This post was originally posted last year and it still contains the things I am happy for. I wish all of you a happy and safe holiday with people that you love and who love you in return.

This is my happy place……

I am thankful for all of my family. I am happy that even though I bitch about having my sons living at home with me, at least they are living AT HOME with me rather than in a tent or barracks somewhere that I cannot reach them to tell them how I much I love them. And I am thankful to all the other mothers and sons and daughters who HAVE made this sacrifice.

As much as I bitch about parents and siblings, I do love every one of them with every beat of my heart. And I feel grief for every one of you who have experienced a loss-particularly those who will spending the first Thanksgiving without someone dear to you.

I am thankful to still have a husband after 28 years. He has stood by me when I was sick, and healthy, and at this point in his life…when he has a teenage daughter AND a wife going through ‘the change’-he has not run screaming for the hills!! I am thankful he is not a drinker, an addict, a gambler, a ‘playah’ nor an abuser. I was lucky to get the cream of the crop.

I am thankful that I have a daughter that any parent would be proud of having. She doesn’t drink, smoke, swear or hang out with skanky people. She gets good grades, holds down a job and has a boyfriend who is also a wonderful person and who respects her and treats her like a princess.

And I am thankful for all of you…My friends….on both sides of my monitor. You have visited on Monday Moanings when you KNOW I will be a bitch. You have offered comfort when I have felt low and you have shared in my happinesses. We have chatted on and off line and some have shared a cup of tea (or coffee) and I can’t wait to meet more of you.

I hope that all of you will remember to appreciate all that you have in front of you and give thanks for the times that you did have with those who are absent this year.

I love you all…….Now go get stuffed!

Well,I laughed.

Come here and let me give you  a big sloppy kiss!!

I just want to say thank you to everyone who stopped in yesterday to offer suggestions on my daughter’s dilemma. We will both be taking your thoughts to heart.

I’ll be back soon. Yesterday’s round of shots beat the shit out of me. I’m heading to the bedroom to snuggle with the kids and a movie.

Can you dig this?

When it comes to blogland, I will do anything for a friend because I’ve learned that they will bend over backwards to help me in any way they can.

Our friend Nobody is having a problem and I hope it is resolved quickly.

I hope that Charles Ergen of Dish Network gets this letter and makes Nobody a happy camper again.

If you haven’t seen his post about this already, check it out, and post a link.

I screwed up.

I screwed up, not in a horrible way, but it was enough for Hubs to be embarassed. This led me to wonder,

 Babygirl went to a checkup for her braces. A bill had come at the beginning of the month but I was under the impression that we could pay that at the time we came into the office.(For some reason, I thought we had discussed that with the orthodontist) Well, we parked the car and Hubs asked me if I had a bill in my hand. I answered yes. Then he asked “When was the payment due?” I told him my impression and he got flustered.

His fear was that the receptionist would make a scene and he would be embarassed. I told him to stay the hell in the car.

I went in, I explained my assness, and paid the bill. No harm-no foul.

So what was the big deal??

I understand not wanting to be embarassed, but it seemed such a trivial thing to me. It led me think about what embarasses me. I came to realize that not much does. But I can say that  SBD’s will cause me to run and hide. (What is an SBD? A “Silent But Deadly” gaseous explosion from between the butt cheeks — or a fart, in other words.) Everyone farts, but still…..it can be cringe-worthy.

I know that if I sing out loud in a store, my boys will disown me. I know that if I talk to Babygirl’s friends as if I am a teenager, I will be shunned. Both of these things are small potatoes when it comes to the big picture of life, but I am curious to know if there is something that others may ignore that seems like the end of the world to you?

I can’t believe that I am speechless.

McCain is a douche. Why he chooses to proclaim this publicly is beyond me.

Thursday-I am craving:

Friday-I am going to see:

Yes, It’s Cheech and Chong together again after far too many years. I’m going with Hubs, Sons1 and 2, Babygirl and Shenanigans.The show will be followed by much drinking and merry-making.

Saturday-I hope I don’t wake up like this again.

It’s that time of the year again folks….VA-CAY!!!! After all the crap that has been thrown at us this summer (and it’s only half over!) we are ready to roll. We don’t leave until Sunday, but I gotta pack now.

Here’s a question for all of you…..

What do you have to pack? What can’t you be without?

Here are my top five must-haves:

My iPod. I intend to sit on the beach alot. One year, I took my new CD player and three new CDs with me and ruined them all. Sand scratched the discs and got into the crevices of the player. I am so stoked about having all of my music with me without the worry of having them destroyed.

My coffeepot. We love our coffee. Even though we will be going to breakfast every day, we still like to have a cup of joe while we are dressing and waiting for Babygirl and her girlfriend to make themselves pretty (God, mom! We might see boys!)

My Chair. Before I hurt my back, I would head to the beach with a bag containing sun screen, water, gum, a watch and music. I’d spend the day basking under the sun on a blanket spread on the sand. Not any more! I can’t get up once I get down! So now my chairy goes with me.

Aloe Vera Gel. Because the fairest one of all *coughHubscough* will forget to use sun screen-every year, without fail!-and get burned and will spend the rest of the time crying that “It Hurts!”

And last but certainly not least:

After last year’s fiasco, I’m going prepared. I want to relax, so if you have sucky disco music, I DON’T WANNA HEAR IT!

Yesterday at 3:55 pm -surrounded by his children and eleven

of his sixteen grandchildren-

Dad sighed and went to sleep.

Yesterday was for tears.

Today we’ll celebrate his life.

“““““““““““““

Thank you all for your support. I was told that I was the strong one. I have all of you to thank for that. I couldn’t have done it without you.