Katie found a pair at Limited, too that were more than I wanted to spend. But since she has 2 pair at home that she refuses to wear, I suppose it's worth it to spend more money on them and have her actually wear them. It just means I'm doing laundry more often than I'd like.

As for Cassidy, I've determined that he needs a size 26 x 30. Guess what!?!?! They don't make them. At least not that I could find. I told him he needs to put on 50 pounds! It would be easier to buy for him! He's currently in a boys size 16, and I couldn't find any 18 Slims. So I started looking in Men's sizes. American Eagle has 26 waist, but the longest length is 28. Not nearly long enough for him.

So Katie came home with a new pair of jeans and 2 shirts. Cassidy came home with a new Wii game that he bought with his Christmas money.

. . . good intentions. . .

VOICEMAIL

Voicemail. . . in today's society, is there really a need for it anymore? I suppose for work there is. But on my cell phone. . . no. Don't leave me a voicemail on my cell that says "call me." I mean really, I'll see that I had a missed call, that it was you, and I'll call you back. Do you really want me to waste my time going to the trouble to retrieve a voicemail that says "call me"? I think not. In the time it takes me to do that, I could be talking to you.

I even changed my voicemail message on my cell once to say "Don't leave me a message. I'll call you back." My mom thought it was short and rude, so I changed it to "leave me a message".

Even for work I question it's validity. I got a voicemail today that said, "I'll send you an e-mail." And what did the e-mail say? "Call me."

NOTE: I don't want any wise guys [you know who you are, Bob] calling me and leaving me voicemails.

Out of the Dark Ages

We're moving further away from the Dark Ages in the Dixon household. I've been looking into high speed Internet, but living on a little hill surrounded by corn and/or soybean fields, our choices are severely limited. So today I purchased a laptop connect card from AT&T. So far, so good. It's still not lightning fast, but a hell of a lot faster than dial up. Boy, I can't wait to cancel that.

We've got 30 days to decided if we like it. But based on what we've seen tonight, I'm not sure what there is to not like. We could always get high speed through Dish Network, but with the card, Dana can also use it for work and take it with him each day. So I imagine this is what we'll stay with.

Truly Random

Here are some of the things I think about.

What ever happened to the caboose at the end of the train? I remember waiting for the caboose when we were kids. We were always so excited when it finally came. I guess like so many other things, we don't need them anymore.

Another use for my phone: Flashlight

ipods rock. In more ways than one. How do they get such fantastic sound out of such a little thing? We have a shuffle which is the small one you can clip to your jacket or whatever. I was listening to it on the way to work yesterday (probably not safe) and heard things in songs I'd never heard before. It was really cool at the end of "S.O.S." when one Jo Bro sang "call I"ll never get" in both ears, a second Jo Bro said it in my left ear, and then the third Jo Bro in my right ear. Followed by the faint sound of breaking glass. It was cool!!

And. . . an ipod is like your own personal soundtrack. I was still listening when I walked into the office yesterday, and it blocked out all other noise - the click clacking of my heels on the pavement, cars driving by - It was cool!!

Tech Savvy - The older Cassidy gets the older I feel. He downloaded a ringtone for my phone for me - Wham's "This Christmas" - then Bluetoothed it to me. He knows just about EVERY detail of his new phone.

Shrek in Duloc - Remember when Shrek went to Duloc to talk to the king who sent all the fairy tale creatures to his swamp. . . and he meets the character with the giant head at the gates of Duloc and he runs through the ropes to get into Duloc? I felt that that guy today at Wendy's. No one was in line but I had to go through the maze. I just don't have the big head.

PHEW!! That was fun!

FAILBlog

I just have to share this with everyone. Thanks, Janice, for introducing me to it.

Check out www.failblog.org. Funny stuff and a good time waster!!

It's a PHONE!

This weekend Cassidy's phone actually rang. It NEVER rings, but we always hear the "New Message" tone. He talked for a minute then hung up. I asked who it was, he told me, then said "I don't know why she didn't text." Yeah, why on earth would she want to call you on your phone when she can just text you. Geeze, mom!

I should talk. As I sat typing the above paragraph, my phone made the "new message" tone. From my brother - a forwarded joke.


Phones today are anything but. In addition to the phone, I've got a calendar, calculator, alarm, camera, mp3 player, the internet and probably a dozen other things that I don't even know it does. I remember when they came out with camera phones. I was like "Why on earth would you ever want or need a camera phone." Now I don't know how we lived without them. I went furniture shopping today (Cassidy needs a new dresser for his new room.) and I took a picture of the dresser so that I could show it to Cassidy. And what did I do at 3:50 today? Yep, I texted it to him!



Remember when we bought phones for emergencies only? Ah, the good ol' days!

Remodeling

If you've ever built a home, remodeled one, or owned a 100+ year-old house, you'll appreciate what we are going through right now. Our house was built in 1900, and was actually moved to this spot in the forties, I think. We bought the house on auction and got it for a really great price. The house had lovely green sculpted carpeting, and paneling wall to wall and floor to ceiling, except the kitchen and what is now Katie's room. I'm talking the doors were even paneled. The kitchen was remodeled in March 1966. I recently found this noted on the back of one of the drawers as I was trying to get it back on it's runners.



We've done a lot to the house since we moved in 10 years ago, but still have a lot to do with hopes of an addition some day. Anyway, Dana is currently working on Cassidy's room. After pulling down the paneling, we found a date on the wall from the previous owner noting when it was remodeled last - 1978. When we moved in, we did a quick fix to Cassidy's room, but this overhaul is long over due.

Dana has done all of the work will very little help from us. There's really not a lot for us to do; his words, not mine. Anyway, he pulled down the paneling, old lath and plaster (I did help a little with that tearing out the lath in the hall) and then removed all the blow-in insulation. If you've ever had the pleasure of working with blow-in insulation, you know what an absolute mess it makes!! Oh, and did I mention that he raised the ceiling and also moved the closet?

You can see from this picture where the new closet will be. We left it in the same spot, just moved it to the adjacent wall. You can also see where the new ceiling will be. The ceilings are so low upstairs that I can touch them standing flat footed. (I'm about 5' 4") Now again, consider when this house was built. The low ceilings would have help to keep the upstairs warmer at night. And believe me, it does!


He's in the drywall hanging phase right now, so he has come a long way in just 10 days. He's added multiple outlets. Cassidy's room only had 2. Yes, I said 2! One between his closet and the window you see in the first picture. Why, you may ask? We don't know. There are a lot of weird things about this house. Granted, the house was built before indoor plumbing, so what do you expect. And whenever it was wired, they didn't have TV's in every room, if they even had one at all!

When we are done with the project, we will have remodeled the Living Room, Office, Cassidy's & Katie's rooms. The rest of the house has a fresh coat of paint. I'll continue to update as we go through the process.

And we still don't have our Christmas tree up yet. I wonder when that will happen?

Book vs. Movie - Original vs. Re-make

Katie just finished watching The Polar Express, and now she's watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the new version. And it got me thinking. . . dangerous territory, I know.

The Polar Express is a wonderful children's Christmas book. Very wholesome and brought a tear to my eye the first time I read it to Cassidy. (And maybe a few other times, too.) So I couldn't wait for the movie to come out. Even though Tom Hanks was involved and I consider him one of the greatest actors of our time (Castaway) the conversion of this book into a movie was horrible. They added characters and made it a little creepy. They bum on top of the train. He scared me! I watched it once and don't plan to ever watch it again.

The Shining by Steven King - Great movie and even better book. If you thought the movie was scary, read the book. I remember reading it in High School and being creeped out because I was reading it in a room alone. Scary, weird, fantastic book!

The Lord of the Rings - You knew this was coming. Phenomenal movie, and I can't put into words how great the book is. They did a great job making the movie and although some characters were missing (Tom Bombadil) and they added some things I wasn't happy about (Frodo sending Sam away before they meet Shelob the giant spider), I don't think anyone could have done a better adaptation. As for the characters that were missing, there's no way you could get them all into a movie. When I was reading the book, I had to buy another book so that I could keep all the characters straight!

Harry Potter - These were actually pretty good, both the books and the movies. I think since JK Rowling had such a big role in the films, it made a big difference.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - You just can't top Gene Wilder. I love Johnny Depp, but the original is way better. As for the book, I haven't read it, so I can't say.

The Batman Series - OK, I'm no comic book reader, so I can't say. But who is your favorite Batman since the 80's? Being a child of the 80's I have to say that Michael Keaton tops my list. All of them since have sucked, until Christian Bale.

Planet of the Apes - Charleton Heston Rules!! Right, Angie?

So, which do you prefer? The shortened version in a movie theater, or reading the book? The original, or updated remake? Bob, you better not let me down here. You're the resident movie expert.

Did you watch?

Ah, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. I watched for the first time last night. I wasn't sure what to expect, and after about 10 minutes, I asked myself (and my sister by text) "Can they really do this for an entire hour?" Oh yes, they can. I have to say, it was pretty cool. They had interviews with the models; cool costumes, make-up and shoes; and live performances by Usher. What's not to love about that?

Now, before I get on my soap box, I have to say that I love Victoria's Secret. And thanks to my sister who now works there, I have an abundance of Victoria's Secret in my drawer. (Thanks, Angie!!) So, with that being said. . .

I did have mixed emotions about it. As I sat there on the couch in sweats, surrounded by folded laundry and eating a bowl of froot loops, (I know, I know) and wondered if they were trying to sell underwear, or just parade around a bunch of super hot girls. Those women look NOTHING like regular women anywhere in the world. They really are the anomaly, and we all try to live it up that standard. Well, maybe not live up to it, but it sure made me feel crappy as I thought "I have NEVER looked like that and never will!"

But by the end of the fashion show, I realized that I love being a girl. Only girls get to wear pretty underwear and $5 million dollar bras!. (Click on Adriana Lima in the Fantasy bra. It's covered in diamonds and rubies!) I love shoes, purses, clothes, make-up, and yes, even my underwear. And I love having a daughter to share it all with.

So, thank you Victoria's Secret for making us feel pretty, no matter what our size is.

OK, was that random enough for you?

"Were you born in a barn?"

This is a question I find myself asking my son . . . often. Recently, I've switched it up a bit and say, "I know you weren't born in a barn; I was there!" The first time I said it, he thought it was kinda funny. I actually got a little laugh out of him.

This morning I asked him to start my car. About 5 minutes later I came downstairs and the front door was standing wide open. Not cracked, but ALL THE WAY OPEN!!!! I taught him to say "please" and "thank you" but somehow I failed at the closing the door thing.

A few minutes after the door was shut, we all went out to catch the bus. I got the mail because no one did yesterday, and pulled back into the lane. As we waited, I went through the mail, all junk. I see the bus coming and announce this to the kids. As Cassidy is about to get out, I get a good look at him. HE DOESN'T HAVE A COAT ON!!!! It was 20 degrees this morning. I guess now he's too cool to wear a coat and a hoodie is good enough? Oh, well. Chalk one up for "Mother of the Year."

Childhood Memories

Tuesday, Dana and I were sitting on the couch talking and I noticed a small container of Play-doh sitting between us. I opened it up to smell it. (I love the smell of play-doh. Well, maybe not love, but you get the idea. It's a very comforting smell that takes me back to my childhood.) I replaced the cap and put it back on the couch. I was surprised when Dana picked it up, continuing his conversation with me, opened it, smelled it and put it back on the couch. Neither of us said a word about it. So although Dana claims to not like the smell of play-doh, I have a sneaking suspicion that he feels the same way as I do when he smells it.

Later that night, I was picking up one of Katie's many school boxes full of crayons. I shut the lid and noticed it was not latching correctly. I opened it to correct the problem, then quickly closed it. When I did this, I got a quick burst of the smell of crayons. Mr. Douglas, my grade school art teacher, popped into my head. I can still see him drinking coffee from the cup he made on the pottery wheel, complete with a moustache protector. Mr. Douglas had a pretty big moustache and he made a piece that went inside his mugs to keep his moustache from getting wet. Remember, it was the late 70's when I was in grade school. And we all thought Mr. Douglas was the coolest!!

Wednesday night, Katie and I were making pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. If you've ever made a pumpkin pie, you'll know what I'm talking about here. When you are pouring in the evaporated milk, it will actually pour through the pumpkin and then rise to the surface as you stir it. It's really cool and you get a neat swirling, kind of tie dye effect until it all mixes together. I remember making pies with my mom when I was a kid and watching the milk mix in with the pumpkin.

Ah, memories. . .

A D D I C T I O N S

Addictions. . . we all have them. Some will kill you, and some just make you feel kinda silly. For example, I seem to be addicted to coke. No, not the one that will kill you, but the one that now has a nice picture of Santa on the can. They tend to collect at my desk, although right now I only have one. I like to put them in the recycle box just outside HR, but the can has to be completely empty, and I don't always drink every drop. Hey, maybe I'm not addicted after all. Anyway, I digress.

I'm currently addicted to http://www.eonline.com/. It's ridiculous, I know. But I can't help myself. Every day at lunch I'm checking it to see what's going on in the entertainment world. I know that Lindsay Lohan got pelted with flour last week by animal rights activists because she was wearing a fur coat, but I couldn't tell you who Obama has picked for his cabinet. I know that Amy Winehouse is back in rehab.

I'm also addicted to LOTR (see previous post). It's been 7 years since the first movie was out, and no, I didn't have to look that up. Cassidy introduced Dana and I to http://www.mobango.com/ where you can gets all kids of free downloads for your phone. The LOTR wallpapers leave a little to be desired, but my phone currently has a video of the ring flipping up into the air and back down where Frodo catches it. I also downloaded some ringtones, but am still searching. Oh, yeah, and a LOTR trivia game that I haven't gotten to play yet. I could be doing that instead of making this post! Some of my passwords are even LOTR related. You can buy The One Ring wedding rings. I think I'm going to ask Dana to marry me again.

L O S T. . . the train wreck that is L O S T. You don't want to look, but you just can't help yourself. I missed the better part of the first season but it's come so far since then, I don't think it matters. Last year they announced it was signed for another 3 years. THREE YEARS!!!! Ugh, I don't want to have to keep watching to find out what happens and what it all means. It probably doesn't mean anything, like that one season of Dallas that was just a dream. What a rip off!!

So, what is your addiction?

Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock

"The Big Bang Theory" is on Monday nights at 7:30 on CBS. It's just about the only show that we watch as a family. Through watching this show, I've come to the realization that there's a little bit of geek in all of us. . . some more than others. (Sometimes I think I'm riding the fence, except for the genius part.) If you don't watch it, you should check it out. Of course it's also special to me because of the frequent LOTR references. (For you non LOTR fans, that's "Lord of the Rings".)

On Monday, two of the characters were trying to decide what to watch on TV. Sheldon, the slightly OCD physicist, suggests a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock. (See drawing.)

So, Spock can vaporize scissors and rock, but not paper? Wouldn't paper be easier to vaporize than a rock? And couldn't Spock vaporize everything? Thus making Spock a winner every time? And why couldn't scissors cut/stab Spock?

Just a little something for you to think about.

My Sweet Baby Girl

Yesterday was not a good day for me. It was filled with life stresses.

I was in the kitchen last night still upset about the happenings of the day. Katie came in a gave me a big hug and asked me what was wrong. I just told her that I had a really bad day. She stayed in the kitchen with me for a little while, and then disappeared upstairs.

I put a frozen pizza in the oven (hey, they were 3 for $11 --that's a cheap dinner) and then caught up on the latest episode of Hannah Montanna. That's just what happened to be on the TV, but it did make me laugh. Katie then re-appears with her "Feel Good Box." She has a book called Mommy & Me and it is filled with mother-daughter activities. One of which is the aforementioned box. She painstakingly decorated it this summer, and has felt the need to get it out twice since then. You're supposed to fill it with things that will make you and/or your daughter feel good. When one of them is having a bad day, she is supposed to pick something from the box that will make her feel good.

She presents the box to me with instructions to close my eyes and pick something out. So I reach in and pull out two things that are folded together. She tells me I am to take both. I imagine they were the only thing in the box. The first piece was a little note from her Mommy & Me book that reads "Take note: I love you!" Folded inside this is a lined piece of paper with a pencil drawing. It has 2 clouds in the sky over "M" mountains (you know the kind - the ones we used to draw when we were 7) and 2 stick figures drawn on top of the mountains. They are each saying "I love you." Written next to them is this:

"I hope the rest of the week you have a beter day."

She is my sweet baby girl!

Kids on Leashes

I've never understood a parent that puts their child on a leash. I haven't seen one in a while, but witnesssed one today in Danville. A big red leash tied around his waist. I just thought it was terrible.

KLEENEX UPDATE:
The extra credit Kleenex are worth 10 points each! So for a mere $4, Cassidy is going to earn an extra 30 points. . . . for doing absolutely nothing. He didn't even have to go to the store. Janice, you're right, if you're stupid and you're poor, you're screwed.

KATIE UPDATE:
She's standing here as I type this, and I think she wants to see her name in lights. She's wearing her new holiday dress that Grandma Dixon bought her today. AND she got 100% on her spelling test yesterday! Her teacher thought the "a" in wash was an "o". Katie quickly pointed this out and her teacher changed her grade. (At least she didn't have to buy kleenex.)

This picure was taken with my phone. Not too bad, huh?

And one last thing. The Masonic lodge had a breakfast today and Cassidy and I went to it. As we were waiting on our breakfast, my High School band director, Mr. Peterson, walked in. He ended up sitting right next to Cassidy. I eventually asked him if he was George Peterson. He said he was. I said "Well, it's been about 20 years. . . " and he pointed at me and said "Amy?" So we chatted for a few minutes until his breakfast arrived. I was pretty impressed that not only did he recognize me, but even remembered who I was. I'm happy that I haven't changed that much in almost 20 years.

Extra Credit Kleenex

I don't know about anyone else, but when I was in school and you did something for extra credit, you actually DID something for extra credit. Like write a paper or do some extra homework. But not anymore!! Must be some strange clause in "No child left behind." (I won't get into that today. . . that's for another post.)

Earlier in the year Cassidy told me that he could bring in poster board for one of his teacher's for extra credit. I asked if they needed it for a project and his answer was that his teacher was out of poster board and needed it for her classroom. . . . .OK . . . So I told him that if he wanted the extra credit, he was going to buy the poster board. I certainly wasn't going to buy his grade for him. And he did.

So he texts me yesterday and informs me that he can bring in 3 boxes of Kleenex for extra credit in another class. He could use the points, so I imagine I'll pick some up today after work. But he's going to pay me for it.

So I guess we're teaching our children that you don't have to work hard for a better grade, you just have to help supply your teacher's classroom. Am I the only one that sees a problem with this??

Gosh, I sure wish I could get some extra $$ in my paycheck by bringing in some toilet paper, or something.

Why I don't like country music

I have never been a fan of country music, and I'm quite certain I never will be. Dana had a short phase in college where he started listening to country, and I about went crazy. With songs like "She Thinks my Tractor's Sexy", and "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy," what's there to like? (I'm embarrassed to admit that I even know those songs.)

So, I'm watching DWTS last night (reality TV is my guilty pleasure) and their guest performer was Brad Paisley. Tom Bergeron introduced him as singing "Ticks" and then he acted like he was picking something off his jacket and discarding it to the floor. I thought to myself, "Come on, the song isn't actually about ticks."

I was wrong. Here's the chorus:

'Cause I'd like to see you out in the moonlight
I'd like to kiss you way back in the sticks
I'd like to walk you through a field of wildflowers
And I'd like to check you for ticks

REALLY?

Seriously, I can't figure out if this is some strange way of making fun of himself and/or country bumpkins, a love song, or some distorted pick up line.

Enjoy reading the lyrics at the link below, but it's just not the same as hearing it live.
http://www.lyrics.com/index.php/artists/lyric/brad-paisley-lyrics-ticks

What did you have for lunch today?

Katie had "A giant chicken nugget on a bun."

I will so miss these kinds of conversations . . . sooner than later.

My Super Tan & Those Darn Kids

Well, I don't have a Super Tan by all standards, but for one visit to the video store/tanning "salon", I'm pretty dark. I was getting pale again, and decided I'd go a few times to get a little color. I had gone 3 times and quickly worked up to the full 20 minute session. When I went on Wednesday, there was a sign stating that new bulbs were put in that day. I looked at that and said "Dixon, don't go the whole 20 minutes." But of course, I did. I got a little burned and started feeling it just a few hours later. On Friday morning I noticed a distinct line down the side of my body. I'm sure your back side gets darker than your front because it is directly on the glass. I even met a friend for lunch Friday and she asked me if I was going to Mexico again! I WISH!!

Cassidy's first school dance is coming up in a few weeks. It was originally scheduled for yesterday, but was postponed 2 weeks due to the High School Play. (He even felt the need to text me this information during school.) Anyway, he's asked a girl to the dance. We talked about it for a few minutes, then I realized, "Hey!! That's a date!" His response? "Yeah, Mom. Nowadays. . . " Nowadays? What? Was I born in the stone age?? I realized at that moment that I'm old, at least by his standards. I'm only 37 and while I'll admit sometimes I do feel really old, most times I don't feel it's possible for me to have a 12-year old that's interested in girls.

HALLOWEEN UPDATE: Katie went to Grandma and Grandpa Dixon's house. We went to town with a list of a few houses to go to. Ended up only going to one and coming home. How soon until she grows out of this?

BOO!

It's Halloween, my least favorite holiday of the year. As I've gotten older, it's become more and more of a chore for me. I hate coming up with costumes and/or paying $30 for some cheap costume my kids will never wear again. (Well, Katie sometimes will play in hers.) Anyway, I really hate being invited to a costume party as an adult. Dana and I went to a Halloween Party a few years ago, and I decided I wasn't going to waste any money buying a costume, and I'm just not creative enough to come up with one on my own. So we didn't dress up. Surely we wouldn't be the only ones not dressed up, right??!! Well, we were. Oh, well, Live and Learn!

I'm home sick again today. Katie and I were both under the weather yesterday, so we took the day off. I'm still not feeling well, so decided to stay home again. I tend to gauge this by asking myself if I would want to listen to me sniffling, sneezing, coughing and blowing my nose if I was at the next desk. If my answer is "no", then I stay home.

Katie and I rented "Kit Kitteredge: An American Girl" yesterday. It was actually very good. Yes, it was as wholesome as it gets, but it was refreshing to see a true family movie. And how can you not love Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine. (Another great movie as well, although not nearly as wholesome.)

Have a Happy Halloween and don't let the kids get sick on their dinner of candy!!

What am I doing here?

I decided to start a blog. Why? I'm not really sure. I enjoy reading Janice Landi's blog, so I thought it might be fun to start one of my own. And I'm not so great at keeping in touch with friends that have moved away, or just plain moved on, so I thought this might be a good way to keep in touch. We'll see how that works out, or how soon I get bored with it!!